BYOD Pedagogy | An Enabling e-Learning event
Education, at its heart, is about personalisation.
We’ve moved a long way from the old approach of everyone facing the front and writing down the same thing at the same time….Technology has meant that we can personalise learning and make a real difference for each child. CORE Education’s Ten Trends | Personalisation.
Ubiquitous learning means... learning anywhere, anytime, using any device.
As more and more schools undertake to trial BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) and implement personalisation with 1-1 devices, it’s important to explore the ‘why’ and the pedagogy for effective implementation.
Technology transforming Education from Enabling e-Learning
Join us this month, in this designated forum - as we engage with some special guests to discuss:
- Why go BYOD?
- How do schools come to the realization that BYOD is important for their students/teachers?
- How is the wider community informed, consulted and involved with BYOD?
- What considerations and processes sit behind the successful implementation of BYOD?
You might also be interested in other networked conversations and resources:
- Virtual Learning Network: The 'how' and 'why' of BYOD: New page in Enabling e-Learning designated to BYOD
- WEBINAR: BYOD: How to use mobile technologies effectively: An Enabling e-Learning community event ... Live Enabling e-Learning webinar, Sept, 2012
- The great BYOD debate: A thread to supporting the live webinar, Sept, 2012
- Which device? Debate n BYOD group
- Virtual Learning Network: BYOD groupSelecting a 1-1 device: A video from Enabling e-Learning’s media gallery
- Conversations about BYOD and the e-Learning Planning Framework: Page about correlations between considerations for BYOD and the eLPF.
- Other school’s BYOD resources A large repository in a Google folder shared by Mister Maude
- Virtual Learning Network: BYOD: Why it's all about the learning
Replies
- Andrew de Wit (View all users posts) 26 Aug 2013 8:32pm ()
Hi all, a number of years ago when I was teaching at Fergusson Intermediate I had a student who had done some work at home. Instead of the USB drive I was expecting he pulled out what was the first Smart Phone I had seen and said "Mr de Wit its on here". It was the moment I started thinking about students using their own devices and the possibilities that would bring to teaching and learning.
Last year I arrived at Mangaroa as a new DP to a very tired and sad network. Fortunately we were Snupped within the first term, I cobbled a wireless network together until we were lucky to recieve some grant funding for a new Ubiquiti Wireless system - perfect for a small school like us. We also renegiotiated or hardware leases, adding 12 IPads. Things were coming together.
Then I was fortunate enough to go to ULearn where I hung out with collegues from my previous school and talked BYOD posibilites. I was then brash enough to bring it up with my Principal when I got back, and she said "go for it". So we did...
Essentials were - we got most of the infrastructure working well - UFB was lit in May this year, a bit later than hoped but essential. We got the paper work done. Probably should have consulted more but fortunately have a very trusting community. Were a Google Apps school and signed up for Hapara which is awesome, set up students account easily, set up folders in their Drives and setup E-Portfolio.
We are currently tracking at about 70% uptake with school devices covering the rest, running a mixed platform Ipads, androids, laptops, (which I reccommend and think the best but not easiest way). And it has turned my teaching on it's head in many, many positive and fantastic ways. Wouldn't go back!
Andrew de Wit
Deputy Principal, Mangaroa School
- rochellei (View all users posts) 26 Aug 2013 9:06pm ()
Hi Andrew,
i was very interested in your story - I am at Te Kowhai School (elearning co-ordinator)and we too have chosen to run a mixed platform set-up. We have iPads and PC's in our junior rooms, and laptops, android tablets and iPads in our middle/senior syndicates. We have a few different reasons for these decisions - among them that we contribute to 8 different High Schools which all operate on various platforms, and also we want the focus to be on the learning and not the tool. I agree - we are happy with our decisions even though it is definitely not the easiest of set ups.
We haven't gone BYOD as yet, but am keen to discuss your decisions to go Google Apps, and to know more running Hapara. Also your experiences utilising Google Apps as your set up for your ePortfolios.
Rochelle Inwood,
eLearning Co-ordinator
Te Kowhai School
- Andrew de Wit (View all users posts) 26 Aug 2013 10:32pm ()
Hi Rochelle,
Google Apps is free! Also compares really well to other expensive LMS I have used at previous schools. Hapara although costing $4 per student enables me to view and manage all students documents, set up folders for students and send documents/ templates to them. It's web based so easy to access. We use it as the easy way to access docs on the data projector.
I created a base E-Potfolio based on a template in Google Sites and then used Hapara to deploy and customise for each student. Made some mistakes in the setup and have changes some page templates as we have gone but doing the job as good as anything I've seen that you have to pay for. Locked down to students and teacher with opportunity to share further if parents/ grandparents want their own access - no one has asked for this yet as the students use their log on at home to show.
Andrew
- Anjela Webster (View all users posts) 27 Aug 2013 11:16am ()
Good morning all, thanks Tess for the invite :)
I am really interested in this thread, since the focus is on the rationales and pedagogies that sit behind what we do with technologies in teaching and learning. My belief is that educators need to think critically (in the same way we ask our students to develop thinking skills) about our current practice; the positioning of students in our care in terms of ownership and driving their learning; considerations of new technologies in the teaching and learning; and finally how this fits in with the school charter and vision as a whole.
I have been teaching for more years than I can remember... although I've had some pretty interesting opportunities within this career that has allowed my interest in technologies to flourish. I have taught across the primary/intermediate arena for the most, with some time in early motherhood in ECE (two beautiful daughters - both at uni in the two shaky cities- and a gorgeous hubby make up the other interesting dimension to my life), and more recently I've been involved in workshops in highschools with parents/students around issues of managing ourselves online ... I am also studying for my Masters in Ed with a focus on e-Learning through Waikato Uni and loving it!!
I teach technology (6 subjects) and Visual Arts at an Independent Full Primary, Anglican boys' school in the beautiful Hawkes Bay, and am in my 10th year. I lead a syndicate, and direct the e-learning and digital strategy at school. This particular journey has been a fascinating one, as our school has come from limited access and understanding of pedagogies around technology in T and L, through to our current status, of having just introduced BYO iPad. The process has and is most interesting as we've explored what, why, when, how of new technologies, with staff, parents, and students.
I will share this journey and pedagogies in further posts across the month of this focus and thread set up by Tess.
- Anjela Webster (View all users posts) 27 Aug 2013 12:22pm ()
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eyucHMifto&safe=active
Here's a link to a video from 2010, showing what I think is very rich pedagogy into practice. Imagine mobile technologies being adopted where appropriate to the learning context in this particular school. My point in sharing this 'older' video, is that if we are first exploring 'with' students, what we want to achieve, then considering the tools appropriate to the tasks, then we have a very fertile learning environment whereby mobile and other technologies are easily integrated. BYOD provides the next level to this scenario, by enabling the learning to be accessed anywhere, anytime, and shared with whanau and community. This to me, is the no. 1 rationale for BYO anything.... schools don't have to pack away learning at 3pm!
- Amanda-Ellesbeth Neemia (View all users posts) 28 Aug 2013 12:08pm ()
Hi everybody,
A big thanks to Tessa for inviting me to this discussion.
My name is Amanda-Ellesbeth and I'm the eLearning Leader and a classroom teacher at Maidstone Intermediate. This year we have started a BYOD trial within one of our syndicates ( 3 Classes total approx. 90 students), with the view to go whole school next year. Currently 80% of our students are bringing devices, mixed platform but predominately Apple. The journey albeit long has been met with many twists, turns and not to mention a number of pot-holes. Suffices to say, I have never been more excited or exhausted.
One of the opportunities we needed to make the most of prior to our trial was our Learning Management System (LMS). We use Ultranet and within this is Uspace a place where we store the students portfolio’s Ultranet needed to be familiar to students and teachers as this was a project in itself. Most of 2012 was spent developing Ultranet into a working website, with classroom pages etc… and a committee oversaw the training of staff with a few members specifically trained students. I know there has been recent discussion on whether a formal LMS is really needed, but for our school we needed that central place as we saw that without one this could cause a negative impact on the teaching and learning. We did discuss possibilities of going Google as the three teachers in the syndicate use this for planning but the decision was made to initially go with what we had and explore it further before making any hard and fast decisions. I will note however that one teacher is using Edmodo and we have a number of contributing schools using various or no LMS so there will definitely be further discussion.
Another opportunity was to develop a solid network which was more conducive for the direction we were heading. This is in terms of school infrastructure and support network. Staff were identified as major BYOD stakeholders and a lot of time was spent listening, identifying learning needs and providing training in order to prepare them for the whole school change and to upskill for the classroom iPad refurbishment. This year the school network has been Snupped, we have a new wireless system, a high grade firewall appliance incorporated and we have gone to UFB. A lot of work has been done to the physical infrastructure and to support staff and students.
What I really wanted to achieve with this project was authentic teaching and learning via BYOD so it did mean I spent a lot of time planning, consulting and researching on how this could work for us. On the upside it meant I could do what I love without some of the barriers. For me authentic teaching and learning looks like students and teachers using the right tool for the job and not forcing something that better left to pen and paper onto a device for the sake of it. I wanted devices to become a natural part of the classroom learning experience not seen as a reward, a toy or a time filler. That does not mean I don’t teach my students apps or "play' with what is out there as I love having those types of discussions with my students but that I am very selective and I always bring it back to how they can use this in conjunction with our learning.
Like I said exhausting but very exciting.
- Sandy Lediard (View all users posts) 28 Aug 2013 9:03pm ()
Hi Amanda
I'm really interested in your discussion about keeping Ultranet as your LMS. We are in a similar position. We are keeping ultranet for now but but are also wondering if there is a need for a formal LMS. We are experimenting with other ways of keeping e-Portfolios (we are having a play with Digication at the moment but may just end up using blogs). We have just registered with google apps for dducation and feel that Ultranet may become redundant to our needs. We are providing devices for one class at the moment (our Year 7 and 8 class) and are considering BYOD as an option so will be interested to know how your trial goes.
Sandy
- Amanda-Ellesbeth Neemia (View all users posts) 01 Sep 2013 8:55am ()
Hi Sandy,
For us I am sure that within the next year we will change over from Ultranet to ... but at this stage in the game we have to be very careful not to throw to much change at teachers. I remember one of the staff member saying " first it was Ultranet and now you want us to learn about iPads, which one should we focus on?". It was very clear to me that we did not do a very good job of showing staff how this fit together or that it really wasn't a one or the other.
In Term four we will be extending the trial out to other classes within the school, I am planning for at least 4 classes (total 7/19). In 2014, we are going school-wide so I am planning to continue with Ultranet and any changes to this will come from staff, students and what the wider community dictats.
- Sylvie Vasar (View all users posts) 28 Aug 2013 10:13pm ()
We are in a similar situation as Maidstone Intermediate. We have just signed up with Google Apps for Education and are adding Hapara as our LMS. Currently we are using Ultranet and will be introducing the BYOD's for next year. A bit of a dilemma whether we use chrome books or iPads or a combination of both. Will be good to hear the pros and cons.
- Amanda-Ellesbeth Neemia (View all users posts) 18 Sep 2013 4:55pm ()
Hi Sylvie,
Yes it is all fun and games at the moment. We do use a combination of Google and Ultranet. We use Google for planning and sharing assessment stuff and Ultranet for the storing of portfilos and conversing with the students about their work etc. To be honest both have their pros and cons. With Ultranet I can assign filo tasks and students can submit their work which I can mark, send back or submit to their filos. I'm not keen on the fact that I can't see in one place what they are doing at that exact moment in time but I do like how when they submit work to me it is in all the same place.
We use a combination of devices and have found iPads, window based machines great for uploading documents, images audio etc to Ultranet but if we use Andriod we have problems. We have had to spend a good amount of time problem solving these issues and to be honest it has just made the students more determined to "fix the problem", and as long as I ensure time for this and reflection/discussion it really isn't an issue.
When we use google docs the kids find some of the formatting a problem and really do need to use the appropriate document type for the task. They have found that uploading word doc to Google poses a few formating issues but it is, what it is.
I am pleased we have gone for the "we'll take anything" approach, even if it has caused a few headaches. We have had the best discussions about ways to get around stuff and the kids are just amazing at sharing their knowledge. I know that I am a competent user of technology and I find it easy to switch from one device to the next so I do worry about my colleagues who struggle. We have run a number of workshops for basic iPad use and have stressed the iPad use as opposed to just choosing a few apps and running with it, which I'm glad we have taken that stance.
- Tessa Gray (View all users posts) 29 Aug 2013 10:59am ()
Kia ora everybody, thank you so much Anjela, Andrew, Amanda, Sandy, Rochelle and Sylvie for sharing your experiences in this thread. The more stories shared, the bigger the picture - in terms of research as well as localised trends, needs, issues, suggestions.
Mark Osbourne has also shared a post, Leading BYOD: Start with Values, where he shares his own experiences with helping schools plan and implement BYOD programmes. He advocates two steps in this process: 1) Start with your school's vision and values and 2) Pay attention to change.What do you think? Does anyone else have any more steps to add to this very complex and discrete process, based on their own experiences? We'd love to hear from you
- Anjela Webster (View all users posts) 29 Aug 2013 7:16pm ()
I think Mark has it absolutely right. Two short key messages there... vision and values... change.
Our process has been as follows:
Two ICT drivers (me being one of them, and our IT manager) forming a team as staff became curious about the possibilities of mobile technologies in learning ... (We'd implemented Activboards across the school the previous three years and staff focus was on upskilling on these for the most of that time).
We have spent the last twelve months, and more intensely the last six, developing strategies, pedagogical understanding, and personal skill/awareness of what the mobility of technologies affords, why this adds value to what is already happening, and what we might expect in terms of teaching and learning, and new knowledge creation in the future as we develop and evolve more.
Staff readiness is no.1 after sorting out robust and reliable infrastructure (all the desires of BYOds etc are futile if your systems can't handle the demand). I had criteria around what staff readiness looks like, and it included commitment to the team; participation in reading literature and links and willingness to share with staff; preparedness to explore and experiment with devices; input into drafting policies, surveys, letters to parents etc; preparedness to share learning and status in parent forums; commitment to contunue working together long after any BYOds are implemented to continue exploring literature, ideas, experiences with eachother; willingness to develop other staff in syndicates to bring everyone on board over a 12 month period.
We surveyed parents and staff to ascertain understandings, experience with digital technologies, learning and teaching constructs etc. We read literature. We gave every staff member an iPad to explore in the Christmas holidays. We then implemented 7 ipads into each of the classes of team members. We have now held parent forums and workshops and students are now welcome (not mandatory) to bring their iPad (preferred device we called it) to school in those classes of team teachers. We've kept all staff informed and included in progress. Syndicates are working with individual staff.
We work in a Google doc environemnt and teachers/students are using apps such as Popplet, Haiku Deck, Prezi, Puppet Pals, iBook Creator, Explain Everything, Evernote, mathletics, iMovie, etc...Classes have blogs and use these as collaborative spaces, homework and parent comms spaces...
We are now exploring LMS, as driven by teachers' interest now. I love the evolution that is taking place, which is all about teacher readiness. If staff are adopting technologies with passion, then a huge obstacle is overcome. My job is being one step ahead in terms of research, awareness of whats out there, provision of links and recommendations of sites for further info, challenging the team to find out more..
We've just had a meeting with James Johnson from Technology Centre in Taurange - looking at a very new LMS 'Mybig Campus', the filtering package, and the mobile device mangament system - it looks really really good. Anyone know anything about these products? I'll share a bit about MyBigCampus in another thread perhaps.. this is LONG enough
- Rob Clarke (View all users posts) 29 Aug 2013 10:25pm ()
Hi Anjela,
I've seen Lightspeed's Mobile Manager (which is what the Tech Centre sell) and it is really awesome. Very easy to use and set up and essential if you are moving to a BYOD/T environment.
These are the solutions I've come across so far:
- Lightspeed - https://lsmdm.com (above)
- Airwatch - http://www.air-watch.com/solutions/mobile-device-management
- Mobile Mentor - http://www.mobile-mentor.com/
- Shona Poppe (View all users posts) 29 Aug 2013 10:01pm ()
Hi Angela,
I've worked with The Technology Centre for the past four years and they are a great bunch of guys. Big on customer service. We are also looking seriously at the MDM system and the filtering. For now the Edmodo will do us but from what I can see it is very close to the Big Campus.
What I like about the other 2 systems is the fact it is hierarchal and a lot more flexible than other options. Also a good solution to control apps on the VPP. We are connecting to UFB very shortly and bringing in BYOD (Apple based) beginning 2014.
i believe a large school in Hastings is already running with this product and a school in Rotorua has been trialling it.
- Anjela Webster (View all users posts) 04 Sep 2013 8:41pm ()
Thanks Shona
Great to connect with people who can feed back - isn't the VLN amazing for so many reasons!
We will make contact with Hastings Boys in due course, they've had the system for a short while, so will wait until term 4 to hear how they're going. Being an early adopter of any strategy, systems etc, comes with risks and excitement! I personally loved the ease of the interface as a student/parent/teacher tool.
cheers for that.
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