Bring Your Own Technology (BYOT) Techspo 2012 Brian Heineman, Supervisor of Science and Technology James Rollo, Technology Manager Bernards Township Public Schools www.bernardsboe.com

Students will become digitally responsible citizens. Goal: Students will have reliable access to the necessary technology to successfully engage in higher-order thinking activities (i.e., analysis, problem-solving, decision-making, evaluation, scientific inquiry) that prepare them to address authentic 21st century issues. Upgrade the current infrastructure to enable consistent and reliable access. Identify a set of digital tools that students will have access to 24/7 regardless of location. Students will become digitally responsible citizens. Model legal and ethical behaviors when using print and non print information. Model appropriate online behaviors related to cyber safety, cyber bullying, cyber security and cyber ethics. Educators will develop curriculum to instruct digital responsibility

1 to 1 Issues and Alternatives Issues with student technology (1 to 1) Costs for devices still approximately $500 per student No other savings are triggered (e.g. textbooks?) Insufficient bandwidth for 1 to 1 student use IT staff already spread thin across district Cost and time to change curriculum District Technology Committee recommended an alternate BYOT (BYOD) policy

Majority of grade 6-12 students possess some type of mobile technology

BYOT Benefits Movement towards cloud based computing requires no software Students already familiar with their own technology devices Very little individual hardware or software costs to district Teacher leaders can move ahead with implementation and begin to integrate 21st Century Skills

BYOT Issues Equity – Addressing the haves and have-nots (Pairing, Collaborative Groups, School Hardware) Security – Protecting the local network (Guest Access) Filtering – Cellular access cannot be filtered (Addressed in AUP) Access - Potential to be too successful and overload network

BYOT Issues - Equity Cell phone ownership is relatively flat across socioeconomic groups We would expect that Smart phones and Tablets will be more common in more affluent areas Watch for “lowest common denominator” issues Schools need to maximize use of hardware on hand to reduce equity issues Teachers need to practice creative grouping and instructional strategies

BYOT Issues – Security and Filtering Security is easy, Access is hard Good network design solves most issues: Segmented wireless vlans SPI firewall managing inter wireless VLAN traffic and as gateway between wired and wireless network Tight guest policies: (https & http…) WIPS for good measure , a proxy for the etra mile if needed Keep wired resources patched and up to date Keep policy focused on behaviors and not devices Revise AUP and set clear expectations

BYOT Issues - Access “Houston, we have a problem…” Expect at least 3 pressure points: Internet bandwidth Access point associations limitations Switch bandwidth Plot upgrade strategy carefully Failure to provide complete access may have a silver lining

BYOT – AUP & consent form

BYOT – AUP & consent form Key Areas: All of existing network AUP plus: Allowed Personal Device Usage & Constraints Consequences (Traditional AUP)

Frequently Asked Questions - FAQ Strongly recommend developing a FAQ for staff, students, and parents Get the contents of the FAQ out there! BYOT FUD can be dangerous and a major headache Our FAQ for your consumption

Bernards Township Current Status AUP dissemination and signoff using new web based model in February (post midterms) Ridge High School – Open policy in common areas WAMS – Closed policy in common areas All classrooms open at teacher or admin discretion K-12

The Future of BYOT It’s not really a choice. (2% budget cap) 4g (the “not quite yet ready” one available now) will provide a minimum 5mbps in both directions to the personal device It will be unfiltered, and most likely in the hands of about 80-90% of your population (staff & students) As usual, adapt or die