Having access to technology and integrating it into literacy instruction is essential for students to develop the literacy skills and strategies they need for success today and in the future. Technology affords many opportunities and helpful tools, especially for struggling literacy learners.
On the surface, a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) program presents an easy, cost-effective means of supplying the technology to enable such instruction and learning. However, an open-ended program that encourages students to bring any type of device, such as a laptop, tablet, or phone, is not a practical solution in my opinion for a number of reasons.
At the school in which I teach, we have a BYOD program. While students are not required to bring a device, most bring a laptop. Recently, students have begun to bring an iPad or other tablet instead. While much can be done on both devices, having a variety of devices in the classroom presents challenges.
In my social studies class, we have been learning about taking notes and I have been modeling and working with students to create bulleted outlines. The students who are using iPads encounter more difficulty than their laptop-using peers. Learning Ally and other resources for audiobooks are useful for struggling readers so that students can listen as they follow along in a text. Yet, at this point, Learning Ally does not have an app that will work on a Chromebook. Thus, students relying on this device will not be able to take advantage of this valuable tool.
When a school allows students to self-select their device, another concern becomes access to texts. If we wish to teach students using e-books and engage them in discussions around the same text, the school needs to provide access to that text. This is a daunting challenge when students bring their own device.
Writing is an essential element of literacy. Certainly technology has enhanced my writing instruction. I believe my students write far more today, and become better writers, because of their access to word-processing applications. Yet I am not convinced that most tablets, including the iPad, are as useful for writing more complex text and for the revision we expect of students beyond fourth or fifth grade. Even though students today are adept at using their smartphone and tablet keyboards, moving and editing text on these devices is still more difficult than on a laptop.
Struggling literacy learners benefit from explicit instruction in literacy strategies, continued scaffolded instruction, and guided release of responsibility to develop independence and automaticity with such strategies. This presents challenges for the teacher who is faced with planning instruction for a group of students using dissimilar devices.
For example, if I want to teach students how to use graphic organizers to develop a concept map of an informational selection, I have to find an application or tool that works across all devices. Even with such an app, it may work somewhat differently on each device. Using a Web-based app might be a solution, but manipulating and working with it on a smartphone may be far more difficult than doing so on a laptop.
Time on task is also essential for student progress. When faced with a classroom of multiple devices, students may find their device operating differently than what the teacher is modeling. In such cases, the teacher may need to take time to work with that student while the other students either work independently or wait. Using the same example of the student in social studies with the iPad described earlier, I had to pause the class while I worked with a child for a few minutes to see if there was a quick solution to the problem.
Finally, all teachers are not equally comfortable with technology. I am fairly knowledgeable when it comes to technology. As an Apple device user, I recently found myself frustrated as I tried to help a student with a Windows 8 problem. When faced with the challenges of planning for instruction with multiple devices and the myriad of issues that arise, I fear that rather than exploring how to best integrate technology, teachers will rather continue using the methods and materials with which they are comfortable.
Are there benefits to a BYOD program? Certainly. One of the guiding principles of my literacy instruction has always been the principle that the number of words read correlates with progress in reading. In other words, the more students read, the better readers they will become. If this were my only concern, I would be all in favor of the idea of bring your own device. Students can read on almost any device they might bring to school. I know students who have books loaded on their iPhone so that whenever they have some free time, they can read. A BYOD program is perfect for self-selected reading.
On the surface, an open BYOD program may seem like a great, cost-effective solution to
integrating technology into instruction. It’s also preferable if the alternative is no devices. However, the problems presented, I believe, are such that a primarily one-platform approach, such as all Apple MacBooks, or at least similar devices, such as all laptops, may ultimately be in the best interest of both students and teachers.
Technology tools are essential to literacy instruction and learning, and it is imperative we find ways to provide the appropriate devices so that teachers and students have the tools to most effectively meet the challenges of today’s digital world.
Eric C. MacDonald (ecmacd@gmail.com) is a middle school teacher and assistant middle school head at Benchmark School in Media, PA, where he has worked with struggling literacy learners for nearly 30 years. He earned his undergraduate degree at Westminster College (PA), his master’s in reading/reading specialist certification at West Chester University, and a doctorate in reading/language arts at Widener University. MacDonald served as past president and currently serves as ILA state coordinator for the Keystone State Reading Association.