Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) refers to the trend in which students bring their own mobile technologies (usually smartphones) into school. BYOD has become increasingly common in recent years owing to the fact that mobile technologies with access to the Internet are now both more affordable and more common than ever. Given the immense potential for learning opportunities made possible by smartphones and other Internet-connected devices, it is only logical that we harness and leverage this technology in order to enrich students’ learning.
Currently, only students in Class 3 and above may bring their personal device into school. However, prior to any student being allowed to bring their own device into school, parents and students should sign and return both the E-Safety and BYOD agreements, which can be downloaded below. It is also important that students install what is known as a 'CA security certificate' on their devices. This prevents them from accessing inappropriate and unsafe content online whilst in school. Enlisting the help of our Digital Leaders, we have put together this quick video to show all students how to install the school’s CA security certificate:
Download E-Safety Agreement
Finally, students should ensure that they install relevant applications onto their devices as part of our BYOD initiative. Some recommendations are listed below:
– Plickers
– Kahoot
– Quizlet
Where they can be usefully integrated into lessons, getting students to install augmented reality apps like Aurasma onto their own devices, can also help to create engaging and memorable lessons.
With the emergence of Google Cardboard and accompanying apps like Discovery VR, we’ve been able to go further still, by making perfect use of students’ devices for the creation of virtual reality experiences for students. If used well, these can really enhance lessons by bringing to life the subject of study.
This video below, made by one of our students on her smartphone, shows a typical example of how the app, Adobe Spark can be used to create an educational video:
This second video is an example of how students are using the app, Explain Everything, which is also a great app for students to have on their smartphones: