The ins and outs of building a BYOD policy

By Zachary Amos

Teachers and educational administrators throughout New Zealand often consider whether to implement BYOD policies that allow children to bring devices from home to class.

The bring-your-own-device approach contrasts with alternatives, such as allowing students to take school-owned tech home with them or encouraging the use of tablets and computers while on the facility’s property. What should those instituting BYOD policies consider to maximise the positive effects?

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1. Explain the rationale and request feedback

Decision-makers should begin by clarifying what motivated them to establish this policy, while remaining open to input from students and their families. These professionals should also remember that not everyone can afford school-specific computers. This reality often results in people sharing devices within a household, making it unrealistic for each child to take a laptop or tablet with them for several hours per day.

Administrators should ideally develop alternative options for individuals facing significant financial burdens due to the new policy. One example might be to launch a rent-to-own program that allows participants to pay small amounts of money per month until they eventually own the device. Schools might also partner with technology stores or websites, allowing people to get discounted products by mentioning their school affiliation.

2. Publish minimum device requirements

Specifying device compatibility details ensures the students’ devices suit their class and homework needs. The New Zealand Ministry of Education recommends no less than 64 GB of storage and 4 GB of RAM. Similarly, screen sizes of at least 10 inches typically suit younger students, but older ones with more advanced coursework may need larger ones.

Related School News article: The latest trends for a tech savvy classroom

It’s also beneficial to specify the settings to turn on or off according to the school’s IT needs. For example, activating automatic software updates prevents situations where students use outdated versions for months without realising it. However, because many people ignore prompts to update products once releases become available, administrators should also tweak the settings to install new content outside of normal usage hours, such as in the middle of the night.

3. Establish BYOD usage policies

A thorough BYOD policy outlines the rules for students using their devices on school property. Teachers are among the best people to ask about this aspect, as most incorporate various websites into their lesson plans. In one study, 65% of educators reported using digital learning tools daily. That finding highlights the already significant role of these resources in classrooms.

A school’s authorities may also want to consult with IT professionals about establishing a system that automatically blocks access to specific sites. Those involved should also develop supplemental policies about the approach teachers or other affected parties should take to get access to forbidden sites for well-justified reasons.

4. Include relevant topics in the curriculum

Ongoing input from teachers will be essential for maintaining the success of a BYOD policy. Those professionals are among the best-placed individuals to teach children how to stay safe online. Educators can also send information home with students to keep parents aware of emerging online scams.

One example is a tactic where perpetrators try to convince victims of a loved one’s kidnapping. Those orchestrating this attack often use information from social media to make their claims sound more believable. Teacher-distributed cautionary information informs parents and guardians of these risks.

5. Encourage leadership involvement

Effective BYOD policies for schools are evolving documents, subject to change depending on varying educational needs, societal trends and other potentially fluctuating factors. Regardless of a school’s size and location, support from the school’s leaders helps these initiatives succeed. This was one of the main takeaways from a researcher’s analysis of four studies concerning elementary school teachers using iPads in New Zealand classrooms between 2015 and 2021.

All studies featured a close alignment of teachers’ and principals’ school visions. That attribute resulted in environments characterised by high relational trust and a commitment to a common objective of developing high-quality, digitally enabled lessons.

Responsiveness enables relevance

Besides applying best practices, those developing BYOD policies for educational settings should remain adaptive and receptive to those with thoughtful ideas about how to improve these documents or make them more relevant to real-world challenges. Students and their families appreciate feeling heard as they bring up these suggestions.