BYOD (Bring Your Own Device)

 By Leslie Quach 

There's comfort in working on your own devices. Personally, I used my own laptop during my high school years instead of the provided laptop that always died by the time my second class rolled around. It sat on my dresser for years until I graduated. Of course, the WIFI we used could block my own laptop from browsing Pinterest but what can't a little hotspot do? Bypassing the school's filters is pretty easy and simple.

In Stephen Abram's "Preparing Our Schools for the BYOD World" he advises readers to face to the reality, students are going to find ways around filters. Restricting their technology use is the same thing as coddling them from "real life" or "outside world" once they get there, it's not going to be the same and we are building up their expectations to be something completely different, unprepared.

Abram makes a point about focusing more on the education and training than devices which I find myself agreeing. Repeating every day to get off your device is going to lose its effect, while yes, trying to give instructions and no one is paying attention is going to happen, convincing people who already don't intend on being convinced was always going to be a losing battle. It can't always be the instructors' fault. 

References

Abram, S. (2014). Preparing Our Schools for the BYOD World. Internet @ Schools, 21(2), 10–11.