Bring your own device programs are evolving. It’s time to take a fresh look
Bring-your-own-device and one-to-one laptop/tablet implementations on K-12 campuses usually sound simply enough in theory—but they can actually be quite complex. Lenny Schad, chief technology information office at Houston Independent School District (HISD), has spearheaded a number of successful BYOD rollouts, and frequently distills advice to struggling districts. Here, he gives technology teams his top six strategies for ensuring a smooth implementation and long-term success for a K-12 BYOD initiative:
1) Brand your BYOD effort. Much like a large corporation would “brand” a new product rollout or internal management effort, K-12 districts should develop a brand and messaging that clearly identifies and promotes their BYOD initiative. At HISD, for example, BYOD falls under PowerUp, a district-wide initiative aimed at transforming teaching and learning. “PowerUp is about ‘powering up’ all 282 of HISD’s schools to create a personalized learning environment for today’s 21st Century learners and to enable teachers to more effectively facilitate instruction, manage curriculum, collaborate with their peers, and engage today’s digitally-wired students,” according to the district’s website.
“For such an initiative to really grab hold, you have to spend time putting a brand on it,” said Schad. “At HISD, you can go anywhere in the district and mention PowerUp and everyone knows what it is.
Next page: Forget what you knew about BYOD
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