BYOD and Me

Set expectations from Day one. Just like rules in your classroom, you will have rules for your technology. Post signs showing the students what is expected of them. Let them know coming into the classroom if it is going to be a day with technology or without. Practice technology procedures so that students know exactly what is needed from them, and let them know what the consequences will be if they do not abide by the rules. Be consistent and Be involved!

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Students need to understand that it is a privilege to be able to bring and use their devices in your classroom for educational purposes. Make sure that parents and students know the rules for technology in your classroom. Post the BYOD policy to your class webpage. Monitor the usage of devices during activities. If the students know you are involved, they are less likely to use them for their own personal agenda. Have your students create the rules for technology in the classroom.

Click here for a printable of this poster!

Mark zones in your school/classroom where technology is not to be used at any times and when it is acceptable to use these devices. Post a sign on your door to let the students know if they will be using their devices in class today or not. Have the students put their phone on the corner of their desk face down until their are told to use them.

Thinglink is a fantastic example of an app that lets users become creators. With this app teachers and students can layer information on top of any image that they like. They might find a primary source document and add questions for students to answer, or ask students to snap a picture of a text and add text, video, and links to bring a sentence to life.

You’ll love how quickly you can make posters in Canva for your classroom and how easily students can demonstrate their understanding of a topic through visual art. Not only is this app simple to use, it’s also completely free!

Transform a reference chart in your classroom, have students make persuasive posters for their favorite book, or give kids a new way to add visuals to a research report.

Quizalize is a great online tool that lets teachers turn quick classroom quizzes into exciting multi-player games. Teachers can create a quiz on any subject they want or use one of the hundreds of quizzes teachers have already created in the Quizalize Marketplace. Students can take the quiz on any device with a browser – laptop, tablet or smartphone – making it a great choice for BYOD learning environments.

Flipgrid poses questions which students answer in a (very) short video format. All class answers are collected into a grid that can be shared and viewed. The class is easy for a teacher to set up. Students enter with a code (no registration required) and add their answer with the digital device camera. They love the video format and can redo any video they aren't happy with.

Socrative is one of the most well-known and widely used student response systems and for good reason. It is a robust, intuitive tool that makes forms and surveys easy to create for teachers and a snap to join for students (for example, no login required — just a class code). Questions can be prepared in advance or posed on the fly in a variety of formats such as True/False, Multiple Choice, and Space Race. Answers can be displayed on the screen anonymously.

QR codes can be used for a numerous amount of educational activities: scavenger hunts, self checking worksheets, center games, etc.

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