Teacher Buy-in
I think this is the most important part. When I first brought up the idea of BYOD way back in the summer, I could tell that Leanna and Susan weren't sold. That didn't surprise me because they didn't have the vision of what their classrooms would look like with the infusion of technology. However, it wasn't long after they got their ten iPads that they wanted more. It was easier for them to see the value of having devices in the room for easy access to information and project creation.
School Buy-in
Our district has a BYOD policy in place: School Board Policy. However, it's not readily used because it relies on having buildings and teachers invested. So after several weeks of the school year passed, we went to Shepard's administration to bring up the idea of BYOD. Because they had seen all the great things that were going on in the classroom, it wasn't hard to get the go-ahead. However, we wanted to institute some limitations to the devices and some safeguards with the process because we're talking about third graders. So we worked together to come up with a concrete guide to the process. Here's the Shepard BYOD Plan.
Parent Buy-in
None of this would work if the parents didn't think it was worth it. That's another great reason to push back your BYOD until they've seen what's happening in the classroom. Really, why would you buy or send in a device if you had no idea what they would use it for? I wouldn't. So we sent home information about the process and set up a parent lunch for more information and questions. The Monday after the note went home, both teachers had 4-5 permission slips in hand and both had students with devices on the first day! I think that says a lot about the parent buy-in. About ten parents from both classes came to the meeting. They had great questions about what devices would be appropriate, management procedures, trust in their children, and more. It was clear from the meeting that we needed to put together a guide for what devices would be preferred. Here's a look at our BYOD Device Recommendations. That was tough to put together because there are so many variables and price points. However, I would also maintain that I would rather spend more money on a device that everyone knows will work in the class and be able to withstand heavy usage. It's the old adage, you get what you pay for.
Student Buy-in
Easiest part. All students (at least the ones that I've known all my life) would want to have access to their own device. One concern that popped up during the parent meeting was that of student perception. How do students feel if they don't have something when others do? A perfectly valid question. But how do we tell another student that they can't bring in their device unless everyone has one? We all wish everyone had equal access to technology at home, but that's outside our circle of influence. All we can do is offer every student the opportunity to use what they have.
Who knows what the future holds? BYOD is completely optional and nobody is going to be left behind if they don't have a device. That's the benefit of having the ten-pack of iPads in each class. The one thing that I've heard several times already is having just one or two additional devices in the room makes a huge difference in accessibility. My vision is that as the year progresses, we'll see more students bring in a device.
Looking forward, we also need to guarantee parents that their students will be able to use the device in years to come. I would happily spend a few hundred dollars on a quality device if I know that my child would be able to use it for several years. But if next year's teachers won't allow it, that might affect my decision to purchase. Running a small pilot is important to iron out details and to offer insight on how to push the project out on a large scale.
I've enjoyed the last few weeks. We moved slowly and have seen promising results. Please let me know if you'd like to chat about how to make BYOD work in your schools.
