Should Meriden Students ‘BYOD’?

Most teenagers spend hours plugged in—but not at school. It’s against district policy for Meriden students to use their own electronic devices in the classroom. But that may soon change.

At a recent meeting of the Curriculum Committee, school officials revealed that the district is moving toward a B.Y.O.D. environment: Bring Your Own Devices. The school system is expanding its wireless network to make B.Y.O.D. possible, said Supervisor of Instructional Technology Barbara Haeffner.

“We don’t have enough density district wide to support 'bring your own devices' for everyone at this time,” Haeffner told the committee. “We’re moving in that direction.”

Supporters Say ‘It’s About Time!’

“It’s about time!” declares Wayne Kalmick, a technology instructor at He sees no reason why students shouldn’t be allowed to, for instance, use the calculators on their cell phones.

“Why not use the tools at hand?” he asks. “We have the technology here. Let’s embrace it so we can control it better.”

Cindy Milano, a junior at also supports a B.Y.O.D. policy. She points out that there aren’t always enough computers available at school for students to work on projects. This wouldn't be a problem if they could use their own computers.

Fellow junior Atiim Rosa thinks students should be allowed to use their own devices because it could help them be better organized.

“People lose papers all the time,” he says. “If you take notes on your iPhone or iPad, you won’t lose them as easily.”

Others Advise Caution

Others, however, are a bit more leery of the B.Y.O.D. idea.

“Cheating could come into play,” mentions Dan Berger, a junior at Maloney. Allowing devices with internet access into the classroom might tempt some students to use them to look up test answers, he says.

His friend Mikael Espano, also a junior, acknowledges that cheating could be an issue. He adds, however, “There are a lot of good apps to help people learn.”

At the Curriculum Committee meeting, Chair Irene Parisi raised concerns about B.Y.O.D. classrooms devolving into chaos. That has happened in other districts, she shared. Electronic devices can distract from the learning, she said, particularly if there is no common device being used by all students.

“We need a carefully thought out plan,” Parisi cautioned.

“I want to do this, and I want to do it as soon as possible,” said Superintendent of Schools Mark Benigni, “but I want to do it right.”

“We’re literally at the initial stages,” Haeffner told Patch.

The technology planning committee needs to iron out the details, such as which devices will be allowed and what kind of access students will have to them. Haeffner plans to work with teachers to figure out how to deal with the fact that some students will have devices and others won’t.  

She admits there are kinks to be worked out, but expresses confidence that B.Y.O.D. is the right policy for today’s teens.

“Students use their devices outside of school quite frequently,” she says. They read novels on their e-readers, use digital calendars to keep themselves organized, and take notes on their iPads. “Let them continue working with the method that works best for them,” she suggests.

Platt iPad Pilot a Success

As evidence for her optimism about B.Y.O.D., Haeffner points to a successful iPad pilot program carried out with 40 students in an AP history class at Platt this year. The students got iPads in September and will give them back in June.

As part of the class, students use a note-taking application called Evernote. Teacher Geoffrey Kenyon also set up a page for the class on Edmodo, which is like Facebook, but for school. It’s a protected online environment where students can pose and respond to questions and collaborate outside the classroom.

“You should hear the kids talking about it,” Haeffner says of the pilot class.

The students have become self-motivated, she attests. They come up with their own ideas and suggest apps to the teacher. Many of them have commented that they’re more organized now, she reports.

“They really are becoming independent learners and thinkers,” Haeffner says. “That’s what we want for all students.”

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