ResearchReflection

Well, this class has been one wild ride, full of 0-60 mile an hour weeks of exposure to new and exciting trends in our profession! And to add to the excitement, I decided to explore the question of BYOD, Bring Your Own Device to School, and all the challenges and benefits that proposition has to offer. This class was the perfect scaffold to begin to ponder an answer to this question, about whether it is plausible for students to bring their own device to school and have the necessary freedoms to use them responsibly. I discovered much new knowledge on the subject, and was surprised that only in early 2012, some industry experts were predicting that this would be a reality, and all American students would be in schools with 1:1 device ratios by 2015! I know things with technology tend to progress at warp speed (unlike in Education!) but I have to ascertain after my research that I do not see this happening that swiftly, however I do see it happening in the not too distant future. School districts are beginning to realize the benefits outweigh the drawbacks, and their budgets will receive some much needed breathing room if they only have to provide devices to a small number of students rather than the entire student body. I am so excited to be entering Education at this time, and can only imagine the possibilities for using all of the Web 2.0 tools when students are properly equipped!