I thought about
a new post regarding IT Schemes and BYOD.
The idea behind this is to keep it short, simple and to the point.
I’ve created
plenty of posts/pages about this and if you have the time they are all linked
at the bottom.
So bullet points away:
- · Depending what scheme you offer – research, test and research some more.
- · Visit Schools and push hard for the bad points (like it or not, many Schools will not want bad press and potentially can lie – I know). It’s important to remember this part, every School does it and rarely fully admits the negative side.
- · If choosing tablets – remember they do not do everything a Mac or a PC can do.
- · An Apple device can’t do everything a Windows PC can.
- · Android v Apple tablets – There are differences but depends what you want to do exactly.
- · List what you want before you make a device choice.
- · Free does not mean – good. Nor does it mean support is available.
- · Tablet Apps although more reliable – when problems occur you’re alone.
- · Companies may lie and tell you “we support devices” – triple check (no joke).
- · Companies will say yes to sell you their product, take what they say with a pinch of salt.
- · Provide devices with staff which match in size, spec and type to what Students will use – to test and test some more.
- · Size makes a difference when browsing the internet especially with interactive websites.
- · Browsers make a difference, what works in Internet Explorer or Firefox may not work in Safari or Google Chrome.
- · This is a big undertaking and requires a lot of people to be involved. This requires senior leadership/teachers direct involvement.
- · The scheme leader should be a person of power, this becomes fundamental to your curriculum which impacts teaching and learning. Grades/Ofsted!
- · Keep it consistent, it must work and remember to evaluate the status of the scheme often to improve.
- · This is very different to having a device at home that the everyday user has for 30 minutes a day. This is a device that could be used all day or for a couple of hours. Everything must work and be straight forward.
- · Consider the real reasons you are doing this Scheme, scrutinise it heavily and make sure it’s the right decision. Question yourself if this is about self-ambition or about children’s learning.
- · The Students will download games etc., urge them not to – that these are devices for learning.
- · You may not be able to deploy what you want easily and quickly, educate Staff to know how to get 25 students installing software, updates or Apps.
- · Windows devices will require windows updates and restarts/reboots often. They are not designed to be on standby all day every day like a tablet.
- · Plan, plan and plan some more exactly what software will be used. Usually 3 months later someone asks “can this go on all devices” – most of the time the answer will be no. Who sits the Students down to install this software?
- · Avoid the Apple Lover, the Salesman, the Rep – These people will say anything to get you to say YES.
- · Some Students are not going to be as “advanced” as you think. They may be able to do difficult tasks while still ignoring the simple ones. Don’t take anything for granted.
- · Involve everyone, work together and listen to each other. If you have to delay a scheme by a year – do it.
Support levels to remember:
- · Teachers/Support staff will need to know how to use, support and do day to day tasks on these devices.
- · IT Support will need to know how to trouble shoot and support.
- · A bigger range of devices creates less consistency especially regarding support from all staff.
- · Ask who supports what: Who teaches a Student to use word, internet, printing, email etc. Who supports a broken device.
Security:
- · Not every device will have the same security options.
- · Web filtering at School is important.
- · Wi-Fi security is important.
- · Create a separate VLAN>SSID for Student Wi-Fi (This one is for the IT tech team).
- · Educate Students, Parents and Staff to keep safe (you will need refresh sessions often).
Failures, damages or forgotten – The plan
B or What IFs:
- · Have a plan B in the event of failures/damages.
- · Any forgotten devices should be marked down similar to missing uniform.
- · Insurance is a high recommendation – damages happen. Also make sure what is covered – device parts not affecting usage may not be protected.
- · Make sure you have extra strong cases, bags that offer the ultimate protection – no joke.
- · Extended warranties is a must. Failures occur and with devices going from A to B all day – this increases failure rate.
- · What happens when 25 Students arrive without 25 devices, what if it’s 20 or even 15 devices. Ask these questions for the What Ifs.
The Cloud options:
- · If you go Cloud > Google, Drive, Apps etc. – Remember it WILL impact broadband (ignore those who say it won’t).
- · Apps at times will not work unless they are updated, sometimes they can also stop working – They’re not 100% reliable.
- · It’s good but how reliable has your internet access been in the last 12 months. When it goes down, you potentially can lose more.
- · Your IT team can’t fix the Cloud. When Google goes down it goes down regardless of the screaming you’re doing.
- · Google Drive/Gmail is pretty good so give it a real shot but some of it is out of the Schools power/control. It’s free though.
Set out a clear
structure of what is expected of everyone and make sure it is followed. A Scheme can work but anyone who claims it’s
not a mission is not being honest.
Always picture yourself
with a full class of students, consider the potential risks and problems. Do not assume it will be smooth sailing.
Read all the
blogs and articles you can but look for the finer details. A lot of posts will not include questions
regarding repairs, problems and the day to day issues you can have. These are usually because it’s an outside
blog not someone who actually works on the Scheme. Find people who are experienced of working
directly with BYOD and mobile devices. Unfortunately I don’t find many of these blogs
or even articles. Instead I find links
to School websites that offer BYOD but as we all know they will not openly tell
you the dark side of devices.
Final piece of advice – Listen to the pragmatics. They ask the questions you should. If mistakes are made and the schemes struggle - the Students are the ones that lose out.
Time for those LINKS and more LINKS. Theses are all done by my self with quite a bit linked from other websites.
This post is roughly about the cost of "Free of IT" Schools.
Articles that seem to reap a lot of praise on technology in Schools yet show little to no experience of being involved.
Want to buy a device for your self?
The questions or perhaps answers Education never asks or wants to know?
The costs of IT, some times no one really truly sees it.
A simple update on our current status.
Using phones or perhaps mobile devices in the classroom. Remember safety is paramount no matter what some say.
Education, EduTech - It's all every where but has to be done right. Very useful for BYOD/Mobile devices.
What is Cloud, can it be a benefit?
Mainly covering how much of a nightmare it can be, current issues faced and generally will open your eyes. This also states progress of a company that provided a Scheme that effectively left us on our own.
