BYOT - Bring Your Own Technology

You may have noticed that the ECISD Responsible Use Agreement included in the 2012-2013 Student/Parent Handbook included a reference to the Bring Your Own Technology (BYOT) program beginning at the High School.  This article shares some of the work that's been done behind the scenes along the way to BYOT Implementation, as well as Timeline and other resources.

WHY BRING YOUR OWN TECHNOLOGY?

Crafting a strategy to implement BYOT is important given the following statistics:

• Nationwide, 55% of middle and high school students, as well as 25% of elementary students, own a mobile device (e.g. cell phone).
• The average minor sends 50-100 text messages per day.
• 58% of students in schools where cell phones are banned send text messages anyway.
• Teens in the lowest income category are most likely to use their phones, instead of computers to go online.
• 67% of parents are willing to buy their children a mobile device for educational purposes.
• 83% of adults have mobile phones (Source: http://goo.gl/9hqim).

In light of these statistics, it's clear that many of Texas students are often carrying technology that is newer, better, than what they may have access to in school. BYOT seeks to leverage those technologies to enhance the learning objectives and technology already available in ECISD Classrooms.

WHAT'S THE TIMELINE FOR IMPLEMENTATION?

You can find a detailed timeline online at http://bit.ly/ecbyot that outlines meeting dates, parent meetings, professional learning materials and resources for students and parents. The initiative is scheduled to begin January 31, 2013 at the High School after critical upgrades to the District Network are complete, as well as issuance of GoogleApps accounts for students.

WHAT CRITICAL UPGRADES NEEDED TO BE MADE?

Although the District is eager to embrace student-owned technologies that enhance instruction, a variety of factors prevented a quick launch. Those included "ramping up" the District's network and Internet bandwidth from 60 megabits per second to 250 megabits per second. Wireless Local Area Network (LAN) Controllers, wireless access points for every classroom also had to be purchased and deployed. 

The chart below shares bandwidth allocations and the the Wireless Networks that staff and students will have access to.

WiFi Network Name	Audience	Security Level	Provides Access to...	Bandwidth Available in Megabits per second (mgps)
EC.hornets	District staff	• Secure Intranet • Internet	• Active Directory • Login required • Printer access • File sharing • Servers on Intranet	• 220 mbps
EC.guest	• BYOT Participants • Visitors	Internet only (http:// ; https://; www)	• Login required but generic guest logins can be created for UIL, etc. and made available quickly. • BYOT participants and/or students would have their own username/password to access the Internet.	• 30 mbps

In addition to that, the District's network infrastructure had to be strengthened with server-based technologies that facilitate data storage, information sharing, and identity tracking on the District network. One of the expectations is that all students will have to login into the District EC.Guest wireless network using their District username and password.

WILL TEACHERS RECEIVE ANY SPECIAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT?
Yes, teachers will participate in 3 sessions--one face to face, two 100% online webinars--that present how to approach teaching and learning in a BYOT classroom. You can find an outline of the 3 components online at http://bit.ly/ecbyot

1. BYOT Foundations - This certification is granted after participants first complete a face to face meeting with Instructional Technology staff, as well as complete two BYOT-focused webinars outlined below. 
   
1. BYOT 1 - Orientation: This face to face session helps participants better appreciate the expectations, understand the roadmap for BYOT implementation, and offers suggestions to keep in mind. The intent of Orientation is to focus on the WHY of BYOT, and clarify professional learning for achieving the HOW of BYOT.
2. BYOT 2 - In Practice: This session will introduce successful teaching and learning strategies employed by other BYOT educators, and introduce you to 5 key concepts that make BYOT easy.
3. BYOT 3 - Virtual Class: In this eLearning session, participants will learn about instructional models that focus on eLearning strategies to engage learners.
2. BYOT 4 - Beyond the Classroom  - This certification is focused on facilitating collaborative learning for students through the use of Read/Write Web technologies andreinvented project-based learning activities that align to curriculum standards and activities.
1. More topics will become available and shared online at
   http://bit.ly/ecwebinars

BYOT Parent Connections
Also in the works are online and face to face meetings for parents that will enhance their understanding of how student-owned technology will be leveraged in school for learning. Please visit this web site for increased glimpses and insights into BYOT-Parent Connections.

WHEN WILL BYOT COME TO MIDDLE AND ELEMENTARY CAMPUSES?
Plans are underway to "beef up" the wireless networks at District Middle Schools (Heritage and Legacy), as well as elementary campuses. Currently, the schedule is to bring Middle Schools online in Fall, 2013. No date has been set for elementary campuses as of this time.

QUESTIONS
If I have questions, who should I contact? If you are an educator, parent or student, you can contact Miguel Guhlin (juan.guhlin@ecisd.net) or Mary Ray (mary.ray@ecisd.net) at the EC Technology Operations Office at 210-649-2343.