Recommended BYOD devices
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Updated November 2019
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We are RECOMMENDING that all Year 5-8 students bring a device to school for their learning.
In 2020 we are likely to be recommending that students considering a new purchase look at buying an Acer chromebook through our partner, Cyclone. Information about the particular model, including a suitable case, an extended warranty and insurance will also be provided.
We require this device to be brought to school for learning every day. This helps with teacher planning, and continuity of learning for students.
The school will continue to provide iPads per learning space, and a similar number of Chromebooks for Year 5-8 classes.
We see great benefits with students having a suitable device to personalise and extend their learning.
The device being brought to school for learning needs to have the following features:
Suitable devices are likely to have a cost over $450. For safety, you will need to provide a cover or case for the device.
It is not the job of our teachers to be technicians. Thus, although we cannot offer technical support for BYOD, we are more likely to be able to offer suggestions for minor technical matters or make recommendations for apps etc with the Chromebooks and iPads that we tend to use at school.
We recognise that no single device covers all the types of learning we wish our students to engage in - there is a tension between the convenience of a portable device with camera, microphone and range of creative apps, and a more powerful and complex laptop device, or something like a Chromebook that makes typing more easy and offers more practical access to Google Docs, other Google apps and online tools. Devices are likely to have a workable life of around 3-4 years depending on their size and speed.
We want our students to be creative (not to simply be unquestioning consumers of other peoples' information); we want them to be able to share their learning according to their strengths and interests. We want them to create their own images through photography or drawing, not steal images from the internet. But we also want them to be able to become effective readers, writers and communicators, who share their learning with a wider audience and receive feedback from their peers, teachers, families and others.
All students in Years 5-8 need to register their devices with the school and cannot connect them to our wifi unless they do so. They will need to pass a Digital citizenship licence, and families will sign digital citizenship forms, showing they understand the expectations of their child, and the school with respect to BYOD. This includes a commitment to bring their device for learning EVERY day.
The School does NOT provide:
Year 6-8 students and high school
We anticipate that the devices we recommend should be fit for purpose for at least three years, with good care. You may be aware that your child's intended high school requires the child to choose from a limited range of BYOD devices - this updates year by year. We ask that you check with your intended high school before purchasing a device. A device purchased to start in Year 6 should see your child right through their time at Springston School. If your student is in Year 7 or 8, you may want to look even more closely at the requirements of your chosen high school if considering purchasing something new.
In 2020 we are likely to be recommending that students considering a new purchase look at buying an Acer chromebook through our partner, Cyclone. Information about the particular model, including a suitable case, an extended warranty and insurance will also be provided.
We require this device to be brought to school for learning every day. This helps with teacher planning, and continuity of learning for students.
The school will continue to provide iPads per learning space, and a similar number of Chromebooks for Year 5-8 classes.
We see great benefits with students having a suitable device to personalise and extend their learning.
The device being brought to school for learning needs to have the following features:
- Internet capability through wifi.
- A battery life that will last for the school day - must be brought to school fully charged each day. Devices won't be used constantly ALL day, and so shouldn't need to be charged at school. We don't have the capacity for many students to be charging devices at the same time.
- A screen size larger than an iPod or cellphone is required (we are not recommending these smaller devices, as we have found that they are more limited in functionality and couldn't meet our requirements)
- Have a keyboard - built in or within a case/cover.
- Access to a range of apps suitable for learning either downloaded locally to the device, or through a web browser (eg Chrome - the Browser we recommend as best for use of Google Apps for Education).
- Files will need to be saved ON the device itself, or on a cloud-based platform (eg Google Drive, iCloud or Dropbox). Devices will not have access to the School's server.
- Portability, light and 'robust'.
- We request that students sign in to and use the Chrome Browser wherever possible at school.
Suitable devices are likely to have a cost over $450. For safety, you will need to provide a cover or case for the device.
It is not the job of our teachers to be technicians. Thus, although we cannot offer technical support for BYOD, we are more likely to be able to offer suggestions for minor technical matters or make recommendations for apps etc with the Chromebooks and iPads that we tend to use at school.
We recognise that no single device covers all the types of learning we wish our students to engage in - there is a tension between the convenience of a portable device with camera, microphone and range of creative apps, and a more powerful and complex laptop device, or something like a Chromebook that makes typing more easy and offers more practical access to Google Docs, other Google apps and online tools. Devices are likely to have a workable life of around 3-4 years depending on their size and speed.
We want our students to be creative (not to simply be unquestioning consumers of other peoples' information); we want them to be able to share their learning according to their strengths and interests. We want them to create their own images through photography or drawing, not steal images from the internet. But we also want them to be able to become effective readers, writers and communicators, who share their learning with a wider audience and receive feedback from their peers, teachers, families and others.
All students in Years 5-8 need to register their devices with the school and cannot connect them to our wifi unless they do so. They will need to pass a Digital citizenship licence, and families will sign digital citizenship forms, showing they understand the expectations of their child, and the school with respect to BYOD. This includes a commitment to bring their device for learning EVERY day.
The School does NOT provide:
- Technical support for your laptop or other BYOD device. Unfortunately if it breaks, you will need to take it to a computer repairer yourself. We will try to connect your device to the wireless network but if there is a problem with your hardware, wireless or browser, we won't be able to fix this for you.
- Charging facilities - devices need to be brought to school fully charged each day and only have a top-up charge if necessary later.
- Printing facilities. However, files may be able to be emailed or stored in Dropbox or Google Drive, and accessed from a school computer and printed from there, or at home.
Year 6-8 students and high school
We anticipate that the devices we recommend should be fit for purpose for at least three years, with good care. You may be aware that your child's intended high school requires the child to choose from a limited range of BYOD devices - this updates year by year. We ask that you check with your intended high school before purchasing a device. A device purchased to start in Year 6 should see your child right through their time at Springston School. If your student is in Year 7 or 8, you may want to look even more closely at the requirements of your chosen high school if considering purchasing something new.