THE concept of ‘Bring Your Own Device’ is starting to be adopted in our schools with a handful of trailblazers paving the way for more widespread adoption.

It has however yet to infiltrate many schools and this is sometimes due to a lack of awareness. We are about to start a trial of BYOD in the autumn, and in deciding to do so, we looked at the pros and cons of the concept.

BYOD, in essence. means the ability for students to bring their own laptops, smart phones and tablets into schools, connect them to the network and work on them. It encompasses Bring Your Own Technology (BYOT), Bring Your Own Phone (BYOP) and Bring Your Own PC (BYOPC). The concept can also include software and apps, if students are enabled to use cloud services and other tools on the web.

While BYOD is gaining traction in US and Australian schools in particular and is also being adopted in the UK workplace, it is still at baby steps stage in schools.

Helpfully, the Open University has started a nationwide survey where it is asking schools about BYOD. The Your Own Technology Survey (YOTS) – which can be accessed at yots.co.uk - aims to find out how many UK school children have access to a range of internet-enabled devices. YOTS has been developed as part of the Open University's professional development Vital programme, which is partly funded by the Department for Education (DfE).

There are many new innovations in technology that have the potential to make ICT more user-friendly and up to date. The challenge is to find a way to embrace these new innovations without breaking the technology budget. Some schools are already asking parents for a contribution in the form of a monthly subscription they pay towards new technologies. The number of UK schools going down the BYOD route at the moment is very small, but more and more are beginning to consider it.

The argument on paper for BYOD is quite compelling. These mobile devices are also often newer and more advanced than the equipment deployed by many school IT departments. Devices such as iPads have the ability to make the learning experience more interactive with the positive knock on effect that students will be even more engaged in their lessons.

Giving pupils the ability to choose and use the device they’re most comfortable with can also promote personalised learning and problem solving; it can also foster a multi-device classroom where students work collaboratively to choose the best device for a specific task and often switch between devices.

There is still resistance to BYOD however, with some people expressing concern around issues like cyber-bullying. With ‘e-safety’ a major issue, it is possible to tailor software and services to a school’s specific needs, offering some level of protection.

One of the first things a school’s leadership needs to do before seeking to embrace BYOD is to think through the options and outline the benefits and goals. Once the objectives are more properly understood, a school will be in a better position to determine how technology can help.

Many schools formulate a list of ‘preferred devices’ and include those that are not appropriate for learning. They also set and share policies for what, when and how students can use their own devices at school. One school that implemented a BYOD programme changed the name of its Acceptable Use Policy to Responsible Use Policy, reflecting the new responsibility that the students were entrusted with. Some schools make it a requirement that in order to bring a device in, a student must have a mobile filter or mobile device management solution allowed on it, so the school can control and manage access during school hours.

Many schools leave maintenance of the student-owned devices to the student or parents. But what happens when something goes wrong during school hours and the device is needed? Often, student-run help desks provide an easy way to provide basic device support without additional staff or budget.

It’s important to provide teachers and support staff with basic advice to support lessons across multiple platforms. This professional development can include outlining the different devices pupils might be expected to bring and their abilities and limitations, basic troubleshooting information, and ideas for incorporating devices into lessons.

In the interests of equity and equality, it is essential to consider how to cater for the needs of students who genuinely cannot afford mobile devices. Many schools solve this by keeping a supply of additional devices that students can use. BYOD encourages anytime, anywhere, any device learning – so it’s important to have a safe, mobile platform that’s compatible with any device that students and teachers can access for school work, discussions, resources and assignments. While the case for BYOD is attractive, it is vital that schools consider its full implications before adoption.