ICT

Many parents new to CVC ask about the technology available to students and what they need to have at home to help their child keep up with their school work.

Under the Western Australian Curriculum, it is expected that students learn to use ICT effectively and appropriately to access, create, share and communicate information and ideas, solve problems, show initiative and work collaboratively across all the learning areas. In consultation with primary schools, universities and other expert groups, the College decided the most sustainable strategy to support the shared laptops/desktops was a Parent Funded program. 

The benefits of a Parent Funded 1:1 Program include:

• Enabling students to use the same device at home and school.
• Allowing students to access information according to their need.
• Giving teachers the ability to improve how they teach a concept.
• Building student organisation skills and sense of responsibility.
• Allowing learning to be more engaging.

Device Selection

The world of technology constantly changes but after much research an iPad was chosen as the Parent Funded 1:1 Program ‘device’ for Years 7-9 and a Laptop and/or iPad has been chosen for Years 10-12. The reasons we have chosen these devices include:

• Our college IT systems are currently Apple based and it is much easier to connect an Apple device than any other.
• Most Teachers have an Apple based device (iPad) and it is important that they have a consistent platform to consider when designing lessons and sharing work with students.
• iPads have Apps that are consistent with Apps in other Apple devices in the College.
• iPads are lighter than laptops and this is a major consideration given the weight of students bags.
• iPads are predominantly used in our local Primary Schools and our survey data demonstrates many Year 6 students already own or use an iPad.
• Apple MacBook integrates much more effectively with our College network than Windows based devices, however, Windows based devices are still supported.

Device Minimum Requirements:

We understand that this is a very large investment in your child’s education and if financial constraints prohibit the purchase of a device for your child please contact the College and we will discuss alternative strategies.

Microsoft Office software is free to all students through the Department of Education WA. Please note you do not need to purchase a separate Microsoft Office package for your child’s device.

Technical Support Offered

Support will be provided to connect all devices to the wireless network if the minimum specifications for the device are met. All students will be able to access a simple FAQ trouble shooting set of instructions for common issues.

Please note the College’s IT support staff may not be able to resolve all technical issues with BYOD devices. These issues will be referred back to the parents.

Vendor Portals

The College has negotiated with both Winthrop Australia and JB HiFi to put together a portal to help parents make this purchase. All products listed on both portals meet our minimum requirements. You are also welcome to purchase from any other retailer.

For Winthrop Australia go to: https://sales.winaust.com.au/shop/canningvaleipads

For JB HiFi go to: www.jbeducation.com.au/byod (School Code: CVCBYOD25)

Device Usage Considerations:

Below is an overview of the key considerations for students and parents in the Parent Funded 1:1 Program:

• Please arrange insurance and a sturdy case for protection for your device. The student takes full responsibility for their device. While every effort will be made to ensure security, the school and its staff take no responsibility for loss, theft or damage to the device either at school or in travel to and from school.
• Devices should be brought to school each day fully charged.
• The student will use the school’s filtered wireless network in class time. Mobile data access is not to be used during class time.
• The student will need to take their device home each night so that they can be charged.
• Devices are to be kept in student bags under student care during lunch and recess breaks.
• When students bring a personal device to school for use within the classroom, it is subject to the same rules and regulations as a school owned device.
• Students should not take photos, video or sound recordings of other students and members of staff without their knowledge and consent. They are not allowed to transmit or post photos, video or sound recordings taken at school without the express permission of a teacher.
• The school reserves the right to inspect a student’s personal device if there is reason to believe that the student has violated school policies, school rules or has engaged in other misconduct while using their personal device.
• Violations of school or class rules involving a student’s personally owned device may result in disciplinary action.

Apple Classroom Frequently Asked Questions:

CVC Apple Classroom FAQ