Teachers in Australia are concerned there is a growing “digital divide” between students who do and do not own devices such as iPads, as parents struggle to buy devices costing up to AUD1,200 (£about $900) per child. Members of the New South Wales Teachers' Federation fear that schools' bring-your-own-device (BYOD) schemes was "the perfect litmus for the tragedy of the new policy settings". "BYOD may become a rather sad and ironic term, in that children will bring what their family can afford – the device, the support, the software," said spokesman Dean Fitzgerald. At the same time, a Microsoft-commissioned survey of 1,000 parents by the Online Research Unit found that parents feel they have wasted money on unsuitable devices, are not getting value for money, and receive little to no guidance from schools about which device would best suit and enhance their child's learning style.
Teachers in Australia are concerned there is a growing “digital divide” between students who do and do not own devices such as iPads, as parents struggle to buy devices costing up to AUD1,200 (£575) per child. Members of the New South Wales Teachers' Federation fear that schools' bring-your-own-device (BYOD) schemes was "the perfect litmus for the tragedy of the new policy settings". "BYOD may become a rather sad and ironic term, in that children will bring what their family can afford – the device, the support, the software," said spokesman Dean Fitzgerald. At the same time, a Microsoft-commissioned survey of 1,000 parents by the Online Research Unit found that parents feel they have wasted money on unsuitable devices, are not getting value for money, and receive little to no guidance from schools about which device would best suit and enhance their child's learning style.