BYO Technology 'Embraced' at Schools

The Bring Your Own Technology initiative, officially launched after students returned to school in the new year, apparently has caught hold at the middle school and high school and is likely to continue into the next school year, according to the district-wide supervisor of science and technology.

An initial use survey about a month and a half after the official Acceptable Use Policy was rolled out in early February found that around 40 percent of staff and 60 percent of staff had made use of BYOT at that point, said Brian Heineman, supervisor of science and technology for Bernards Township schools, and president of the New Jersey Science Education Leadership Association.

"Of course, this only shows us an initial use and not frequency, but we are still happy to see that it is being embraced quickly by the staff," Heineman said in an email on Tuesday. The online

So far, the school district has not officially allowed students in kindergarten to grade 5 at the four elementary schools to use their own technology, Heineman said. "But principals are empowered to do so if they think it is appropriate at certain grades in their buildings," he said.

Heineman said the initial survey also asked staff to specify how they had been using the technology in an educational setting, and the most frequently mentioned use was accessing online information for research purposes.

"We also saw quite a few teachers using it for surveying, YouTube and some simple uses like as a calculator and clock," he said.

Although the district has not officially measured how many students are bringing some sort of wireless technology to school, and what type, Heineman said that anecdotally school officials have observed that most students carry some sort of wireless-enabled device, mostly a Smartphone.

Tablet-based devices would be next in frequency, and laptops last, he said.

One of the concerns when the proposal was raised last fall at a Board of Education meeting was that students who did not own, or bring the technlogy, would be at a disadvantage against students who had their own devices.

School officials said then that the district does have laptops and wireless access — but not enough to provide to every student. Another suggestion was that students be asked to share their technology with students without.

The sharing has gone very well, Heineman said on Tuesday. He said he talked to other technology administrators in the state about the issue of sharing, since BYOT is now getting underway in other school districts as well.

"Generally it seems like the kids really don't think twice about sharing." He said his guess is that the students seem to see the phone or device as a tool, and one that may not be a long-term investment since it will be replaced with newer technology.

Heineman last fall recommended the new policy on the basis that it would cost about $500 per student to provide mobile technology when most students in grades 6 to 12 already own smart phones, iPads or similar devices. Another issue raised was that the district would not then to constantly update its technology.

"The real benefit is the ability to instantly raise the classrooms student to computer ratio," Heineman said. "In the past, you really needed to thoroughly plan out student use since the resources are so limited and in high demand.  This really helps us bridge that gap."

As far as the survey indicated, the student-owned technology is being used consistently in all types of classes, he said.

Another issue raised by some parents at a Board of Education meeting in March was that the student-owned technology devices are not quite being used as planned, The comments by a few parents drew applause from the audience.

"A lot of parents say disruptions are taking place in classrooms with Smartphones," said mother Reena Pichamuthu, adding she has heard of problems from "so many parents."

Among issues she said she has heard about is cheating going on in class with use of the phones.

Another mother, Laura Begg ,said she considers the main issue to be that the policy overrides parental discretion over whether their children should have Internet-enabled personal technology.

She said she specifically doesn't support the use of technology for middle school students. She said allowing an 11-year-old sixth-grader bring techology to school creates peer pressure and also endorses the belief that a student that age should have access to such technology. Begg said her own children don't have Smartphones because she would prefer them to have Internet access on a computer, "where I can see it."

Begg said she has heard students already have been using the phones to take photos in school, text and call up YouTube videos while in the classroom. Her comments gained applause at the meeting.

The district's director of curriculum, Sean Siet, said that meeting that school officials were then developing the survey to ask teachers to convey how the use of Bring Your Own Technology is going in classrooms.

Heineman said on Tuesday that improper usage is addressed in the online policy. The policy maintains that personal technology may not be used for purposes that are found to be disruptive in school, with a school's administrators and faculty to define what is considered disruptive use.

The policy said students in grades 6 to 12 must turn off cell phones and other devices, not place them on vibrate or silent, unless permission for an approved use has been explicitly granted by a faculty member or building administrator. Upon completion of the activity for which the approved use was granted, cell phones and other devices must be turned off for the rest of the school day, the policy said.

Whether or not they have their own devices, students are expected to handle their technology following the same rules of inappropriate behavior and content as if they were using the district's technology, the policy states.

Heineman said that the school district so far has had few issues with improper usage.

And, unless a better option comes along to provide 1-to-1 technology at an affordable cost, BYOT likely will be continued into the next school year, and "into the foreseeable future," Heineman said.

Parents are still being requested to fill out the Acceptable Use Policy online if they have not already done so.