BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) @ St. Mary’s Catholic School
As part of supporting our students' learning in an increasingly digital world, they need to be able to access learning from a range of platforms, e.g. Seesaw, Hapara, Google Drives. Therefore, we are highly recommending BYOD for students who will be Year 4 in 2024.
By students having their own device, they have:
More opportunities to use technology and enhance their learning
Deepen their learning and make learning more personalised and individualised
Earlier access to and a smoother transition to Intermediate and High School
Learn at a pace and method that supports them
Opportunities to explore which digital tools are best to help them with their learning
Record their learning to share with others
Develop an ethical awareness of how to navigate in a digital world responsibly
Safety Considerations
Our school filter (N4L) prevents access to inappropriate sites
Students are taught how to be a responsible digital citizen
NB: There is an increasing limited access to ageing school devices in each classroom. BYOD allows guaranteed access for a student
Device setup
We understand the importance of wanting to set your child up on their own device but there are a few things you need to consider to help the use of devices run smoothly at school.
Feel free to set your child up with a home account that you have access to and can monitor on apps such as Family Link.
Please also be considerate of how the safety apps you place on your child's device may affect them using their device at school.
At the start of the new school year your child will be set up with a school google account. This school account is directly linked to your child’s Teacher and makes accessing the school drive, Seesaw, Hapara etc. much easier for your child and their Teacher. It becomes very difficult to set students up on their school accounts when their devices require parent codes or are locked from setting up new accounts. Thank you for your support with this.
We recommend and prefer a Chromebook; however a laptop is suitable also.
Please see the St. Mary’s school website for frequently asked questions about BYOD. Please click on this link to take you to this information.
If you have any questions or want support with this please contact your child's Teacher.
Students are responsible for their device at all times. Insuring your child’s device is strongly recommended. Check with your insurance agent to see if your homeowner’s or renter’s policy, covers personal electronic devices. Alternately, you may be able to purchase additional insurance through the retailer
Repairs – repairs are the responsibility of the student and parent. School personnel will not be involved in repairing student-owned devices.
Screen care – screens can be damaged if subjected to rough treatment. The screen is particularly sensitive to damage if excessive pressure is placed on it. Clean the screen with a soft, dry anti-static or micro-fibre cloth. Please do not use any type of liquid or water on the device.
General precautions – food or drink should not be placed near your device while it is in use. Cords and removable storage devices (i.e. pen-drive) should be inserted carefully into the device. Devices should be protected from extreme temperatures. Extreme heat or cold may cause damage.
We currently have Chromebooks for use at Yr 4 to Yr 8. There is not one for each student so they will still need to share devices. Students who come to school with a device will have all day access to that device when the learning experience calls for one. Those students without a device will need to wait their turn and share a school device to complete their work on.
Yes, as this enables your child to access learning tools at both home and school. Here at school, we will guide and monitor device usage and parents will need to guide and monitor use at home. Devices are tools for learning at school – they will complement and enhance the learning environment
Yes, as this enables your child to access learning tools at both home and school. Here at school, we will guide and monitor device usage and parents will need to guide and monitor use at home. Devices are tools for learning at home – they will complement and enhance the learning environment.
St Mary’s School accepts no responsibility for personal property brought to school by students. Students who choose to bring a device to school assume total responsibility for the device. Devices that are stolen or damaged are the responsibility of the student and their parents or guardians.
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