Vision
The vision of the Paulding County School District is to prepare ALL students for success today and tomorrow. Using this information and constructing a technology vision, my vision will utilize technology to prepare students for success today and tomorrow. Technology is the key to success in the future, and we must prepare our students’ abilities to use technology to solve problems, conduct research, and complete projects and activities. As I move forward, I plan on using a variety of web 2.0 tools and increase the usage of bringing your own technology (BYOT).
Since I began teaching, I saw a need for technology within the different schools and districts I worked in. When I first started in Paulding three years ago, I did not have any student technology in my classroom. Just one teacher’s computer. Since then, it has improved. I now have a 4:1 ratio with laptops, so I thought about how to make that ratio smaller, and BYOT was my only option. If a teacher wanted to use technology for a lesson, they would have access to only a few laptops, and that was it. At my current school, we have two computer labs, which are often occupied by teachers who booked that computer lab weeks ago. As Melanie Chernoff (2018) states, as new technology becomes more and more prevalent in the world, the way students are taught in schools is also changing. The school district would not be able to purchase technology, so BYOT is the next best idea.
In the study done by Melanie Chernoff (2018), teachers seem to be in favor of students bringing their own technology devices to class. This idea would also be a cheaper alternative for the districts. With a recent upgrade to our school’s wireless internet, and making it simple for students to sign on, the district does not have to purchase technologies for their schools. The long term cost of BYOT is zero because the school district does not need to pay for maintenance. The responsibility falls on students and parents, not the school district. “Looking at issues in education, from a policy and funding perspective, it is often difficult for school budgets and administrations to keep pace with the near-constant technological change. The BYOD trend potentially shifts some of the costs of providing technology to pupils from school administrations to individuals.” (Hopkins, Tate, Sylvester, Johnstone, 2016)
Dennis Pierce offers solutions to solve some BYOT challenges. IT’s may have a difficult time with the wireless network having many students connecting to the internet. Students need a secure way to log onto the internet without compromising security (Pierce 2015). This is a positive solution for our school district. Our students use their computer login information to access the wireless internet. Our internet access for students has a firewall that prevents them from accessing inappropriate content. This is one key reason why BYOT can be a success for our school. Kylie Lacey (2013) states in her article that having differentiated networks will help with the bandwidth. Having several devices on one network can slow down the internet. District attitude shifts about the utility of BYOD are likely attributable to a variety of factors. For example, increasing the amount of student device use reduces the demand on school-owned technology, resulting in greater access for those students who are unable to bring a device to school (Wasko 2016). School laptops are on a different network than BYOT devices. Our county has several networks, one for teachers and students, one for guests, and one for certain devices purchased by the district. Our school also had an upgrade to our wireless system, making it even easier for students to use their own devices. When Wasko (2016) states that districts have a better chance of BYOT and can save money if the district uses funds to upgrade the wireless network instead of purchasing new technology.
References
Chernoff, M. A. (2018). One-to-One or Slim to None: New Jersey's Chances of Affording a One-to-One Educational Initiative. Rutgers Computer & Tech. LJ, 44, 125.
Hopkins, N., Tate, M., Sylvester, A., & Johnstone, D. (2017). Motivations for 21st century school children to bring their own device to school. Information Systems Frontiers, 19(5), 1191-1203.
Lacey, K. (2013). Consumer Technologies Enter Schools. District Administration,49(5), 58-61.
Pierce, D. (2015). 6 Solutions to BYOD Challenges. THE Journal (Technological Horizons In Education), 42(6), 24.
Since I began teaching, I saw a need for technology within the different schools and districts I worked in. When I first started in Paulding three years ago, I did not have any student technology in my classroom. Just one teacher’s computer. Since then, it has improved. I now have a 4:1 ratio with laptops, so I thought about how to make that ratio smaller, and BYOT was my only option. If a teacher wanted to use technology for a lesson, they would have access to only a few laptops, and that was it. At my current school, we have two computer labs, which are often occupied by teachers who booked that computer lab weeks ago. As Melanie Chernoff (2018) states, as new technology becomes more and more prevalent in the world, the way students are taught in schools is also changing. The school district would not be able to purchase technology, so BYOT is the next best idea.
In the study done by Melanie Chernoff (2018), teachers seem to be in favor of students bringing their own technology devices to class. This idea would also be a cheaper alternative for the districts. With a recent upgrade to our school’s wireless internet, and making it simple for students to sign on, the district does not have to purchase technologies for their schools. The long term cost of BYOT is zero because the school district does not need to pay for maintenance. The responsibility falls on students and parents, not the school district. “Looking at issues in education, from a policy and funding perspective, it is often difficult for school budgets and administrations to keep pace with the near-constant technological change. The BYOD trend potentially shifts some of the costs of providing technology to pupils from school administrations to individuals.” (Hopkins, Tate, Sylvester, Johnstone, 2016)
Dennis Pierce offers solutions to solve some BYOT challenges. IT’s may have a difficult time with the wireless network having many students connecting to the internet. Students need a secure way to log onto the internet without compromising security (Pierce 2015). This is a positive solution for our school district. Our students use their computer login information to access the wireless internet. Our internet access for students has a firewall that prevents them from accessing inappropriate content. This is one key reason why BYOT can be a success for our school. Kylie Lacey (2013) states in her article that having differentiated networks will help with the bandwidth. Having several devices on one network can slow down the internet. District attitude shifts about the utility of BYOD are likely attributable to a variety of factors. For example, increasing the amount of student device use reduces the demand on school-owned technology, resulting in greater access for those students who are unable to bring a device to school (Wasko 2016). School laptops are on a different network than BYOT devices. Our county has several networks, one for teachers and students, one for guests, and one for certain devices purchased by the district. Our school also had an upgrade to our wireless system, making it even easier for students to use their own devices. When Wasko (2016) states that districts have a better chance of BYOT and can save money if the district uses funds to upgrade the wireless network instead of purchasing new technology.
References
Chernoff, M. A. (2018). One-to-One or Slim to None: New Jersey's Chances of Affording a One-to-One Educational Initiative. Rutgers Computer & Tech. LJ, 44, 125.
Hopkins, N., Tate, M., Sylvester, A., & Johnstone, D. (2017). Motivations for 21st century school children to bring their own device to school. Information Systems Frontiers, 19(5), 1191-1203.
Lacey, K. (2013). Consumer Technologies Enter Schools. District Administration,49(5), 58-61.
Pierce, D. (2015). 6 Solutions to BYOD Challenges. THE Journal (Technological Horizons In Education), 42(6), 24.