Questions and answers

Safety

Is the increased use of wifi safe for our kids?

Yes! The Ministry of Health has investigated the issue thoroughly and concluded that the level of exposure to emissions from school wifi is well below the relevant standard.

Will children have access to their devices at interval and lunch time? How will the school monitor use during these times?

Part of the important lifelong learning around technology is about "appropriate use" and balance. We always encourage students to make use of their break times to get some exercise and fresh air. It is an important part of their socialisation to take time to "play" away from technology! Of course there may be occasions where students are using their devices during their break times for relevant and appropriate purposes with teacher knowledge and supervision. The bottom line is that unless a student has a compelling reason to be using their device during break times the expectation is that they will not be using them. During breaks on wet days, students will be asked to put their devices in a secure space rather than having them freely available in the classroom.

Will websites be vetted by teachers before being available on the network?

It would be impossible to "vet" every website kids will visit but we do have a web filter on our network to block any sites identified as undesirable for students. Websites are constantly evolving and new websites which support student learning are popping up every week. As part of our ongoing desire to use technology effectively, teachers are trying new ideas and new services out all the time. Students are also encouraged to evaluate new sites and tools to see if they are a good fit for their own learning. Being able to evaluate websites independently is a big focus in Information Literacy. Students need access to a range of internet sites to help develop these digital citizenship skills.

One of the PYP learner profile attributes is being 'principled'. We expect to see this in action as students use the internet and digital tools. Classroom teachers will provide digital citizenship training to support students to make better choices and to learn how to manage situations they may find themselves in when using the internet.

Security

How secure is the school network? Will it be safe for my child?

Cybersafety is a big challenge that is best addressed by many strategies, including a combination of network security and student education. We do have a filtering service on the school network for blocking undesirable content. No one technology solution is ever 100% secure, however, so student and parent education is also an important part of approach to providing a safe learning environment and giving students the right strategies and resilience to cope when things go wrong!

Where can devices be kept securely at school?

We will be designing secure storage systems for student devices in each classroom. As we better understand the needs for each classroom (e.g. not all kids might have similar storage needs) we will adapt and refine our procedures too.

Is it too much responsibility for a child to look after a laptop or tablet?

Evidence from the other schools strongly suggests that students as young as Year 2 are very responsible with their personal devices! The number of misplaced laptops is very low. With support from parents and school, students develop their level of responsibility. Many students currently own expensive mobile phones and computer equipment and this is an important part of their learning about "personal responsibility". Many companies offer great deals on insurance packages that allows you the use of replacement devices while issues are sorted out.

Student Learning

Will students need fewer books as resources will be available online?

Many resources are currently available online and students will have access to many more sources using the laptops. However, this will take time to develop. As we grow our use of Google Apps we will increasingly rely on digital media production. Not all activities will have suitable electronic replacements in the immediate future but, considering current trends in e-publishing, we are confident this will change.

How can you ensure that written skills are not neglected?

Writing by hand is still an important skill and will continue to be developed. Pen and paper will be used when appropriate. We are focused on using the most appropriate tool for the task at hand - sometimes this will be traditional pen and paper, and sometimes it will be a digital tool.

How can we ensure that devices are not a distraction to students?

Good classroom management techniques, combined with engaging tasks will help to minimise disruptions. Teachers will work together to develop specific strategies for managing devices in the classroom. The bottom line is that these devices are a learning tool and not just a distraction - as we learn to use them effectively, students will gradually see past the "distracting/novelty" nature of the devices and view them as just another tool to assist their learning.

Will the school invest in resources needed to support student devices?

Mount Pleasant is continuing to invest in technology. We have recently upgraded our wireless network and we are in the process of upgrading our server. We also back this up with professional development for teachers. Part of the rationale behind BYOD initiatives is that each student will be using a device that they are "personally" knowledgable about. Teachers won't be "experts" on all the range of devices that may appear at school. It will be a challenge to individually support students as they begin this initiative, but between teacher, peer and parent support students will quickly learn how to use their own device effectively!

Is there an Information Literacy programme in place?

We believe this is an essential twenty-first century skill. We will ensure that information literacy is comprehensively developed across the entire curriculum to support meaningful use of electronic resources by students within the 1:1 BYOD programme. Digital citizenship is an important part of the positive education programme we have put in place as part of the student learning.

Will students be expected to take the device home every day?

As part of the "personalisation", students are actively encouraged to use their devices at home in order to complete projects and develop their skills. They gain deeper knowledge of their own device when it is used as a learning tool in their own personal life and also through exploration and engagement with parents and siblings. They are also expected to arrive at school with their devices fully charged at the start of each school day.

How will laptops improve educational attainment?

The use of laptops and tablets has been proven in many schools to raise student engagement, which has shown to have a clear positive correlation to achievement. However, our aim is not so much to improve attainment (i.e. grades achieved in external examinations) but to use technology to enhance and transform learning and help students to develop literacy in accessing, evaluating, creating and communicating information, to engage them in deep learning and collaboration, and give them access to authentic audiences. In addition, we aim to enable them to be able to employ digital tools both effectively and ethically.

How long will it take to develop the digital curriculum across all subjects?

The teaching team will be developing their strategies in different curriculum areas and the school has identified learning technologies as one of its key strategic goals. Our "digital" curriculum will develop continuously and will evolve as new technology and software becomes available. 1:1 will provide an impetus for the development as it allows usage not previously practical.

So which device do we choose?

There are minimum specifications that we believe are required in devices to make them a useful learning tool in school. There are a number of devices available on the market that would all fall within these specifications and each has its pros and cons. We have summarised these for different types of learning devices on our 'Which device?' page. At the end of the day, it will be up to individual families to decide on the device they think best fits the needs of the student.

How many hours a day will students be using the devices?

Experience in other schools indicates that on most days it will be less than 3 hours, however, student use will vary widely depending on the topics and tasks being attempted .

Will keyboard training skills be given?

Many devices use traditional keyboards and for students who are engaged with high volumes of typing (such as writing a long story), keyboard fluency is still a very important skill to have. There are many websites which will help students become faster at using a traditional keyboard for typing ( see some examples here ).

However many devices use increasingly non-traditional methods for input such as swiping a virtual keyboard and many have smaller keys. Unless students are using a traditional keyboard that is scaled to their own hand size the "hunt & peck" method can be a sensible option.

Ergonomics and "safe use" of the device for input becomes a much more relevant and important concept as students need to have good habits in their approach to using any device and a "holistic" understanding of the effects that poor use / overuse of technology can have. This will be covered as part of our Digital Citizenship programme.

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Teacher Training

How will teachers know how to use the laptops effectively with students?

Professional development focused on fully and sensitively introducing learning technologies has been a key provision for teachers at the school in recent years. We believe a confident and well-prepared teaching staff are essential to the success of a 1:1 programme and so in addition we have introduced a number of new initiatives. Staff are supported in learning how to appropriately integrate learning technologies into their teaching. As part of the planning for this initiative in the coming year we will be focusing heavily on appropriate pedagogy and learning strategies that integrate technology to improve student learning.

What is Google Apps and how does it fit in to a 1: 1 programme?

Google Apps for Education is a new system where every student is allocated an account that is linked and integrated to our school system. It provides students with powerful tools for collaboration and communication as well as a suite of creative productivity tools which will help the student to become a more digitally-savvy learner. It will form the basis of much of our development of workflow and student activities.

How will teachers keep up to date with changes in technology?

Mount Pleasant School aims to develop life-long learners and we believe this is as important for staff as it is for students. Consequently, professional development in learning technologies is ongoing. As described above, this takes a number of forms, including both internal and external training, the sharing of good practice by peer observation, team teaching and coaching. All of this helps teachers maintain current knowledge, but the pace of change is rapid and so we need to be careful to ensure that practice reflects appropriate and achievable targets for teachers and students.

Technical

Will the wireless be able to support so many devices in school?

Mount Pleasant School has invested widely in an upgrade to our network infrastructure, internet access and our wireless network. We have installed upgraded equipment throughout and can support wireless access by all student users throughout the senior school. This upgraded infrastructure should be more than adequate for our anticipated usage. We will also monitor the system carefully and have plans for expansion should the need arise.

What happens if the battery does not last for all lessons or is not charged?

A high capacity (long lasting) battery will be one of your key considerations when selecting a device. Many schools aim for most students to last a full day on batteries. Classrooms will have limited options available to support individual devices. In addition, students will need to learn to effectively manage power (e.g. by using standby). A sensible expectation would be that students start each day with a fully charged battery which should be sufficient considering that the devices will not be required for 100% of the time during the day. Purchase of an additional battery ( if appropriate ) is also a consideration, as batteries do lose their ability to maintain a full charge over time.