BLOUNT COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION
BOARD POLICY REVISION FOR
2014-2015
CHECK ONE
__X__ POLICY REVISION SUBMITTED BY:
____NEW POLICYMary Green Hicks, Hayden Middle School, and her 7th period class
Name of individual submitting revision
Administration, faculty, or student representative list school name as well.
If you are patron, support, or BCEA representatives, indicate that information after your name.
______
CURRENT POLICY
POLICY NUMBER: ____5.7, I______
NAME OF POLICY: _Student Dress and Decorum, Electronic Communication Devices_
PARAGRAPH NUMBER IF PARTIAL REVISION:______ADDITIONAL ______
TYPE CURRENT POLICY HERE:
Electronic Communication Devices
Effective with the beginning of the 2008-2009 school year students are prohibited from carrying or having in their possession, in lockers, or anywhere else in the school buildings or on the school grounds, except in motor vehicles that shall be kept locked, unoccupied, and unvisited during the school day, electronic communication devices including but not limited to cell phones, BlackBerrys, and two-way radios.
First Offense:
Take up cell phone or other communication device, hold for seven (7) school
days, parents must pick up cell phone or other communication device from
administration . (1) Administration may assign Saturday School/Detention/or conduct a parent conference.
(1) Revised July 1, 2010
Second Offense:
Take up the cell phone or other communication device, hold for nine (9) weeks of
school.
Automatic one-day suspension.
Third Offense:
Take up cell phone or other communication device, hold for the remainder of the
school year or up to one year.
Automatic two-day suspension or five to ten day Alternative School assignment.
Revised and Board Approved: April 7, 2008
Cell Phone/Digital Device in a Testing Setting by Students
The possession of digital devices (including but not limited to cell phones, MP3 players, cameras, mobile entertainment, social connections, navigation devices, or other telecommunication devices) is strictly prohibited in the testing setting. Local education agency (LEA) school personnel will collect such devices before students can enter the testing room.
______
NEW OR REVISED POLICY
POLICY NUMBER: _____5.7, I______
POLICY TITLE (IF NEW POLICY): ______
TYPE POLICY REVISION HERE
Effective at the beginning of 2015-2016 school year, students may have electronic devices and other digital devices in their possession such as iOS devices, Kindles, Nooks, tablets, Androids, Blackberrys and laptops*. They must be turned off or placed in airplane mode, fully charged and only in use with permission. Students will not be allowed to bring chargers to charge devices. Individual teachers may decide if he or she will allow Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) in their classrooms.
In order to participate in the BYOD program, students and parents must sign a technology contract that outlines the terms of the policy. The contract also must state that local schools, nor the Board of Education, are responsible for lost, stolen, or damaged items as this is a voluntary program. If students and parents do not agree to the terms, those students will not be allowed to participate in BYOD**.
The consequences for misuse are outlined below. Misuse, for purpose of this policy, is defined as: having the device out in class without permission, texting, playing inappropriate games, using apps, visiting websites accessed via the school network or personal data plans, or taking photographs and/or video on school campus or on the bus without the supervising adult’s permission.
First Offense
- Device taken up for 7 days; parent(s) will be notified
- Parent(s) must pick up the device after seven school days
- May assign Saturday school, detention, or parent conference
Second Offense
- Device taken up for nine (9) weeks; parent(s) will be notified
- Student will have a one day suspension
Third Offense
- Device taken up for remainder of the school year or one full year; parent(s) will be notified
- Student earns an automatic two (2) day suspension or Alternative school (A-school) placement for 5-10 days
*Individual schools may add other technologies to this policy as the technology evolves and changes.
**Students who do not have the means to participate in BYOD will have basic technology available at school to complete assignments.
(Justification for Policy Revision):
One advantage to BYODis the prospect of having a "flipped classroom." In a flipped classroom, students can do lower-level thinking activities outside of the classroom, so the students can come to school ready to start problem solving and critical thinking activities. An example of this is in Emma Chadband's article "Should Schools Embrace Bring Your Own Device." Chadband discusses a teacher who uses this flipped classroom approach. This teacher records her lessons on podcasts, so that students can watch them for homework and come to class ready for "the best learning experience possible." Next, being able to bring and use their devices in class allows students to always have the information they need. They can use their devices as a resource to research questions to find their own answers. Plus, it is a potential money saver as long as the teachers are trained for BYOD. Finally, it would teach responsibility, such as how to responsibly use of the Internet and prevent over-sharing online (Chadband).
In the Blount County School district, the money saved from purchasing devices for classrooms could be spent on upgrading the Wi-Fi. Most students already bring devices, so why not use them during instruction? Why waste money buying technology that will quickly become outdated if students could supply them? Finally, the new College and Career Readiness Standards (CCRS) say to prepare students for college. Many colleges now offer online degree programs. Students need practice in an online classroom to help prepare for the ever-changing college experience.
For this to be a successful endeavor, teachers must have clear expectations from the Central Office and the local school administration. Teachers should also be advised on different ways to use technology in class other than just completing required research. Furthermore, in this policy we believe that just because the use of technology is allowed doesn’t mean it should be required of every teacher. Not all teachers will be comfortable with using technology regularly in their classrooms. Therefore, it needs to be clearly stated that it is left to the teacher’s discretion to utilize technology with Bring Your Own Device. If it’s left up to the teacher, we believe that training and communicating this policy change will happen seamlessly.
In Graham’s article “Using Smartphones in the Classroom,” he gives several recommendations for using technology as an everyday tool. First he advises teachers to be sure all things are academic, which will require teachers to be up and around during class time. This should be clearly communicated through a half-day PD, online training, or local-school organized professional development activities. Another suggestion Graham has is to utilize educational apps like remind101.com and polleverywhere.com. Remind101 is a great way to remind kids of activities and assignments. It is more likely that a student forgets to complete his work because he is disorganized, not because he is defiant. Also, polleverywhere.com could be used in class, for free, to test student knowledge using multiple choice questions. In this app, you can acquire real-time feedback. This is a great alternative to the clickers many schools have purchased but are not using regularly.
If we allowed students to bring devices to class, we could create a list of favorite educational apps that would be beneficial for all teachers. These could be submitted via an online survey, and the data could be assimilated into a document that contained the app title, its purpose, and suggested uses. This would be extremely helpful for teachers who are reluctant to use technology. Also, it would be a quick professional development that requires no funding, just paper.
The most beneficial aspect of students having technology in class is the opportunity to use applications like Google Drive for collaboration, turning in assignments, and presentations. If our goal is for all students to be college and career ready, then we must give them experiences that mirror what is required at the college level and in the job market. Students must be able to self-manage schedules, assignments, and expectations. What is better than teaching them to collaborate with others by using technology to digitally turn in assignments or work-associated products and maintain a calendar—all using their own devices?
In the book High Impact Instruction, the author states that it should be a goal “of most classrooms to teach students how to use various technological tools” (Knight, 2013). Can we teach various technologies with just a computer lab?
We live in a world where technology is everywhere. We live in a world where we are constantly competing for students’ attention. Why not take the opportunity to change the classroom to the format with which they are most comfortable? With colleges and many high schools moving to an online, distance learning format, we are not allowing our kids in Blount County the same advantages that others systems, like Etowah County and Cullman City, are providing. We can’t afford a one-to-one program, but we can allow kids to use the tools they already own to fill the technology gaps.
Works Cited
Chadband, Emma. "Should Schools Embrace "Bring Your Own Device"? - NEA Today." NEA Today. N.p., 19 July 2012. Web. 20 Jan. 2015.
Geary, Mark. "Supporting Cell Phone Use in the Classroom." Florida Educational Leadership Fall (2008): 29-32. Web. 14 Jan. 2015.
Graham, Edward. "Using Smartphones in the Classroom." Nea.org. National Education Association, n.d. Web. 17 Jan. 2015.
Knight, Jim. "Guiding Questions." High-impact Instruction: A Framework for Great Teaching. Thousand Oaks: Corwin, 2013. 46.
Deadline to submit final policy revision requests to the school faculty representative:
Friday, February 20, 2015.