1. When will the Year 5 students bring their iPads to school? *Official Launch Date - Thursday 9th February, 2023 (6.30-7.30pm in the Library ) *Compulsory for all Year 5 students & a parent to attend as STA iPad Technology Agreement will be signed by all. School purchased App codes will be distributed at this meeting & the Classroom iPad Management system will be explained. Students will then be expected to bring their iPads to school from Monday 13th February (Week 4)
2. Which iPad is acceptable to use at school? ** The designated device is iPad Air9th Generation
3. What is the recommended iPad to buy? How much will it cost? (See above) - However, prices & models need to be compared again at the time of purchase.
4. Where is the best place to buy my an iPad? There are several options with purchasing - However, prices & models need to be compared again at the time of purchase. EduCom It http://www.educomit.com.au/byod/dow/ - Select STA (Passcode BYOD2018) Office Works (online) cheapest
5. What else will we need to buy? (Case, required Apps, insurance) Each student will need to have a protective cover of choice (Not too fancy) that stays on iPad at all times as well as an additional protective bag/case to transport iPad in. * Stylus/ Apple Pencil (optional) * Earphones (not worth over $30) Insurance - parents own (Check home-contents insurance) Required Apps for school will be purchased by the school using an iTunes card
6. Are we still required to pay the Technology Levy as part of our school fees? Yes, Year 5 student's families still pay the technology fee for 2023 as this fee goes towards all areas of technology maintenance, including infrastructure costs. The required Apps for Year 5 also comes out of the Technology fee.
7. Do the students still use books etc. to do their work? Yes the students will still use books every day; the iPad is viewed as another tool to enhance learning.
8. How much time is spent on their iPad each day in class? This will vary, depending on how the teacher & student decide to use the device to support their learning. It may be used for drill & practice during a Maths or Spelling/ literacy lesson, organising and creating work as a result of an inquiry/research task in a work flow situation, story-writing, using a dictionary, referring to the Bible, searching for a location using Google earth, creating during a music lesson, borrowing an eBook or audio book through our library’s SORA OVERDRIVE option, internet searching at the various times of need during the day, collaborating on a task via Google Docs, participating in a virtual excursion (e.g. Art Gallery, zoo etc.) taking photos to use in a task, connecting & collaborating with other students from around the world on a Global Project, emailing work or uploading to Class Blog, etc.
9. Which Apps should we buy? Careful planning and research of Apps that support & enhance learning with the purpose of achieving outcomes will be required. These will be chosen by our iPad Learning Committee (ICT coordinator, Stage 3 teachers & Principal). It is important that the list of required Apps be kept to a minimum & will cover a range of needs that students have when engaged in learning opportunities. The school (as part of the technology levy) will purchase these Apps.
10. What if my child wants to buy other Apps to use after school hours? Because the student owns their device they can purchase other Apps at their parent’s discretion. (A discussion will take place in regard to App choices with parents at all meetings). HOWEVER, only Apps stipulated by the school are allowed to be used and must be visible on the front pages of the device. Each student & their parents will sign a new “ STA iPad User Agreement” which will outline our policy of use at STA. This will clearly outline rules & consequences if the agreement is broken.
11. Who is in charge of downloading the Apps? Parents & students will be in charge of managing their own device. Parents will be required to set up an iTunes account (with the student's own iCloud or email account used for the Apple ID) for their child. In accordance with Apple’s terms and conditions, parents are asked to manage the Apple ID for children under 13 years of age. It must not be linked to their parents own Apple ID account OR credit card. It is our strong recommendation that any additional Apps be purchased using iTunes cards. The required school Apps will be given to the parent as a code (school will be purchasing Apps through Apple’s Volume Purchasing Program VPP)
12. What happens if a student uses an App (e.g. A gaming App) at school? As part of the ”STA iPad User Agreement” students and parents will have a clear outline of STA’s policy in regard to the misuse of their device or use of inappropriate Apps. Such as, the deleting of the App, taking iPad off student for various periods of time, notifying parents, 3 strikes and iPad will be banned for an extended time etc.
13. Are the students allowed to use their iPads at recess & lunch? No. Students will only be allowed to use their iPads during class time. They may take it their library & music lessons. They will also not be permitted to use their iPads on their journey to & from school.
14. Do we need Internet access at home? How much will it cost to run this iPad? Yes. Students will need Wi-Fi in order to connect their iPad to the Internet to use at home. Whilst there are many Apps that work without connection, they will be required to use the Internet for homework & emailing requirements at times as stipulated by their teacher.
15. How will they use their iPad at home? They will be required to use their iPads for homework at times & emailing requirements at times stipulated by their teacher.
16. What happens if a student brings their iPad to school not charged? It will be a highly recommended requirement that each student charges their iPad each night & brings it to school 100% charged. Students should bring their own labelled charger if they know their iPad is low on charge. The school will have only a few emergency chargers available BUT if a particular student is continually not responsible with charging their iPad each night then they will not be able to use it during class time.
17. What happens if a student forgets to bring their iPad to school? If a student forgets to bring their iPad to school then they will have to complete their work using other tools of learning. If this occurs more than once the parents will be notified.
18. What do I do if my iPad breaks? iPads have no moving parts and as a result they are very durable devices. That said, they can break and the most common issue is a broken screen. All iPads are covered by a one year warranty. If your iPad experiences a genuine hardware fault, please visit your local Apple store. It is very likely that they will replace your iPad free of charge. If the iPad screen breaks due to being dropped or mistreated you will need to organise to have it repaired. Again please visit your closet Apple Store to explore repair options. Insurance is highly recommended. Like any piece of technology, it is wise to include your child’s iPad as a nominated item on your house and contents insurance policy. Please discuss this with your insurance provider.