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A snapshot of K–12 BYOD program
implementation in 14 publicly funded
school districts across Canada
Pearson CanadaSchool Division
Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)
Survey
Dr. Tania Sterling
Research & Communications Manager–DigitalPearson Canada
February 2013
Pearson Canada School Division BYOD Survey Report − Executive Summary ii
Executive Summary Pearson Canada School Division Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) Survey Report A snapshot of the K–12 BYOD program implementation in 14 publicly funded school districts across Canada Purpose
At Pearson Canada School Division, our goal is to help students of all ages “live and learn” by enhancing their reading, learning, and work-life experiences. Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) programs in K–12 education present exciting opportunities as well as challenges. As an educational publisher that produces engaging digital content, platforms, solutions, and services to improve teaching and learning, the BYOD phenomenon is worth close examination. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to gather research regarding K–12 BYOD program implementation across Canada. Methodology
In late fall 2012, account executives invited key district-level chief information officers, curriculum consultants, and administrators with technology decision-making responsibilities to participate in the research study.
Altogether, 17 participants from 14 publicly funded school districts in Alberta, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, and Saskatchewan responded to an online survey comprised of 29 multiple-choice and open-ended questions grouped under the following six headings:
1. Purpose 2. Context 3. Rationale, Models, and Participants 4. BYOD Policies and Procedures 5. Digital Content 6. Professional Learning
Findings
Why BYOD? The findings from this mixed method investigation suggest that current K–12 BYOD programs aim to meet a variety of pedagogical goals. The reasons for adopting and implementing BYOD programs are to
1. Increase equity of access to technology tools and content 2. Differentiate instruction 3. Increase the use of technology in the classroom 4. Improve student learning, engagement, and personalized learning
Districts also hope that BYOD will lead to changing teacher practice, including more of a focus on critical thinking and digital citizenship. Range of Implementation Models A wide range of BYOD implementation models and policies are in place across participating districts in Canada. They range from controlled use to moderate control toward full open access.
Controlled Use: At one end of the spectrum, BYOD programs are only permitted with “approval of the IT Director” or is only available for teacher use. In other contexts, students can only use their devices in designated areas of the school as determined by the school principal.
Moderate Control: In other cases, BYOD use in schools where “it’s possible and technologically feasible” is encouraged by the central board office, but the decision is left up to the individual school. More often than not, this translates to students using “their own devices with a teacher’s permission in the context of a lesson. At all other times the devices need to be put away and safely secured.”
iii Pearson Canada School Division BYOD Survey Report − Executive Summary
Findings (cont’d)
Open Access: At the other end of the continuum, some districts have adopted a “Bring it all!” approach where the instructional and non-instructional use of personal electronic devices in schools is permitted on the wireless network in all locations.
New Policies & Procedures Required In almost all cases, adopting BYOD policies requires new or modified appropriate use policies with more of a focus on digital citizenship.
Infrastructure & Network Requirements To set up BYOD programs for success, technological infrastructure needs to be top priority. Data from this study suggest that districts made bandwidth, networks and wireless, security and Internet filtering, and cloud computing top priorities to set up the BYOD program for success.
To ensure equity of access to an online network and electronic devices in BYOD classroom or school settings, some districts have made turn-key solutions for wireless access a priority, but many still have a distance to go to achieve widespread access. Still other districts make additional mobile devices (e.g., iPods, netbooks) available through classroom, school, or board lending libraries to ensure every learner has access to a device.
Who’s Using BYOD? BYOD is currently not being used with students under the age of 8. Participants in this study reported that BYOD programs mostly involve students aged 14–18 at the high school level.
What About Apps? A few districts provide principals or teachers with budgets to purchase and provide students with online access to applications (apps) to support teaching and learning. More districts and schools have made personalized learning a priority and leave app procurement entirely up to the individual student. As described by one respondent: “In my definition, BYOD refers to technology that students bring. The school does not control this at all.” To account for a variety of needs across school districts, 14 percent of participants reported using a combination of both strategies for acquiring and using apps on devices.
How Is BYOD Being Used? The most popular apps being downloaded or purchased to support BYOD programs are free or low-cost productivity apps that allow students to ”perform” a task. For example, Evernote, Dropbox, Google Docs, Google Drive, MS Office Web Apps, Keynote, etc.
What’s Still Needed? Participants also see the potential for BYOD to make quality content available to students and teachers. There is a need for more content apps to help teach 21st century skills, secondary courses like Math, Science, Business/Accounting, and English Language Learner (ELL) and First Nations, Métis, and Inuit (FNMI) students.
Professional Learning The quality of learning that is enabled by BYOD will only be as rich as the quality of the teaching. Teachers require professional learning to help them effectively leverage BYOD into their practice. Some districts offer off-site workshops after school hours, whereas others create site-based and/or job-embedded BYOD and technology-related professional learning opportunities to increase teacher capacity.
How Is the Impact of BYOD Being Measured? Data from this study confirms that districts are monitoring the impact of BYOD programs in a variety of ways (engagement surveys, student achievement, teacher surveys, etc.). Districts are interested in and could benefit from close collaboration with other school boards to share effective BYOD practices and strategies. Conclusions and Recommendations
The trend toward mobile learning will continue to accelerate as the devices students, teachers, and leaders carry become ever more capable, accessible, and affordable. While it is clear that K–12 BYOD program implementation is at different stages depending on the local context, this report recommends that Pearson Canada School Division continues to work with school districts across the country as they implement BYOD strategies. Future collaborative research efforts will put districts and Pearson Canada School Division in a position to realize the potential that BYOD has to offer. By working together, we can help ensure that educational models like BYOD, and quality resources, solutions and services meet the needs of educators and support successful student learning.
Table of Contents Introduction .............................................................................................................. 2
Research Questions .................................................................................................... 3
Data Collection Strategy ............................................................................................. 3
Data Analysis ............................................................................................................. 4
Research Sample and Setting ...................................................................................... 4
Research Findings ...................................................................................................... 4
Purpose ................................................................................................................. 4
Context ................................................................................................................. 4
Rationale, Models, and Participants ........................................................................... 6
BYOD Policy and Procedures ................................................................................... 11
Digital Content ..................................................................................................... 12
Professional Learning ............................................................................................ 15
Implications of Findings ............................................................................................ 15
Question 1 ........................................................................................................... 15
Question 2 ........................................................................................................... 16
Question 3 ........................................................................................................... 16
Question 4 ........................................................................................................... 16
Question 5 ........................................................................................................... 16
Disseminating Results ............................................................................................... 17
Conclusion............................................................................................................... 17
References .............................................................................................................. 18
Appendix A .............................................................................................................. 19
2 Pearson Canada School Division BYOD Survey Report
Introduction Undoubtedly, the trend towards mobile learning is accelerating as the devices we carry
become ever more capable, accessible, and affordable. This year, mobile devices and apps
have jumped to the top spot as one of the six technologies to watch, according to Johnson,
Adams, and Cummins (2012):
Mobile devices and apps are increasingly valued as important learning tools in K–12. Once banned from the classroom, mobile devices and apps have become such compelling tools that schools are beginning to rethink standing policies, and some are even beginning to implement “bring your own device” (BYOD) programs. The potential applications of mobiles are vast, and range from graphing complex mathematical equations to storing and sharing notes and e-book annotations. Apps in particular are the fastest growing dimension of the mobile space in the K–12 sector right now, with impacts on virtually every aspect of informal life, and increasingly, potential in almost every academic discipline. Always-connected Internet devices using 3G, 4G, and similar cellular networks, imbedded sensors, cameras and GPS have inspired hundreds of thousands of applications. With a steady flow of new apps that take advantage of the continual stream of enhancements to these tools, as well as key advances in electronic publishing, and the convergence of search technology and location awareness, mobile devices & apps grow more and more interesting with each passing month. (p. 4)
At Pearson Canada, our goal is to help students of all ages “live and learn” by enhancing
their reading, learning, and work-life experiences. Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) programs
in K–12 education present exciting opportunities as well as challenges. As an educational
publisher that produces engaging digital content, platforms, solutions, and services to
improve teaching and learning, the BYOD phenomenon is worth close examination. We need
to ask ourselves two critical questions:
• What do we know about the BYOD trend?
• How is Pearson Canada School Division responding to this trend?
If properly researched—and responded to—the BYOD challenge represents dynamic
opportunity for educators and the School publishing industry.
To gather market research regarding K–12 BYOD programs, Pearson Canada School Division
conducted an online survey involving educational decision makers across the country in
November 2012. For the purposes of this investigation, BYOD programs referred to
implementation models in Canadian K–12 school districts where students are permitted to
bring personally owned mobile technology devices to school to support their learning.
Pearson Canada School Division BYOD Survey Report 3
Data have been interpreted and assembled in this report. Disseminating results in this way
will help to mobilize effective practice across Canada as well as position Pearson Canada
School Division as a thought leader in the field. Moreover, once acted upon, this BYOD
research has the potential to inform future product development and help position Pearson
Canada as part of a larger efficacy company concerned with improving learning.
Research Questions Five main research questions guided this mixed methods inquiry:
1. What and how are BYOD programs being implemented in Canada?
2. What digital content are students accessing on personally owned devices?
3. What content is still needed for mobile devices?
4. What supports are in place to ensure BYOD programs are successful?
5. How is the impact of BYOD being measured?
Data Collection Strategy A mixed methods approach was used to investigate K–12 BYOD program implementation in
Canada. As such, the online questionnaire (Appendix A) was built using Survey Gizmo
(www.surveygizmo.com) and comprised 29 multiple choice and open-ended questions
grouped under six headings:
1. Purpose
2. Context
3. Rationale, Models, and Participants
4. BYOD Policies and Procedures
5. Digital Content
6. Professional Learning
Permission was granted by the Government of Alberta to reproduce sections of its recent
report, Bring Your Own Device: A Guide for Schools, Copyright 2012 Crown in the Right of
the Province of Alberta, as represented by the Minister of Education. The survey took
approximately 15 minutes to complete. Three email reminders were sent to prospective
participants throughout the three-week data collection period. As a token of Pearson Canada
School Division’s appreciation, respondents were invited to provide contact information to
be eligible to win the latest iPad model. Data collection for the survey officially closed
November 10, 2012.
4 Pearson Canada School Division BYOD Survey Report
Data Analysis Descriptive statistics were generated from the quantitative questions on the survey and are
interpreted here using charts and graphs. Qualitative data from open-ended questions
revealed themes and trends. After an initial coding, findings were synthesized, summarized,
ranked, compared, weighed, and combined. The last stage of data analysis involved
integrating, checking, and modifying the data to ensure they accurately reflected the
themes that arose and the amount of importance placed on each item (Rubin & Rubin,
2005). An analysis of all research data occurred following qualitative data analysis during
the final interpretation.
Research Sample and Setting Account Executives and Connected Sales Representatives were asked to put forth the
names of key district-level contacts with instructional technology responsibilities from within
their territories. This generated a list of 41 potential respondents who were then invited to
participate via email.
Research Findings
Purpose The first section of the survey outlined the purpose of the online survey and referenced the
permission that was granted by the Government of Alberta to reproduce sections of its
BYOD Guide (2012). The Purpose section informed participants of the approximate amount
of time required to complete the questionnaire and invited them to consider entering the
draw for the iPad. Pearson’s privacy statement was also referenced in the Purpose section of
the survey.
Context The Context section intended to gather data regarding the size and nature of the context for
each respondent. Survey respondents comprised 17 educational decision makers with
district-level instructional technology responsibilities from 14 publically funded school
boards in 5 provinces across Canada (see Figure 1).
Pearson Canada School Division BYOD Survey Report 5
BYOD Survey Respondents by Province
18%
12%
6%58%
6%
Alberta
ManitobaNova Scotia
OntarioSaskatchewan
Figure 1. In which province or territory is your school district located? (multiple choice)
When asked to characterize their districts, 10 participants identified their districts as urban,
one identified his or her district as rural, and six referred to their districts as both urban and
rural. The distance between schools was a challenge in four districts, whereas school-to-
school proximity was not identified as problematic in the other districts. Data related to the
full-time student enrolment within the districts where respondents worked are presented in
Figure 2.
Full Time Student Enrolment Per District
10000 — 2000012%
5000 — 1000023%
1000 — 500018%
More than 10000035%
60000 — 800006%
20000 — 400000%
40000 — 600006%
1000 — 50005000 — 1000010000 — 2000020000 — 4000040000 — 6000060000 — 80000More than 100000
Figure 2. What is your current full-time student enrolment? (multiple choice)
6 Pearson Canada School Division BYOD Survey Report
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Digital Citizenship/Media Literacy
Offset technology costs
Innovation
Free up other school-owned devices
Prepare students for future
Authentic learning
4 C's
Anywhere, anytime learning
Personalized learning
Student engagement
Increase use of IT in classrooms
Differentiated instruction
Equity of access and availability
Rationale, Models, and Participants The questions in the next section of the survey pertained to factors that led to and informed
the development and implementation of BYOD in each district. The top pedagogical goals of
K–12 BYOD are depicted in Figure 3.
Pedagogical Goals of BYOD Programs
Number of Respondents
Figure 3. What pedagogical goal or need does your district hope to meet with its BYOD model? (open ended)
Digital citizenship/Media literacy
4Cs
Pearson Canada School Division BYOD Survey Report 7
Displayed as a word cloud, these open-ended responses from Figure 3 reveal a rationale
and focus on increased use and access to familiar digital devices and resources, student
learning and engagement, and differentiation.
In addition to pedagogical goals, participants reported that districts look to BYOD programs
to increase teacher access and change teacher practice to involve more critical thinking and
inquiry-based approaches (Figure 4).
8 Pearson Canada School Division BYOD Survey Report
0 2 4 6 8 10 12
Increase teacher satisfaction
Personalized learning
Increased collaboration
Teacher innovation
Increase social media
Connect with parents
Self-regulation
Student engagement
Student improvement
Support research & inquiry
Re-allocate infrastructure, spending, resources
Critical thinking & Digital citizenship
Change teacher practice
Equity of access to technology and resources
2 4 6 8 10 12
Other Goals of BYOD Programs
Number of Respondents
Figure 4. What other goals does your district hope to achieve with your BYOD program? (open-ended)
Data from the survey suggest there are a wide range of BYOD implementation models and
policies in place across participating districts in Canada, ranging from controlled use to
moderate control toward full open-access.
Controlled Use Moderate Control Open Access
Controlled Use: In some cases, BYOD is only permitted with “approval of IT Director” or is
only available for teacher use. In several other contexts, students can only use their devices
in designated areas of the school as determined by the school Principal.
Moderate Control: Further along the continuum, BYOD use in schools where “it's possible
and technologically feasible” is encouraged by the central board office, but the decision is
left up to the individual school. In other words, schools are left “on their own” to develop,
support, enable, and carefully approach/monitor BYOD. Students are allowed to bring
devices, but some schools make the choice of which types and how the devices are
permitted/used. More often than not, this translates to students using “their own devices
Pearson Canada School Division BYOD Survey Report 9
with a teacher’s permission in the context of a lesson. At all other times the devices need to
be put away and safely secured.”
Open-access: At the other end of the spectrum, some districts allow for “instructional and
non-instructional use of personal electronic devices in schools”; in fact, guest wireless is
available in all locations and students are encouraged to bring their own devices at all grade
levels. As one participant mentioned, his or her district abides by the “Bring it all!”
approach.
Figure 5 depicts the range of specific BYOD models currently in use in the 14 participating
school districts.
BYOD Models
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Perc
enta
ge
Students use specific brand of personally owned devices
Students use personally owned devices that meet specific technical specifications
Students use personally owned devices with specific functionality
Students bring any personally owned devices provided they are Internet-ready
Hybrids or combinations of the four models listed
Left to school to decide
Figure 5. What BYOD models are being adopting in the school district? (list adapted from Alberta Government) (multiple choice)
Prior to implementing BYOD, respondents identified that surveys were typically used to pre-
determine the number of students with access to personal devices at each school (see
Figure 6). In some cases, this information was not gathered prior to moving towards BYOD.
10 Pearson Canada School Division BYOD Survey Report
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%
Student survey
Parent survey
Teacher survey
District-wide survey
Anecdotal. We did not conduct a formal survey
Monitoring of use centrally
Some areas/schools conduct their own surveys
Through IBM consulting
We haven't as far as I know
Network reports
Number of IP addresses used in each school
Percentage
Figure 6. How did you determine the number of students with access to personal devices at each school? (multiple choice)
As one might expect, a lower percentage of elementary schools participate in BYOD
programs compared with secondary schools (Figure 7).
Percentage of BYOD Schools across Districts
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
0 — 24 25 — 49 50 — 74 75 — 100Percentage
Num
ber
of S
choo
ls
ElementarySecondary
Figure 7. What percentage of elementary and secondary schools participate in BYOD programs across your district? (open ended)
Findings suggested that the vast majority (95%) of the students engaging in BYOD
programs are 8 years of age or older. Right now, most BYOD students are in high school
(ages 14—18).
Strategies for Surveying Access to Own Devices
Pearson Canada School Division BYOD Survey Report 11
BYOD Policy and Procedures More than three quarters (76%) of participants reported that their district had to develop
new Appropriate Use Policies to support new BYOD programs, whereas new policies were
only somewhat required in 12 percent of respondents’ boards, and not required in 12
percent of participating districts. Additions or changes to Appropriate Use Policies that were
required centred on making specific reference to and allowing access to personal devices
during classroom instruction, including digital citizenship and norms of using social media,
and developing new Appropriate Use Policies for teachers’ personal devices.
Districts reported that the monitoring of the appropriate use of BYOD is handled differently
depending on the context. For example, some districts use centrally controlled active
directory firewalls, Kace software, and network monitoring tools, while, in other districts,
the supervision of BYOD use is the responsibility of the individual school. Internet filters are
either controlled at a board level or managed by the school Principal. In other cases,
teachers are responsible for monitoring student Internet and device use in the classroom
and infractions are dealt with via school codes of conduct.
To ensure equity of access to an online network and electronic devices in BYOD classroom
or school settings, some districts have made turn-key solutions for wireless access a
priority, but many still have a distance to go to achieve ubiquitous access. Still other
districts make extra mobile devices (e.g., iPods, netbooks) available through classroom,
school, or board lending libraries to ensure every learner has access to a device.
In line with the findings of the Alberta Government’s BYOD Guide (2012), participants
confirmed that bandwidth, networks and wireless connections, security and Internet
filtering, and cloud computing were the top priorities for technological infrastructure to set
up the BYOD program for success (Figure 8).
12 Pearson Canada School Division BYOD Survey Report
Technological Infrastructure Priorities Pe
rcen
tage
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Bandwidth Networks
and wireless technology
Security and Internet filtering
Cloud computing
Strategic technology plan that sets implementation expectations
Student access to the network and Internet before and after school
Printing Partnering with the home and community agencies to ensure access to the Internet
Policy or Program
Figure 8. To set up the BYOD program for success, technological infrastructure needs to be top priority. Which of the following policies and procedures did your district consider or put into place to support the BYOD program? (list adapted with permission from Alberta Government) (multiple choice)
Digital Content This section of the survey focused on how districts purchase and students access digital
content on their personal devices.
Gaining access to applications (apps) for use on personal devices occurs in a variety of ways
(Figure 9). As one respondent noted, “In my definition, BYOD refers to technology that
students bring. The school does not control this at all.” To allow for complete
personalization, in 36 percent of participating districts, students pay for, download, and
monitor their own apps of choice. By contrast, 29 percent of districts have established
school-based budgets and allow the Principal to manage the purchase and monitoring of
apps for personal devices. District-level budgets for purchasing and monitoring apps have
been established in 14 percent of districts. Only 7 percent of districts have gone with
classroom budgets for teachers to purchase and manage apps procurement on students’
personal devices. To account for a variety of needs across the system, 14 percent of
districts use a combination of all of these strategies for purchasing apps for BYOD programs.
Pearson Canada School Division BYOD Survey Report 13
Procedure for Purchasing BYOD Apps
14%
29%
7%
36%
14%
District-level budget; district-level purchaseand monitoring
School-based budget; Principal purchasesand monitors
Classroom-based budget; Teacher purchasesand monitors
Students download and monitor own apps oftheir choice
Combination of all of the above
Figure 9. How are apps for the BYOD program purchased currently? (multiple choice)
The next two survey questions gauged the types of apps being purchased as well as
participants’ tolerance for app pricing.
The most popular apps that have been downloaded/purchased for BYOD programs include
• DropBox • Evernote • FirstClass • Google Docs • Google Drive • GoodReader • Keynote • MarkBook • MS Office Web Apps • OneNote • Numbers • Pages • Science apps • Suite programs (e.g., word processing, spreadsheet, and some specialty apps)
With the exception of Science apps, most apps that are being downloaded classify as
productivity apps as opposed to content apps.
Insight can be gleaned from participants’ suggested app pricing. Just under one third of
respondents (29%) expressed that apps for BYOD programs should be free, whereas over
half (57%) of respondents agreed that apps should cost no more than $1—$2 each. Outlier
data indicated that districts would consider it acceptable to pay $5 or $20.
In terms of content gaps, participants expressed the greatest need for apps related to
teaching the 4Cs (Creativity, Critical Thinking, Collaboration, Communication) on mobile
devices. Given the predominance of BYOD programs at the secondary level, it is not
14 Pearson Canada School Division BYOD Survey Report
surprising that participants identified other curriculum gaps for grades 9–12 content (e.g.,
Secondary—Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, English, Business/Accounting). At
the elementary level, districts perceived the greatest need for BYOD content related to
English Language Learners (ELL); Language; First, Nations, Inuit and Métis; Mathematics;
and The Arts. A visual summary of the content priorities to support BYOD is provided below
(Figure 10).
Content Priorities for Mobile Devices
4Cs
Secondary—Mathematics
Cur
ricu
lum
Are
a
Secondary—Biology, Physics, Chemistry
Secondary—Business/Accounting
English Language Learner Resources
Secondary—English
Elementary—Language Arts
First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Resources
Secondary—Foreign Languages
Secondary—Law
Elementary—Mathematics
Secondary—The Arts
Religion K—12
Elementary—The Arts
Elementary—French as a 2nd Language
Elementary—Social Studies
Elementary—Science
Not Sure
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180
Weighted Priority*
Figure 10. Please rank what content (apps) are still needed to support the BYOD program in your district? (The lower the number, the lower the priority or need in your district.) *Score is a weighted calculation. Items ranked first are valued higher than the following ranks; the score is the sum of all weighted rank counts (multiple choice, ranking order)
Additional teaching and learning resources that are required to support BYOD include
• Assessment support for teachers
• Digital citizenship and anti-bullying
• Interactive modules to support text materials, useable on all platforms
• Real world problem-solving tools
Pearson Canada School Division BYOD Survey Report 15
Professional Learning
The final section of the survey asked how districts are ensuring that teachers have the skills
they need to purposefully integrate BYOD into their practice. Data showed that 76 percent
of districts offer after-school teacher professional learning workshops at off-site locations,
while 71 percent make technology mentors or coaches available in the classroom to co-learn
with teachers. Many districts are creating opportunities for teachers to collaborate with
other teachers involved in the BYOD program (71%). Opportunities for BYOD teachers to
attend two types of job-embedded professional learning during the work day were
referenced by participants: on-site (65%) and off-site (59%).
The specific focus of BYOD professional learning programs varies. In most cases, the
professional development focus is pre-determined by the district, however 47 percent of
districts allow teachers to inform and choose the focus of their personal BYOD professional
learning. Site-based technical support is offered in 41 percent of participating districts.
Technology inquiry learning centre classrooms that model the use of personal devices that
teachers can visit are available in 35 percent of districts. Finally, 29 percent of districts
conduct teacher readiness surveys to ensure that teachers have the skills they need to
purposefully integrate BYOD into their practice.
This report concludes with a review of the research questions that guided this inquiry and a
discussion of the implication of these findings on digital sales, marketing, services, and
publishing activities for Pearson Canada School Division.
Implications of Findings Many of the findings from this small scale investigation confirm that BYOD programs are
opening new markets for School digital content and solutions. They also reveal that districts
are interested in and could benefit from close collaboration with other school boards to
share effective practice and strategies.
Question 1: What and how are BYOD programs being implemented in Canada? This investigation
uncovered that the 14 participating school districts are at the beginning stages of
implementing BYOD at the elementary level and further ahead with BYOD at the secondary
level. No one particular implementation model emerged from the findings; rather, data
suggest that different boards handle BYOD implementation differently. Some control or
manage BYOD program implementation centrally, whereas others allow for site-based
16 Pearson Canada School Division BYOD Survey Report
management and monitoring of BYOD programs. Infrastructure costs and network security
are typically handled centrally and some schools have on-site technical support available for
troubleshooting BYOD—related issues.
Question 2: What digital content are students accessing on personally owned devices? Participants
identified a range of strategies for accessing content and apps on mobile devices. Some
districts promote personalized learning where the student selects the appropriate app for
the task; others make the decision centrally about what type of content or programs
students will download and use. In the latter, the school Principal or classroom teacher
usually manages and monitors app downloads.
A small percentage of the most popular downloaded apps only work on iOS devices which
suggests that students are bringing a range of Android and iOS devices in the 14
participating districts.
Question 3: What content is still needed for mobile devices? Participants indicated that having more
access to mobile apps that support the teaching and learning of the 4Cs are top priority in
districts. Then, given that greatest uptake of BYOD programs is at the secondary school
level, it is not surprising that respondents identified the largest app and content gaps for
high schools. Apps to support English Language Learners (ELL) and First Nations, Métis, and
Inuit are also required.
Question 4: What supports are in place to ensure BYOD programs are successful? The quality of learning
that is enabled by BYOD will only be as rich as the quality of the teaching. It appears that
many districts are managing the teacher professional learning and technical aspects of
BYOD program centrally. In cases where districts need assistance, Pearson Learning
Services could help by offering to develop and train teachers to use BYOD approaches in
classroom.
Question 5: How is the impact of BYOD being measured? Data from this study confirm that districts are
monitoring the impact of BYOD program in a variety of ways. Pearson Learning Services
could help design and gather research to measure the impact/success of BYOD on student
achievement and engagement. Such findings have the potential to mobilize 21st century
skills and bring about necessary instructional change across districts.
Pearson Canada School Division BYOD Survey Report 17
Disseminating Results An executive summary and report for public consumption will be prepared and emailed to all
parties who were invited to participate. A version of the public report will be web-enabled
and posted on the Pearson Canada School website.
Conclusion The trend toward mobile learning will continue to accelerate as the devices students,
teachers, and leaders carry become ever more capable, accessible, and affordable. While it
is clear that K–12 BYOD program implementation is at different stages depending on the
local context, this report recommends that Pearson Canada School Division continues to
work with school districts across the country as they implement BYOD strategies. Overall,
findings this small scale study revealed current BYOD programs
• aim to increase equity of student access to resources and change teacher practice
• require new Appropriate Use Policies
• primarily involve secondary school students
• are controlled or managed at both the district and school level
• indicate a preference for FREE or low-cost productivity apps versus content-based
apps
• reveal the need for additional content to support teaching 21st century skills,
secondary school courses, and ELL and First Nations, Métis, and Inuit students
• require specific teacher professional learning
• need to be monitored to measure the impact on student learning and engagement
However, these data stem from a sub-sample of Canada’s public education system.
Therefore, bias, reliability, validity, and the small sample size represent major limitations to
generalizing these findings across all large and small, urban and rural school markets.
Should future research be deemed a priority, the confidence level of the data needs to be
improved. A more representative research sample, more extensive literature review, and a
validated survey instrument are suggested. Future collaborative research efforts will put
districts and Pearson Canada School Division in a position to realize the potential that BYOD
has to offer. By working together, we can help ensure that educational models like BYOD,
and quality resources, solutions, and services meet the needs of educators and support
successful student learning.
18 Pearson Canada School Division BYOD Survey Report
References Alberta Education. (2012). Bring your own device: A guide for schools. Crown in the Right of
the Province of Alberta, as represented by the Minister of Education. Retrieved from:
http://education.alberta.ca/admin/technology/research.aspx
Johnson, L., Adams, S., & Cummins, M. (2012). NMC Horizon Report: 2012 K-12 Edition.
Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium. Retrieved from:
http://www.nmc.org/horizon-project/horizon-reports/horizon-report-k-12-edition
Rubin, H. J., & Rubin, I. S. (2005). Qualitative interviewing: The art of hearing data
(2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Pearson Canada School Division BYOD Survey Report 19
Appendix A
Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) Survey
Purpose
The purpose of this survey is to gather information about BYOD programs being implemented in K—12 school districts across Canada. Findings will be assembled in a report and shared with participants at the conclusion of data collection November 10, 2012. Special thanks to the Government of Alberta for granting permission to reproduce sections of its publications, Bring Your Own Device: A Guide for Schools available online, Copyright 2012 Crown in the Right of the Province of Alberta, as represented by the Minister of Education. This survey will take approximately 15 minutes to complete. As a token of our appreciation for your participation, and upon receipt of your contact information, each respondent will be entered into a draw for a FREE iPad. Thank you for your time and cooperation. Pearson Canada respects your privacy. Please view our Privacy Statement for more information.
Context
Please provide us with some information regarding your district.
1) In which province or territory is your school district located?
□ Northwest Territories
□ British Columbia
□ Alberta
□ Saskatchewan
□ Manitoba
□ Nunavut
□ Ontario
□ Quebec
□ Newfoundland
□ Nova Scotia
□ Prince Edward Island
□ New Brunswick
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2) What is the name of your school board?
____________________________________________
3) Please characterize your school district:
□ Rural □ Urban □ Both rural and Urban
4) Regarding school-to-school proximity: Is the distance between schools a challenge in your district?
□ Yes □ No
5) What is your current full-time student enrolment?
□ 1000-5000
□ 5000-10000
□ 10000-20000
□ 20000-40000
□ 40000-60000
□ 60000-80000
□ More than 100000
6) How many elementary schools do you have?
____________________________________________
7) How many secondary schools do you have?
____________________________________________
Rationale, Models, and Participants
The questions in this section of the survey pertain to factors that lead to and inform the development and implementation of BYOD in your district.
8) What is your board BYOD policy?
9) What pedagogical goal or need does your district hope to meet with its BYOD model?
10) What other goals does your district hope to achieve with your BYOD program?
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11) What BYOD models are being adopting in the school district? (List adapted from Alberta Government)
□ Students use specific brand/model of personally owned devices.
□ Students use personally owned devices to those that meet specific technical specifications (e.g., specific versions of operating systems, minimum amount of storage space, Internet ready, etc.).
□ Students use personally owned devices with specific functionality (e.g., compatibility with software, compatibility with online testing requirements, etc.).
□ Students bring any personally owned devices provided they are Internet-ready.
□ Hybrids or combinations of the four models listed above.
□ Other:
12) How did you determine the number of students with access to their own personal device at each school?
□ N/A
□ Student Survey
□ Parent Survey
□ Teacher Survey
□ District-wide Survey
□ Other:
13) What percentage of elementary schools run a BYOD program in your district?
____________________________________________
14) What percentage of secondary schools run a BYOD program in your district?
____________________________________________
15) What are the ages of the students in the elementary schools who participate in BYOD programs?
□ N/A
□ 3-4 years old (K)
□ 3-8 years old (K-Grade 3)
□ 8-11 years old (Grades 4-6)
□ 11-14 years old (Grades 7-8)
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16) What are the ages of the secondary school students participating in BYOD programs?
□ N/A
□ 14-15 (Grade 9)
□ 15-16 (Grade 10)
□ 16-17 (Grade 11)
□ 17-18 (Grade 12)
□ 18+
BYOD Policy and Procedures
This section of the survey focuses on the considerations that were made by various stakeholder groups regarding BYOD policies and procedures.
17) Did the BYOD program require your district to develop new Appropriate Use Policies?
□ Yes □ No □ Somewhat
18) What additions or changes had to be made to your existing Appropriate Use Policy to address the BYOD program?
19) How does your district monitor the appropriate use of personally owned devices?
20) How does your district ensure equity of access to electronic devices in BYOD classroom or school settings?
21) To set up the BYOD program for success, technological infrastructure needs to be top priority. Which of the following policies and procedures did your district consider or put into place to support the BYOD program? (list adapted with permission from Alberta Government)
□ Security and Internet filtering
□ Bandwidth
□ Networks and wireless technology
□ Cloud computing
□ Printing
□ Strategic technology plan that sets implementation expectations.
□ Student access to the network and Internet before and after school.
□ Partnering with the home and community agencies to ensure access to the Internet.
□ Other:
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Digital Content
This section of the survey focuses on how students access digital content on their personally owned devices. 22) How are apps for the BYOD program purchased currently?
□ District-level budget; district-level purchase and monitoring
□ School-based budget; Principal purchases and monitors
□ Classroom-based budget; Teacher purchases and monitors
□ Students download and monitor own apps of their choice
□ Combination of all of the above
□ Other: 23) What are some of the most popular apps being purchased for the BYOD program?
____________________________________________
24) On average, how much should an app cost for the BYOD program?
____________________________________________
25) Please rank what content (apps) is still needed to support the BYOD program in your district? (The lower the number, the lower the priority or need in your district)
_______Not Sure
_______4Cs or 21st C Skills (Collaboration, Creativity, Communication, Critical Thinking)
_______English Language Learner Resources
_______First Nations Métis and Inuit Resources
_______Elementary-Language Arts/Literacy
_______Elementary-Mathematics
_______Elementary-French as a Second Language
_______Elementary-The Arts
_______Elementary-Science
_______Elementary-Social Studies, History, Geography
_______Secondary-English
_______Secondary-Foreign Languages
_______Secondary-Mathematics
_______Secondary-The Arts
_______Secondary-Biology, Physics, Chemistry
_______Secondary-Business/Accounting
_______Secondary-Law
_______Religion K-12
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26) What additional content area/skill apps are required to complement your BYOD program?
Professional Learning
This final set of questions address ways in which districts are supporting teacher professional learning to effectively implement BYOD.
27) How is your district ensuring teachers have the skills they need to purposefully integrate BYOD into their practice?
□ Not Sure
□ Conducting teacher readiness surveys
□ Having technology mentors or coaches to co-learn with teachers in the classroom
□ Having technology inquiry learning centre classrooms that teachers can visit and learn from fellow teachers
□ Providing coverage for teachers to attend job-embedded professional learning on site
□ Providing coverage for teachers to participate in professional learning during the work day at another location
□ Offering after school workshops at school
□ Offering after school workshops at another location
□ Creating opportunities for teachers to collaborate with other teachers involved in the BYOD program
□ Providing site-based technical support
□ Allowing teachers to inform and choose the particular professional learning required
□ Other:
28) How do you plan to measure the impact and/or success of your BYOD program?
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Thank You!
This marks the conclusion of the survey. Thank you for taking the time to participate. Your responses are important to us!
If you have any questions, please contact [email protected]
To be eligible for the draw for an iPad, kindly provide your name and email in the space below. We will not use your contact information for purposes other than the iPad draw, and your name and contact information will be stored separately from your answers. The winner will be announced in December 2012 and the report will be shared via email shortly thereafter.
Contact Information
First Name: ____________________________________________
Last Name: ____________________________________________
Email Address: ___________________________________________
Phone Number: ___________________________________________
Thank You!
If you have any questions regarding the survey, please contact [email protected]
