BYOD

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  Bring your own device is a plan where schools or classrooms have learners bring their own devices to utilize while at school for learning vs. the school providing devices for all learners.The pros are you can take a distraction and turn it into a learning tool. They can be used in various ways within the learning environment. Learners are able to easily collaborate together, keep notes and share things with their teacher. The cons are that these devices can be a huge distraction. There are many schools that worry about not all learners having a device to bring.
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  My school has issued devices based on grade level. Our preschool- 2nd-grade learners have 10 devices per classroom. The 3rd-grade learners are 1:1 with iPads and fourth-ninth grade are 1:1 with MacBooks. I like that we have devices that belong to the school vs having learners bring their own. We have filters in place and could filter the personal devices on the network, however, it is much easier to manage the devices through JAMF and be able to take a device when someone is doing something inappropriate. It is harder to take a device when it doesn't belong to you even having a policy in place for it. We have to face it there are children who will look for ways around things and it is easier if it is theirs and only filtered not managed.
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  Smartphones are definitely here to stay but would be something that I would try and steer away from in a BYOD classroom. It is so hard to be productive having such a small screen as well as trying to type things on them. They would be fine for videos but then hard to do any kind of editing. If I had to use them in a BYOD classroom they would have to be placed on the school wifi to filter the content they access to ensure they are only accessing things that they should while at school. There would have to be a policy for use that the learners would have help in creating to ensure that they are using them in a beneficial way.
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  This emerging trend makes digital equity a little more attainable as most children in this day and age have a smartphone regardless of their socioeconomic status. I don't understand this but it is a reality. It is also likely that "old phones" could be donated for those that do not have a device. It could be a plus for lower performing schools and the teachers who teach there being able to incorporate technology into their lessons making them more collaborative and engaging which could boost student interest and performance.
  Science fourth grade: they can be supported by providing them with quality professional development to help them have a better understanding of how they can incorporate various tech tools into their curriculum. There are various free apps that can be accessed to read current events on grade level, create videos to demonstrate an understanding of science concepts or math concepts. 
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  Professional development has to start looking differently and focus on technology integration to make sure that we are giving learners every opportunity they can to use tech tools to help them complete assignments. If we do not teach teachers how to use these tools that the learners have access to they are useless to us and we are just saying we have BYOD or devices and they are not being used to their fullest potential. We as teachers also have to have an interest in wanting to learn the new and emerging technologies so we aren't afraid to step out and use them in our classrooms. Be a lifelong learner! Technology is ever changing and advancing.
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   I think we are doing a disservice to our learners if we don't teach them to use mobile devices beyond entertainment. The world we live in today is very technology rich and many jobs require the use of technology. If we do not expose them to technology-rich learning environments we are putting them at a huge disadvantage.