Parent FAQs iPads at St Caths

7/31/2019 Parent FAQs iPads at St Caths

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Parent FAQs

1 to 1 Device Program

1

Introduction

What is a one-to-one program?

One-to-one (1 to 1) learning provides every student and

teacheraccesstohisorherownmobiledeviceinawireless

environmentallowingstudentstolearnattheirownpaceand

ability levels.One-to-one initiatives have gained momentum

worldwide,andareincreasinglyseenasakeytotransforming

educationandbetterpreparingstudentstosucceedinaglobal

world.

In the one-to-one program, students' access to a personal

mobiledevice(suchasaniPad)andtheInternetenablesthem

tobeself-directedandreceivehighlypersonalisedinstruction.

Teachers can create personalised learning opportunities foreachchild,addressinghisorheruniqueneeds.Studentsuse

their personaldevices to research, complete homeworkand

academiccoursework,accessreadingmaterial,managenotes

and calendars, problem-solve, collaborate on team projects

and communicate via email. At the same time, they gain

valuable21stcenturyskillsthatwillbebeneficialthroughout

theirlivesandcareers.

TheseFrequentlyAskedQuestionstrytoaddresssomeofthe

mostcommonquestionsparentshaveinrelationtoa1to1

program.

1 to 1 devices and student

learning

Why iPads instead of computer labs?

Teachers report that whendevicesare located in labs, they

use technology less often for instruction because of the

difficulty of scheduling time in the lab and transporting

studentsthere.

Morewidespreadaccessto technology makes itpossible for

studentsandteachersinschoolstotransitionfromoccasional,

supplemental use of computers for instruction to more

frequent, integral use of technology across a multitude of

settings. Providing students with ubiquitous access to

wirelessly connected devices has the potential to transform

learning environments and improve student learning

outcomes.

Furthermore,accesstopersonaldigitallearningdevicesfrom

homemakesitpossibleforstudentstoaccessawiderarrayof

resources to support their learning at a time that suitsthemselvesand theirfamily, tocommunicatewithpeersand

theirteachersastheyneedto,andtobecomefluentintheir

useofthetechnologicaltoolsofthe21stcenturyworkplace.

Why iPads instead of laptops?

Studentsalreadyhaveaccesstosharedlaptopsatschool.Asa

personal device, the iPad is more relevant and suitable for

studentsofthisage.Itislighter,moremobile,morerobust

anddurablewithnomoveableparts.Withnohingedscreen,

whichmayactasabarrier,theiPadisoftenmoresuitedto

collaborative activities. The iPad camera in particular, an

invaluable tool for learning, can be used in more versatile

waysthanalaptopcamera,astheiPadismoreeasilyhandled

andmanipulated.

The iPad offers students at this level all of the necessary

learning management tools, communication and creation

tools,accesstoinformationandlearningapplications,atless

thanhalfthecostofalaptop.Itisalsoeasiertomanagefrom

atechnicalperspectivewithaveryintuitiveoperatingsystem,

makingitmoreaccessibletostudentswithlessexperienceor

confidenceinnavigatingacomputeroperatingsystem.

Will students use their iPads too muchfor schoolwork?

The 1 to 1 device will complement the existing school

curriculum by providing appropriate digital learning tools in

balancewithtraditionallearningtools.

Thegoalsofthecurriculumaresupported,notsupplanted,by

theuseof1to1devices.Studentswillusetheirdeviceswhenappropriate,wheretheyservearealpurpose,forinstance,in

research, record keeping, data analysis and generating

presentations.

Wireless access will allow for just-in-time learning where

studentscansearchforinformationorcollaboratewithothers

inareal-timecontext.Studentswillbeabletousetheirschool

filesathomeandbeabletocollaboratewiththeirpeerson

projects.

How can 1 to 1 devices improvestudents learning?

With greateraccess to real-time information, digitallearning

resources, educational software and collaborative

workspaces, studentsexperience higher levels of motivation

andengagementintheirlearning.

Typically students experience initial improvement in areas

such as organisational and technological skills, revision,

writing and editing work. With the development of

presentations and other multimedia projects, students

experience subsequent improvement in analytical,presentationandspeakingskills.

Involvementinvirtualworkspacescreatesopportunitiesfor

collaboration and communication, improving relationships in


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theclassroomthroughagreaterlevelofinteractionbetween

students,theirpeersandtheirteachers.

A networked environment, where it is easy to share

developingworkandresearchwithpeersandteachers,isthe

environmentstudentswillliveandworkinduringsecondary

schoolandthefuture.

Students working together and providing solutions to real-

world problems will create links beyond the classroom and

move levels of thinking beyond a simple knowledge

frameworktocomplexanalysisandevaluation.

Increasedlevelsoflearningbothinandoutofschoolwithan

emphasis on higher-order thinking, creative thinking and

expressionwillbepromoted.

Will learning outcomes be evaluateddifferently?

StudentswillcontinuetobeevaluatedagainsttheQueensland

and/or National Curricula. The devices complement the

existing school curriculum by providingdigital learning tools

thatlinkinwithplannedclassroomactivities.Wirelessaccess

at school will foster collaboration and teamwork, allowing

students to search for information together and share the

learningexperience.

How will 1 to 1 devices be used in theclassroom?

Oursisatechnology-richworldandstudentsareimmersedin

digital technology in their out-of-school lives. The use of

devicesintheclassroomwillevolveovertimeasstudentsand

teachersbecomemore familiar andtherefore better able to

optimisetheadvantageoftheirusetosupportteachingand

learningintheclassroom.

Staffandstudentswillcollaborateandusethedeviceasatool

thatdevelopsthestudentasinformationseeker,analyserandevaluator,problem-solver anddecision maker.Theywill use

programs to create ways in which to communicate their

findingsandbecomepublishersoftheirownwork.

What about safe Internet use?

Studentsareofferedadevicetofacilitateanytime,anywhere

learning. Teacherswill supervise studentsas they would for

any learning activity as they create and maintain a safe,

comfortableandlearning-focusedclassroom.Appropriateuse

of the Internet service within the BCE network is closely

monitoredbya filteringsystemthatallowsforinappropriate

contentblockingbyaregularlyupdatedlistofcategoriesand

sites. This does not apply to use of devices outside of the

schoolnetwork.

Education and support are important for maintaining

acceptable useof devices,particularlyin relationto Internet

access.Likemobilephones,emailandmessagingsystemscan

be usedfor unacceptable purposesand to bully others. It is

essential that all members of the community, students,

parentsandstaffareawareofthispotentialandalsoofthe

schoolsBullyingandAcceptableUsepolicies.Anyincidentof

bullying or unacceptable use will be investigated and dealt

withinaccordancewiththesepolicies.

The school will provide parents with a copy of A Parents

Guide to Internet Safety produced by the Australian

Governments Net Alert (Australias internet safety advisory

body),which contains furtherusefulinformation,adviceand

resourcesforparents.

What about handwriting?

Handwritingwillcontinuetohaveaplaceintheclassroomas

wellastheuseofthekeyboard.

Wont students be able to cheat byusing the spell checker?

The spell checker is a tool to allow students immediate

feedback on the correct spelling of words they use. It

supplements the existing school spelling program, but does

notreplaceit.

What if students play on the devicesduring the school day instead of goingoutside during break times?

The devices will provide additional support for student

learning, and therefore students will be supervised, as they

wouldbeforanylearningactivity.Useof1to1devicesduring

break times will be restricted to the school library space,

whereusecanbesupervised.Studentswilladdtheirnamesto

aregisterwhenusingthedeviceinthelibraryatbreaktimes.If this use is deemed excessive over time, appropriate

restrictionscanbenegotiatedbetweentheclassteacherand

thestudentsparents.

How will parents continue to be informedabout integration of 1 to 1 devices intothe curriculum?

St Catherines newsletter will provide updates to the whole

school community about theuseof thedevicesby students

and teachers in and out of the classroom. For families ofstudents in the 1 to 1 classes, ongoing parent information

evenings when required will assist parents with the

management anduse of thedeviceat home. Class websites

andblogpostswillalsokeepfamiliesregularlyupdatedabout

howthedevicesarebeingusedatschool.


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Student safety and onlineprivacy

Will children be safe carrying 1 to 1devices?

Overseasresearchhasshownthatinsurancecompaniesreport

very fewincidentswhile studentstravel toand from school.

Studentsshouldbespecificallywarnednottotakethedevices

outinpublic(includingonpublictransport),andtocarrythem

in a protective cover, which should be placed within their

schoolbags.

Are these devices going to add to the

heavy loads students carry from home toschool?

The device has been deliberately chosen for a number of

reasons, including its weight specifications. The device will

alleviatetheneedforstudentstocarrycalculators,textbooks

and a large number of exercise books, further reducing the

weightofitemsstudentsneedtocarrytoschool.Thedevice

should not be packed into the bottom of an oversized

backpackwithotherbooksanditems,becausethiscanleadto

acompressionfractureofthescreen.

Will the student files on the device beprivate?

Studentscanexpecttheirdeviceto beperiodicallyinspected

andmonitored forappropriate usage.Schoolpersonnel may

requestaccesstothebrowserhistoryaswellasanyandall

filesbelongingtothestudentresidentontheiPadaswellas

stored on SharePoint sites, Dropboxes and BCE web based

drives. Students and parents need to be aware that files

storedlocallyoronSharePointsitesandBCEwebbaseddrives

arenotprivate.

Hardware and Apps

Who manages installing the apps?

The iPadwill beowned and managed bystudents and their

parents. The school will provide information guidelines for

familiesonrecommendedprocedures,includingstep-by-step

instructionsandoptionalface-to-faceworkshopopportunities.

ParentswillcreateaniTunesaccountforthestudent,usingan

iTunes gift card (recommended) or credit card. The iTunesaccountcanbecreatedandmanagedontheiPaditself,oron

a homecomputer (Mac orWindows). Similarly,apps canbe

installed to the account either from a home computer or

directlyfromthedevice.Evenifthedeviceislostordamaged,

or appsinadvertentlydeleted,apps canbe reinstalledat no

extracharge,astheiTunesaccountholderownsthemanda

purchaserecordremainsonline.

Which apps are required?

A complete list of the apps required will be published with

Book Lists in Term 4, 2012. There may be additional apps

requiredfromtimetotime.Teacherswillmakeeveryattempt

to provide a complete list each term and to maximise the

noticegiventoparentsifnewinstallationsarerequiredduring

term.Costsforrequiredappswillbekepttoaminimumand

totalcostofrequiredappswillnotexceed$50overtheyear.

Freeappalternativeswilloftenbelistedwhenpaidappsare

recommended.

Which iPad model is preferred?Familieswillhaveachoiceofseveralmodels.BoththeiPad2

(available in 16GB wi-fi only) and the new iPad (3) are

acceptable.TheiPadmusthave:

Frontandrearfacingcameras.

Battery life to exceed 6 hours over the two-year

period.

Restrictions configured for safe use. Information

aboutoptimalsettingswillbeprovidetoparentsas

well as optional information meetingsduring which

parents will be taken step by step through this

process.

3GcapabilityisNOTpermittedatschool

School personnel will install a wireless certificate on the

device just prior to thecommencementof Term1, 2013, to

allow Internet accessvia theSt Catherineswirelessnetwork

whilethedeviceisatschool.

Students will have day-to-day responsibility for the device

includingmanagementandcare,bothatschoolandathome.

What Warranty and Support Options are

available?

Beyond initial configuration and setup of the device, the

school cannot provide technical support. Every iPad comes

with complimentary telephone technical supportfor 90days

fromyouriPadpurchaseandaone-yearlimitedwarranty.

With the AppleCare Protection Plan, you can extend your

servicecoverage to twoyears from the iPad purchase date.

YoucanalsocallApple'stechnicalsupportexpertsasoftenas

youlikeandgetyourquestionsanswered.If youneedrepair

service, Apple offers several service options. You can read

moreinformationaboutAppleCareProtectionforiPadhere:

http://www.apple.com/au/support/products/ipad.html


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Should the device be password-protected?

TheiPadcanbeconfiguredtolockwhenthescreenturnsoff.

Theuseristhenpromptedfora4-digitpasscodebeforethedevice can be unlocked and ready for use. Setting of a

passcodeis a decisionto bemadeby the student and their

parents. A passcode-protected device may help protect

studentspersonalinformationinincidentsoflossortheft.

iTunes account holders automatically gain access to iCloud.

OneofthefeaturesofiCloud,FindMyiPhoneenablesthe

account-holderto locateadeviceifit islostormisplaced,as

longasthedeviceisturnedonandconnectedtoawireless

network. Further information about how to enable this

featurewillbeprovidedbytheschool.

Where do the devices go when not inuse?

Whennotinuse,thedevicesshouldbeinastudentstidytray.

Classroomsarelockedwhentheclassesarenotoccupyingthe

room. An unattended device around buildings or school

groundswillbepickedupimmediatelybyastaffmemberand

treatedasalostitem.

What about flat batteries? Will students

plug in in the classrooms?Studentsareexpectedto chargethedeviceovernightandto

bring it fully charged to school each day. Chargers are to

remainathome.FullychargediPadbatterieswillnotneedto

be recharged during the school day. There may be a spare

charger available in the classroom for emergency situations

butremainingtetheredtothewallwhileusingtheiPadcould

bedetrimentaltostudentsfullinvolvementinclassactivities.

What about equipment breakdown or if astudent forgets to bring their iPad toschool?

Although iPads are robust and reliable, the reality is that

sometimes things will go wrong. Hardware faults covered

under warranty should be repaired within several days. The

parentswillarrangewarrantyrepairsdirectlywithApple,not

throughtheschool.

The school will provide a bank of spare 16GB wi-fi iPads,

installed with all requiredapps, whichcanbe signed inand

out of service when a students iPad requires repair. This

meansthatastudentmayhaveaccesstoaniPadatalltimes,

althoughanyfilesstored locallyon theirpersonal devicewill

notbeaccessibleduringserviceperiods.

The school will not provide a device to students who have

forgotten to bring their own to school. Like any other

requiredresource,ifitisnotavailableduringschoolactivities

thestudentsinvolvement,engagementandprogressmaybe

detrimentallyaffected.Developinggoodorganisationalhabits

isanimportantaspectoflearningmanagement.

Home use of devices

The school monitors usage at school,but who monitors it at home?

That is the responsibility of the parents. When off school

grounds,parentshavefullauthoritytomonitordeviceusage.

Examplesofthismayinclude:

Encourage use in a family room and not in the

bedroom

Restrict use at certain times of the evening or

weekend Advisenottotakeonlongtrips,and

Frequently examine the documents and other

contentsofthedevice

Keep the iTunes account password secure and not

enable the student to install apps or make in-app

purchases.

How can students access the Internetfrom home?

BCEdoes not supply homeInternet connection.There is no

mandated expectation that Internet access is available at

home.IfthereisexistingwirelessInternetprovisionathome,

adevicecanbeeasilyconfiguredforaccess.

How can devices be used at home?

Examples of home use for which Internet access would be

requiredinclude:

Using online collaborative websites such as class

blogs,wikisandpotentialonlineconferences

Usingemail Useofsomeappswhichrequireinternetconnection

toenablefunctionality

Completionofhomeworkusingonlineresources.

ExamplesofhomeuseforwhichInternetaccesswouldnotbe

requiredinclude:

Using any of the iWork apps, eBooks which are

alreadyinstalled,note-takingorpdfannotationapps

Using other apps which do not require internet

access

Working with audio, picture or video files on the

devices


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1 to 1 Device Program5

What sort of protective cover should Ipurchase for the iPad?

Thisiscompletelyuptoyouandyourchild.Awiderangeof

cover choiceswill make it easier foryour child to recognisetheir owndevice. Whenpurchasing, considerhow thecover

will protect the iPad base and screen from scratches.

Protectivefilmscanbeappliedtothescreenbutthesetendto

scratch more easily than the glass and have to be carefully

appliedorthebubblesthatformcandetractfromtheclarity

ofthescreenimage.

It is important that the iPad cover does not inhibit the

functioningof camerasand speakers. Holes forthe cameras

should be large enough to avoid the cover shading or

obscuringthecameralens.Ideallythecovershouldbeableto

foldawayforeasymanipulationoftheiPad,withoutobscuring

therearcamera.AdequateandreasonablypricediPadcoverscanbepurchased

online.

Many iPad covers contain magnets that activate the screen

whenopenedandswitchitoffwhenclosed,whichcanhelp

conservebatterycharge.

It can be helpful to read reviews of different covers before

decidingwhichfeatureswillbestsuityourchildsneeds.

Do I need to purchase any peripherals?

Your child will need earbuds or earphones. No other

peripheralsarerequiredatthisstageforschooluse.Bluetooth

keyboards can be quiteexpensive. If studentswantto type

longdocuments,theywillbeabletoaccessalaptopcomputer

atschoolforthesetasks.A decentstyluscancostmorethan

$25.StudentsmaywishtodevelophandwritingskillsforiPad

andastylusishandyforaccuratewritinganddrawing,butitis

certainlynotarequirementatthisstage.Also,astyluscanbe

very easily misplaced so we would prefer that if purchased,

theseitems stayat home. The school will provide a few for

studentstouseatschooliftheneedarises.

Should I have my childs iPad engraved?

A sticky label on the back of the iPad and a clearly named

covershouldbeadequatemeansofidentifyingiPadowners.

Unless engraving is done through Apple, this may void any

warrantyonthedevice.

Which iPad model should I purchase?

Weappreciatethesignificantinvestmentthatyouaremaking

bypurchasinganiPadforyourchildseducation.Whileyour

Year5childneedspriorityuseoftheiPadasanessentialtoolfor learning during school terms from next year, we

understand that youmay wish tomaximise your investment

duringfamilyholidays.Thechoiceisyours.Whichevermodel

youchoose,oncetheiPadisplacedinitscovertherewillbe

nodiscernabledifference.

YourchildrequiredaniPadwithWi-Fi,functioningfrontand

rear cameras and a minimum of 6 hours battery life (the

lengthofaschoolday).Ifyouchoosetopurchasea3Gmodel

rather than Wi-Fi only, please ensure that no sim card is

insertedforuseatschool.

TheiPad2andthenewiPadareverysimilarinengineering.

They have identical battery life and Gorilla glass touch

screenwithscratchresistantcoating.Thedifferencesbetween

thetwomodelsareasfollows:

The iPad 3 has a faster chip although the extra

processing speed is necessary to drive the high resolution

Retinadisplay.TheiPad2displayismorethanadequatefor

schoolrequirements.

TheiPad2isslightlythinner(6mm)andlighter(51g)

thanthenewiPad.

ThenewiPadhasa fullHDrearcamera.The iPad2

cameraismorethanadequateforschooluse.

The new iPad features Voice Dictation via anintegrated dictation tool built into the onscreen keyboard.

Thisallowsspeechtotextinputasanalternativetotyping.To

accessasimilarfunctionontheiPad2,youcaninstallafree

3rdparty appsuch asDragonDictation.This method may

requirecopyingandpastingtextbetweenapps.

Learningwillnottakeplace

onlyinsideschoolsand

colleges,butincommunities,

workplacesandfamilies.Theshifttothinkingaboutlearningbeyondtheclassroomrequires

ashiftinourthinkingaboutthe

fundamentalorganizationalunitofeducationfromthe

school,aninstitutionwhere

learningisorganized,definedandcontained

tothelearner,anintelligentagentwiththepotentialto

learnfromanyandallofherencounterswiththeworld

aroundher.Tom Bentley, DEMOS

Documents

Parent FAQs iPads at St Caths