One of our projects for the I4ED class was to research a topic to do with technology and the classroom. Our topic is BYOD which is an acronym for Bring Your Own Device. This is a rising issue in schools that is being met with positive and negative feedback. In our group of first
year students we made a PowerPoint on Google Docs while incorporating different
programs like word mapping and infographics.
For my part of the project I looked at the different devices available. The
list I compiled consisted of laptops, tables, cell phones, audio recorders,
cameras, and Ipods. The greatest thing about all these devices is that they are
mobile and files are easily stored and transferred. They are great
organizational tools and a way of engaging students in lessons.
Two concerns that I ran into were the amount of plug points a room has. It
will be important for students to charge their devices at home during the night
so that they will be prepared for school the next day. Although some devices
are able to hold a charge all day others will have to be plugged in eventually.
The amount and location of lets would have to be dealt with if it became a
problem. A solution to this could be that the school provides power bars for
classrooms.
The other concern was that there are many different devices available now
and teachers have to become technology gurus in a way. If students are bringing
devices from home then they will have an assortment of operating systems,
internet security, anti-virus programs, scanning programs, search programs, and
other such items. Teachers have to become knowledgeable so that these devices
are an aide in the classroom and not a hindrance. Students will also need an existing
knowledge of how their devices work before bringing them to school. Devices
should have similar capabilities so that students have the same access to
learning content and programs.
I totally agree about the plug in situation. Take some of our classrooms in the Education Building as an example! My laptop is almost 7 years old and the battery is completely shot. In two of the classrooms I am in there are only two plugins and one is used for the SMART Board. If someone already happens to be sitting at the table next to the plugin then I am out of luck and don't even get me started on the issues this caused in the big lecture halls in my undergrad!
ReplyDeleteMost classrooms were built many years ago so I imagine there is not a lot of plugins available in them either. The different device issue is also a problem, especially when it comes to transferring files between Mac and PC.
All good things to think about! Thanks for sharing
Miss L
Miss L’s Whole Brain Teaching
I attended the BYTE conference on the weekend and took part in a BYOD talk. The key point the presenter kept making was that BYOD schools are not perfect and they have to continually address problems (like plug-in shortages). The move toward a BYOD school is inevitable, but it isn't going to be a smooth or easy transition. The key for us pre-service teachers is to be onboard with the move. We can be active participants in the progression towards BYOD classroom/schools, which will help us gain a reputation as a progressive thinker.
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