Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) schemes have got more and more popular over recent years. They are when students are asked to bring in their own mobile device and use them in their learning.
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There are many positives with these schemes however there also problems that can arise. Below I have listed 10 pros and cons of BYOD:
PROS:
1) The devices are excellent learning tools which bring a lot to the classroom.
2) Communication certainly is easier between teachers, students and parents.
3) Personalized learning becomes simpler to implement and more straightforward to manage.
4) Apps and websites can make it quicker to assign and mark work.
5) Children are not judged by their handwriting.
6) Students are equipped with skills needed for the future e.g. e-learning, research, collaboration.
7) Flipping the classroom is an effective way to learn.
8) Pupils are more able to work independently and become self-motivated.
9) Work can be shared easily with classmates, parents and on social media; this gives children an audience.
10) The devices are excellent learning tools. OK, this was number 1, but there are just so many great things that children are given access to! i.e. tutorials on YouTube, Google Maps, virtual reality.
CONS:
1) It is difficult to ask parents to keep paying for apps and the initial device itself.
2) Some children forget to download an app before the lesson – this causes issues.
3) Pop-ups, messages and games can be a distraction.
4) Bullying: cyber-bullying is like to increase and there is also peer pressure to buy the latest device.
5) BYOD leads to more copying and pasting. This makes learning ineffective and causes serious problems with plagiarism.
6) Many schools require evidence in books which can be problematic with a BYOD scheme – teachers often have to print out the online work and stick it in books. A pointless exercise.
7) Is children’s handwriting going to deteriorate with much less practise?
8) Breakage. What happens if another student breaks an iPad? What if a teacher breaks a school iPad or even a student’s?
9) Teaching how to use the tech tool can mean the main learning objective is lost.
10) Children often forget their iPad. They end up sharing with a friends and missing out on doing activities themselves.
Do you have a BYOD scheme? Is it going well? Any more pros or cons? Let me know by commenting below.
EDTECH 4 BEGINNERS 
Technology is a valuable teaching tool, however the foundamentals of pedagogy and cognitive theory haven’t changed. Explicit teaching of skills and content is required. How we as teachers manage these tasks is affected by a myriad of factors. BYOD at my school has been rushed in my opinion. Teachers need more tech specific training to take us past the substitution and augmented stages of the SAMR Model. We are time poor, we need to challenge, model and explain. They need to practice practice practice, yes revisit material 3 times within a few days to retain material in their long term memory. Technology can help but as professionals we must balance the tech with the individual and circumstances. Overall the pros outweigh the cons by a mile!
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I totally agree Anne – well said 👍
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