Technology Do's and Don'ts

All Year 7 students are required to bring a device to school. They are themselves responsible for ensuring that it is safe and maintained. These are some guidelines to help you navigate your device useage.

DOs:

  • DO charge your device at night so that it is fully charged at the start of each day. Bring a charger if your device cannot stay charged all day.

  • DO bring your device to school every day, if requested by your teachers - you may also borrow a device from the Library.

  • DO use your school email account (connected to Google) at school and at home.

  • DO learn how to access and log in to your email, Sentral, and other learning sites used by your teachers, e.g. Google Classroom.

  • DO be careful with your device, e.g. keep it in a pouch or bag in a safe place either on the desk or in your school bag at all times.

  • DO use your device ONLY for school work while at school, e.g. classwork, research, email and organisation, e.g. electronic calendar.

  • DO organise your electronic documents with care and common sense, e.g. save or name documents accurately in separate electronic folders for each subject.

  • DO learn how to communicate online maturely, politely and professionally with teachers and other students, e.g. email etiquette.

  • DO learn how to share your online work with your teacher, e.g. email attachment, shared Google Doc, or Google Classroom submission.

  • DO learn how to print your electronic work in the Library, if requested by the teacher. The Librarian can assist you here.

  • DO learn how to self-regulate your own behaviour and time spent on your device so that you are using it wisely.

  • DO switch to a ‘yellow light’, ‘Night Mode’ or low contrast on the screen of your device after sunset so that your eyes and ability to sleep are not damaged.

DON’Ts:

  • Do NOT give your device or account details to another student.

  • Do NOT leave your device in an unsafe place.

  • Do NOT use your personal account for school work or email, only use your school one.

  • Do NOT use your device in class without permission from the teacher.

  • Do NOT try to ‘multi-task’ by flicking between screens or having too many tabs open. Do NOT play games, use social media, watch TV/movies, or listen to music instead of completing work.

  • Do NOT waste time on your device. Technology is addictive and can lead to procrastination, work avoidance, laziness, tiredness, and anti-social behaviour.

  • Do NOT use your device in the last hour before you go to sleep.

  • Do NOT replace handwritten work in your exercise books with typing on your device unless the teacher asks you to.

  • Do NOT leave typed documents as ‘Untitled’. Give them specific, accurate titles and store them in separate folders for each subject so that you stay organised.

  • Do NOT use technological issues as an excuse for not being able to submit work - make sure you print any work that you need to hand it in before the due date.

  • Do NOT engage in rude, offensive, immature or anti-social behaviour on your device, e.g. Google Classroom, forum posts, Kahoot, the school’s Facebook/Instagram comments. It might seem fun or light-hearted to you to ‘join the bandwagon’ or succumb to peer pressure if others are doing it, but it is actually unprofessional, dangerous and embarrassing in terms of the ‘digital footprint’ you are leaving online.

  • Do NOT spend all of Recess and Lunch on your device. Instead, take a break from it, clear your mind, get some fresh air and exercise outside, and be social in the real world, with others.