A new study found that mobile learning is on the rise in K-12 classrooms. The Speak Up 2013
survey from Project Tomorrow reported that 41% of principals surveyed said they
were comfortable letting students “bring your own devices” (BYOD) to school, up
from 22% in the 2010 study.
The report also found that 10% of the principals said they already made policy changes to
allow BYOD learning in their schools. In addition, nearly 60% of the more than
32,000 parents of school-aged children who participated said they would like
their children to be in classes where BYOD was allowed.
School administrators report that mobile
learning helps build the skills needed for college and in the workforce.
However, changing policy is not always easy because of issues concerning access
and equity.
“As
appealing as all the benefits of using personal mobile devices are, district
leaders are still facing some serious challenges that must be addressed, like
student safety and district liability in case students misuse their own devices,”
said Julie Evans, CEO of Project Tomorrow. “Even districts who have adopted a BYOD
policy are struggling with providing devices for students who may not be able
to afford them and with training teachers on best practices for teaching in a
classroom where conceptually every student has a different device with various
levels of functionality and content.”
