BYOD at BU

Today, in place of I4Ed class, we attended a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) Panel put on by our instructor, Mike Nantais. To be honest, going into it I was not as excited as Mike was - but coming out of it, I was absolutely buzzing! 

So today's topic is:

1. BYOD at BU

The panelists, which included representatives from Dakota Collegiate (Winnipeg), St. James Assiniboia School Division (Winnipeg) and Rolling River School Division (Rivers, Minnedosa, Erickson etc.) were phenomenal. I've had the pleasure of listening to Darren Kuropatwa (of St. James Assiniboia) speak in our ICT class last year, and he definitely didn't disappoint the second time around. He and Andy McKiel (who also presented last year) have much useful and inspiring information to share about infusing classrooms across Manitoba with the latest and greatest technology, and the BYOD program they are involved in in their division appears to be very well-thought out, well-implemented, and well-oiled. It was excellent to have an opportunity to ask these two, as well as the other panelists, some of the questions that had been brewing in my mind for some time.

And so, if you are feeling inquisitive and ready to read, you might ask what, exactly, these questions were about. And I will tell you, whether you are in such a mood or not. The most important topic I was interested in learning about is how teachers heading BYOD classrooms manage students who are allowed constant access to phones, laptops, and tablets. On this topic, the panelists were able to offer the following responses: Internet filters are a thing of the past - students must be taught to become their own filters, and part of device, and thus student, management is teaching students (and their parents, so that this education may continue at home) the ethics associated with technology. Also, as modern educators living in a time when technology is all around us, we must let go of the traditional concept of having all students working on the same thing at the same time once and for all. This will require an overhaul in terms of the way we think of pedagogy and assessment, but this overhaul is a necessity if we are to keep up with our evolving culture. 

Not only did the panelists respond to each question that was asked thoroughly, and knowledgeably, but they presented their BYOD programs efficiently and engagingly within the fifteen minute span each division was given. It was very interesting learning about the different ways these divisions installed the same program into their schools - including the level of choice each student was given in choosing a device, which brands were preferred, how the devices were paid for, what infrastructure was put into place prior to the BYOD movement, division policies on broken devices, etc. I also liked that there were representatives from both urban AND rural school divisions, since it is generally the urban ones that are making the quickest advancements. It was great to see a rural division allocate both its priorities and its resources to modernizing its outlook on education by ushering BYOD through the doors of its' schools. 

Goodness gracious me, have you ever seen so many blog posts in one week?!