Why Chromebooks?

The BYODD (Bring Your own Designated Device) for Learning program is about students having their own 1:1 device for Learning at school to promote collaboration, planning, personalisation, engagement, feedback and higher order thinking in order to become 21st century lifelong learners.

We are recommending the 11" size for the students as this is lighter to carry.

There are a range of manufacturers but HP or ACER are preferred. See specifications on 'purchasing' page.

Here is a link to reviews about different Chromebooks.

There are many stores that sell Chromebooks. We recommend shopping around for a competitive price.

Chromebooks can cost anywhere from $300 and up. The cheaper ones may have less speed and longevity. Warranty will also influence the price.

The Chromebooks with our specifications will cost around $350 - $400.

The Chromebooks are the responsibility of the child and parents. Children will be involved in workshops and investigate policies around taking care of and maintaining their device.

When purchasing, please be mindful of the terms and conditions of each of the warranties. You may find you can get a better purchasing deal at a particular retailer but less in after care warranty. Some offer one year warranty and others offer more.

Chromebooks will assist us to move to more of a cloud-based computing platform that would deliver applications and provide a 21st century learning environment that would allow creative thinking, collaboration and communication among students while giving them access to whatever it is they need.

NSW Board of Studies prescribed integration of Digital Technologies: Click here.

5 reasons why Chromebooks make sense for school - Ed Tech Magazine: Click here

Sydney Catholic Schools (SCS) network and filter to protect against inappropriate sites at school.

The Google search engine also has an automatic ‘safe search’ capability. To make sure this is turned on, go into setting on the google browser and click on the 'safe search filter’.

No Viruses - no need for virus protection.

Contemporary Pedagogy develops and consolidates digital citizenship and awareness on a daily basis.

Emails - Students have specific protocols to follow and policies are clearly explained. This include parent communication and consequences.

Digital Citizenship - An annual program K-6 will be taught to consolidate concepts of digital citizenship, digital footprints and profiles with an emphasis on protection and privacy.

SCS have develop a Parent Resource Portal for parents to access information regarding digital citizenship, cyber bullying and social media issues. Click here.

We believe in a 'blended learning' approach where a combination of strategies are used including: writing in books, participating in discussions, reading texts, role playing, use of interactive games and materials in order to build an engaging, authentic and meaningful learning environment. Technology is also used as a tool to engage and develop basic skills as well as higher order thinking skills. Personalised learning is our goal where we are meeting each student's needs and students are engaged in their own learning all of the time.

Your Chromebook purchase will come with a warranty and this will determine how this will be rectified.

Chromebooks will be added to the school network so that they can be used at school. Students will be instructed on how to care for their Chromebooks and how to develop a sense of responsibility and keep them safe. Policies and protocols have been written to scaffold these instructions. These will be explained and signed by students and parents at the start of every year.

The 1:1 device enables teachers to personalise the learning at school. By using Teacher Dashboard, class websites and sharing capabilities the teacher can allocate different levels and styles of work to student to meet their specific learning needs. Feedback and support is easily given by the teacher as well as peers. Resource that are suited to different students can be easily distributed. Students will have maximum use of time to complete tasks at their own pace as they have their own device to research and create with. Fast workers can work quickly and can be offered differentiated opportunities to deepen their knowledge and understanding. Extra time and scaffolds can be given to students who need it.

Any damage to the device is the responsibility of the parents whether it happens at school or at home. Protocols are in place at school to keep the devices safe and secure. Your child will be the only child allowed to use your child's device. Routines are followed by the students to make sure damage does not occur at school. Similar protocols are recommended for home use.

We recommend a few tips for using the Chromebooks at home. Click here