The explosion in the consumer market for laptops, tablets and SmartPhones has radically altered our expectations of how and when we access the internet and read emails. This revolution has now arrived at the school gate.
Today, students and staff expect to be able to access homework and print off lesson plans using their personally owned device at the time and location of their choice.
Bring your own device (BYOD) has been lauded by many as the answer to the dilemma facing schools across the country that want to provide students with access to engaging educational content and simultaneously address the need for every student to have access to technology – all within budget.
There are a number of factors that must be considered when making the decision to implement a BYOD environment. To help, here are 10 issues that you may wish to consider:
Check existing technology
The decision to introduce BYOD will involve the purchase of some new software and hardware. However, it is possible to ensure budgets do not spiral out of control by asking your IT manager to determine whether some of the functionality required may exist in technology the school already owns.
Simplify access
Broadly speaking, there are a number of ways to introduce a BYOD environment. The simplest is by offering guest access, which is similar to the access you receive when you stay at a hotel or visit a conference centre. This may or may not involve a student or teacher being allocated a user ID and password. They can sign on using their personally owned laptop, tablet or SmartPhone in order to get online, but that is all they will be able to do.
The other extreme involves offering full access. This allows students and staff to bring an unknown, untrusted, personally owned device into school and, by logging on just once, they can access all the files, applications and services that they require.
Clearly this option ensures the full benefits of BYOD can be realised. It also requires careful planning to ensure students and the network remain safe.
Allow users to access files at source
Software is available that allows students and staff to access files and software through a web browser. This enables schools to manage access rights and ensures security is controlled centrally and not on the device. It also converts any document or application so that it can be seen in a manner that is relevant to both the user’s personally owned device and screen.
Crucially, this removes the need for students and staff to download files and, once a class has ended or an assignment is completed, upload all relevant files back on to the school’s network.
Avoid licensing and copyright issues
In a BYOD environment, staff will expect to be able to use the school software set on their own device. For software that controls the interactive whiteboard, this is normally covered in the school licence.
However, the same is not always true for other applications or apps on mobile devices. So schools must ensure they choose a licencing solution that is both affordable and compliant.
Companies are now offering volume licencing programmes specifically for mobile devices. These allow schools and academies to pay for and distribute apps to their users.
Ensure students are safe
Protect students by purchasing a mobile device management solution. This kind of software secures personally owned devices and prevents students from playing Angry Birds continuously during maths classes. It only offers users access to applications and services that have been chosen for a particular session for educational purposes. It is important that you choose your software carefully as the cost can vary from as little as £5 per user, per year to as much as £5 per user, per month.
Ensure your network is safe
The reality of allowing students and staff to bring in their personally owned device is that you could potentially open up the school’s network to unknown and unmanaged laptops, tablets and SmartPhones.
It is therefore vital that you opt for a solution that not only provides users with the appropriate level of access to files and applications, but more importantly, protects your network from the risk of viruses and hackers. The solution must also protect users from accessing inappropriate content while providing a general level of security across the whole network.
Think before they print
Clearly students and staff will need to print documents. Consider introducing print management software that allows teachers to prevent students printing multiple full-colour copies of their coursework.
You will need a solution that allows you to control what students print from their personally owned devices. However, ensuring BYOD solutions interact with such print management technologies is not necessarily straightforward.
Avoid compatibility issues
Consider whether you will let students and staff bring in any laptop, tablet or SmartPhone to school. Save your IT manager a few sleepless nights by perhaps limiting users to a range of devices you are comfortable with to avoid compatibility and security issues.
Introduce a purchase scheme
Think about introducing a purchase scheme to enable parents and staff to obtain the right device at a price that is affordable for everyone. Being involved in the selection of laptop, tablet or SmartPhone devices will also allow you to have some control over the types of devices accessing the school’s network.
Check your insurance policy
Consider what level of insurance will be provided to students and staff bringing their personally owned devices into school. You need to consider whether the policy covers accidental damage and vandalism.
You will need to check whether it will cover the full cost of a replacement or just the value of the device at the time of its loss. We are all becoming familiar with “Gap” insurance on cars. This also applies to IT equipment. Check the small print of your existing policy and, if necessary, ask your provider to top-up insurance cover to protect against theft and accidental damage.
-
Steve Smith is director of learning at Capita IT Services.