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"Today's education system is evolving to take full advantage of the potential of mobile technology devices to inspire learning and create independent, critical thinkers. However, with tight budgets, many schools are hoping to bring technology into the classroom without the costly burden of purchasing a device for each student. One potential solution that is being explored is BYOD, or Bring Your Own Device. This allows students to bring their personal laptops, tablets, and smartphones from home and use them for educational applications in the classroom. At a time when budgets are shrinking, school districts are considering BYOD programs to integrate cost-effective technology into their educational programs. It's a promising idea, especially for schools that lack sufficient technology budgets. BYOD takes advantage of the technology that students already own and are familiar with. However, BYOD programs have been met with some criticism from staff and administrators who believe the challenges outweigh the perceived benefits. Continue reading..."

"In a BYOD (bring your own device) world, where your mobile learning must work on a wide variety of devices, a big question for designers is "how do you design for that?" In this article, we attempt to help you find some answers to that question..."

"With more and more schools launching, 'Bring Your Own Technology' or 'Bringing Your Own Device' (BYOT/BYOD) I created a symbaloo of all apps and web tools that work on all devices to help educators get started. Even though I am a firm believe, it doesn't matter what site/app the students use to show mastery of a concept, some educators need a starting place and many have loved this symbaloo so I, of course, want to pass it along."

"Over the past few years, Forsyth County Schools in Georgia has been moving toward allowing students to bring their own technology to school. The district updated its acceptable use policies, beefed up its infrastructure and piloted the initiative. But the schools decide what that initiative would look like in their buildings. In all 35 schools, students can bring personal devices. In 25 schools, the initiative has permeated the buildings, and in the other 10, has made its way to some individual classes."

"With budgets tight, many schools are hoping to bring technology into the classroom without having to shell out for a device for each student. A solution for many has been to make classes BYOD (short for "bring your own device"), which allows students to bring laptops, tablets, and smartphones from home and to use them in the classroom and share them with other students. It's a promising idea, especially for schools that don't have big tech budgets, but it has met with some criticism from those who don't think that it's a viable long-term or truly budget-conscious decision. Whether that's the case is yet to be seen, but these stories of schools that have tried out BYOD programs seem to be largely positive, allowing educators and students to embrace technology in learning regardless of the limited resources they may have at hand."

"While primary school students were asked to bring hand sanitiser, tissues and paper towel at the start of this year, public high school students were expected to turn up with their own iPad or laptop. For the first time, the Department of Education and Communities has a formal Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy after schools held trials last year in preparation for the end of the federally funded free laptop program."

"Working in technology administration, I have always bowed down to uniformity. I can't help it…it's the way we were all taught in the technology industry. It was routine and comfortable. Everyone got the exact same computer with the same image. Everyone had to login to active directory. Security groups were applied with abandon. I wax nostalgic just thinking about it.Fear of BYOD But those days are coming to an end. This is due to a huge number of factors including ridiculously tight school district budgets, much lower computer prices and cloud computing. I believe more and more schools will soon adopt bring your own device (BYOD) as a matter of economic necessity and recognition of educational potential."

From an industry point of view but... Letting your employees use their personal mobile devices for work makes them leap for joy - they literally love their iPads, iPhones, Droids, BlackBerrys, Galaxies and other devices of choice. Research shows it also makes them more productive and increases their engagement with the workplace, including after hours.     On the other hand, the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) phenomenon opens doors to all sorts of tricky issues so it's important to plan ahead.

I have been hearing more and more about BYOD or "bring your own device" on Twitter and in the blogs and educational news sources I read. It seems to be a growing trend in the business world too. Yet, the controversy around this idea seems almost as large as the hype. BYO is not a novel concept for restaurants or even schools when it comes to basic supplies (everyone can remember being asked to bring that box of crayons or later your composition notebook) but apparently devices are a different story.

"Proponents of "bring your own device" (BYOD) programs like them for a lot of reasons: budgets keep dwindling, students already bring devices to school, and technology isn't getting cheaper. "People are saying 'It's happening in the real world. Let's mirror that in our schools," says Lucy Gray, project director ofthe Leadership for Mobile Learning (LML) initiative at CoSN, the Consortium for School Networking. But this article isn't meant to convince readers to try BYOD. It's about how to make it work once you've decided it's the way to go. Here are the methods three districts took to make BYOD happen."

"As more schools open their networks and classrooms to student-owned devices, the need for instruction that makes the most of these tools becomes ever more pronounced. Transitioning to a truly 21st century learning environment is challenging, to be sure. While helping districts through this process, I've noticed a pattern in the challenges they must - and do - overcome. Adapting effectively to a bring-your-own-device and digital learning ­environment is far easier for districts if they follow these strategies."

"The NSW Department of Education and Communities will soon formally encourage schools to implement a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy, allowing students to use their own devices, like laptops, tablets, smartphones or e-readers, in the classroom."

Developing policy/ies about BYOD question is becoming more important in schools. A lot of information is presented here, with videos. infographics and links.

"Bring your own device is a trend that isn't going anywhere - we've established that. But do we discuss the risks involved with it enough? According to this article by Rebecca M. Abrahams, chief communications officer for Ziklag Systems LLC, a mobile security technology company, not many companies or government agencies have what can be called serious corporate mobile device security policies. And those that do have policies aren't necessarily having them followed."

"It started out with a standardized writing prompt and was never intended to move outside of the small testing window. However, when students finished writing a persuasive text on whether students should  be allowed to have cell phones and MP3 players (a student aptly pointed out that banning MP3 players would still allow him to have an iPod, because they don't use the MP3 format), they wanted to create their own BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policies."

I've been thinking and reading about what it would be like to teach a (math) class in a school with a Bring Your Own Device policy. My answer: "My class will teach the world what they learn with me. Everything will be accessible online and on a mobile device." Here's what I would set up:

I visited Eric's High School on February 24th to observe Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) and his implementation of a contemporary learning environment.  I was impressed.  I was most impressed at Eric's reflection that he was once part of the problem, banning devices from his school rather then embracing the use of the technology.  That has changed and Eric trusts his students to interact responsibly with media and communication tools.  These expectations are being met by staff and students. 

"Thinking about implementing BYOD in your school? This site contains support documentation and resources developed by a range of representatives."

"Claire Amos, Director of elearning at Epsom Girls Grammar, outlines ten tips for encouraging students to take the lead in a bring your own device approach"

Links to a BYOD Responsible Use Policy pdf, FAQ pdf from St Mary's Secondary school in the US.