RE: ipad1:1 Program 2014

Transcription

1 POINT COOK PREP-YEAR 9 COLLEGE PONSFORD DRIVE PO BOX 6497 POINT COOK 3030 RE: ipad1:1 Program 2014 Telephone Fax point.cook.p9.co@edumail.vic.gov.au Dear Parents and Guardians, In line with DEECD priorities and researched best practice the College has decided to continue a parent funded ipad1 to 1 program for the Year 7 group commencing The attached document lists a number of questions and answers that might help you understand the program and the benefits of students having their personal ipad. Later this term you will receive a book list for 2014 and it will indicate that you need to purchase an ipad for the commencement of next year. The minimum specification required for school use is: Apple ipad 32GB Generation 2 or higher If families or individual already own a 32GB ipad2 or ipad3 this will not be a problem as the differences are minor. However for longevity I recommend purchasing the current model ipad Air as this is a device expected to last at least three years. A reminder that students are expected to attend our College on Tuesday 10 th December for an Orientation day. Please report to the front office at 9am. Please feel free to contact me at the College regarding our 1:1 ipad program Yours sincerely, David Williams 1:1 ipad Leader Point Cook P-9 College davidwilliams@pcc.vic.edu.au 1

2 Point Cook P-9 College Year Apple ipad 1:1 program FAQs Below is a series of frequently asked questions regarding the capabilities of an ipad Why is an ipad better than a laptop? Over the past two years we have spent a considerable amount of time investigating and testing the ipad in school situation through which we have had great success. The ipad is very light, and has battery life in excess of 10 hours, it will last all day on a single charge. In addition to this, the ibook feature lets you keep a number of the books and resources needed for school on the ipad, we are moving towards ebooks in a number of curriculum areas. There are thousands of amazing apps, which can be downloaded from the itunes stores. These apps only work on an ipad not a laptop. To sum up, the staff and students who have been involved in the ipad program, are very happy with the ipad s performance and functionality in a school environment. How much will an ipad cost? We have discovered that there is little difference in price from store to store. At times department stores like Big W, Kmart or Target have sales with a little saving. You can also find online sellers who are a little cheaper. Please beware and buy from a reputable seller, with warranty. Furthermore, we strongly recommend purchasing an ipad case that fully protects the ipad. A personalized case will cost between $15-$50 and you will be required to purchase a $75 itunes card. The initial investment will be offset over three years by a commitment from School Council to keep fees to a minimum. Can I purchase/use another tablet ie Samsung, Acer, Microsoft The College will NOT support any other device other than an ipad. We are running a 1:1 ipad program and it is essential the device used is an ipad. Can I purchase/use an ipad Mini in the 1:1 ipad program? Yes you can. However the screen size is a factor during extended periods of use. We ask the minimum size to be an ipad mini 32Gb. 2

3 How long will my child use the ipad? The College has committed to an ipad rich curriculum for 3 years. Your child will use the ipad in years 7, 8 & 9. On a yearly basis the Apps required will change as listed in our booklist and subject description. Do I need wireless Internet at home? The ipad is a wireless Internet device; we will have ample wireless coverage at school, however there are some things you might consider for home. If you already have wireless Internet at home, the ipad will easily connect to this. If you do not have wireless, you can still access itunes from any computer Windows or Mac, and then download apps to your ipad. Wireless routers are not expensive; you might consider talking to your Internet provider about options. itunes is used for backing up your ipad as well as purchasing new apps and syncing content. What sort of Internet Plan do I need at home? It is very important to check what type of Internet plan you are on. Some plans charge you if you go over your monthly download allowance, others give unlimited downloads and slow your connection down if you go over you monthly limit. The unlimited plans are by far the safest and the best value. To make sure don t get a shock when the monthly bill arrives if you have exceeded your download limit. We strongly advise checking with your ISP (Internet Service Provider). Why would I need to use ebooks? There are a number of advantages in having books loaded onto the ipad. If for example, we put the Maths book, Science Book, Dictionary, Thesaurus, Atlas, and the odd English novel onto an ipad for Year 7, 8 and 9 students, we decrease the weight of the school bag by several kilograms. Students will always have access to all those resources in class and at home. Most importantly, we have negotiated with our text book suppliers Pearsons to ensure that ebooks are significantly less expensive than hard copy books. Does my child need their own itunes account? Or can they just share a parents or family members? One of the biggest issues we have in the 1:1 ipad program is students not having their own itunes account or access to the password to download the required apps during class. As you may know there are always amazing new apps that are released each day on the itunes Store. Our teachers would like to make use of the ability the ipad s ability to provide instant engagement and learning opportunities through the millions of free apps available on the itunes Store. At present this is a limitation for a small percentage of students who don t have access to their itunes account 3

4 as a result these students often miss out on these learning experiences. The minimum age for an itunes account is currently 13. Will I use my ipad for all my school computing? We envisage that for 90% or more of your time, the ipad will be the device that best suits the student. In specialist areas for example, such as, but not limited to, Music, Visual Art and Multi Media that use specific software, the school will provide access to computers that will complete these tasks. We have a number of desktops and laptops to suit the needs of the students in these areas. At home, for typing up larger essays students might use their home PC or Mac, then transfer those files to their ipad to take to school or vice versa. The Year 7 program will make use of Google Drive and icloud to make file sharing and access efficient. Throughout 2013 many specialist teachers integrated the use of the ipad in their programs. An ipad has no USB, how do I transfer files? The ipad doesn t have a USB, but that does not mean you can t easily transfer files. There are a number of ways to do this; The ipad can plug into (via the supplied USB cable) your home computer or Mac and copy files across. You can the file to yourself from your ipad, then open it on a different computer We have found that the best way to transfer files (and keep a backup at the same time) is to use cloud storage apps such as Google Drive and Dropbox. IOS7 has also introduced Airdrop which also make sharing files from devices even easier. PCC students are provided with a Google account using the pcc.vic.edu.au domain. This account will provided students with a College account, Calendar, Google Docs and access to 30GB of free online storage using Google Drive. Students will be able to share and collaborate on documents with other students and teachers. Drop box is an online storage service allowing users to save files from a range of devices which can access the internet such as ads, Smart Phones and computers. In fact having dropbox.com is probably safer than a USB memory stick. Our experience at school is that students lose USBs, forget to bring them, or sometimes the USB fails and all work on it is lost. Files are actually safer stored in the cloud on the Internet. DropBox is password protected so files are safe, and files can be easily shared with others How do I print from an ipad, wouldn t a laptop be better for printing? In 2014 we will be allowing students to print from their ipad to College printers. Students will be given their own printing account and credit limit. The ipad will print just the same as any laptop or computer. An ipad can't open Microsoft Office documents such as Word, Excel or PowerPoint. 4

5 There are a number of apps that can be downloaded to allow students to edit and read Microsoft Office documents. Such as Office2HD. How secure will my ipad be at school? Students will keep their ipad with them in their classroom. When leaving the classroom for another subject which is outside the classroom or not requiring the ipad, the ipads will be locked in a purpose built cabinet until students return to their homeroom. We suggest parents check with their insurance companies for level of cover. The College will ensure that part of the 1:1 program will involve discussion and processes to reduce the risk of theft and damage. Our College insurance does not cover students personal belongings for damage and theft. Do I need a case & screen protector? You most certainly do. Not only will it help protect your ipad, it will help you identify it. There are a large number of cases on the market. You are free to personalise your ipad anyway you wish. During the past two years we have had a number of screen breakages from dropped ipads that have had stylish yet inadequate cases that don t fully protect the ipad. The Griffen Survivor case is a tad expensive approx. $60-$70 however highly recommended and is worth the investment. These cases are, water and dust resistant, droppable and can withstand rough treatment they also have a built in screen protector. There are also similar style cases from other manufacturers that may be a bit cheaper. From my experience with the 1:1 ipad program so far this style of military grade case is definitely the way to go. What apps should I load so I am ready for school in 2014 We will be sending a complete list of apps we want you to have on your ipad as part of the booklist at the end of this year, as well as a guide on how to use itunes to load them - if you already have an ipad or ipod you probably wont need that help, but you will need the list. Can I plug a keyboard into an ipad? 5

6 Yes you can plug in a ipad keyboard. We have found the built-in screen keyboard works well, especially when you get used to it. However, if you are wanting to type up a large piece on your ipad rather than your home PC you can buy an ipad keyboard dock, or you can connect a Bluetooth keyboard. Should I get the WIFI only ipad, or pay more and get the 3G model? What size should I get, 16, 32 or 64GB? The minimum required ipad is a 32GB WIFI model. If you would like to purchase a model with higher specifications, that is also fine. We recommend the WIFI only model for a number of reasons. We have spent a deal of time and money putting in place a wireless network throughout the school. Your ipad will connect to this, and you will not be charged for any downloads. If you buy the 3G model, you will need to purchase a prepaid SIM card or sign up to a monthly data plan if you want to use 3G data. When you are not connected to a wireless network, the 3G model will kick in, and your plan will be charged for any downloads. More importantly, with the WIFI only model, the ipad connects to the Point Cook College network and passes through all our Internet filters and security. A 3G model can bypass these filters. You can use ipad WIFI with any wireless hotspot, such as those found at Coffee Houses, Airports, Hotels etc. Did you know that you can restrict specific websites at home using your existing wireless router or modem? We will explain more about this at our information evening. Although students will be connected to the Point Cook College network strict guidelines will be enforced as outlined in the network user agreement. Where can I purchase the ipad from? The school will not be involved in the individual purchase of ipads. They are readily available at most retail stores or online. I have a Windows PC at home, will the ipad work? The ipad connects to either a Mac or a Windows PC via itunes. It doesn't matter what you have at home. The ipad will sync, backup and talk to either Windows or Mac desktops or laptops. If you don t have a computer at home arrangements can be made at school for the backup and syncing of your child s ipad. In-app Purchasing 6

7 Please be wary of some free apps! While they sound and look great many of the free apps rely heavily on in-app purchasing and it can be easy to spend a lot of money on virtual goods and upgrades if you allow your child to use your credit card in the itunes store. We recommend the use of itunes gift vouchers as it eliminates the risks of a huge bill. Please also note that restriction s can be enforced on ipad s to block in app purchasing. Summing up We have put a lot of thought and research into this decision. There are a lot or rumours out there about what an ipad will and won't do. Ironically most of these seem to come from people who have not used an ipad for any length of time, if at all. Many of them are incorrect. Realistically, we would be very foolish, indeed negligent to recommend a computing device that did not achieve what we wanted it to in class. The ipad will save, you can print, it is fully compatible with Office, it is a terrific ebook reader, you can surf the Web, check your and manage Calendars you can also load any one of the thousands of apps from itunes. While we have made some suggestions towards which apps to download I am sure there are many more yet to be created. We feel that once you get your ipad, you will come to appreciate what you can achieve with it as much as the staff and students that have them already do. Feel free to contact me at school if you have any further questions. David Williams 1:1 ipad Program Leader Point Cook P-9 College davidwilliams@pcc.vic.edu.au 7