- Fifth graders armed with smartphones? What could possibly go wrong!
The bring-your-own-device trend has been a hot topic for many organizations. Supporters say it it’s better for employees to be mobile, while critics claim it’ll lead to endless Facebooking during work hours. Plus, BYOD security can be a nightmare without the proper tools in place. Why would an organization deal with security headaches just so employees can use their own devices at work?
Well, according to a recent InfoWorld article, BYOD workers are more productive. Workers in a BYOD-enabled environment can customize their devices with the tools they are most comfortable using, making them able to complete tasks more efficiently.
What may be more telling is the trend could be inevitable. According to a recent SC Magazine article written by Tim Nichols, vice president of global marketing at Endace, organizations attempting to completely eliminate BYOD may be fighting a losing battle. Instead, organizations should embrace BYOD by adopting technology solutions to help manage mobile devices.
School district lets 5th graders use smartphones
If you’re a little skeptical, then consider this: one school district started handing out smartphones to elementary school students and achieved good results.
Education leaders at the Katy Independent School District in Texas entered territory few other educators have dared to venture into. The district deployed smartphones to its 5th grade students, according to a recent Forbes article.
Precautions were taken, such as turning off calling and texting, but the students were allowed to connect to the internet and use mobile apps to complete their assignments.
“The biggest thing for me was the engagement,” said one teacher, Leona Bernard, who was quoted in the article. “It was instant. We were learning figurative language and looking up lyrics from music and they became totally interested in words. They were really truly pulled into the learning.”
Do you think BYOD has its place in business or in the classroom? Is the trend truly inevitable or a passing fad? Let us know in the comments.
