The document discusses the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend in education, where students use their own mobile devices in class rather than being provided devices by the school. BYOD allows schools to reduce costs by passing hardware expenses to students. Students benefit from interactive lessons and learning at their own pace on their preferred devices. The document highlights how one company, EXO U, has developed a solution giving teachers control over students' BYOD devices and providing centralized, cross-platform content and analytics.
Microsoft Bring Your Own Device to School - K-12 Briefing Paper - 2013 Update Microsoft Education AU
This white paper by Brice Dixon, Anywhere Anytime Learning Foundation and Sean Tierney, Microsoft Australia Academic Programs manager explores their previously produced document.
Edtech 2.0: Tokenizing and Gamification of the Education SystemVeronica Andrino
In line with the Government's goal of promoting and enhancing Education in The Philippines, there are other factors that also need to be addressed such as managing the enrollment system every semester and year. With limited manpower in each and every University, accommodating a large number of students is a tough challenge, not to mention managing the data and funds, both sent and paid, which are still mostly manually processed. The situation in the Philippines is similar to many other countries.
Unifinity Application is an Edtech at its core where the Application is created to help the other institutions who can’t afford to pay for expensive software cost. Unifinity aims to provide the solution to Government schools which relatively host 87% of the population of the students are enrolled on a Government institution while the rest of the students are enrolled in Middle-Class schools which are Semi-Private and the rest will be in a Private Class where the population of the students belongs to the First Class.
Unifinity aims to support the Institutions and Students who can't afford to pay for their school fees by giving them access to an application that offers accessibility by using their mobile phones and they can still attend the class, study even at home, making sure that the students will never miss a single lesson submitted by the teachers and the students can still study at home without the need of downloading an application.
Unifinity aims to create the first blockchain-based decentralized application (Dapp) built to enhance security, operational efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and transparency in the entire value chain of educational institutions.
Blockchain technology can be used as a powerful tool to improve the current education system by creating a simplified process and automation of all administrative processes including the authentication of data and identity of users as well as Tokenizing the traditional grading system by utilizing the smart contract on issuing remarks using ERC777 Tokens.
Leverage Mobile Technology In Your DistrictBlackboard
Is it becoming more difficult to keep students and parents engaged and informed of critical information? Discover how Blackboard Mobile Learn can impact teaching and learning and extend online learning by giving students and teachers access to course content, and the ability to view documents in multiple formats, post announcements (teachers), create discussion threads and posts, and comment on blogs and journals. Also, learn about Blackboard Mobile Central - a dynamic communication tool that gives students, parents, and teachers on-demand access to district-wide resources and essential information such as directories, calendars, lunch balances and course schedules on the mobile devices they already own.
Microsoft Bring Your Own Device to School - K-12 Briefing Paper - 2013 Update Microsoft Education AU
This white paper by Brice Dixon, Anywhere Anytime Learning Foundation and Sean Tierney, Microsoft Australia Academic Programs manager explores their previously produced document.
Edtech 2.0: Tokenizing and Gamification of the Education SystemVeronica Andrino
In line with the Government's goal of promoting and enhancing Education in The Philippines, there are other factors that also need to be addressed such as managing the enrollment system every semester and year. With limited manpower in each and every University, accommodating a large number of students is a tough challenge, not to mention managing the data and funds, both sent and paid, which are still mostly manually processed. The situation in the Philippines is similar to many other countries.
Unifinity Application is an Edtech at its core where the Application is created to help the other institutions who can’t afford to pay for expensive software cost. Unifinity aims to provide the solution to Government schools which relatively host 87% of the population of the students are enrolled on a Government institution while the rest of the students are enrolled in Middle-Class schools which are Semi-Private and the rest will be in a Private Class where the population of the students belongs to the First Class.
Unifinity aims to support the Institutions and Students who can't afford to pay for their school fees by giving them access to an application that offers accessibility by using their mobile phones and they can still attend the class, study even at home, making sure that the students will never miss a single lesson submitted by the teachers and the students can still study at home without the need of downloading an application.
Unifinity aims to create the first blockchain-based decentralized application (Dapp) built to enhance security, operational efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and transparency in the entire value chain of educational institutions.
Blockchain technology can be used as a powerful tool to improve the current education system by creating a simplified process and automation of all administrative processes including the authentication of data and identity of users as well as Tokenizing the traditional grading system by utilizing the smart contract on issuing remarks using ERC777 Tokens.
Leverage Mobile Technology In Your DistrictBlackboard
Is it becoming more difficult to keep students and parents engaged and informed of critical information? Discover how Blackboard Mobile Learn can impact teaching and learning and extend online learning by giving students and teachers access to course content, and the ability to view documents in multiple formats, post announcements (teachers), create discussion threads and posts, and comment on blogs and journals. Also, learn about Blackboard Mobile Central - a dynamic communication tool that gives students, parents, and teachers on-demand access to district-wide resources and essential information such as directories, calendars, lunch balances and course schedules on the mobile devices they already own.
Whitepaper Mobile Solutions for the Education IndustryCygnet Infotech
The education industry finds itself on the tip of a revolution as conventional methods of learning and teaching are rapidly replaced by high-tech learning & training. Today, teachers and students are dynamic and technology savvy and they love to access learning resources from anywhere,anytime.This trend has redefined the entire training and learning process and the way universities, colleges and educational organizations deliver learning solutions.
Electronic Learning – Voyage of Educational Transformation
This write up is for stakeholders belonging to state university affiliating Higher Educational Institutions (HEI). The write-up narrates changes taken place in teaching and learning process owing to lock-down. The write up also poses challenges of e-learning.
LearnIT: Technology Trends in Education (5/14/13)Kristen T
See Wiki with resources:
http://techtrendsineducation.wikispaces.com/home
Slides used during talk given at Fordham University:
In a world where technology is changing faster than ever it's important not to just keep up with what's currently available, but to be thinking ahead. The New Media Consortium just released their 2013 Horizon Project Short List report that includes 12 coming technology trends in higher education. During the LearnIT, we discussed 6 of the top trends (additional slides to follow).
The 10 most innovative companies in education technology dec 2017Merry D'souza
Insights Success introduced our latest issue The 10 Most Innovative Companies in Education Technology 2017 to showcase the efforts of Education Technology industry in transforming our education system.
Reach Capital: 2021 ReimaginED Report on U.S. Education TrendsTony Wan
The pandemic forced the world to conduct the biggest experiment with online education ever. And what we've learned will fundamentally shape the future of teaching and learning.
Out of necessity, schools adopted online tools at unprecedented levels. But this will be the new reality, now that more educators, students and parents got a taste of how technology can empower and scale the best of human teaching and learning. It will allow schools to extend their village of support beyond the resources available in their communities.
This is our data-informed overview of the trends shaping U.S. K-12 and higher education beyond the pandemic.
Whitepaper Mobile Solutions for the Education IndustryCygnet Infotech
The education industry finds itself on the tip of a revolution as conventional methods of learning and teaching are rapidly replaced by high-tech learning & training. Today, teachers and students are dynamic and technology savvy and they love to access learning resources from anywhere,anytime.This trend has redefined the entire training and learning process and the way universities, colleges and educational organizations deliver learning solutions.
Electronic Learning – Voyage of Educational Transformation
This write up is for stakeholders belonging to state university affiliating Higher Educational Institutions (HEI). The write-up narrates changes taken place in teaching and learning process owing to lock-down. The write up also poses challenges of e-learning.
LearnIT: Technology Trends in Education (5/14/13)Kristen T
See Wiki with resources:
http://techtrendsineducation.wikispaces.com/home
Slides used during talk given at Fordham University:
In a world where technology is changing faster than ever it's important not to just keep up with what's currently available, but to be thinking ahead. The New Media Consortium just released their 2013 Horizon Project Short List report that includes 12 coming technology trends in higher education. During the LearnIT, we discussed 6 of the top trends (additional slides to follow).
The 10 most innovative companies in education technology dec 2017Merry D'souza
Insights Success introduced our latest issue The 10 Most Innovative Companies in Education Technology 2017 to showcase the efforts of Education Technology industry in transforming our education system.
Reach Capital: 2021 ReimaginED Report on U.S. Education TrendsTony Wan
The pandemic forced the world to conduct the biggest experiment with online education ever. And what we've learned will fundamentally shape the future of teaching and learning.
Out of necessity, schools adopted online tools at unprecedented levels. But this will be the new reality, now that more educators, students and parents got a taste of how technology can empower and scale the best of human teaching and learning. It will allow schools to extend their village of support beyond the resources available in their communities.
This is our data-informed overview of the trends shaping U.S. K-12 and higher education beyond the pandemic.
Developing Beacons with Bluetooth® Low Energy (BLE) TechnologyPallavi Das
Silicon Labs designs and delivers easy-to-use, innovative Bluetooth SoCs, modules and software for sports and fitness, consumer electronics, beacons and smart home applications.Our Bluetooth SoCs and modules utilize the same user friendly software and developments tools providing outstanding developer experience, fast time to market and migration path from modules to SoC.
Разноцветные пластмассовые крышки от пластиковых бутылок уникальный материал для развития пространственного мышления, которое напрямую влияют на уровень интеллектуального развития ребенка. Используя данные пособия, у детей развиваются:
- пространственное мышление, восприятие;
- пространственная ориентировка;
- процессы внимания, слуховой и зрительной памяти;
- самоконтроль за деятельностью и мелкая моторика рук.
Данные пособия предназначены для детей 3-7 лет и можно использовать как для индивидуальных, так и для коллективных занятий в условиях детского сада и образовательно-развивающих центров.
Для изготовления пособий нам понадобятся цветные крышки от пластиковых бутылок – маленькие и большие, цветной и белый картон, бумага, ножницы, клей и скотч.
Presentation done at the 9th Summer School on Ontological Engineering and the Semantic Web (SSSW2012, http://sssw.org/) in July 2012. Please do treat references to people (e.g., Manfred Hauswirth) and nationalities (e.g., about Swiss) in the context in which they were done.
Данная презентация будет очень интересна родителям воспитанников старшей группы, ведь посмотрев её, родитель увидит, чем занят их ребёнок, как дети стараются выполнять разные задания и поручения. Эта презентация адресована в первую очередь мамам.
Данную презентацию можно использовать на утреннике, посвящённом Дню матери, Международному Женскому Дню, а также на тематическом родительском собрании.
PowerPoint about a few key figures regarding the growth of power and influence of Christianity in Europe. Also some basic information about the Crusades.
Literature Review 1
How iPods can be optimally used to meet the needs of learners
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Date
Contents:
Introduction
Problem Statement
Review of the Research
Conclusion
Reference
Introduction
Technology has completely acquired over the rapid pace of trends in our society as well as across the globe. It is very true that the advancement of science has developed several products as vital contributions in our community to make our life much easier while the decline in the hurdles of our path. If we look around the cell phone (mobile) it has been more of a necessity among us rather than a choice. According to the recent primary and secondary data the figures reflect that almost 92 percent of the people across the globe use cell phone for acquiring their basic needs of the life to have long conversations with their family and friends along with the important calls to stay in touch with all their known individuals. Where ever you go even the drivers and poor people’s you can find them using cell phones but still we can figure out a line of difference with the use of the phone. Now a day we can find various categories of phones comprises of GSM, CDMA, Multimedia, basic phones, etc. IN out present scenario we can find that the youth are more over being friendly with the latest trends of touch screen technologies of mobile phones as well as the several described products of tablets, iPhones, etc. Which has been launched from the past several years but a novel generation of educational tools has funded those for the creative use and instantaneous admissions of the students to contribute their wealth of online resources. Those products has been advertized as “revolutionary” devices in our generation that embrace the immense potential for the proper transformation of learning’s. One of the principle benefits or the major circumstances of the adoption of such device is the characteristics reflected by them to facilitate the concept of learning skills anywhere, anytime across the nations. This permits a shift which has driven the industry study era replica where the classroom is the inner place of learning driven by lecturers as well as restricted to the lessons taught within the school on a regular day.
Problem Statement
While structuring the mobile devices the firms has to process various steps to compute the devices together and activate a production of successful products, the present trends of students who are being organized by mobile devices, the teacher is no longer present at the center of the learning procedure where as the instructional time for the studies may vary and can exceed than those of the school days. The vital key center areas of this statement were -
• Relevant data are provided to the schools to permit the decisions of inform ...
The Twenty First century is considered as an era of technology. It plays an essential part in our lives. Starting from an individual to a country’s economy – technology has managed to leave an impact on all. The rapid growth of technology finds its roots in the human urge of time optimization. Also, it ensures that even the toughest of jobs can be performed with ease.
1. Sean Peasgood, CEO
(416) 565-2805
Sean@SophicCapital.com
LATEST TREND IN
EDTECH – BYOD
Bringing Control, Analytics, and Feedback to the
Classroom
January 14, 2014
Bring your own device (BYOD) allows educational institutions to
preserve their budgets by strategically passing most of mobile device
investment and maintenance costs to the students. In return, students
benefit from interactive student/teacher engagements, and the ability
to learn at their own pace on their preferred device by actively
participating into their learning experience. Although a multitude of
BYOD educational tools and apps exist, a problem remained until
recently - binding the devices to one platform so that teachers can
control the mobile devices within the classroom. We provide a detailed
look at the education technology “edtech” market and how it relates to
BYOD and classroom management. We also highlight how EXO U, a
Sophic Capital client, has developed a collaborative solution that
places control of all BYOD mobile device into teachers’ hands,
centralizes content for a seamless cross-platform experience and most
importantly engages students on their platform of choice.
2. Latest Trend in EdTech – BYOD
Sean Peasgood (416-565-2805, Sean@SophicCapital.com) January 14, 2015 - 2
BYOD in Education
A trend to mobility is occurring inside and
outside of the classroom. In the olden days of
pencil and paper, too few students were
engaged in lessons. They doodled, read books,
or dipped pigtails in the inkwells. Today,
disengaged students turn to mobile devices to
chat on Facebook, check Twitter, and message
their friends. While educators know students
need to be tech savvy when they enter the
workforce, today the challenge has been the
inability to lock-down devices and keep
students engaged. This challenge is compounded by the walled gardens imposed by the large device
manufactures. Are schools to choose only one platform, one device, and force them upon the entire
student population? The enterprise market has already experienced this problem and has adopted
BYOD programs almost unanimously. We believe the education market is next, and throughout
this report we look at how the market is developing and some proposed solutions, especially by
EXO U (EXO-TSXV), a Sophic Capital client.
The next transition is occurring in digital education – mobile learning. Although computer
systems that engage students are firmly in place, the content delivery platform is evolving away
from desktops. Mobile is the trend since it allows students the flexibility to extend learning outside
the classroom, at the moment and the place they prefer. But this trend to mobility is not problem-
free. Mobility requires the Internet, and the Internet can tempt students to web-chat or surf rather
than focus on the lessons. The other issue is cost: Tablets and smartphones aren’t cheap. So to
address this capital budget issue, several school boards have adopted a new policy, one where
students supply their own mobile devices.
Bring your own device (BYOD) is a policy that allows students to use their own mobile devices
to access educational content. The theory is that by allowing students to use their preferred
devices, educational institutions can save money by not having to invest in mobile hardware.
Teachers can also leverage existing technology investments (such as smart boards) that connect to
student devices in order to create interactive lessons. From the student perspective, BYOD brings
a multitude of benefits including: increased tech savviness, the lack of learning curves required to
use school-issued devices, a sense of ownership over their learning experience, and collaboration
on projects. But perhaps the greatest benefit to students is that they can learn at their own pace by
accessing content outside of the classroom on their own devices whenever and wherever it suits
them.
The transition to mobile learning can offer teachers tools for classroom management and
real-time analytics on each student’s performance. BYOD platforms exist that put the teacher
in charge. He or she controls the classroom; pushes content to her students’ devices; can get real-
time feedback with analytics highlighting who absorbed the lesson, which can lead to
enhancements to the teaching method and offer one-on-one help to students falling behind. These
are powerful tools which teachers have longed for, although to date these full solutions have not
been offered.
3. Latest Trend in EdTech – BYOD
Sean Peasgood (416-565-2805, Sean@SophicCapital.com) January 14, 2015 - 3
School Boards Recognize the Need for Mobile Learning
A transition is occurring in the classroom. No, it’s not a shift towards computer-based learning,
but a shift to computer-based learning on mobile devices. According to the Alberta Collaborative
Online Resource Environmenti
, student intellectual engagement typically declines from about 82%
in Grade 1 to about 45% by Grade 12. Applying a “blended” learning environment, one where
students learn inside and outside of the classroom, increases student engagement because they can
learn at their own pace whenever and wherever they choose. But to do this, students need mobile
devices. But who supplies and pays for the devices?
Supplying students with mobile devices is costly. Education institutions are under financial
pressure, as operating expenses often outpace budgets allocation, making it difficult to allocate
funds to technology-based projects.” Legacy computing hardware is slow, breaking down, and
clocking itself to death. Upgrading that hardware requires further investments in time,
infrastructure, and maintenance. School boards issue requests for quotes and scrutinize every
proposal under chemistry lab microscopes. Meanwhile, teachers want to know when it’s going to
happen – when will students get those new tablets? Someone has to make a decision – a decision
that parents and the school board would certainly dissect and assign responsibility if a costly
investment fails. And failure is a possibility since cases abound with unsuccessful attempts to
upgrade students’ hardware. But it doesn’t have to be that way: The world’s largest educational IT
project is progressing and could serve as a model for other nation-wide or even school district-wide
initiatives.
Where is the world’s largest educational IT project occurring? The answer may surprise some,
but Turkey is embarking upon the FATIH Project to place a tablet in the hands of every student
from Grade 5 through 12ii
. This colossal project involves almost 11 million students across 42,000
schools and 570,000 classesiii
and also calls for interactive whiteboards in every classroom and lab.
Halfway through 2014, Turkey’s Ministry of Education had distributed 731,886 tabletsiv
. This on
top of the Ministry’s goal to install 101,644 whiteboards and 41,996 multifunctional printers by
year-endv
.
But supplying students with school-issued hardware isn’t always successful. Exhibit 1 provides
some unsuccessful attempts that school districts have had supplying students with mobile devices.
Reasons why these projects fell short include: capital costs, vandalism, and theft. But as Exhibit 1
shows, many of the districts that scrapped initiatives to supply students with mobile devices
refocused their efforts on a growing trend – leveraging student ownership of mobile devices.
U.S. kids have flocked to mobile phones and tablets. Maybe it’s because kids are more tech
savvy than adults; maybe it’s because kids are smarter than adults; or maybe it’s because kids can’t
survive without them; but U.S. kids have high ownership of mobile devices. Exhibit 2 shows that
children aged 6 through 12 have higher tablet ownership than teens. The reverse is true concerning
mobile phones.
4. Latest Trend in EdTech – BYOD
Sean Peasgood (416-565-2805, Sean@SophicCapital.com) January 14, 2015 - 4
Exhibit 1: U.S. School Districts are Adopting BYOD over School-Issued Hardware
Source: Miami-Dade County Public Schools
Exhibit 2: U.S. Children are Tech Savvy and Mobile Ready
Source: eMarketer, Little Kids Beat Big Kids in Tablet Usage, October 7, 2014
Date Who? State What happened? Result Move to BYOD?
Oct-13
Los Angeles Unified
School District
California
Scrapped 1 million iPad
initiative
Students used the devices for social
networking and games
Yes
Oct-13
Miami-Dade County
Public Schools
Florida
Paused 100,000 laptops
by 2015, but restarted
Difficulties encoutered at other
school districts with similar programs
Optional
Oct-13
Fort Bend
Independent School
Texas Scrapped 6,000 iPads
Concern about program
implementation and costs
In place 2012
Oct-13
Guildford County
Schools
North Carolina Scrapped 15,000 tablets
Bad hardware (10% of tablets
returned after 2 months due to
broken screens)
No
2013-
2014
Clark County School
District
Nevada
BYOD for 311,000
students and 7,000 iPads
Spike in iPad thefts Yes, in parallel
Fall 2013 Baldwin Unified Kansas 475 iPads deployed with Problems with network access No
Fall 2010
Oak Hills Local School
District
Ohio
BYOD implemented at
one high school
Piloting a program to imlement BYOD
at all schools
Yes, expanding
2010
Forsyth County
Schools
Georgia
BYOD pilot with 40
teachers in 7 schools
Expanding to all schools, wireless
access points installed at all schools
Yes, expanding
5. Latest Trend in EdTech – BYOD
Sean Peasgood (416-565-2805, Sean@SophicCapital.com) January 14, 2015 - 5
Let the Students Provide Their Own Mobile Devices
Rather than investing in computing hardware, many school districts have decided to let the
students use their own devices to access learning content. And as Exhibit 1 showed, a transition
towards letting students bring their own devices sometimes followed unsuccessful attempts to
supply students with school-issued devices. The reasons for implementing BYOD are plentiful.
First, pushing the hardware and maintenance costs onto the students preserves budget capital.
Second, the students will likely engage more so on their preferred devices and operating systems.
Third, students will take care of their devices since they or their parents have invested in the gadget.
However, two significant problems exist with BYOD today.
IT Departments and Help Desks Struggle
BYOD needs a platform that can secure and unify various devices and operating systems.
Implementing BYOD means delivering content to different operating systems (Microsoft, iOS,
MAC OS X, various flavours of Android) and hundreds of different devices. These operating
systems aren’t made to work together, and each has its own faults. This means that content doesn’t
always make it to students’ devices, and when it does it may look and feel different for each student
(Exhibit 3). As a result, frustrated teachers interrupt lectures to place calls to overwhelmed IT help
desks, leaving disengaged students to idle. Also teachers are not able to easily direct students and
seamlessly push relevant digital books and webpages to all of them.
Exhibit 3: The User Experience Across 400 Popular Websites Varies by Tablet
Source: Principled Technologies, Inc.
Those Nasty Apps are a Threat to Data Security
Ach! Students download third-party apps for school and for play! Since students supply their
own devices, BYOD tablets and smartphones pull double-duty as educational and personal devices.
Given this, students will download apps for personal and educational use. So IT departments have
to add another dimension to the different operating systems and hundreds of different BYOD
6. Latest Trend in EdTech – BYOD
Sean Peasgood (416-565-2805, Sean@SophicCapital.com) January 14, 2015 - 6
devices: the hundreds of thousands of downloadable apps. Why are apps a problem? First, because
they can distract students from the class, and second because many apps hide malware.
Be careful of those downloadable apps – they’re not as innocent as we think they are. Gartnervi
predicts that by 2015, 75% of mobile applications will fail basic security tests. Each month, new
mobile malware threats are discovered on the Android platform. Exhibit 4 shows that for the twelve
months ending in July 2014, 45 new malware families1
had the potential to invade Android devices.
And as Exhibit 5 illustrates, theft of information poses the greatest threat for mobile users.
Therefore, any BYOD deployment must have policies and management tools to minimize these
threats.
We believe that solutions that separate, encrypt, and secure educational data on BYOD
devices are imperative and data security concerns. Several solutions for securing BYOD devices
exist today. This was the focus for IT professionals for the last several years as many enterprises
moved away from Blackberry-exclusive organizations to a BYOD model. We outline several
players addressing security later in the report, but we believe cross-platform collaboration and
classroom management are the challenges that IT departments are looking to solve now.
Exhibit 4: 45 New Malware Families for Android from August 2013 Through July 2014
Source: Symantec, Symantec Intelligence Report, July 2014, pg. 15
1
A mobile malware family is a distinct malicious code along with its subsequent variants.
7. Latest Trend in EdTech – BYOD
Sean Peasgood (416-565-2805, Sean@SophicCapital.com) January 14, 2015 - 7
Exhibit 5: Theft of Information is the Greatest Mobile Threat
Source: Symantec, Symantec Intelligence Report, July 2014, pg. 16
Without Planning, BYOD Could Be a Budget Liability
In some cases, BYOD has increased costs. Researchvii
suggests that hardware comprises about
10% of an enterprise’s annual mobility budget. Don’t forget to add on wireless network upgrades
and the hassle of managing non-uniform device platforms. These, along with carrier, help desk,
developer, and mobile management costs, can quickly consume or surpass the budget. Many
enterprises can reluctantly absorb these costs. However, non-profit organizations such as public
schools with fixed and/or shrinking budgets cannot.
8. Latest Trend in EdTech – BYOD
Sean Peasgood (416-565-2805, Sean@SophicCapital.com) January 14, 2015 - 8
Other Potential BYOD Problems in Educational Institutions
Some parents balk at connected classrooms. Most of the parental concerns we uncovered relate
to children playing games, watching videos, or social networking. Cyber bullying and social status
associated with certain devices are risks. Although we concede that social status is difficult to
mitigate, systems exist which give teachers complete control of what content students access within
the classroom. It’s unfortunate that teachers cannot control what some students share via their
devices outside of the classroom to mitigate wider-spread cyber bullying.
Inequity. Not all students own the latest,
cutting-edge devices. And school-issued
devices quickly become obsolete. This can
lead to some students having a poorer
BYOD experience due to lack of computing
horsepower. Worse, it can lead to bullying,
mirroring the issues that prompted many
schools to mandate school uniforms in order
to blur the students’ economic classes. This
technological inequality can lead to device
theft or damage of higher-end devices. A
choose your own device (CYOD) scheme,
where students purchase school-approved
mobile devices, would alleviate the
potential for such problems since CYOD
devices have no inequity. It is also
anticipated that hardware will continue to
become commoditized allowing schools to
provide low cost alternatives that easily
offer the horsepower required for classroom
activities.
Productivity killer. Whether or not schools
issue pen and paper or implement BYOD,
not all students will engage. These students
will keep themselves entertained one way or
another. However, as we previously
mentioned, BYOD systems exist that allow teachers to control all student mobile devices within
the classroom. Although these systems cannot guarantee that every student will engage, they can
eliminate online distractions that kill student productivity. We wonder if Mobira’s Talkman (left in
the top photo) was ever a productivity killer.
Giving Teachers Control
Good classroom management serves three purposes. It engages students, keeps the students
prepared, and boosts student and teacher confidence. I’m sure we’ve all seen what happens when
teachers lose control; chaos can ensue resulting in wasted lessons.
Source: Top photo: Nokia.com
Bottom photo: ComputerWorld.com
9. Latest Trend in EdTech – BYOD
Sean Peasgood (416-565-2805, Sean@SophicCapital.com) January 14, 2015 - 9
As we mentioned previously, a sound BYOD
strategy must include managing students’
online activities. A blanket policy of restricting
web access at the network level can block the
content that students require. We believe the best
classroom management tools make a teacher the
classroom server and network administrator.
This is accomplished via a device (usually a
laptop or tablet) that acts as an extra set of
eyeballs on the classroom when the teacher is
occupied. Students likely don’t enjoy this
amount of surveillance and control because they
can’t access diversionary content; nor can they
do anything about it. But the ability to control
content, push quizzes, and monitor student
progress via learning analytics are powerful
tools for teachers to effectively manage the
lessons and create the best teaching/learning
environment in the classroom.
Proactive Intervention with
Learning Analytics
Learning analytics is the extrapolation of
information from real-time data collected
from students. In the past, teachers could only
guess if students engaged and absorbed lessons.
Quizzes and exams provided concrete evidence
but couldn’t proactively identify students who
needed help well before exam time. Some
systems can also forecast which students may
falter and then use the predictions to deliver
customized content to bring students back up to
speed so they don’t fall behind or, worse, fail.
One way for teachers to identify students at
risk of falling behind is to push questions and
quizzes onto students’ mobile devices. In this
scenario, learning analytics systems not only
identify which students answered incorrectly but
also which students did not answer. Perhaps
more important, the ability to push real-time
content to all students gives the teachers control
of the classroom. They can monitor their own
performance, judge whether or not students are
engaging, then adjust the lesson’s direction Source: Open Colleges
10. Latest Trend in EdTech – BYOD
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accordingly. If too many students answered a question incorrectly, a teacher can revisit that part of
the lesson.
Another way for teachers to gauge student progress is via a learning analytics dashboard.
Teachers can monitor how much each student engages with content. Are the students logging on?
What did they download? What did they upload? Some systems even scan message boards to
evaluate student sentiments regarding a course. All of these tools give teachers the power to
intervene with struggling students.
Classroom Management Tools Available for Teachers
We begin by examining some educational sector BYOD leaders and then explore some up-
and-coming entrants. We reiterate that a major shift is occurring within classrooms, the move
from desktop to mobile learning. Many of the largest companies in the learning space began by
providing desktop and non-cloud solutions. They provided the content, the analytic systems, and
teacher control. Now that the trend has moved to extending student learning outside of the
classroom, these companies have had to confront an entirely new line of business – unification.
D2L (Desire2Learn) – A Leader in Content and Analytics
D2L created Brightspace, which the company claims 15 million people across 1,100
organizations in 25 countries are using. Brightspace allows the teacher to organize, present, and
manage content for students. Teachers can collect analytics and predict where each student needs
help. Brightspace also provides feedback for students to gauge their progress. Most important, the
platform puts the student at the center of the learning experience, allowing her to choose her own
pace and path of learning.
In August 2014, D2L closed $85 million series B financingviii
, bringing the total investment in
D2L to $165 million. D2L plans to use the funds for continued market expansion and R&D. As
shown in Exhibit 6, D2L is not shy about acquiring complementary technologies.
Exhibit 6: D2L Has a History of Acquiring Technology
Source: Company reports, Sophic Capital
Date Target Value Value Add
Mar. 4, 2014 Achievement Standards Network N/A
Digital data representations of standards that can be
mapped to curriculum and measured
Sep. 9, 2013 Knowillage Systems N/A Adaptive learning engine
Mar. 1, 2013 Wiggio N/A Collaboration tool
Jan. 24, 2013 Degree Compass N/A Predictive analytics
Jun. 22, 2011 Metranome N/A
Mobile media platform serves international clients in the
media, publishing, entertainment, and travel industries
Apr. 20, 2011 Captual Technologies N/A
Presentation capture and webcasting solution for rich
media presentations live or on-demand with options for
cloud-based hosting
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SMART Technologies – Connecting Students and Teachers to Info
SMART Technologies (TSX: SMA, NASDAQ: SMT) designs interactive products and
solutions that enhance the learning experience. The company is famous for its SMART Board,
a whiteboard that displays content and allows teachers and students to interact with the teacher.
SMART Board comes with SMART Notebook, software that allows teachers to create, share, and
capture lessons and content. Lessons created with SMART Notebook can be shared through the
SMART Exchange platform, a library of resources that are shared with the community. SMART
Amp is a cloud education solution that allows ubiquitous learning. It enhances collaboration,
content creation, communication, sharing and assessment from anywhere, on whatever device is
being used. SMART Response is a handheld device that allows students to answer quizzes or
provide lesson feedback. SMART Slate allows users to operate the Smart Board remotely. One
significant outcome from this technology is student engagement, and when students engage, they
are motivated to learn.
Stoneware – Offering a Unified Workspace
Stoneware, a Lenovo Company, offers education solutions that facilitates BYOD initiatives
and management of the devices in the classroom. The company provides LanSchool, a classroom
management solution. The software allows teacher to monitor, enable collaboration, remove
distraction and assess student understanding. LanSchool is a cross-platform solution, but offers
limited functionalities. WebNetwork delivers a unified cloud platform that allows teachers to
securely deliver files, applications and reports to any devices.
Source: SMARTTech.com
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Digedu – Delivering Personalized, Interactive, and Measurable
Learning Experience
Digedu is an emerging digital education company providing a Learning Engine that allows
teachers to create and deliver interactive lessons. Teachers can choose and customize one of the
3,500+ available lessons. The engine also allows teachers to gain insight on student performance
with data analytics on performance, real-time assessments, and classroom management features.
The Learning Engine also enables collaborative learning in the classroom. Digedu also offers a
Classroom Cloud network that allows better management of schools’ bandwidth and local backups
of data, enabling a better connected experience.
EXO U – Real-Time, Operating System-Neutral Collaboration
EXO U (TSXV: EXO), a Sophic Capital client, enables educational institutions and
enterprises to securely manage information and empower people to communicate their best
ideas. This innovative company has focused on simplifying the management of application
lifecycles, allowing cross-platform, in-house app development which also minimizes malware
threats. While letting developers focus on creating apps, EXO U’s agnostic framework takes care
of app functionality across different mobile operating systems. It doesn’t matter if student devices
run the gamut of operating systems; EXO U’s solution will handle them all. One solution for all
operating systems and devices. No need for app developers to develop code for each operating
system.
EXO U gives teachers control. No need for Internet connectivity either; teachers can push content
from their own device (acting as a server) onto student devices via a classroom router. This means
that the solution can be implemented in countries where Interenet connectivity is spotty, and it also
means that in periods when the Internet goes down the classroom carries on. The company has also
built in full classroom management, allowing teachers to know when students are not in the
classroom environment and giving tearchers real-time analystics like the results of a pop quiz.
Source: EXO U
Although EXO U excels in unification and security, we believe the company has a larger
strength – collaboration. One amazing feature of EXO U’s solution is the ability to collaborate
between devices. We’re not talking about emailing videos or sharing files on the cloud. What EXO
U and no one else (that we have found) does is real-time collaboration. A teacher or a student can
select nearby devices (regardless of those device’s operating systems) and push his content or an
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app onto those devices. The user interface is the same across all devices, allowing a group to
collaborate in real time. Seeing is believing, so we recommend that you take a look at this video to
see what we’re talking about.
EXO U’s solution allows teachers to leverage existing capital investments such as smart
whiteboards and projection systems. Being platform agnostic, EXO U’s solution can integrate
existing equipment used in the classroom. Moreover, the open APIs allow school systems to
personalize the solution to their specific needs by developing new, cross-platform applications.
These features also free institutions from walled garden technology, making sure that current
decisions will not inhibit their ability to adopt future technologies.
EXO U’s solution was tested with more than 250 students in real classrooms. Pilot projects
have successfully been completed in order to test the classroom management features. Teachers
and students were impressed with the functionalities, the responsiveness and ease of use of the
solution.
EXO U has a major, nation-wide customer. In June 2013, Panama’s National Secretariat for
Science, Technology and Innovation signed a deal to deliver EXO U’s BYOD solution to 100,000
students.
Source:EXO U installation at the University of Panama, Source: IT World Canada
BYOD Isn’t Limited to Education – Enterprises Want It Too
Many of the reasons for enterprises to implement BYOD mirror those of the educational
sector. Enterprises benefit from shifting hardware purchase and maintenance costs to employees.
By letting employees work on their preferred mobile gadgets (Exhibit 7) shows that 42% of U.S.
adults have a tablet and 90% own a cell phone,) workers can quickly ramp into their roles rather
than face a learning curve with a company-issued device. This leads to productivity enhancements,
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worker accessibility, and potential recruiting advantages (83%ix
of Millennials own a smartphone,
and they typically embrace their preferred platforms for work and for play.)
Tech Pro Researchx
estimates that 74% of organizations use or plan to use
BYOD. Two years ago, 62% of organizations used or planned to use BYOD.
BYOD within the enterprise suffers the same risks as educational institutions, paramount of
which is data protection. Data accumulation is costly. Think of the time it takes to collect,
organize, and secure data. Then think about the number of people in your organization who do
likewise. You’ll probably find that the human capital, network, storage, compliance, and time costs
balloon.
Data breaches are costly. Costs vary by country, due to the types of attacks and data protection
laws. To determine the average cost to an enterprise when data breaches occur, Ponemon Institute
conducted a study across 277 organizations in 16 countries. As Exhibit 8 shows, the costs are
significant, therefore, we believe enterprises can benefit by issuing corporate approved apps that
are either developed in-house or licensed from approved third-parties. Furthermore, we recommend
that enterprises implement platforms that contain, encrypt, and secure corporate data and apps on
employee devices.
Exhibit 7: 42% of American Adults Owned a Tablet in 2014
Source: Pew Research Center
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Exhibit 8: Average Cost of a Data Breach for Organizations in Various Countries
Source: Ponemon Institute, 2013 Cost of Data Breach Study: Global Analysis, May 2013, pg. 6
Don’t neglect employees’ perceived lack of privacy. At one time, employees could expect
privacy on all their devices. In its infancy, BYOD policies were more of an implied code of
behavior. Then, enterprise legal departments took over and, in many cases, drafted strict, detailed
policies which gave enterprises the right to monitor, search, and wipe employee-owned devices.
From the employee’s perspective, enterprises became Big Brother, but, in reality, enterprises
implemented these policies to safeguard data. This resulted in clashes between employees and
employers which destroyed trust and the claimed productivity benefits that BYOD was supposed
to provide.
Market Forecasts
The global BYOD market could reach about $266 billion by 2019 according to
MarketsandMarketsxi
. This growth comes from a 2013 base of about $72 billion and includes
BYOD in both educational institutions and enterprises. Grand View Research predicts the BYOD
market to grow from about $65 billion in 2012 to approximately $238 billion by 2018xii
. Juniper
Researchxiii
forecasts that over one billion of the smartphones and tablets used in the enterprise will
be employee-owned. This represents 35% of the total installed base of consumer-owned
smartphones and tablets.
According to TechNavio, the BYOD security market CAGR could be about 32% from 2013
through 2018xiv
. The total mobile security market (personal and enterprise) is forecastedxv
to be
worth $4.5 billion in 2014. Compounding the 2014 $4.5 billion forecast by 32% per annum suggests
that the mobile security market could be worth $13.7 billion by 2018.
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M&A Activity is Strong
Major technology companies have snapped up BYOD firms. Exhibit 9 demonstrates that M&A
activity is robust, with blue-chip companies making acquisitions to tap into this burgeoning market.
Exhibit 9: The Biggest Tech Companies are Snapping Up BYOD Companies
Source: Sophic Capital, company reports
Notable BYOD Players
A broad range of companies exist in the BYOD
sector. They range from microcap start-ups to the
largest technology blue-chips. We provide a brief
summary of some of them.
Absolute Software (TSE: ABT) has an extensive
portfolio of enterprise solutions that includes
BYOD data security, remote device management,
and content management. The company holds a
patent on its “Absolute persistence” technology, a
firmware based solution that allows enterprises to
Date Aquirer Target Value
Dec. 1, 2014 Microsoft Acompli US$200 million
Oct. 21, 2014 Good Technology Macheen N/A
Oct. 2, 2014 Pulse Secure MobileSpaces N/A
Sept. 11, 2014 BlackBerry Movirtu N/A
Jun. 10, 2014 DropBox MobileSpan N/A
Jun. 3, 2014 Good Technology Fixmo (security business) N/A
May. 19, 2014 Google Divide N/A
Apr. 1, 2014 Good Technology BoxTone N/A
Feb. 12, 2014 VMWare AirWatch US$1.5 billion
Dec. 17, 2013 Cisco Systems Collaborate.com N/A
Nov. 15, 2013 Oracle Bitzer Mobile N/A
Nov. 14, 2013 IBM Fiberlink N/A
Oct. 3, 2013 GLOBO Notify Technologies US$5 million
Dec. 18, 2012 Dell Credent N/A
Dec. 5, 2012 Citrix Zenprise N/A
Oct. 2, 2012 Good Technology AppCentral N/A
May. 25, 2012 Dell Wyse Technology US$1.0 billion (est.)
May. 9, 2012 Dell SonicWALL US$1.2 billion (est.)
Apr. 16, 2012 Symantec Nukona N/A
Mar. 2, 2012 Symantec Odyssey N/A
Feb. 27, 2012 IBM Worklight N/A
Absolute Software's Patented Absolute Persistence
Source: Absolute.com
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maintain a connection with all devices even if the Absolute Manage and Computrace software
agents are removed from the device.
Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU) offers a fully integrated BYOD solution. In 2013, Alcatel-Lucent
provided integration of its core operating system with ClearPass, a network control solution from
Aruba Networks, Alcatel’s long-time partner. ClearPass Policy Management Solution allows users
to register their devices, separate personal and enterprise usage, and download approved apps,
while letting ClearPass provide updates and security controls.
Centrify provides unifying identity management solutions for cloud, mobile, and data IT
environments. It offers centrally controlled security and compliance solutions that secure and audit
mobile devices and applications.
Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO) offers a comprehensive BYOD solution architecture,
combining elements across the network for a unified approach to secure device access,
visibility, and policy control.
Good Technology has made several acquisitions in the BYOD space over the past two years.
Last year, it acquired Fixmo’s security business to strengthen its solutions’ security and scalability.
The BoxTone acquisition brought a mobile management platform into Good’s end-to-end secure
mobility solution. AppCentral, acquired in 2012, added the ability to secure and manage mobile
apps.
IBM (NYSE: IBM) formed a partnership with Apple in July 2014 to bring Apple devices to
the enterprise. We view this as a validation of this space, given that IBMxvi
once disallowed iCloud
and Siri, Apple’s intelligent assistant. Enterprise workers are bringing iOS products to the
workplace, and IBM plans to build a portfolio of enterprise-specific apps and provide a range of
cloud and security services.
MobileIron (NASDAQ: MOBL) is staking its future on the belief that mobile IT will become
the primary means by which enterprises deploy applications and workers access corporate
information. The company has achieved success with over 6,000 customers since 2009, and in the
first 9 months of 2014 has almost matched the $100 million in revenue it generated in 2013.
Samsung’s (KRX: 00593) latest BYOD offering is the KNOX 2.0 platform. The data app and
security platform uses a security-enhanced version of Android, which creates containers to separate
personal from enterprise data. KNOK also comes with Marketplace, an app store geared towards
IT administrators seeking cloud-based work solutions.
VMWare (NYSE: VMW) is a virtualization software company that allows IT to deliver
services from any device at any time. The company’s Workspace Portal solution allows IT to
provide app stores to enterprises, compliance reporting, and lifecycle management.
Notable Learning Management and Analytics Players
Moodle is a free learning management system that allows educators to create their own
private website that allows students to learn any time and from anywhere. Teachers can upload
content, conduct quizzes, and facilitate collaboration amongst students. Moodle claims that over
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70,000 schools, universities, and corporations across 200 countries and 100 languages use the
platform for their online learning requirements.
Edmodo has connected teachers to students in 88 of the 100 largest schools districts in the
U.S. Its learning management systems, whose features were driven by teacher feedback, provide
teachers with seamless communication with students, teacher-generated content, educational apps,
and accessibility from any device. Edmodo has over 45 millionxvii
members using the platform.
Blackboard provides educators with a suite of platforms to enhance and manage the
teaching/learning experience. Its Blackboard Analytics suite allows users to data mine, extract
information, and organize it into dashboards for easy access. Although geared towards higher
education, we believe the learning analytics feature is applicable to any school or enterprise e-
Learning program. The Blackboard Learn platform enables teachers and students to collaborate,
communicate, organize study sessions, and book appointments for one-on-one help
Schoology’s learning management system has 7.5 million users across 200 countriesxviii
. Free
for teachers to use, Schoology provides organizing and monitoring tools similar to competitors’
platforms. But Schoology also connects educators across the globe to share best practices, similar
to what Edmodo provides to its global network of certified teachers.
McGraw-Hill is an education content provider that has moved into the classroom analytics
space. In March 2014, the company introduced Connect Insight, a data analytics tool for higher
education. This mobile tool allows teachers the ability to make real-time, data driven decisions
regarding their instruction techniques, effectiveness of assignments, and whether students are
struggling. The tool analyses real-time big data, freeing teachers from having to sift through
mounds of data in order to extrapolate information.
Conclusions
Educational institutions have deployed BYOD, sometimes nation-wide, and we believe BYOD
will get bigger. Legacy computers need upgrading, and school districts are turning to mobile
devices. Some attempts to issue mobile devices have failed, so school boards are looking to
leverage the mobile devices that students are bringing to school. There are numerous advantageous
to deploying BYOD (decreased capital costs for schools, teacher control of the classroom, and
increased student engagement.) There are also several risks (data security, malware from third-
party apps, and unification of devices and platforms) which we believe current BYOD platforms
can mitigate.
Enterprises also seek to leverage employee mobile devices but struggle to balance data
security with employee rights to privacy. Reduced costs, 24/7 employee access, and enhanced
employee productivity motivate enterprise BYOD investments. However, employee downloads of
third-party apps leaves corporate data susceptible to malware attacks. Solutions exist to contain
corporate data, and policies mandating approved work-related apps can secure enterprise data.
Aggressive enterprise BYOD policies can alienate a workforce thereby reducing trust and
productivity enhancements. Enterprises must draft and communicate BYOD policies that do not
alienate employees due to breaches of privacy.
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M&A activity is robust. Companies offering BYOD solutions range from microcaps and start-ups
to blue-chip technology giants. M&A has been healthy, and we believe will continue to grow along
with this evolving marketplace.
We recommend that investors seeking a pure-play BYOD company consider EXO U (TSXV:
EXO), a Sophic Capital client. EXO U serves both the educational and corporate sectors. Its
platform seamlessly unifies devices and allows teachers to control classrooms. However, we
believe that the ability of EXO U’s platform to allow true collaboration between devices is a strong
differentiator that introduces a new level of learning in the classroom.
Acronyms Used in this Report
API application programming interface
BYOD bring your own device
CYOD choose your own device
IT information technology
References
i
Alberta CORE, An Introduction to Blended Learning with D2L
ii
The Republic of Turkey Prime Ministry Investment and Support Agency, Countdown begins for Turkey’s
high-tech Fatih Project, May 20, 2013
iii
T.C. Milli Eğitim Bakanlığı, FATIH PROJECT, 2012
iv
Daily Sabah, FATIH PROJECT DISTRIBUTES 732,000 TABLETS, July 2, 2014
v
Ibid.
vi
Garter, Gartner Says More than 75 Percent of Mobile Applications will Fail Basic Security Tests Through
2015, September 14, 2014
vii
Nucleus Research, Inc., Understanding the Hard ROI of BYOD, April 2013, pg. 1
viii
D2L, D2L Raises $85 Million in Strategic Financing, August 14, 2014
ix
Pew Research Center, Device Ownership Over Time, 2014
x
Teena Hammond, Research: BYOD booming with 74% using or planning to use, Tech Pro Research,
January 4, 2015
xi
MarketsandMarkets, http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/byod.asp
xii
Grand View Research, Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) Market Analysis And Segment Forecasts To 2020,
April 2013
xiii
Juniper Research, BYOD Trend Drives Number of Consumer Owned Mobile Devices Used at Work to
Exceed 1bn by 2018, November 19, 2013
xiv
TechNavio, Global BYOD Security Market 2014-2018, December 13, 2013
xv
visiongain, ‘Mobile Security Market to be worth $4.5bn in 2014' says Visiongain report, March 25, 2014
xvi
Brian Bergstein, IBM Faces the Perils of “Bring Your Own Device”, MIT Technology Review, May 21,
2012
xvii
Edmodo
xviii
Mary Jo Madda, How Does an LMS Go Viral Worldwide? Schoology Shares Secrets to Growth, edSurge,
November 19, 2014
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Disclaimers
The particulars contained herein were obtained from sources that we believe to be reliable, but are
not guaranteed by us and may be incomplete or inaccurate. The opinions expressed are based upon
our analysis and interpretation of these particulars and are not to be construed as a solicitation of
offer to buy or sell the securities mentioned herein. Sophic Capital Inc. (“Sophic Capital”) may act
as financial advisor, fiscal agent or underwriter for certain of the companies mentioned herein, and
may receive remuneration for its services. Sophic Capital and/or its principals, officers, directors,
representatives, and associates may have a position in the securities mentioned herein and may
make purchases and/or sales of these securities from time to time in the open market or otherwise.