Katrina Schwartz (@kschwart) on Mindshift reports on the annual Software and Information Industry Association’s (SIIA) 2013 Vision K-20 survey of use of technology in education. I always look for the dissonance as the place to start solving problems, so this bit shouted out to me:
Almost half of all secondary schools allow students to bring their own devices now and 60 percent anticipate they will allow devices within one year. In elementary schools the integration of BYOD is much lower — only 20 percent of schools allow devices now. Still, even in the younger age group, educators predict that within five years 70 percent will allow devices. Most schools that have BYOD policies restrict access to sites deemed non-educational like Facebook, Twitter, games and music. In secondary schools more than 80 percent have restrictions and in elementary school 79 percent restrict use to strictly educational purposes.
“Interestingly they said the teacher has total discretion over how it’s used in the classroom,” Meell said. “Teachers could take the device if used improperly.” This data shows that schools are eager to leverage students’ personal devices in the classroom, but are still struggling with the best way to balance instructional use against potential distractions.
Five years ago BYOD in high schools was rare; now it is mainstream. Is there anyone who thinks this is NOT going to happen within the decade? When it takes a MINIMUM of 1-3 years to enact cultural change in schools, are you planning ahead for the inevitability of BYOD at all grade levels? Importantly, are you leaving this to your IT group to plan, or do you recognize that this is part of a fundamental systems-level shift in all-school pedagogy and the learning environment? Is technology driving your thinking, or is learning driving you to leverage these rapidly evolving capabilities?
Bringing institutional change requires overcoming plenty of inertia, systemic & emotional, career, political etc. But if results were a yard stick here’s an example…
In American schools abroad, @least in a country like Bangladesh, where no 1 thinks of innovative education models or techniques; have for kinder garden & upper grades folk iPads provided & initially guided how & where to explore.
So far there’s a similar level of achievement to begin with till the more curious might explore deeper & surpass most of the class or even instructor in a topic. There R preset restrictions & limitations imposed for each class, of course these R private schools, corporations, embassies & parents dole out mini fortunes for.