Tablet Use in Schools: Ergonomics, Posture and Screentime Recommendations

As we have been discussing lately, rolling out a BYOD Program can generate a lot of interesting conversations with students, parents and teachers. Many people do not feel  they have the information in order to make informed decision and to set up good routines and habits around tablet use. I admit that this paper 'Tablet Use in Schools: Ergonomics, Posture and Screentime Recommendations' is a bit of overkill at 46 pages but it is not meant to scare people. Refer to the different sections as you need them or have a concern. It is a paper that I would recommend teachers have a look at so they can answer questions from concerned parents about class and home routines for tablet use.

The most basic advice that I continue to give parents, and sometimes schools almost have to give parents permission to say this - 'It is your house therefore your rules'. Do not let your kids put one over you by suggesting they have hours and hours of homework that must be completed on their device. Good communication equals good device use.

Implementing a BYOD Program: Step 1 - Resources

Some schools and/or teachers have not seriously considered a move to BYOD and how it will effect them and their students. They have been waiting for the system or the leadership to make the decision and then they will investigate what it meant for their schools and classrooms. 

This can be a chicken or the egg situation. Do you wait for someone else to make the decision or do you future proof your own teaching and learning style in order to be ready for a BYOD environment when it does come. It is an interesting exercise to have teachers evaluate the learning activities they have designed and what they would look like in a BYOD environment. Some would change significantly, other would not change at all. There are obvious benefits when teachers conduct this exercise.

It is funny because some schools have hesitated in the move to BYOD because they didn't think their community were ready. My experience is that when we talk to parents they have been waiting for someone to make the decision. Their sister's kids have been BYOD for 2 yrs now and they know plenty of people who have their kids in schools that have already moved to BYOD. They are often just waiting for their school to make the decision too.

There are other consideration however. On a larger scale what are some of the infrastructure changes that would need to take place at a school level and what are the real costs of implementing BYOD. Do you have adequate wifi coverage and access points in the right areas? What is the maximum number of devices your current system can support? What are the costs to upgrade? What age groups would you implement the BYOD Program with first?

Here are some readings that have informed others in their initial investigation of the BYOD environment. Some of these are a couple of years old but they still hold there own in this conversation. The "Bring your own Devices -  A Guide for Schools" from the Alberta Education Department has been like a BYOD Bible for other institutions.

White Papers and the like...

A Guide for Schools - Alberta	BYOD Lit Review	Use of Tablet technology in the Classroom
Are we ready for BYOD?	Horizon Report 2015	Beyond the Classroom
BYOD to School - Dell	BYOX Research Project	BYOD in Education - Microsoft

Implementing a BYOD Program: Step 1

As discussed in the initial Implementing a BYOD Program post, I normally work with schools over three intensive workshops in order for them to plan their preparation for moving to a BYOD Program. 

This works really well with schools that have previously workshopped a 'Full School Pedagogical Approach'. When done well there is input from all members of the community in developing this vision. This full school pedagogical approach is published within their community and illustrated with posters and quotes throughout the school. 

When moving to a BYOD Model schools who have constructed this model would situate the introduction of the device within this Pedagogical Approach, using the same language to justify the move as supporting previously agreed learning outcomes. Each school is expected to be able to articulate why they believe the move to BYOD will be educationally beneficial to their students. I have even seen schools produce wallet sized cards with the main points printed on them.

You can see from the level of detail why we plan 6 weeks between each of the Sessions.

Not only do we supply them with a scaffold for this process but we also provide a detailed checklist for each aspects of the Support Program. 

STEP 1: VISION
The Leadership Team has made a commitment to move to a BYOD Program
	The School’s Plan	Completion Date
		Year	Term	Week
The staff can articulate a full school pedagogical approach
	The School’s Plan	Completion Date
		Year	Term	Week
The staff can articulate why the school is moving to BYOD and what the benefits will be
	The School’s Plan	Completion Date
		Year	Term	Week
The school is prepared to staff years with key educators to run the initial BYO program
	The School’s Plan	Completion Date
		Year	Term	Week
The school is prepared to provide adequate BYOD Professional Development to staff
	The School’s Plan	Completion Date
		Year	Term	Week
The school has identified champions within staff to support the move to BYOD
	The School’s Plan	Completion Date
		Year	Term	Week
The school has made a video of what their BYOD vision looks like in the classroom
	The School’s Plan	Completion Date
		Year	Term	Week
This vision has been shared with parents and the community
	The School’s Plan	Completion Date
		Year	Term	Week

https://appsineducation.blogspot.com.au/

CoSN Driving K-12 Innovation Advisory Board

You may be aware that the Horizon Report was recently discontinued. I have previously published an infographic on the Horizon Report 2014. It was always an insightful read each year when it was released.

The Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) has kindly stepped into this space and announced that they would publish 'The CoSN Driving K-12 Innovation' publication. This will be assisted by the CoSN Driving K-12 Innovation Advisory Board. Today I was very happy to learn that I had been invited to join the 2018 CoSN Driving K-12 Innovation Advisory Board.

The CoSN Driving K-12 Innovation Advisory Board is a body of K-12 edtech experts who will engage in online, asynchronous discussions to select the topics to be featured in the Driving K-12 Innovation publication. The advisory board is global in makeup, comprised of school administrators, educators, technologists, learning designers, and other practitioner/changemakers focused on spreading innovation in teaching and learning.

The Advisory Board discusses and selects the top Hurdles, Accelerators, and Tech Enablers that are transforming teaching and learning. This publication is produced in order to inform educators of those innovations that can have a significant impact on the education of their students.