School District Uses BlackBerry Smartphones to Help Improve Classroom Engagement

Buckingham County Public Schools faced the controversial issue of allowing cell phones in the classroom. The major challenge for teachers and administrators is etiquette and proper use of handheld devices in a classroom setting, which can be distracting. To overcome this challenge Buckingham County administrators partnered with Research In Motion (RIM) to bring the BlackBerry Smartphone into their grade 1 to grade 12 classrooms. A BlackBerry Enterprise Server was installed to give administrators centralized control over Internet access and text messaging. The results of implementing BlackBerry Enterprise Server were greater classroom and student engagement, improved written communication skills, better preparation for the workforce and centralized control over content and usage.