Attention Parents with Children in Years 4  - 6 in 2022 - Bring Your Own Device Program (BYOD)

With technology continuing to develop at such a fast rate, it is easy to feel a little overwhelmed and unsure about its possibilities. This information aims to help parents with the transition into the BYODD program at St Monica’s.

Following a review of the current technology use at St Monica’s and changes across education, a decision has been made to move to Chromebooks in Year 4 from 2022. Many of the local primary schools have moved to Chromebooks for their BYODD program, due to cost and ease of use. Moving to a Chromebook will prepare the children as they move into high school where laptops are the preferred option.

In 2022
·       the Year 3 children will access a bank of Chromebooks available at St Monica’s. They do not need to purchase a device to bring to school. A set of iPads will also be available for specialised small groups activities including taking photos of work, Reading Eggs etc.
·       the BYODD program for Year 4 will focus on the use of Chromebooks. Please note – as we are in a transition phase any child who already has an iPad will not be required to purchase a new device to start the year. We ask that you purchase a Chromebook when replacing the iPad. Chromebooks offer access to a built-in keyboard, are cheaper and provide cloud storage for work so a child can work at school and at home with ease.
·       the Years 5 & 6 BYODD iPad program will continue. We are very conscious that many of the children in the current Year 4 group purchased new iPads so we are not asking families to purchase another new device. The children in Years 5 and 6 will have access to a bank of Chromebooks for publishing work when required.

Should the purchasing of a device place a burden on a family’s finances please speak to Carmel Maguire, as soon as possible. We do have a small bank of iPads that will be available for use by families experiencing difficulties in Years 4 to 6. Due to the limited supply of Chromebooks for use across each of the cohorts, they will not be part of our student loan program. Many children have access to a family computer at home if required.
 
Why BYOD?
With the development of the Australian National Technologies Curriculum, technology subjects have become a focus in education. Consistent with this research, industry surveys show that STEM literacy is increasingly becoming part of the core capabilities that Australian employers need. In order to carry out authentic learning tasks with technology, it is important students are equipped with the right tools. St Monica’s has a range of devices for students to access however CE has a policy that all IT hardware should be replaced every 3 years if a school wants access to technical support for school hardware. This creates a huge burden for a school budget if we want to achieve a 1:1 ratio of students to devices.

The current IT budget goes towards the purchase of school-owned devices which now includes three banks of Chromebooks, sets of iPads for use by Kinder to Year 2, specialised activities in Years 3 - 6, maintenance of classroom eboards and the ongoing purchase of other technologies including robots and STEM resources.

Technical considerations when selecting a Chromebook for use at St Monica’s for 2022?

•  11.6” Screen Size (available up to 15.6” but not required as this increases weight and space required for storage and transporting)
• 4Gb RAM (or greater)
• 32GB storage capacity (or greater)
• Built-in webcam and headphone/microphone jack

There is no preferred brand, and they all function in the same way:

• The Good Guys - Lenovo
• JB Hifi – Lenovo, HP, Asus
• Harvey Norman – Lenovo, HP, Asus

Parents can choose between a clamshell (opens and closes) or 2-in-1 (touch screen and 360-fold options).
As the device is used for school purposes, you do not need to purchase Office 365 or Google One add-ons that may be made available to them via a retailer.

The BYOD Chromebooks are not managed by the school. Parents are responsible for managing updates, breakages or technical errors.

Setting Up
The Chromebook will need to be set up with the student’s school email details for use at school. A personal or private Google account can be used for personal use at home. https://support.google.com/chromebook/answer/1047362?hl=en

Due to a change in CE policy, regarding passwords, students entering Year 4 will be issued a new password in late January before school returns. The new sign-in to Google and their Chromebook will be done as part of the start of the new school year upon return to class. Passwords for students entering Year 5 & 6 will remain the same, but please note the child has 5 attempts to enter the password before accounts are locked and need to be unlocked by someone at the school.

For your information only - Specifications of the Chromebooks purchased by St Monica’s

• Dell Chromebook 3100 Touch Dell Chromebook 3100 Touch
• Intel Celeron N4020
• Camera and Microphone
•  WLAN Capable
• 4GB Non-ECC
• 32GB eMMC Storage
• 11.6" HD Touch Screen – this is optional
• Please purchase a protective cover

Benefits of the Chromebook
One of the benefits of Chromebooks is that they’re some of the easiest tech tools for both students and teachers to learn how to use. In fact, they take a lot of the intimidation out of computer learning.
A few of the many practical benefits of working (and learning) with Chromebooks.

• They can boot up and connect to the network in seconds, which means teachers and students don’t have to drum their fingers at the start of class.
• They offer plenty of cloud storage, which means even if students share a Chromebook (such as a from a Chromebook cart), they can sign in and still get a personal learning experience.
• They come with a long battery life that lasts throughout the school day, which means fewer interruptions in learning.
• They protect students from viruses and malware without requiring heavy maintenance, keeping learning safe and secure.

From basic keyboarding skills to advanced ethics in online research, Chromebooks continually allow students at almost any grade level the chance to experience and sharpen their knowledge of how technology works, and how it can be used for everything from a simple homework assignment to a semester-long group project.

Any questions please email carmel.maguire@cg.catholic.edu.au

Kinder regards

Carmel Maguire
Principal