BYOD & Digital Citizenship
BYOD
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Dear Parents/Guardians,
The Maungatautari syndicate are excited to offer the opportunity for students to again bring their own iPad or Chromebook device to assist their learning in 2020.
Vision
- Our practise today needs to prepare children for the future. We need to equip children with the skills to learn rather than focussing predominantly on the knowledge to be learnt.
- The jobs of the future are not yet invented. Technology and jobs are progressing at a rate far greater than we can predict. Many of the jobs available to children in 10 years time are yet to be invented. With this knowledge it is vital that we support the principle mentioned above.
- BYOD bridges the gap between home and school and it normalises tools in an educational environment. The tools at home can often supercede the tools at school.
- Our local intermediate schools; including Berkley, Southwell, St Peters and Peachgrove all have established BYOD programmes.
Curriculum
- To meet the expectations of the New Zealand curriculum for Digital Technologies, being introduced to all New Zealand schools from 2018.
- Assessment – NZQA aim to have all assessments completed digitally by 2020, by which stage our current Year 5 and 6 learners will be completing NZQA assessments. http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/about-us/future-state/digital-assessment-trials-pilots/
- Develop cyber safety in an authentic context.
Learning
- Enables the opportunity to provide personalised learning in a manageable way.
- Allows collaboration with both student to student and student to teacher.
- Allows anywhere/anytime access to learning.
- Engages, motivates and inspires learning. Provides opportunity to take leaning to a higher level.
- Enables teachers to create more learning time by making the most of every learning minute, with learning tasks available immediately, reducing time waiting for instructions and handing out sheets.
- Proves a greater opportunity for authentic learning with a real audience to share with through Blogging.
- Teachers will be following the SAMR model, with the goal of not substituting technology for pen and paper.
- Teachers will be working towards more of a Flipped Classroom where lessons can be ‘Paused, Rewinded and Repeated’ – anywhere, anytime.
- A workshop approach where teachers work with small groups of students while other students work on learning tasks based on their needs from a selection of ‘must do’s’ and ‘can do’s’
What research proves that digital devices accelerate learning?
Research about BYOD and 1:1 schemes is inconclusive. Determining if devices make a difference to learning would be like determining if student whiteboards make a difference to learning – that is to say it really depends what is done with the tool! What our research has told us is that devices can support personalised learning, student motivation, engagement, collaboration, depth in learning, flexibility and student autonomy of learning – all factors that rate highly in John Hattie’s “Influences on student learning”.
Why have Tamahere selected iPads and Chromebooks?
Our experience and research tells us that by restricting the types of devices brought into school, we will limit the amount of time needed to manage the devices, which prevents teaching and learning taking place.
Having used both devices extensively over four years, we feel that students will not be disadvantaged if they bring an iPad or Chromebook to school. In previous years, some students brought existing family iPads and Chromebooks, which may be the easiest option for many parents.
If you are looking at purchasing a new device here are a few facts to help you decide;
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As a school, we have arranged for for PB Tech to provide recommended devices at discounted pricing. Details are attached and on our website
www.tamahere.school.nz/our-learning/byod > Purchasing Options.
You do not need to purchase through PB Tech. If you are purchasing elsewhere, it is recommended iPads have at least 32GB storage and Chromebooks at least 4GB Ram.
What else do we need to purchase?
It is highly recommended that students have a protective case for their device and headphones. Students with iPads are welcome to bring Bluetooth Keyboards. iPad users have a small list of Apps that need to be purchased www.tamahere.school.nz/our-learning/byod. Students with Chromebooks may like to have a mouse, if they find the trackpad difficult to use.
How are Apps installed?
Currently, we ask that iPad Apps are installed at home. We advise that you use a Gift Card, not a Credit Card, to purchase the required Apps
Chromebooks have Apps pre-installed against your students @tamahere.school.nz account. So, when a student logs into a Chromebook with their @tamahere.school.nz address, they will have all of the school Apps in their Apps launcher. It is highly recommended that the first time you connect to your Chromebook, you use WiFi, not 3G/4G data, as a large amount of data is downloaded onto the device. All Year 5 students will be given a new Google password in the last week of 2017 to use with their Chromebooks.
Can the devices stay at school?
We ask that students charge their devices at home. If a student has a genuine reason to leave their device at school occasionally, they can negotiate this with their teacher who will ensure the device will be secure and charged for the next day.
How do I insure my device?
Please contact your insurance company to arrange policy cover for the device at school. When your child is not in class a lockable cabinet will be provided for your child to secure their device in.
Is there an agreement form?
Yes. Before a student can use a device at school, we require the completion of the attached BYOD agreement, that is to be signed by students, parents and teachers. This agreement can also be found on our website www.tamahere.school.nz/our-learning/byod/
An additional Responsible Use Agreement is done in class at the beginning of each year. For students starting at other times of the school year, we ask that parents complete this form with their child at home and return to their teacher. Further information about Responsible use can be found on our Digital Citizenship site (Our Learning > Digital Citizenship).
Is there anything to do once we purchase a device?
Before an iPad is brought into school, we need parents to set-up iPad restrictions. Instructions on setting up restrictions are on our website. If you are bringing an iPad we also ask that the Apps on our Apps list are installed. It would also be ideal if devices were organised with folders. The ‘How To’ videos on our website explain this process. http://www.tamahere.school.nz/our-learning/byod/how-to
Do I have to bring a device?
No. This is an optional initiative. Students that do not purchase a device will still be using ICT devices throughout their school week. You may also choose to bring a device later in the school year.
How will the students transition to Intermediate and secondary with these devices?
We have been liaising with our local Intermediates and secondary schools and know they are also using Google Apps for Education in their teaching and learning programmes. Berkley currently recommends Chromebooks or iPads, while Hillcrest High strongly recommends Chromebooks. Chromebooks are also the prefered device at Southwell and Peachgrove. St Peters are our only feeder school that ask students to bring Apple Laptops.
How will the school ensure safety while on these devices?
We have a secure network that filters websites and can track the history of any user. We also receive reports of any attempts to break our filtering, which we will follow-up on where appropriate.
No filtering can ever be guaranteed to be 100%, so we will combine our filtering programme with teacher-led Digital Citizenship lessons.
What will this mean in terms of screen time for my child?
Though we are integrating the use of ICT into our learning more, this does not mean that your child will be fixed to a screen. Students will still work in small groups with their teacher, work in groups with their peers, use other ‘hands on’ learning and write in books. We do not want to substitute books for a computer, rather we want to leverage the benefits of devices using the SAMR model (see presentation). Teachers will be alert to the need to ensure that long sustained periods of time in front of a screen do not occur.
How can I ensure my child is safe at home on their device?
All research states that web capable devices that students use should only be used under adult supervision and definitely not out of sight (i.e. in a closed bedroom). Sticking to this rule will elevate most potential problems. Settings on devices can also be changed to support the safe use of devices.
Apple recommend using Restrictions to keep iPads safe – http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201304.
You can also set parental controls through iTunes as outlined here http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1904
Information
More details; including research links, purchasing options, learning philosophies, digital citizenship, how to guides and Frequently Asked Questions can be found at www.tamahere.school.nz/our-learning/byod
Questions
If you have any further questions, please feel free to talk Annette Howard or Steve Trotter
Regards
Annette
Question still not answered? Watch our Parent Presentation here or ask your question here
Maungatautari Purchasing Devices
Maungatautari Purchasing Devices
Pirongia Purchasing Devices
Pirongia Purchasing Devices
How to Set Up Your Child’s BYOD Chromebook
How to Set Up Your Child's BYOD Chromebook
Digital Citizenship
Positive
Relationships
We know that when we interact with people online, the people are real and have feelings.
What we say online can impact others positively or negatively
Smart
Footprint
We know that when we visit websites or post content online, the data remains after our visit and can be viewed by other people now and in the future.
Learning Links
Our Curriculum
Seesaw
| Seesaw gives Tamahere students another creative tool to capture and reflect on their learning – in real time. Then this work is shared with parents. Seesaw gives parents a window into each of our classrooms and into their student’s learning process. Our students and teachers enjoy using this tool in partnership with the wonderful experiences our teachers provide in their classrooms.
You can download Seesaw’s Parent App for iOS, Android, or use the web to view your student’s learning artifacts. Once signed up as a parent, when your child adds new work, you will receive a notification to see, hear and respond to your child’s learning item. You only have access to your own child’s work and all of the content is stored securely. Your classroom teacher can share a printout of how to set up your app and link to your child’s learning. If this has not been done already you can contact them for this support or you could contact Annette Howard – ahoward@tamahere.school.nz or Jiaming Zhang – jzhang@tamahere.school.nz
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Enviro-School
At Tamahere Model Country School we are an Enviro School. This means that we are committed to achieving sustainable practices at school and in our wider community. We currently have bronze status and are working hard to achieve silver status. Every year we have at least 2 Eco Warriors selected from each class. They have the very important job of communicating enviro messages back to their class and speaking on behalf of their class if there are issues or ideas that they want the school to explore further. We also encourage classes to take on enviro projects around the school. Each week we have a lunch time garden session where any children interested can come along to the school garden and participate in planting, weeding, planning, harvesting or selling.
Some of the amazing projects completed in our school in 2015 were:
- Planting native trees in the Allan Turner Reserve in Tamahere
- Raising oak seedlings to be planted along the highway in Hamilton in a few years’ time
- Maintaining a vegetable garden and selling the produce to our parent community
- Maungatautari students planned and made art works to brighten up areas of the school
- Our Dad’s Army moved fruit trees in preparation for a new shed
- A community member came and showed us how to prune our fruit trees
Watch this space to see what projects and competitions we are getting involved in this year.
