THE GREAT DEBATE
1a. The Case - Dear Colleague Letter
1b. Getting it Right for Every Child
2a. Historical Context
2b. American Poverty Rates, 1968, 1990, 2012
3a. Poverty in the USA
3b. Poverty in Canada
4a. Pagers and Cell Phones, 1990’s
4b. Devices in the Classroom, Present
5a. International Consideration
5b. Local Policies
Case Elements
2010
1964
1955
1863
With President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, and the declaration that all men are created equal, African slaves were freed from their owners. However, this new freedom did not equate to the freedoms enjoyed by non-slave American citizens. It would take many more years of progress toward civil rights of all citizens of the United States to achieve this.
The separate schools and libraries for white children often had much better resources. The courts agreed and in 1964 the Civil Rights Act overruled the Jim Crow segregation practices so schools were now enrolling children of all races.
The 2010 US Census found that more than 27% of African Americans live below the poverty line. Despite various programs to counteract the effect of poverty on the education received by children, the issues are still not resolved.
An important legal victory in 1955 laid the foundation for all citizens, regardless of their racial background, to have equal access to better quality education. Actually comprised of five separate lawsuits, the 1955 case is truncated and known as Brown vs the Board of Education.
2a. Historical Context
2. Race in the USA
2b. American Poverty Rates
1a. Dear Colleague Letter
In October 2014, the US Government Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights, published a Dear Colleague letter reminding educators of the responsibility to ensure all children have access to quality educational resources. Interestingly, the 37 page letter mentions the word 'technology' 37 times. The letter brought to the attention of educators said, that despite political milestones of previous decades, there are still very large disparities in schools as far as instructional resources available to students. There are large numbers of students of color living in poverty and attending schools that are substandard; children from more affluent families, that are predominantly white, are attending schools with more technological resources and higher educated teachers.
The Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) debate is a complex issue facing many stakeholders. Many proponents of BYOD believe that this policy will improve children’s engagement in their learning and develop technical skills required in the 21st century labour market. Advocates of BYOD argue that having technology in the hands of each learner in essence ‘levels the playing field’ regardless of socioeconomic status. Opponents of BYOD policies argue that there are inequities in children’s access to technology; further that BYOD policies widen the gap between haves and have nots.
The following case study presents you with a timeline to learn and reflect on the issues facing a broad range of stakeholders and equity issues in the debate of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) School Policies.
Each numbered section of this case study presents the historical background to the introduction of technology in schools while addressing different stakeholder perspectives. These perspectives are global voices to allow for a broader discussion of issues faced in classrooms around the world.
The information presented in this case study will allow you to draw your own conclusions in the BYOD debate. Which case can you argue for:
Affirmative: One-to-one (or BYOD) access to technological devices in the classroom levels the playing field.
Negative: One-to-one (BYOD) access to technological devices exacerbates equity disparities in schools.
1. Introduction
1b. Getting it Right for Every Child
In Scotland, schools face the same difficulty with the introductions of mobile technology in the classroom. Administrators and school boards are faced with the same struggles around the globe. Schools do not want to be seen as a ‘dinosaur schools’, so administrators decided to introduce mobile technology in the classroom. However, the reality is that technology in the classroom means different things in different schools, so that some parents have to pay for iPads, other are charged for them, or some have a few devices in the classroom. Listen to this video to hear one researcher speak about solving this discrepancy of inequity in school policy use. In the video ‘Getting it Right for Every Child’ the presenter speaks to the various stakeholders involved in the technologies in the classroom: national government, school districts, administrators, teachers, parents, and students. View this video:
3. Poverty
3a. Poverty in the USA - (North Carolina)
3b. Poverty in Canada
4b. Devices in Class, Present
In the early 1990’s pagers proliferated in mass market and found their way into the hands of high school students. These tiny handheld devices were considered disruptions in the classroom. Assumptions around the use of these early communication devices were these were mechanisms for drug deals to occur on school property. Early school policies banned these mobile devices from classrooms because of their disruption and their perceived immoral use.
Indeed pagers and cell phones were not seen as learning tools, but rather communication devices. School bans on mobile devices changed when US parents wanted means to contact their children especially after the Columbine High School massacre (April 20, 1999) and events of September 11, 2001.
To read more on the change in policies and attitudes read:
Schools, States Review Cell Phone Ban, to understand early policy issues from different perspectives. http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/issues270.shtml
Michael Dorn, a school security specialist’s perspective of the impediment of cell phones on school property. http://webspm.com/articles/2002/08/01/cell-phone-and-pager-blues.aspx
For a summary of policy changes in regards to mobile devices, read Lisa Nielsen’s blog post: http://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.ca/2011/12/history-of-cell-phones-for-learning.html
Advanced Reading Option:
The issue of allowing Electronic Communication Devices (ECD’s) is complicated. In 2005, parents in New York sued a local school for banning cell phone devices from schools. Parents argued that ECD’s were safety devices for their children which should, in their opinion, take precedence over school policy. The Supreme court found in favour of the School setting its own policies of technology use in the schools.
4. Devices in the Classroom
4a. Pagers and Cell Phones, 1990’s
Have your thoughts changed?
Is BYOD decreasing or contributing to inequalities based on other socio-political factors (Gender, Geography, Disability)?
5. BYOD Policies
In 2011 the Special Rapporteur to the United Nations submitted a report to the United Nations on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression. The report argues that access to Internet is a right and a means of overcoming the digital divide by providing access to expressions of freedom. This report has sparked various developments in international programming to address this issue (i.e. the United Nations - one laptop per child program).
To read a summary of the Special Rapporteur’s article see:
To read the Special Rapporteur’s report, read:
5a. International Consideration
5b. Local Policies
There are many government agencies that are considering allowing students to bring their own device (BYOD) to schools. In this Guide by the Manitoba Education and Advanced Learning (2014) much emphasis is on the cost to the school to support the infrastructure.
http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/docs/support/byod/document.pdf
There are many examples of school BYOD policies.
Plum Borough School District (!) its around Pittsburgh
http://www.pbsd.k12.pa.us/Downloads/BYOD14.pdf
This School District is in Wisconsin
http://www.baraboo.k12.wi.us/BYOD.cfm
Even a small rural school in Oklahoma
http://www.hilldale.k12.ok.us/vnews/display.v/SEC/Technology%7CPolicy%3E%3EBYOD%20Policy
Apply what you know about BYOD to your own school context.
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Would you recommend a BYOD policy to your principal?
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What advice would you give to the stakeholders about implementing a BYOD program?
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How might your school overcome some of the issues of equity in a BYOD school?