Bring Your Own Device Support is a website dedicated to assisting discussions around and implementation of BYOD as a strategy in schools by providing supporting documentation and resources including a Literature Review and Introductory presentation by the NSW Department of Education and Communities. It contains sections on supporting parents, teaching & learning, rethinking pedagogy, and a links list with some case studies.
The Literature Review (pdf) is clear and concise, and addresses concerns some teachers may have such as equity, distraction in the classroom etc. It looks at practical considerations like wireless network capabilities, charging devices, school policies, and technical support, as well as different models for BYOD both proposed and in-use currently.
A key part for me was a quote about 21st century skills, “We have come to a time when we need to accept the fact that the concept of 21st century skills is no longer a progressive phase to latch onto but a reality that we need to instill into our school systems” (DeWitt, 2013, p. 1).
You can follow or join in the conversation on Twitter by using the hashtag #nswdecbyod
Over on the Langwitches Blog you can find some great insights and real-life experiences from a teacher who is using BYOD in her classroom such as:
I have iPads in the classroom! Now what?
Is Technology shoving Pedagogy to the center stage? TPACK Reviewed
Get Over it!
The Open University of China has recently released an mLearning book called Global Mobile Learning Implementations and Trends and is available for free online here (pdf). The book contains 14 chapters from authors around the world who have extensive expertise in mobile learning.
I enjoyed Chapter 13: Trailblazing Through a Steeper Path: A Snapshot of Teachers’ Explorations in Mobile Learning Implementation in Hawaii’s Public Schools by Lin Meng-Fen Grace Ritsuko Iyoda Curtis P. Ho which analyses a 4 month professional development course developed for teachers at the Hawaii State Department of Education titled ‘Mobile Apps in Education’.
If you are feeling inspired and want to learn how to use mobile technologies 23 Mobile Things is an impressive online resource (and looks lovely on mobile devices!) It is designed to be a course in which you can learn to use 23 mobile things. You can also pick and choose which things you are interested in learning about, such as Twitter, QR codes, eBooks, and digital storytelling.
It has been developed to “use mobile technologies to deliver library services, to engage with their communities and for their own professional development” but is easily applicable to a museum context. Follow on Twitter @23mobilethings or join in the conversation using #23mobilethings
How have you started using BYOD in classroom, library, or museum spaces?
Museums | Digital | Research | Learning 