WILLIAM CAREY CHRISTIAN SCHOOL

BYOD FOR LEARNING

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WELCOME TO BYOD FOR LEARNINGInformation and Communication Technology (ICT) is revolutionising education. The internet has brought access to virtually unlimited troves of information. The rise of video tutorials and multimedia resources means learning can be enriched and reinforced. Students can take a virtual tour of the Great Wall of China or listen to Martin Luther King’s ‘I have a dream’ speech with only a few keyboard strokes.

Beyond an explosive increase in access to information, technology has become a key tool in effective education allowing students to learn beyond the constraints of the four walls of the classroom or the limits of the school bell and timetable. The effective use of technology also enables teachers to determine quickly the extent of student learning using online and interactive resources. Gaining data quickly will allow teachers to modify learning activities to meet the needs of a wide range of learners more effectively. Teachers can now expand their lessons to incorporate the critical 21st Century skills of collaboration, communication, critical thinking and creativity.

REDEFINING LEARNINGThe use of technology at William Carey is not about the substitution of paper and pens with digital technology. Rather ICT will

be used to modify learning for our students through redefining lesson activities. It will also provide new opportunities for students to experience whole lesson activities that would not be possible without ICT.

William Carey’s BYOD for Learning program is starting in 2018. By 2020 all students from years 5-12 will be required to bring a digital device to school for learning in the classroom.

Students in year groups waiting for the phase-in to be complete are allowed and encouraged to start BYOD voluntarily. The school will make devices available to student in Years P-4. Students in Years 3 and 4 may choose to BYOD. Students in P-2 should not bring a device to school.

CHOICE IN DEVICESOne of the first questions that parents ask is, ‘What device should my child bring?’. The school has deliberately avoided instructing families to bring one type of device. This is to avoid a one-size-fits-all approach, but rather provide choice, flexibility and adaptability for our students.

The school has set minimum specifications to enable students to use devices that will meet their educational needs while at school. When choosing a device consideration should be given to weight, price and functionality. The value of purchasing extended warranty can also be considered.

Experience in schools who have run BYOD for a number of years has shown that laptops prove to be most functional for students in the High School years. On this basis we

Year BYOD Year Groups

2018 5, 7, 11

2019 5 - 8 and 11 - 12

2020 5 - 12

BYOD FOR LEARNING PHASE-IN TIMELINE

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‘strongly encourage our students in Years 7 and higher to bring a laptop as their device.

PROS AND CONSStrengths and weaknesses of a range of possible device types are included in this booklet to help each family choose the device that best serves their child’s educational needs. If a student has a particular interest in using their device for creative endeavours, they shouldn’t be forced to purchase equipment that would only be used at school. Using the same type of device at home and at school allows them to gain mastery of that device. Parents and students should select the equipment that best suits the student’s learning needs, and enjoy the advantages of digital technologies.

Support of students, as they adjust to using a device for their learning, is a focus area for school planning. The school will establish programs to train students in safe, organised and productive use of technology at school.

Parents and students naturally have many more questions relating to BYOD and the Frequently Asked Questions section of this booklet aims to address as many of these questions as possible. If you have further questions once you have read this booklet, you can email us at byod@wccs.nsw.edu.au. USING ICT WISELYPromoting safe and healthy technology use by our students is a critical component of the successful introduction of BYOD to William Carey. It is essential that parents and the school work in close partnership to promote this. Training our children in wise use of technology is a long term project, for both the school and parents, in building our children’s character and wisdom. The final section of this booklet contains a number of ideas to consider in the development of proactive responses to the increasing influence of technology in people’s lives.

Mr. Keith McMullenPrincipal

We strive to equip our students as active and responsible digital citizens and lifelong learners.

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SUITABLE FOR STUDENTS IN HIGH SCHOOL(also suitable for Year 5-6 Primary students)

WINDOWS LAPTOP $500 - $3000• Good compatibility, most software is available for Windows• Variety of manufacturers give a wide range of choice in specs, design and appearance.

Windows laptops are widely used in most areas of business and education. New devices will all run Windows 10, which is designed to support touch functionality and stylus than previous versions. Windows laptops are available in a variety of designs, including the traditional laptop design and a number of 2-in-1 designs such as detachable keyboards and tent-fold models. The 2-in-1 designs often include a stylus which is useful for activities such as drawing/painting and note taking. It is recommended to avoid the bottom of the range units as these laptops are generally not well suited for a student as they are less portable with shorter battery life.

DEVICE TYPESSTRONGLY RECOMMENDED FOR STUDENTS IN THE HIGH SCHOOL

In the High School students will be given free licenced access to software packages (Microsoft Office and basic Adobe Suite) that will allow them to complete the course requirements. These software packages are also available on iPad and Android tablets but they will not have the same level of functionality as found on the laptop versions.

For this reason we strongly recommend that students in Year 7 and up use a laptop to participate in the BYOD for Learning program.

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APPLE LAPTOP $1500 - $3000• Premium brand, therefore build quality and support is very good• Hardware and software both developed by the same company, which will give

efficiency and reliability.

Apple laptops (Macbooks) are preferred by some students, and offer a good user experience. Functions such as software installations and updates are easy for the end user to manage, however being a premium brand, their price tends to be higher than a windows device with similar specifications. Mac OS devices generally have fewer issues with viruses but this does not mean that they are immune to being targeted. Most major software is available for Apple laptops but the range is not as broad as it is for Windows devices. Apple does not offer any 2-in-1 touch based laptops or stylus options. Apple laptops are commonly used in creative areas such as graphic design and music composition. It is not recommended to select an Apple laptop for students who have no prior experience with them, as they may find it difficult adjusting to the different interface.

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SUITABLE FOR STUDENTS IN PRIMARY SCHOOL

iPAD $400 - $1200• Lightweight, "instant-on" device with excellent

battery life• Premium brand with good build quality and stability.

iPads are very portable devices that have been designed specifically with touch interface in mind. This makes them easy to use, and very familiar to students. Depending on the model, they can be cost competitive compared to a laptop, have excellent battery life, and are generally more compact than a laptop. BYOD requirements mean a physical keyboard would also need to be purchased, in the form of a bluetooth (wireless) or keyboard case. Higher end units (iPad Pro) also support a stylus. The Apple Pencil currently provides an excellent digital drawing experience and may be worth considering for students doing graphic artwork. The Apple App Store has a huge range of apps to perform almost any task needed.

ANDROID TABLET $400 - $1200• A variety of manufacturers give a wide range of

choice in specs, design and appearance• Lightweight, "instant-on" device with excellent

battery life.

Android tablets are similar to iPads in that they are designed as a touch interface device, therefore will be easy and familiar to use. Depending on the manufacturer, some models can be better value than equivalent Apple iPads. However, as with Windows laptops, the very cheap models should be avoided as they tend to be of poor quality with outdated software. The Google Play Store offers an equally vast range of apps as the Apple App Store and some Android tablets offer stylus support.

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CHROMEBOOK $300 - $700• Light and cheap device with built-in physical keyboard• Secure and resistant to viruses as the operating system is tightly locked down.

Chromebooks offer the functionality of the chrome web browser in a device with a physical keyboard and good battery life. These machines boot up quickly and handle basic tasks such as web browsing and word processing well. They have access to a wide range of apps via the Chrome Web Store. Chromebook functionality can be lower for more involved tasks such as graphic design, video editing and music composition. They function best when connected to the internet, but have relatively little local storage space.

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Category Minimum Specifications

Recommended Specifications

Rationale

Wireless 802.11n 802.11ac Adequate speed to access WCCS Wireless.Cellular connectivity (i.e. hotspot or active SIM card in BYO device) is strongly discouraged.

Battery 8+ hours of battery life.

To allow for full work day, battery life will vary depending on usage, this number may not be accurate for all usage scenarios.

RAM 4GB* 8GB or more *RAM is not relevant to an iPad provided it is less than 4 years old.

Performance Startup less than 30 seconds.

Performance will vary based on device category. Tablets and Chromebooks need to be less than 4 years old.

Storage 32GB or more of storage.Some form of external backup of data.

Solid State Drive (SSD)

For offline storage of documents and data.Solid State Drives are more reliable and provide better performance than traditional hard drives. External backup can take the form of a USB hard drive, flash drive or cloud backup.

Screen Size 9.7 inch screen size. 13 inch screen size. A screen size of 13” offers the best compromise between functionality and portability. Larger units will result in increased weight for transport purposes.

Additional hardware Features

Physical keyboard. Headphone connectivity.Built in camera.Headphones.Microphone.

Front and rear facing cameraUSB/USB C port.

Physical keyboard provides increased typing speed and improved ergonomics.Headphone to listen to videos/podcasts, online NAPLAN testing.Mic/camera for creation and collaboration using multimedia technologiesMany laptops include a built in microphone and camera. In the absence of these, there are headsets available which include both headphones and microphone in a single unit.

Carry Case Padded bag or case to transport the device to/from school.

Optional: Ruggedised device (MIL-STD-810), an additional hard case or neoprene sleeve.

The WCCS uniform bag has a padded laptop pocket that offers the minimum level of protection required.

Security Password to lock device.

Tracking software on the device in case of loss. Biometric security such as facial recognition, fingerprint scanner, iris scanner.

Students are responsible for any actions performed on their device, as such it is in their best interests to ensure no unauthorised activity can take place by securing the device.

STUDENT DEVICE REQUIREMENTS 2018Minimum and Recommended Specifications for BYOD

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HEALTHY AND SAFE USE OF ICT

Technology is very much a key component of learning in the 21st Century. When used wisely, it can improve and enrich learning. It is essential that parents and the school work in close partnership to promote the health and safety of our children and students as they use ICT. Training our children in the wise use of technology is not solved with a quick fix. Healthy and safe use of technology is a long term project in building our children’s character and wisdom.

Please note that the following comments and links are provided to assist parents in this important task. The external articles and sites, however, do not necessarily represent the views of William Carey Christian School.

COMMUNICATIONMaintain open lines of communication within families. • Regularly discuss the use of ICT at

home and at school. • Develop an ICT use agreement

within the household between family members.

• Decide on times for school work, times for entertainment using an electronic device and screen free times.

• Discuss how and where ICT can be used (and not) to maintain strong relationships.

• Establish common agreed practices for the whole family regarding use of technology. These are easiest to

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maintain if established when children are young. Don't wait for problems with technology to arise later as it is harder to implement change. As children grow, agreed practices may need to be modified to be age appropriate while still providing safe and healthy use of technology.

ESTABLISHING AND MODELLING HEALTHY PRACTICES• Make the parent an administrator

for the device and set up a profile for your child. Establish that this device is for school work and thus, as a parent, you can ask to look at work, internet histories and device use at any time.

• Keep screens out of the bedroom. Establish a common charging area for smartphones and look for spaces, where possible, for students to use their device in a common area of the house.

• Agree on good digital etiquette. It is important to relate well with others, both online and face to face. People need to feel heard and respected. So consider how ICT is used when in a group, i.e. does ICT build connections or pull people apart?

• Minimise distractions. While multitasking often gives the individual a sense of being effective and active, the impact is actually detrimental.Multitasking or being in a distracting environment impairs efficiency in completing work and impairs short and long term work. Distractions include mobile phones, social media, games and television. Even listening to music uses up some of the brain’s capacity to concentrate. Music with lyrics noticeably reduces the brain’s ability to complete work effectively.

• Physical health. Set up a comfortable and healthy workplace to use technology. Good ergonomics are important to avoid muscle fatigue or

eye strain. Balance physical activity with sedentary activity.

• Ensure you plan time away from screens. Regular breaks from working with digital technology are important to remain refreshed. Setting blocks of time to concentrate on screen-based activities broken up by time away from technology has many benefits. It will improve physical, emotional and mental health as well as boosting focus.

• Plan to switch off screens well prior to bedtime. A large body of evidence now shows that the blue light from smartphones, tablets and computers can interfere with the body’s natural sleep cycles. Sleep is vital to learning, particularly the consolidation of long term memory. It is important that sleep areas are kept separate from work areas.

• Model the technology practices that you want your children to adopt. We have a responsibility as parents to understand the long term investment of building character in our children. Consider how you use technology around your children and practise good digital etiquette.

RESOURCESFiltering software can help in providing protective boundaries to children. We utilise filtering software at school and we recommend that families use a suitable form of filtering at home. It is important to understand that no filtering software will provide complete protection. Thus active parental involvement is vital in keeping children safe.

Investigate the parent control services offered by your Internet Service Provider (ISP). This can include filtering of content entering your house through the modem and times when the modem can be automatically switched on and off (including remote/online control of your modem).

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A number of online resources are available to provide parents with help in supporting their children with healthy and safe technology use:

• http://parenttechguide.com/ provides parents with help to navigate the challenges faced by technology and teach our children how to use technology in a way that honours God. This page is not just for Christians, rather it provides good common sense advice.

• http://thefrankchat.com/ designed for educating young people, parents and the community about the harms of pornography. James Grady, author of 'The Frank Chat' is a school chaplain and teacher.

• http://parentech.com.au/ established by the Australian Parents Council to support parents in the digital age.

• http://blogs.willcarey.nsw.edu.au/ict/2015/cyber-safe-families/ for other safe guidelines.

Students are trained to work with technology in safe and healthy ways within a framework of biblical Christian principles.‘

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SOFTWAREIn order to facilitate the completion of required tasks, students will need a range of software installed on their device.

Tablet devices should have the Google Drive Apps installed including Google Documents, Google Slides and Google Sheets. Other tools/apps may be requested and/or suggested by teachers. Students will normally be given several days notice to install apps.

STUDENTS WILL NEED THE FOLLOWING SOFTWARE:

• Web Browser - Much of the content is delivered via web based tools and applications, students will therefore need an up to date modern browser. Firefox, Chrome, and Edge are all acceptable options for this.

• Office Suite (Word Processor, Presentation Software) - Microsoft Office (available for free to students through the school) or Google docs are the primary office suite packages used. This includes Word, Excel, Powerpoint and Slides for presentations.

• Multimedia Suite - A basic version of the Adobe Suite (available for free to students through the school) will be suitable for most students. This includes Acrobat, Animate, Captivate, Dreamweaver, Illustrator, Indesign, Lightroom, Muse, Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. These multimedia products will meet the course needs of students. Students will be able to access school computer labs for other multimedia products. A higher version of the Adobe Suite package can be made available to students for a small annual fee.

• Faculty Specific Software - Where a course requires the use of a specialised application, the school will provide a recommendation for a suitable application on each platform. For some specific courses, the school will provide access to specialised and/or expensive software in a computer lab.

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Is my child required to bring a portable ICT device to school?In 2018, students in Years 5, 7 and 11 will be required to bring a device that meets the minimum specifications. Students in Prep to Year 2 should not bring a device to school as we provide these whenever they are needed. Students in all other years are allowed and encouraged to bring a device as a voluntary BYOD user.By 2020, all students in Years 5 to 12 will be required to bring a device to school.

Where do I buy a device?To provide families with the opportunity to purchase a device that suits their child’s needs and at a competitive price, families can select from a wide range of retailers. We recommend that a purchase is made later in the year when retailers start setting competitive prices in the lead up to Christmas (note: some schools have used purchase portals to streamline purchasing but we have found that they do not always provide the best value and can limit the choices available).

Can the school help financially?For the phase in period from 2018 to 2020 the school will be providing a one off BYOD rebate to the year groups required to bring a device to school. In 2018 a BYOD rebate will be credited to school fees upon the successful registration of students’ approved electronic devices onto the WCCS network (Year 5 - $150, Year 7 - $225, Year 11 - $450).

What about smart phones?From 2018, smart phones will not meet the minimum specifications for the BYOD program. The smart phone screen size is below 9.7 inches and lacks a physical keyboard. Students who bring smartphones to school will still be required to meet the acceptable use policy (in school planners) for mobile phones.

What about protecting the device?The WCCS school bag has been designed with a padded protective pocket. This provides basic physical protection. There are many protective cases that will provide additional protection. Use of a lightweight protective case is recommended.

As with other equipment, individual students are responsible for their own property at school. The school's insurance will not cover student devices. Parents are advised to make their own insurance arrangements to cover the possibility of theft, loss or accidental damage to the device. Parents are also advised to ensure the device has regularly updated protection against viruses and malware.

To reduce the risk of loss or theft, devices should be marked or labeled in an indelible manner. Engraving the device is a good strategy but you will need to ensure this does not void warranty. iPads have a built in - ‘Find My iPad’ app, Android devices have a similar option in the 'Find Device' app. Laptops can use tracking software such as https://lojack.absolute.com/en-au and https://www.preyproject.com/. These apps and software must be activated prior to the device being lost.

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Won’t a device just make my child’s school bag heavier?The school is particularly mindful of the weight of bags, particularly for our younger students. We will lighten bags by moving to electronic textbooks where possible. It is recommended that device weight be considered when making a purchase as this does vary significantly between devices.

Will the use of the Internet be monitored by the school?Yes. Currently all devices that access our school’s wifi network have their internet connection filtered and their activity is logged. Parents should be aware that if students access the internet using their own 3G/4G cellular capable devices, their activity is not filtered or logged by the school.

Will students be able to recharge their device during the day?It is the responsibility of students to ensure their device is fully charged before the start of each school day. A very limited number of charging stations at school will be available to students. However, these will not be able to meet the demands of students relying on charging devices at school.

Won’t BYOD lead to more distractions and inappropriate behavior?An increase in the use of digital technology may cause distractions and lead to inappropriate behaviour. Our school wants parents to know that we take both of these matters seriously. Our current school policy requiring students to turn off and put away devices during lesson breaks will continue. Students are required to be supervised by teachers at all times when using ICT at school.

Our school also asks that parents partner with us to provide students with ongoing support and training for wise and healthy use of digital technology. One strategy we will be adopting is the eSMART Schools Framework. eSMART provides a prevention and risk management framework to schools, helping them better integrate cyber safety practices and promote the safe use of online technology in their community.

Will my child be looking at screens all day?No. ICT is a tool for learning but it cannot replace face to face teaching and the collaborative interaction between groups of students and between students and their

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teachers. Lessons will involve a mixture of activities that will require students to use their devices as well as engage in activities that don’t involve digital technology.

How will my child maintain organised class notes?Students will be assisted through training to develop good processes for maintaining notes. Online organisation can be administered by the classroom teachers. Many digital learning activities will make use of Google Classroom, one component of the Google for Education Suite. Google Classroom is used by the classroom teachers to help students reamin organised.

Doesn’t the government supply funding for laptops? Can’t the school supply a device?The Australian Laptop Funding Scheme ended in June 2013. As a result, this funding is no longer available for any school students. Schools that provide ICT devices to their students accomplish this by adding the cost of the devices to the school fees.

What technical support will the school provide?The school’s ICT department will provide assistance with connecting the device to the school’s wifi and services. For any issues that arise due to faults with the

device’s hardware and software, it is the family’s responsibility to resolve these in a timely manner to reduce any interruption to student learning. Many retailers offer extended support and/or warranty. This is an option you may wish to consider when making a purchase. The school is currently developing procedures to support students waiting on the return of a device being repaired. If a device is in for repair, the school will support students over this time. Procedures are being developed for this scenario.

What about storage of my child’s work?It is important that students back-up their work on a regular basis. The school’s assessment guidelines state that computer failure is not an acceptable excuse for non/late submission of an assessment task. ICT devices do occasionally fail so students need to ensure they regularly back-up any work saved on their device, on an external hard drive or to the cloud.

I have more questions, who do I ask?If you have further questions, we are keen to hear from you. We cannot guarantee that we have answers to all your questions. However, if you would like to contact the school regarding BYOD for Learning send an email to byod@wccs.nsw.edu.au.

Expect great things from God,Attempt great things for God.Bumbera St, Prestons NSW 2170

Phone: (02) 9608 2277 Fax: (02) 9608 2681 Email: admin@wccs.nsw.edu.au Web: www.wccs.nsw.edu.au