BYOT Policy: Expanding Technology to the Classroom

Editor’s Note: This article was printed in the most recent edition of The Purple Press, the student newspaper from Phoenixville Area High School. To see the full issue of the paper, visit this site.

By Marlee Farbstein

Phoenixville Area High School is once again doing everything it can to try to provide its students with the best possible opportunities.

Many of you have probably heard about the newest technology policy at PAHS. On January 3, the BYOT policy was rolled out and announced with a start date of January 23, following midterm exams.

For those of you who are unaware of the BYOT policy or are curious about the ins and outs regarding it, listen closely. The letters BYOT stand for Bring Your Own Technology. Under this policy, students are permitted to bring their own technology to school. Students can bring anything from laptops, to iPads, to Nooks or Kindles.

The students are allowed to use their devices in the cafeteria at lunch, before and after school, and upon teacher discretion in study halls and during class. As long as this new policy is not abused, this is a fantastic opportunity for the student body. Junior Sara Gilbert is enthusiastic about this policy, saying, “It’s really nice to be able to work on something I’ve already worked on at home and make finishing touches in school. The technology really makes my study hall worthwhile since most of my homework involves a computer.”

Students can now use their devices to take notes, organize assignments, write papers, and have Internet access on a device that is familiar to them.

Principal Dr. Parkinson said, “The students can use any device that can help them to produce a better product in the classroom.”

If you do not own these resources or do not wish to bring them in to school, you are not at a disadvantage by any means. Students will still be able to use the desktops in the computer labs and also the computers on wheels or netbooks when students are required to use computers.

PAHS has approached the Phoenixville Community Education Foundation about providing additional laptops for sign out in the future.

At this point, many of you are probably thinking that this is great, but aren’t there some disadvantages too?  For example, what will happen if my laptop or iPad, etc. gets stolen? Won’t students be distracted in class by sites like Facebook, Twitter, and games?

Regarding the devices being stolen, the school will assist in finding the thief and attempting to get the devices back but they will not be responsible for reimbursing the students if their devices get stolen. The hopes are that if people are careful, there will not be issues involving the stealing of devices.

On the subject of logging on to distracting sites during class time, this will not be an issue. The devices brought into school by the students will go through the same servers and filters as the computers currently at PAHS and the students will not be able to communicate peer-to-peer.

If you have not already done so, you can still register to bring your devices into school. The way to do this is to log onto the PASD website and fill out a form to gain access. Emails will also be sent to parents to confirm their consent and then the students will be able to have their devices hooked up to the PASD server.

 Overall, this is, as Dr. Parkinson said, “An excellent opportunity for our students. We’re trying to treat our students like adults and give them opportunities that they will have in college and in the future.”