What I like about BYOD Part II and III

Today I went over to one of our middle schools to take a picture or two for a project I was working on and I came upon this scene:

It's spring, and so the computer lab was set up for students to complete assessments, like it is for 1/4th of the school year. Fortunately, because we allow students to bring their own devices, it wasn't a problem for them to prepare the Language Arts presentations for tomorrow!


Some students used district owned laptops, and others used desktop computers in the library, but without BYOD, the teacher would have been limited.


Another thing I have been liking lately is our New "Virtual Training" option for students interested in bringing their device. 

Students and parents watch the orientation video, complete a survey based on the building they are in, sign the agreement forms, then come to the office to have a sticker put on their device to verify they are "wireless certified."

So far, close to 30 students have taken advantage of this option in the first couple of weeks bringing our total to 483 middle school students bringing their own device.

In the survey, I ask them what they hope to use the device for and how they think it will impact their learning. Here are a few of the comments on what their most excited to be able to do:

I like that I can store multiple books in one and not have to carry around a bunch of stuff with me.

I am most excited to be able to get more work done in class and be more efficient.

I am excited because I like using technology and bringing my own makes it personalized and I feel more in control of what I do.

I am excited that I basically have the world at my fingertips, being able to use the Internet to work on school. 

Given our goals of "personalizing learning, extending learning beyond the classroom walls, and maximizing resources of time and talent, I'd say we're on the right track!