You are going to read an article about technology in education. Read the text and choose the best answer, A, B, C or D.
Personal Technology: a powerful learning tool!
It's common knowledge that schoolchildren can't bring their mobile phones into the classroom. If they do, they may be taken away from them until the end of the lesson. Not so in Forsyth County Schools in Georgia, USA, however. In 2010, they introduced a new educational approach called BYOT (Bring Your Own Technology). Under this scheme, students were able, for the first time, to use their own personal technology in class - smartphones, netbooks, iPods, handheld games consoles - anything, in fact, which could connect to the Internet. As the Chairwoman of the South Forsyth High School science department expressed it: "I thought we were behind the times, not allowing the students to use something that was such a part of their lives and such a powerful tool for instruction."
You might think BYOT is not really that helpful in the learning process, apart from activities such as doing calculations or online research. In fact, though, BYOT is particularly useful for project-based learning. For example, in a maths class, students can video a group of students while they solve a maths problem and then post the video online for future reference. In a Biology lesson, they can take photos of experiments, which they can label and discuss at a later time. In one high school Literature class, students watched a film version of Shakespeare's Othello after having read the play. They were able to answer their teacher's questions about the differences between the two by instant-messaging each other in a chat room, in real time, while the film was showing. It can't have been easy for schools to adapt to this new scheme. Obviously, there were several major challenges. Schools had to invest in a good Wi-Fi networking infrastructure to cope with the extra demand.
Moreover, they needed to install filters to prevent access to inappropriate websites. Then there was the
question of training teachers to adapt their lessons to the new technology. Fortunately, it wasn't necessary for them to learn how to actually use all the different devices that students might bring to class; more often than not, the students were the experts and could teach the teachers! What teachers do have to ensure is
that students follow the rules: no listening to music and no sending text messages or making calls during class time. Nevertheless, as Forsyth County Schools' Chief Technology and Information Officer Bailey Mitchell explains: "The instructional benefits [of BYOT] far outweigh any concerns we may have had." How do parents and the students themselves react to BYOT? The main parental concern seems to be how much educational value personal technology really has and how exactly it is used in the classroom. In response, Forsyth County Schools hold meetings where teachers can demonstrate some practical activities to reassure the parents. Teachers also stress the value of using technology in class, as it equips children for success in the job market later on. As for the students, BYOT must be working for them. Children who bring their own technology to school produce higher quality work, get better test marks and attend classes more regularly. Not only that, but there are fewer discipline issues, as their handheld devices are now an approved part of the lesson!
Tim Clark, Forsyth County Schools' Coordinator of Instructional Technology, says that youngsters should be encouraged to tackle a project using whatever device appeals to them. As he points out, "It gives students more control and freedom in the classroom." This student-oriented approach to education may be the key to BYOT's popularity. Since 2010, schools in many other US states have followed Forsyth County's example, and with proper guidance it may soon become a worldwide trend.
1 BYOT was introduced because educators felt the need to
A improve student/teacher relationships.
B keep up with new developments.
C provide a break from studying.
D help students in Science subjects.
2 Students in the high school Literature class
A made a video of a famous play.
B shared comments after watching a film.
C screened a film using their own equipment.
D took part in an interactive discussion.

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