1. Does my son/daughter have to have a Chromebook or could they use a different device e.g. an iPad or laptop?
Chromebooks are our recommended device for parents to purchase. However, if your son/daughter has a laptop which meets the device specifications this could be brought to school as an alternative. After exhaustive testing we have found that iPads are not conducive to the high level of productivity needed at high school level. Chromebooks and laptops are more robust than tablets and students using tablets this year have found it difficult to complete work, particularly when documents need to be edited or long reports need to be typed. Chromebooks and laptops are more ergonomically suitable for use for long periods of time and have a USB-port which allows a mouse or external hard drive to be connected.
2. What are the specifications that the device needs to have?
A Chromebook or a laptop are the only devices suitable for use by Year 9 and Year 10 students from 2018 onwards. The specifications are listed in the the devices section of this website.
3. What kind of security is available?
Students have the option of renting a school locker for the year. In practical subjects such as Physical Education and Materials Technology (Wood or Metal), lockers or secure areas will be provided for students to secure their device.
4. What kind of internet safety education is on offer at school? For parents?
Currently all students have access to the school Wifi and there have been no issues with this. There is an extremely strong firewall/filter which is constantly updated to ensure the safety of all students. We are currently working with cybersecurity experts at the University of Waikato to develop an Online Safety Project. Towards the end of 2016 screening of the movie "Screenagers" along with parent workshops run by cybersecurity expert John Parsons was organised by the school. John revisited at Hillcrest High School at the beginning of 2017.
5. What kind of financial assistance is available to purchase a device?
We have negotiated a reduced purchase price with Cyclone Computers. We are also working with the WINZ managers of all our local branches who will be aware of our BYOD plans and will support parents who receive WINZ support by providing documentation regarding our BYOD programme.
6. Will I still have to buy stationery or workbooks?
There is an expectation that stationery costs will be reduced. However, students will still need to come to school with paper, pens etc. as it is blended e-learning, i.e. a mix of traditional and e-learning pedagogy occurring in class.
7. Will students do all their work on a device or will they still need to write in exercise books etc.?
This depends on the subject, teacher, lesson etc. Students will need to have exercise books, pens etc. along with their device as it is blended learning, i.e. a mix of traditional and digital pedagogy occurring in class.
8. Will students store their work on the Chromebook/device?
Depends. A Chromebooks are connected using the student's unique Hillcrest High School Google Account. Students will be accessing and storing documents using Google Apps which stores and saves documents automatically online - however - work can be saved offline on their device as necessary.
9. Does that mean that I need internet access/wifi at home to do homework/assignments/study?
Not necessarily, although it would be extremely beneficial. The Chromebook does have enough memory capacity for documents to be downloaded and worked on offline. Students could download the documents they need for homework while at school, work on them without being connected to the internet and then they will be automatically uploaded online when they log onto the school wifi the next day.
10. What if my Chromebook breaks?
If your Chromebook is covered under warranty, you may be provided with a loan device from the company you bought it from while the device is being fixed. As the documents the students will be working on are cloud-based (i.e. not stored on the device, but stored on the internet) they can just log into any Chromebook with their student details and access their work. The school also has a cache of Chromebooks it can loan if there is downtime between the device failure and it's subsequent repair.
11. What if the battery runs out during the day?
Part of being a positive digital citizen is ensuring that a device has a full battery when students arrive to school. Fully-charged, a Chromebook’s battery will last for 6-9 hours, depending on usage. By turning down the screen intensity you can reduce the amount of energy that your device uses during the day. It is the responsibility of students and parents to ensure that devices are fully charged before a student arrives at school. This being said, if a student has exercised all of their responsibilities, is demonstrating the behaviours and attitudes of a positive digital citizen and they still need to charge their device - as long as it is reasonable and can be accommodated then charging in class is permitted on a case by case basis.
12. What if my Chromebook breaks during the day?
The school has a number of Chromebooks available to loan to students.
13. Won't my device be very heavy and increase the weight of my bag?
As there is an expectation that there will in a reduction in the use of workbooks, the answer to this question is no. Chromebooks are lighter than most workbooks so we hope that your son/daughter's school bag will in fact be lighter!
14. Why Blended Learning?
The New Zealand Qualifications Authority are working towards having all NCEA Level 1 external exams (equivalent to the old School Certificate exams) online by 2020. All students will need to have high levels of traditional and digital literacy skills in order to be able to access these exams and achieve to their full potential.