There is an interesting article on the Microsoft Schools Blog about bringing your own devices into schools featuring examples from my school Saltash.net Community School. Have a look at the article it may be of interest, it is written by Mark Reynolds Microsoft’s School Business Manager.
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/ukschools/archive/2012/01/03/bring-your-own-device-byod-at-saltash-net.aspx
What do you think?
Hi Dan
Thanks for sharing this. We are moving to wifi bit-by-bit and late in the day. Our systems manager has his mind set on using all wifi via Virtual Desktop which means logging into your school desktop virtually as a means of accessing the internet on mobile devices. This has obvious problems and Microsoft’s new tool to manage devices might well be a good compromise.
I look forward to the article on managing how devices are used once on your network. The trust principle doesn’t seem to do it. 🙁
It’s key, at least in my mind, to the successful use of tech to truly enhance learning, for pupils who do not get much *free* time in school to be able to check their online comms and resources more fluidly and BYOD is the best answer IMO.
Thanks again. Dai
Hi Dai, Thanks for commenting, I don’t know massive amounts about the technical side of all this just the practicalities for a learning point of you but yes from what I know about the tool yes think this will help.
It isn’t just about trust, what the article doesn’t talk about is the time spent working with students and staff on educating them on how to use this appropriately and responsibly which we invest massively and then allows the ‘trust’ to be more effective. There is monitoring and when the AUP is broken then those individuals will be dealt with in an appropriate manner, if you have a culture of that this is not the ‘right’ thing to do then you have established the conditions for ‘trust’.
Thanks for the comment 🙂