Why BYOD - Bring Your Own Device?

To provide more access to digital technologies that contribute to raising student achievement by enabling students to be:

• effective users of communication tools
• active seekers, users and creators of knowledge
• independent, resourceful and enterprising
• future focused
• critical thinkers
• able to work collaboratively
• able to share work from home to school  and with their teachers

We encourage all students to bring their own device to support their learning.  Our focus will be on supporting all Year 9-13 to make extensive uses of these digital devices and technologies in their courses.  We understand that some students will not have a device which is why we have already purchased some sets of laptops so that no student misses out.

What is a digital device?

It is a personal laptop, Netbook, Chromebook, Android Tablet, or an iPad. As a school we don’t believe that mandating a particular device is necessary, and because individual student needs differ, this can be a complex question to answer. We have however, put together some suggested minimum specifications.

The Device

A digital device is one that allows students to browse, create and edit documents efficiently. Students do not require a powerful (expensive) machine, nor do they need a large hard drive as they can easily save and share their work in the cloud.

Listed below are the suggested minimum specifications for our BYOD programme:

Laptops

Suggested minimum specifications:

• Minimum 6 hour battery life
• AC Power adapter/charger
• 10" screen
• CPU 15 Intel or higher
• 4-8 GB memory
• Wifi: 802.11g or 802.11n
• 2 USB Ports
• Audio out (for headphones)
• Weight (low as possible)

Suggested Extras:

• Upgrade to 3 year warranty
• Carry bag/protective case
• Personal insurance

Tablets

Suggested minimum specifications:

• Minimum 6 hour battery life
• AC Power adapter/charger
• 9” screen
• 1GB minimum memory
• Wifi: 802.11g or 802.11n
• Audio out (for headphones)

Suggested Extras:

• Upgrade to 2-3 year warranty
• Carry bag/protective case
• Personal insurance

Laptops

Suggested minimum specifications:

• Operating System:
• Windows 10 or higher (disable S-mode)
• MacOS 12 (Monterey) or higher
• Web browser (Google Chrome capable)
• Software that enables word processing, presentations, spreadsheets, image manipulation, video and audio editing. This can be cloud based.e.g. Google docs. The Ministry of Education provides Office 365 free to students to install and use both at school and home.
• Antivirus software

Tablets

Suggested minimum specifications:

• Operating System, one of:
• Android 11 (Red Velvet Cake) or higher
• iOS 15 or 16 or higher
• Windows 10 or higher
• Web browser (Google Chrome capable)
• Software that enables word processing, presentations, spreadsheets, image manipulation, video and audio editing. This can be cloud based e.g. Google docs. The Ministry of Education provides Office 365 free to students to install and use both at school and home.

Additional equipment likely to be required:

• USB Pen Drive
• Headphones

Things to consider if purchasing a device:

• iPad tablets do not have the ability to connect to external devices such as a mouse, USB or a hard disk.
• Increased memory will result in smoother running devices.
• 2 or 3 year warranties are recommended, especially if they include replacement batteries.

Also important:

Ensure your household/contents policy will cover your son/daughter’s device. A protective case will help with daily use.