Why BYOD

In 2007 the Rudd Federal Government introduced funding for Technology in schools under the banner of the Digital Education Revolution. Each school was funded for the following:

• One to one laptops Years 9-12 in two tranches of funding
• Infrastructure to support them.

With these limitations:

• No funding for professional development
• Text book funding removed by state government
• Expectation of 5 year life then schools to take over. Reality is 3 years
• No replacement funding provided.

We are now many years down the track where the only option available to schools is to ask students to bring their own devices to school. We can then target our limited resources on upgrading internet, upgrading hardware infrastructure within the college and professional development of staff to support the deepening of learning that will be achieved by the more pervasive use of technology as a tool to support learning. Consider the following benefits for learning:

• focus on student-centred, active and interactive learning
• connect with learner expectations, experiences and needs
• provide opportunities for students to create, construct and communicate knowledge
• develop critical and ethical understandings of the value of the use of ICT.

Other identified benefits of a BYOD program:

• Ubiquitous nature of technology in students’ lives
• personalisation of the device- ‘owned’ by the student
• 24 / 7 comfort with the consistent use of one device
• reduced weight of school bag- textbooks move to an electronic platform
• minimisation of damage- student owns the device, therefore care level is high.