December 18, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • Page 11 Ho-Ho-Kus New BYOD program being hailed as success by Jennifer Crusco The Ho-Ho-Kus Public School rolled out the much-anticipated “bring your own device” program on Dec. 2, and district officials are already calling it a success. At the time of the launch, 25 of the school’s 80 eighth graders checked in their devices, including laptops, tablets, and e- readers, which they may now use to com- plete assignments. Students who do not own their own devices will be able to borrow one for use during school hours. Superintendent Deborah Ferrara said the school is now planning to expand the BYOD offering to seventh grade students come January. The goal is to extend the program to the entire middle school popu- lation. A school staff member reported last week that the students are bringing in their devices, slowly and steadily to have them checked in for school use. Students must have permission slips in order, and must be familiar with the expectations of the use of personal technology in the school. The staff member said BYOD allows students to learn to use their devices productively and safely, adding that students are learn- ing to take better care of those devices and to use them for applications beyond recre- ational activities. Initiating BYOD in just one grade allowed the school a chance to test the waters and make appropriate adjustments, the staff member added. Daniel Cazes, the director of technol- ogy Ho-Ho-Kus shares with the Upper Saddle River School District, prepared the district for this major change. The pro- cess began with the 2012 introduction of a common platform: Google Apps for Edu- cation. This free, Web-based office suite includes e-mail and collaboration applica- tions designed exclusively for schools and universities. This platform allows people to study together in real time and across distances. Users control their own data, Google Apps backs up the information, and everything is automatically saved in the cloud. Preparations for BYOD also involved the improvement of the infrastructure so it would be able to handle the increase in users. The school’s network was upgraded and wireless access points were added within the building. Although students will have access to the Internet for research purposes, users will not be able to access websites with undesirable content. The school’s BYOD policy specifies that the district will not assume responsi- bility for any privately-owned devices, nor will staff members be responsible for the effective use or technical support of those devices. These responsibilities will fall on the students who use privately-owned tech- nology. Loaning and/or borrowing devices between students will not be permitted. Students who wish to use a personally- owned electronic device within the Ho-Ho- Kus Public School must read and sign an agreement that expressly states that the stu- dent will take full responsibility for his or her own device. A parent or guardian must also sign this agreement, which requires the student to list the make, model, and serial number of the device to be used. The agreement states that the student is responsible for the proper care of his or her personal device, including any costs of repair, replacement, or any modifications needed to use the device at school. Students are responsible for keeping their devices charged. Students must agree to only use appro- priate technology as directed by teacher, and the school reserves the right to inspect a student’s personal device if there is reason to believe the student violated board policies, administrative procedures, school rules, or has engaged in other misconduct while using his or her personal device. New leadership roles (continued from page 3) vice president of Met Realty & Mortgage Company in West New York, and director of administrative services for The Prescott Group in Port Newark. From 1965 to 1984, Cirulli was employed by Meldona, Inc. of Fairfield, an international publisher and importer of art books, greeting cards, and stationery sold to department stores. Cirulli was execu- tive vice president from 1970 to 1984, and had been vice president and general man- ager from 1965 to 1969. Borchers joined the administrative staff in Ho-Ho-Kus in 2005. At the time of her hire, she was completing four years of service as an administrative assistant to Midland Park’s borough administra- tor and clerk, and was taking classes at Montclair State University for her clerk’s credentials. An individual hired as a borough clerk has three years to obtain the proper cer- tification, the Registered Municipal Clerk designation, which is required by the State of New Jersey. Borchers attended school in India. Before she joined Midland Park’s munici- pal staff, she worked as a crossing guard, and in a local bank. She is currently a volunteer for the Ho-Ho-Kus Volunteer Ambulance Corps and the Midland Park Volunteer Ambulance Corps. Before being named president of the Bergen County Municipal Clerks Associ- ation, Borchers served as the association’s treasurer, secretary, and vice president during the last three years. The group includes 70 municipalities within Bergen County.