Ensuring a sufficient provision of educational technology on a limited budget isn’t easy. What if you could offload the cost by letting pupils bring their own devices into school? Would that help matters? Well, it’s not as simple as it sounds…
Under a ‘BYOD’ model, pupils use their own mobile devices (ie smartphones, tablets and laptops) to access internet-based resources that help support their learning both in school and when at home. The obvious benefit of this for schools is that it allows them to potentially reduce their investment in computer hardware – but there are issues.
Safety first
Firstly, there are the risks presented by allowing devices not commissioned by the school onto the school network. As Arik Fletcher from educational ICT support company Joskos Solutions (joskossolutions. com) explains, “Devices can enter the school pre-infected with malware and viruses, which can then rapidly spread through the school network. Internet filtering also becomes a problem when you can’t directly restrict access to certain web content and software on the devices.
Incorporating BYOD within an existing network often entails having to survey the network and install upgrades, such as wireless access points and IP Address ranges, to handle the extra traffic coming from those extra devices.”
A BYOD policy will also require schools to keep multiple devices of different types properly charged, for which you’ll need a range of different power adaptors (and potentially some additional mains sockets). The mix of high-end and low-end devices you can expect to see being used may further engender a sense of a digital divide among pupils. Finally, there’s the risk of devices being damaged or stolen, and all the potential for parental complaints and thorny insurance issues that might entail.
Acceptable use
An alternative approach may be to adopt a one-to-one device scheme funded by parental contributions, whereby the school buys lower cost Chromebooks or Microsoft devices (which can currently be found priced at under £200 per device) and uses laptop charging trolleys. These cloud-based devices will typically provide pupils with home/ school access via the Google G Suite and Office 365 software packages.
If you’re determined to make BYOD work, however, then you’ll need to create a minimum specification for devices that will be permitted on the network – barring devices with older (5+ years) operating systems and insisting that internet security and antivirus apps be installed would be a good start. Have pupils’ parents and staff sign an ‘End User Agreement’ (EUA) that authorises their devices to be monitored and managed by third party software operated by the school, and make ‘Network Access Control’ compulsory, so that your acceptable use policies can be enforced, backed up by appropriate staff training.
You’ll also need a mobile device management solution that can push out and block certain software applications, and help teachers to maintain order in the classroom when the devices are in use. Finally, prohibit the use of personal Wi-Fi and mobile broadband connections so that pupils can’t circumnavigate the school network.
James Grew, chief sales officer of the classroom management software provider Impero, concludes that, “BYOD can be a minefield – there’s no one ‘right way’ of rolling out such a scheme. What’s important to remember is that a BYOD scheme should fit around a schools’ key objectives and learning outcomes.”
Dave Smith is computing and online safety adviser and business development lead at Havering Education Services
