BYOD Program

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)

Whitsunday Anglican School has adopted a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) approach to technology across the School for Years 3 to 12.

Click here to view and download specifications

The School provides students with enterprise-grade communication and productivity services as part of a Microsoft Office 365 education subscription at no charge to families. Office 365 provides cloud-based data storage, Office products (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote) online, and access to install Microsoft Office on student owned devices.

Students require one primary device which meets the hardware requirements below. Optionally, students may have a secondary device such as an iPad/e-reader that they can use for digital textbooks and similar purposes.

Technology delays
Parents are advised that there are currently delivery delays of up to 3 months from all technology suppliers.
We encourage families to plan ahead and buy early, to ensure their device arrives for the start of school, 2024. A discount rate is now available via the portal below.

NAPLAN
Devices that do not meet the School’s outlined specifications may disadvantage students for online NAPLAN testing and study. We strongly advise parents to double check specifications, as outlined below.

Student discount rate – order portal

The School arranges special pricing for WAS families through the below retailer for the peak purchasing period September – March. This allows you to buy a school-recommended device at a discounted rate. Whitsunday Anglican School does not receive financial benefit from this arrangement.

The shopping portal is now live and available here:

Parent Support Links

Stylus-Supported (Pen)

Students should have a device that supports a stylus or has the facility to use a stylus/touch screen input. ‘Digital inking’, the use of a stylus or pen, allows numbers, symbols, diagrams, drawings and other markings to be captured digitally. This is particularly useful in Mathematics, Science and the Arts subjects.

Recent studies support using a stylus device in the educational context. Dean (2014)* explains the ability to mix digital ink, images and text means that products such as formulas in Mathematics or the drawing of diagrams or annotation of images imported into text in Biology, can be quickly undertaken.

Van Mantgem (2008)** notes students and teachers alike can write, draw and sketch with freedom, enabling students to ‘tap directly into their creative brainstorming thought processes’.

Recommended Whitsunday Devices

The following list has been provided based on product reputation and the School’s technical reviews.  Please note that the School does not support Mac devices as Mac’s are not compatible with our educational program.

Students must also have a School recommended device to ensure that they are able to sit the NAPLAN online examinations.

  • HP Probook X360
  • Microsoft Surface Pro or Surface Book
HP Probook X360 435Microsoft Surface BookMicrosoft Surface Pro

Purchasing a new device

  • The School strongly advises that you purchase one of the laptops listed from our recommended devices, as these best support the School’s educational programs and ensures that students can be better supported in their learning.
  • The special offers above are for parents, but at educational pricing, and have options for three-year warranties and accidental damage protection that include onsite (at School) warranty repairs, which the School’s IT Services team can assist with.
  • Please Note: if the device does not have manufacturer’s onsite warranty, you will not be able to arrange repairs to the device by the manufacturer at school. Return to base warranties, which are the norm with retail products, will require you to be send the device away for repairs. Parents who have experienced this will attest, it is often a long and tedious process.
  • Please Note: if you wish to purchase a device from another retailer, or have an existing device, families may email the School IT Support Team for advice to ensure that the device does meet the minimum specifications required.

Minimum Hardware Requirements for a Student Device

  • i5 Processor or equivalent (Ryzen 3 or
    higher)
  • i7 or Ryzen 7 would be beneficial for
    use in Senior School subjects that use
    AutoDesk products
  • 8GB RAM (16GB recommended)
  • 250GB or higher capacity internal
    solid state storage (SSD or M.2)
  • Screen greater than 12”
  • Physical keyboard
  • Touch screen which can be used with
    a Stylus (Pen)

If you are purchasing a new laptop, a Windows 10 or 11 device with Pen support is strongly recommended for the School’s environment.

Windows 10 or 11 is required to run a majority of key school applications required for learning.

We make this recommendation as some applications essential for some subjects will only run on Windows.

Please note, if you have a Mac, you can continue to use it until it is replaced, but you will need to obtain a Windows 10 license to run it in Bootcamp mode, as Macs do not come with a Windows 10 licence on the device.

Microsoft has enabled Students to obtain a free Windows 10 license and download Windows 10 Education from https://was.onthehub.com using their school email and password, in need.

 Accessories for younger students

  • A protective case and/or carry sleeve – This is a mandatory requirement
  • Mouse – scroll function either wireless or USB.

Student Data

Students should store all work on their OneDrive for Business cloud storage (school provided with Office 365). This allows the files to be accessed across internet-enabled devices and significantly reduces the risk of lost data in the event of a damaged laptop or USB drive. OneDrive also provides previous versions of files to be accessed in case of accidentally saving the wrong edit of an assignment.

Students may choose to store data on their laptop (this is not recommended), but students are responsible for ensuring they maintain backups of their files.

Software

Setup of the student’s laptop for use at school can be mostly done at home using the information on the student Portal (accessed using students school email and network password) at

Laptop Setup Instructions for Windows and Mac computers for use at WAS (sharepoint.com)

To allow students to be up and running for the start of the year, students are requested to have the software from this portal installed on their device prior to the new school year commencing.

Microsoft Office is also available for install at any time from the student’s Office 365 account at https://www.office.com on up to 5 devices.

Please note that student devices using Microsoft Family Features are not compatible with the school’s network and this will often inhibit student laptop use at school, until it is disabled. While at school, student internet access is filtered to allow appropriate sites.

For parental web filtering and monitoring at home, we recommend Sophos Home or Norton Family Premier, both of which are compatible with our school systems.

For Antivirus, we would recommend Sophos Home or Norton 360 Deluxe as it allows for Parental monitoring of computer use and website monitoring/filtering, as well as antivirus protection.

 

Onsite IT Support

The School has limited onsite IT Support to assist with:

  • Connecting the student’s laptop to the School wireless network
  • Installing school required software
  • To provide recommendations.

Please note we are not able to assist with hardware issues. If you purchase a laptop with the onsite warranty from the provider mentioned above, we can assist by holding the laptop for onsite warranty repairs by the laptop company, at the school.

It is recommended that any device used within the School is adequately covered by family/household insurance policy for theft and damage.

If you would like more details or have further queries, please email techsupport@was.qld.edu.au.

References

Dean (2014)*

https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:357464/s4217433_mphil_submission.pdf 

van Mantgem (2008)**

Van Mantgem, M., Derque, D., Evans, E., et al. (2008). Tablet PCs in K-12 Education. Moorabbin Australia: Hawker Brownlow Education.

BYOD Toolkit for Parents

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Whitsunday Anglican School - BYOD Flyer 2024

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