Carly Kouskolekas, DDMS Media Coordinator
“School is so much better now,” Matthew told me last Friday while he was using his phone in the media center for a science project. I’ve heard this phrase or something similar from many students and teachers since becoming a BYOD school just 2 months ago. I’ve asked myself if we are a different school now that we are BYOD, but I needed to think about a few things in order to answer that.
Are our students still motivated, conscientious learners? Yes. Do we still have dedicated and dynamic teachers and administrators? Absolutely. This is still a school where students are leaders. They are innovators, problem solvers, and thinkers. They ask questions, they are encouraged to wonder and share, and with BYOD, they have the means to do all of that and more at a moment’s notice. With BYOD, students have the power of choice when it comes to classroom tools, presenting, and collaborating with others. Students no longer have to wait for “computer lab day” to engage in project based learning with their peers. Students who are better able to demonstrate their work digitally are now able to showcase what they can do. Students who want to use a particular app for a collaborative presentation can do that IN school whereas before, that was most likely not an option. Options are choices. More choices = more power for our kids and their learning.
As I look around the halls, students are seen walking freely with iPads, phones, and laptops piled on top of the school work in their arms. I have a clear visual in my head of the NO CELL PHONE posters hung up in the hallways of our school just several years ago, and based on the incredible changes I’ve seen in our school culture since the day we started BYOD, I’m glad those posters are long gone.
It makes me proud to work in a school where people are willing to listen to our kids, look at our culture, and think to the future. So, are we a different school now that we are BYOD? Not really. The real question is - Are we a BETTER school? The answer to that is yes. I have to agree with Matthew. School is so much better now.
Are our students still motivated, conscientious learners? Yes. Do we still have dedicated and dynamic teachers and administrators? Absolutely. This is still a school where students are leaders. They are innovators, problem solvers, and thinkers. They ask questions, they are encouraged to wonder and share, and with BYOD, they have the means to do all of that and more at a moment’s notice. With BYOD, students have the power of choice when it comes to classroom tools, presenting, and collaborating with others. Students no longer have to wait for “computer lab day” to engage in project based learning with their peers. Students who are better able to demonstrate their work digitally are now able to showcase what they can do. Students who want to use a particular app for a collaborative presentation can do that IN school whereas before, that was most likely not an option. Options are choices. More choices = more power for our kids and their learning.
As I look around the halls, students are seen walking freely with iPads, phones, and laptops piled on top of the school work in their arms. I have a clear visual in my head of the NO CELL PHONE posters hung up in the hallways of our school just several years ago, and based on the incredible changes I’ve seen in our school culture since the day we started BYOD, I’m glad those posters are long gone.
It makes me proud to work in a school where people are willing to listen to our kids, look at our culture, and think to the future. So, are we a different school now that we are BYOD? Not really. The real question is - Are we a BETTER school? The answer to that is yes. I have to agree with Matthew. School is so much better now.