Running head: BYOD IN THE CLASSROOM

BYOD in the Classroom

Serria C. Eraseren
Azusa Pacific University

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Within the 21st century, education is definitely emerging in a different direction

than the usual traditional classroom with the black board and wooden desk. In todays
time, there are new factors that are now brought within the classroom to motivate and
engage students of all ages. Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) is certainly on the rise
within the educational world. This specific resource allows students to expand their
horizons and get a glimpse into the digital world. BYOD allows students to bring their
own devices, cell phones, iPads, Chrome books, and even laptops to school in order to
complete given classroom assignments.
Indeed, BYOD is a great opportunity to explore within the digital world for
students as well as teachers. However, I believe some school districts allow BYOD to
take away some cost on their end when it comes to the implementation of technology.
With the use of BYOD, this gives students the opportunity to be introduced to flexibility
because as they bring their devices to school on specific days, they may also use schoolprovided devices on another day in order to complete assignments.
With the increase of technology in the classroom, teachers and professionals are
faced with implementing BYOD on a regular basis to increase motivation and
engagement. Yet, parents are still concerned with the implementation of this aspect in
the classroom. I personally, have not yet implemented BYOD within the classroom, but I
have heard various teachers discuss how parents do not like this idea to be enforced
within the classroom. According to research, a few concerns that parents have are: the
distractions of games, social media applications, consumption and creation of
inappropriate content, and continued status updates on social media sites (Wired, 2015).
These factors are definitely aspects to take into consideration because I am sure that

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parents want the best for their children in the classroom. Moreover, I also believe that
parents must also take the time to educate themselves on the pros and cons of BYOD for
their students future. By taking the time to educate yourself on current trends in
technology as well as security content, parents and even other professionals are able to
see for themselves some of the benefits of BYOD. Additionally, as teachers are building
lesson plans for students, they can also create lessons that are paralleled to the use of
desktop computers so students can recognize a pattern between BYOD and technology
used within the classroom.
Further, in seeking answers to broaden my viewpoint of BYOD, I believe that this
resource is beneficial for all types of learners both traditional and those with special
needs. I first believe it is imperative to understand the benefits of BYOD as well as the
use of mobile learning. Mobile learning is said to be on the horizon and on the rise
because there is so much information (applications) that students can access. Devices are
also easy for students to access, which cause this trend within educational technology to
be such an impact. I certainly believe that BYOD can be an essential component when
teachers educate students on how to specifically use the devices for coursework purposes
and not to engage with others on social media or through text messages. Taking the time
to effectively educate yourself as the teacher and your students will not only help make
the process of implementing BYOD more beneficial, but rather worthwhile because
students will understand the magnitude behind it. More willingly, it will help using
technology impact students lives as well as build on collaborative learning.
With this in mind, there are six benefits of BYOD that research is stating to be
beneficial. The first is that student participation increases. I can totally see student

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participation increasing with the implementation of BYOD because students are

enthusiastic to participate and learn. Secondly, student-peer interaction increases due to
students interacting at a greater level with their peers to complete assignments together.
Thirdly, personalized learning is increased due to media used to tailor to each learners
learning style. This in turn allows learners to follow along at a pace that is suitable for
their learning needs. Fourth, BYOD is a new way for learning. Taking the time to allow
students to bring their own devices gives teachers the opportunities to employ project-and
inquiry-based learning opportunities that in turn will put students in charge of their own
learning (eLearning Industry, 2014). For the fifth benefit, learning becomes studentdriven because students are taught how to sort through a variety of information in order
to find answers to their questions as well as gain knowledge through the process
(eLearning Industry, 2014). Lastly, BYOD supports learners in making decisions.
Making decisions is imperative when using technology in the classroom due to learning
that is more student-driven. Thus, this gives students the opportunities to decide how
they are going to learn with the given material presented.
As a result, there are also four major cons for implementing BYOD in the
classroom. First, parents may not be too happy with paying for mobile cost if their child
is using the device in the classroom to complete coursework assignments. Secondly,
students may be tempted to cheat with the use of mobile devices in the classroom. By
having a mobile device, students can excuse themselves and go to the restroom to look at
their devices for answers. Thirdly, some students may not be able to afford specific
devices. All students come from different backgrounds and some merely may not be able
to bring a device into the classroom because of their families finances. Lastly, students

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can possibly bring technical viruses from home that will in turn cause the schools
networking system to become damaged (Wainwright, 2015). The pros and cons of
BYOD are extremely critical and definitely need to be taken into consideration for proper
effecting by teachers and professionals.
In reference to BYOD or Build Your Own Application (BYOA), my school
district has not yet implemented this specific resource. I certainly feel as though all
technology is beneficial for students that have special needs in the classroom. Yet, I
know that assistive technology is vital, but I honestly do not know how parents would
feel about this resource occurring in the classroom. I would love to work for a district
that implements BYOD or BYOA in the classroom because it is integral for students to
make a connection with that is going on in the classroom as well as a connection with
what us occurring outside of the classroom. With the use of these resources, students are
given the opportunities to explore the digital world and use this framework to build onto
what they are learning in the classroom. My close friend works for the Arcadia Unified
School District, where BYOD is currently employed and always has positive aspects to
say regarding this resource. Purposely, there is a rise within student motivation and
engagement when this occurs and through research and discussion, I can definitely
believe this is true.
As a final point, I undoubtedly believe that BYOD can be beneficial for all
learners in the classroom because of the eagerness to learn. Foremost, it is imperative
for teachers to educate themselves, parents, and students on the implementation of BYOD
and why it is favorable for use in the classroom. Once this occurs, BYOD can be taken to
the next level and continue to change the face of learning of the 21st century.

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References

6 Benefits of BYOD In The Classroom - eLearning Industry. (2014, October 25).

Retrieved January 18, 2015, from http://elearningindustry.com/6-benefits-byodclassroom
The Future of Education: BYOD in the Classroom | WIRED. (n.d.). Retrieved January
16, 2015, from http://www.wired.com/2013/09/the-future-of-education-byod-inthe-classroom/
Wainwright, A. (2015). 20 Pros and Cons of implementing BYOD in schools. Retrieved
January 18, 2015, from http://www.securedgenetworks.com/strategy-blog/20Pros-and-Cons-of-implementing-BYOD-in-schools