The Ethical Dilemmas of BYOD in the Classroom

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Recommended: Implications of technology in education

“BYOD [Bring Your Own Device]…potentially allows school districts to cut [there] IT budgets, possibly helping the movement make inroads there, but BYOD…represents a particularly dangerous trend for multiple reasons” (Geller, 2013).
The philosophy of BYOD is very intriguing to many people. In this paper, I will answer three important ethical questions regarding BYOD in the classroom. Keep in mind that BYOD in the classroom refers to grades twelve and below. College level students are expected to have these devices to conduct their schoolwork and their individual institutions and teachers govern those students respectively.
Does BYOD Create an Uneven Playing Field in the Classroom?
“The only way to guarantee equitable educational experiences is for each student to have access to the same materials and learning opportunities. BYOD leaves this to chance with more affluent students continuing to have an unfair advantage over their classmates. This is particularly problematic in a society with growing economic disparity” (Stager, 2014). The uneven playing field will accompany the introduction of BYOD into the classroom, if the school lets it. I agree that if BYOD is implemented alone, then those families who are more financially stable will be able to provide tools for their children to use, and benefit from that. While other, not so financially stable families cannot.
There are however an alternatives. One alternative example would be, if a school were to implement a BYOD for grade levels that will truly benefit from the additional learning tools then they should also be ready to purchase devices for students who cannot afford them. Those students, to avoid any daily humiliation, could then check out the device at the beg...

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...k Blog. [online] Doug-johnson.squarespace.com. Available at: [Accessed 20 Apr. 2014].
Panagos, T., 2014. The Future of Education: BYOD in the Classroom | Innovation Insights | WIRED. [online] WIRED. Available at: [Accessed 19 Apr. 2014].
Raicu, I., 2014. The Ethical Dilemma of BYOD. [online] Santa Clara University. Available at: [Accessed 19 Apr. 2014].
Sangani, K., 2013. BYOD TO THE CLASSROOM. Engineering & Technology, (3), pp.42-45.
Stager, G. (2014). BYOD – Worst Idea of the 21st Century? : Stager-to-Go. [online] Stager.tv. Available at: http://stager.tv/blog/?p=2397 [Accessed 27 Apr. 2014].

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