BYOT

Bring Your Own Technology

Guidelines for Henry County Schools

INTRODUCTION

Why Bring Your Own Technology?

The Henry County Public School Division believes that students must be prepared to seek options and take advantage of opportunities using cutting-edge and innovative technology.

Our challenge is to provide our students with 21st Century instruction that embraces critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication in a 21st Century technology-rich instructional environment.

Our students are living in a global society where they have instant access anywhere and at any time. Most of these students have personally owned technology that will allow them to be actively engaged with their own style. Bringing their own technology allows every student to have access to a high-speed, secured, Wi-Fi network and a high quality instructional resource opportunity.

Goals

1. To provide technology-rich classrooms for our students that allows an opportunity for them to function in an ever changing global society.
2. To provide our students with the tools for communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creativity.

Benefits of BYOT

Students have access to devices, which may be utilized for instructional engagement in the learning process.

Teachers/students will have the flexibility of a 1:1 environment.

Teachers will be more equipped to deliver differentiated, individualized instruction where students can use their own technology in a pedagogical method that best enhances their personal learning styles

School Policy and BYOT Guidelines

Students in grades 9-12 may elect to participate in the Henry County Public Schools BYOT program. In order to participate, students and their parents must read, sign, and submit the Permission Form to their high school principal.

Guidelines and Policies:

• The school division will include a Bring Your Own Technology addendum to the Acceptable Use Policy.
• The school division will not be responsible for lost or stolen devices. The student takes full responsibility of his/her device and will keep it on his/her person at all times.
• Only the student that owns the device will have access to it while it is on the school network.
• All BYOT activities must be at the direction of the teacher.
• Administration has the right at any time to request that students turn off their privately owned technology.
• Students must connect to the school's Wi-Fi network when using a device at their school. No privately owned device will be connected to the network via a network cable.
• Use of the camera and image capture or audio/video recording may only be used with written permission from the teacher for a specific project. Students may not use the devices to record, transmit, or post photos or video of a person or persons on campus without teacher direction.
• During school hours, the student will use the school's wireless network and not connect to 3G, 4G or any wireless data network.
• Students may not establish a peer-to-peer network using his/her electronic device while on school property.
• Students may not use any personal or school owned technology to illegally collect electronic data or disrupt networking services at their school. 
• Students may not initiate, promote or engage in any form of cyberbullying on their personal or school owned device.

The school division will not be responsible for support of any kind for the device. Each student must be able to connect his/her own device to the school's Wi-Fi network.

The administration of Henry County Public Schools reserves the right to search a privately owned electronic device in accordance with the HCPS Acceptable Use Policy if there is reasonable suspicion that the student has violated and school board or school policies. Violation of any Board digital policies may result in the loss of the use of the device and/or disciplinary action.

High School Implementation of BYOT Areas

The school will have certain color areas for the implementation:

• Green area-Student has access to BYOT at all times. (Examples, media center, cafeteria, halls)
• Yellow area-Instructional area-teacher directed
• Red area-No technology devices allowed

Frequently Asked Questions parents/students

How will my child register their device at school?
Registration forms may be found on the parent website or students may pick up a copy from the office.

How will my child use their device during school hours?
During the school day students will use the devices for instructional purposes while in the classroom. By principal direction, students may be allowed to listen to music on their devices in certain green areas.

Who is responsible for theft, damage, or security?
The school division is not responsible for theft or damage of any personal device.

Will the device be protected with Internet Filtering while on the school's network?
During the school day, students participating in BYOT must be on the school's network, which is filtered.