EDU6215 Journal Article #3

Citation

Saponaro, Tiziana.  6 Benefits of BYOD in the classroom.  ELearning Industry [Online]. October 25, 2014.  <http://www.elearningindustry.com/6-benefits-byod-classroom>.

Review of 6 Benefits of BYOD in the Classroom

Summary

It is inevitable that as technology continues to intertwine itself with education, educators must seek out new ways by which to infuse it into their classrooms.  In her article 6 Benefits of BYOD in the Classroom, Tiziana Saponaro makes her case for a novel idea:  allowing all students to bring their own devices to use during class.  Saponaro details six reasons for having students bring devices into schools, and she argues that all lead to increased student learning (2014).  She states, “I have seen increased learning outcomes and test scores, not to mention that my students are now more engaged in learning” (Saponaro, 2014).  Her reasons are as follows:  student participation increases, learning becomes student-driven, student collaboration and communication increases, it saves schools money, instruction is more personalized, and it is a new way of learning (Saponaro, 2014). 

Recommendation

Saponaro’s obvious recommendation is to infuse one’s classroom with devices brought by the students.  Her argument is compelling, too; the six reasons mentioned above provide a solid case in favor of personal devices.  Soponaro’s main basis of her proposal is built upon student engagement, and she continuously argues that students are more apt to learn if they can do so on their own devices in a student-centered manner (2014).  After all, anything that can deliver everything that the author outlines is something that all schools should do their due diligence on.  BYOD (bring your own devices), as Saponaro calls it, also goes beyond benefitting students; districts stand to benefit tremendously from incorporating such a plan (2014).  By letting students bring their own devices for school use, districts can save millions in technology costs that would otherwise be used for “the coolest technology that can be used for education these days” (Saponaro, 2014).

Reflection/Application

I very much agree with Saponaro’s recommendations.  Anything that improves so many facets of education is worth trying.  Furthermore, seeing as though many students turn to technology via their own devices at home, such as a phone, tablet, or laptop, for academic assistance, it makes sense to let them bring these things to school.  For instance, in a recent lesson requiring students to look up unfamiliar vocabulary words, a student remarked that he would just look the words up on his phone because it was easier than using a dictionary.  He did so, and the next day his assignment was perfectly completed.  There is no doubt that technology can make things easier, but in addition to that it is important to point out that the student easily completed the task on his own personal device that would have otherwise proven more difficult, and, at least to him, less engaging.

Moreover, the notion that doing so can save cash-strapped districts such a large sum of money, and the argument in favor of implementing this plan becomes more compelling.  A BYOD plan would ease the financial burden of needing to purchase one-to-one devices for all enrolled students.  Granted, there would still need to be a small pool of devices for those children who simply do not have their own personal device, but that would cause much less than outfitting all students with them at the expense of school districts.  A large negative, however, is monitoring students to ensure that they are actually using devices for academic purposes during instructional time, and that could prove to be highly difficult for a teacher.  Nonetheless, it is my opinion that the pros outweigh the cons, and that the incorporation of personal devices in the classroom is a good thing and one that I would be very open to trying in the future.

Universally, using media in the classroom, when properly done, can be extremely beneficial to students.  Sure, there can be distractions, but if students have already embraced media tools and technology, then why not use it to supplement curriculum?  As the world changes, schools need to be willing to adapt and adopt new tools to aid student achievement.  Clearly, as Saponaro illustrates, media tools can positively impact that.