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.
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.
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