Equity devices in BYOD schools
Hi all,
Just seeking some feedback in regards with how BYOD schools are dealingworth the issue of equity devices? Do you provide loan devices? Lease deals? Classroom computers? Or nothing?
Any info appreciated.
Cheers
Claire
Replies
- Karen Spencer (View all users posts) 23 Aug 2012 2:33pm ()
It's a small point in response but Mark Osborne will be a good contact here (as I'm sure you know:-) - the issue of equity is something he explores when he speaks on BYOD > /blog/view/694697/managing-byod-at-albany-senior-high--notes-from-poriruanet.
- Claire Amos (View all users posts) 23 Aug 2012 2:38pm ()
Indeed. I have picked his handy brain already - they provide plenty of desktops. I have to agree in that I have some classes I teach in that have a number seek desktops available as supplementary devices - it works really well. But in traditional learning spaces (I.e. lots of individual classrooms)would be a lot of desktops. But then again maybe they might last longer?
- Diane Henderson (View all users posts) 23 Aug 2012 2:41pm ()
Hi Claire,
Diane here, facilitator of 12 schools in the Far North. One of the low decile schools I work with, offered a lease programme to parents for netbooks. They worked in with their local business/technical support people and offered 3 payments throughout the year. The netbooks remain at school during the year, but at the end of the year they are theirs to take home - has definitley worked for them.
Gary S (View all users posts) 25 Aug 2012 10:37am ()Found this discussion really helpful. I am in a small rural school with 120 students. I was concerned about the impact of the haves and have nots in our community, however I notice that a surprising number of my less affluent families have children with iPod touches and even cheaper tablets they are keen to be able to bring to school.
Gary
- Julian Adamson (View all users posts) 04 Jul 2016 9:06am ()
Kia Ora Tatou,
We are going to take a big step next year and move from a few BYOD classes at year 9 to the entire cohort being BYOD. Of course this means we are doing a lot of work around equity. I know that the local schools have been discussing for some time the idea of forming a collective to support equity and to help fund devices for those who cant afford them, but this is still in the discussion stage and may take a lot more time to get actual action.
In the meantime, we have setup a number of COWS (computers on wheels) with laptops that can be used to supplement those that students bring themselves. We are also running two parents information evenings in the build up to next year to give year 8 families as much time as possible to consider purchasing a device. The first of these is this week. We have got local suppliers in to offer tech advice and some good deals for families.
Our philosophy on this is that equity is an issue, but will not be a barrier to implementing BYOD. We believe that devices and the change in pedagogy that goes along with them, can help engage and bring more agency to students and that that is worth the cost of buying in more devices. Of course we are lucky in that we have the finances to be able to make this stand. I am sure there will be schools who cant afford to.
I look forward to reading more ideas here as people keep posting them!
- Bill Godbout (View all users posts) 06 Jul 2016 1:05pm ()
At Waiheke High School we have started 2 BYOD classes this year. One group in year 7 and another in year 9. These 2 classes were chosen by opting in. In the year 9 group we had 46 applicants. At this time management decided to hold a lottery and fill a class of 30. Retrospectively might of been able to have 2 classes of 23. It so happened that our year 9 group was an extra large cohort. Many of the questions of equity will be big during the next couple of years as there will be rollover to year 8 and 10 and 2 new ones at 7 and 9. Not sure what the plan will be after that.
- MattS (View all users posts) 07 Jul 2016 12:41pm ()
I started a BYOD environment with a Year 7 & 8 class this year. We set out to achieve this during 2014. The first hurdle was to show the community the value of using technology in the classroom. We decided to invest in buying enough school chrome books for a 1:1 environment in my class. Once this was up and running we invited the community to come in and see what was happening. Once the community could see the value and were on board, we explained the financial limitations of the school to do this for every class and that a BYOD policy was the most equatable way of having devices in the school. The school devices are now used for those students that don't have their own device. We found this a really successful roll out of the BYOD environment.
- Anna Stockman (View all users posts) 13 Jul 2016 9:57am ()
We started a BYOD Syndicate with our Intermediates last year. Students who wanted to bring their own device could bring a laptop, tablet or iPad. For equity we assigned a loan laptop form the school. the loan laptops could not be taken home, had to stay at school. We have decided to purchase more devices for the school, chromebooks so that we could have 1:2 devices across the school. The students prefer to work on their own device so that they can save passwords etc for quicker log in. We are also looking at a wifi system that we can roll out to the community so that our students without wifi access at home can log into the school N4L system.
- Whaea Merenia (View all users posts) 16 Jul 2016 4:17pm ()
In the Education.govt.nz it says this..
By the end of 2016, all schools will have access to the technology available to provide high quality, high capacity, ultrafast internet access for teaching and learning. Connected classrooms offer today’s students and teachers easier, affordable, and faster access to information, teaching and learning resources, peers, experts and the wider community.
Digital technologies have a pivotal role to play. They are a major enabler of the forces reshaping how our society and economy function. The smart use of digital technologies has enormous potential to help us recast the key principles, relationships, partnerships, and components integral to successful learning environments.
I cut and paste this statement because it gives clear rationale behind the importance of how technology will continue to progress in the 21st century and we have to be prepared to go through transformational change within ourselves no matter how uncomfortable it is.
Our school is currently investing in devices for our children. We use Chrome books, ipads and PCs, however the PCs are becoming increasingly redundant due to how quickly they decide to 'break' down. Junior teachers especially like the ipads and many of our Y4 - Y6 children are working on chrome books. We haven't yet looked at BYOD but as a Leadership team we have had a few discussions about it's benefits vs no benefits - for want of a better word. Our school has also largely been working on pedagogy shifts in relation to devices in the classroom - so one step at a time. I think it's only a matter of time before we venture down this track and after reading what Derek Wenmouth says and the links he shared, there is a place for BYOD in our school to meet learner needs and develop a pedagogy of learning for our learners and teachers. As a teacher in the US says 'Tiziana Saponaro', 'when her own shift in pedagogy transformed from direct instructional method into project and inquiry based learning approach, then helps students learn by doing gives them ownership of the education'. If we are to meet the diverse needs of all our children it must become our responsibility to explore this route. As Lisa Nielsen writes in her '7 Myths about BYOD' '...a shift in a BYOD school is for teachers and students to come together to discuss and discover the limitless possibilities that a tech-rich environment provides and then work together to think about how best to pursue learning goals'.
Join this group to contribute to discussions.
