At Matthew Pearce Public School, our Year 3 students have the opportunity to engage with the exciting world of digital curriculum possibilities through our 1-to-1 Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) technology program. Our learning experiences are purposefully designed to support life-long learners as each student develops the knowledge, skills, practices and attitudes necessary to be an engaged, 21st century citizen.
From 2018, this program will embrace iPad technology, fostering strong student engagement and involvement in their learning. Students will continue to use their device in Years 4, 5 and 6.
What to Buy for Year 3, 4, 5 and 6 Students
Students will need an iPad with iPadOS 16 to support the educational apps that students will be using in class.
Device Specification
Students need to bring an iPad with the following specifications:
• Minimum 10.2” screen
• Minimum 64GB storage
• Able to run iPadOS 16
• Durable case to protect the iPad (eg. STM Dux, UAG Metropolis, or similar)
iPad Device
If purchasing new, we recommend:
• iPad (9th Generation) WiFi 64GB - recommended
If you have one of the following devices already, they would be suitable if they are minimum 64GB storage:
• iPad (8th Generation) 128GB
• iPad (10th Generation) 64GB
• iPad Air (4th or 5th Generation) 64GB
• iPad Pro 11” 64GB or 128GB
You can check your existing iPad model and storage, by looking in Settings > General > About
iPad Case
A sturdy, protective case to suit your iPad model. Ideally the case will offer a solid back construction with an easy to use design for standing the iPad up during filming and video work. It is also preferable that the case offers a raised lip to protect the edge of the touchscreen. Other factors to consider is ease of charging, access to buttons such as on/off, volume and camera lens functionality. Some cases include an integrated keyboard. If you feel that a keyboard may be useful for your child’s needs, you might like to consider this option, however, it is by no means a requirement of the program. Below are a few examples to show the type of case, which works well for students.
Headphones (earbuds)
Please provide a set of earbuds to be kept at school at all times. To help protect your earbuds, please store them in a small drawstring bag.
iPad Program Levy
To cover some of the costs of running the iPad program at the school, a $20 levy will be charged to families each year. This includes the purchase and installation of apps with licensing for remote management.
How We Manage iPads
We use software called Jamf School (formerly ZuluDesk) to manage student and staff iPads at school. It allows us to set configurations and install apps for use in class, and combined with Apple Classroom on the teacher iPads, guide students learning during class.
Jamf Parent is available for parents to manage their child’s iPad when at home.
iPads need to be brought to school erased of all contents and waiting on the hello screen, ready to be enrolled into the management system on the first day, advised by the school. Student iPads will be setup for learning by our IT team. iPads will be connected to Jamf School and returned to students setup with apps installed, ready for their three years of learning ahead.
For previously used iPads, students should back up photos or documents, before erasing all contents before the initial set up and configuration onto the school management system.
Apps
The school will install all the apps required for learning in class. These will be installed using Jamf School on the setup day, and we may add/remove apps during the year as learning needs require. The use of these apps is covered as a part of your iPad program levy.
You may choose to allow your child to install apps for home use, and this can be done AFTER the iPads have been configured for school use. The school may apply a configuration to hide home apps on student iPads whilst at school if they become a distraction for learning.
Apple ID
Students will need an Apple ID to access some learning materials, and we recommend you setup an Apple ID for your child using Family Sharing. This allows you to keep control of your child’s account, approving requests for home-use apps if you allow them to install apps in addition to the apps we provide from school. You may also wish to enable ‘Find My iPad’ using this Apple ID in case the iPad is lost.
Here is information about setting up Family Sharing:
- https://support.apple.com/en-au/HT201088
- https://www.imore.com/family-sharing
- https://www.imore.com/how-add-your-child-family-sharing#create
If you need help setting up Family Sharing, see the support section below.
Insurance
We encourage families to consider taking insurance coverage on the iPad to protect from any accidental damage, loss or theft.
BYOD Student Agreement
Prior to connecting to their devices to the departments Wi-Fi students must return a completed BYOD Student Agreement. Each student with his/her parent or caregiver must read and sign the school BYOD agreement below.
The department’s Digital Citizenship and eSafety Commissioner websites contain information to support security, device management and cybersafety. Another informative site where you can learn about the digital environment and how to help your child have safe and enjoyable online experiences is iParent.
Getting Help
There are two options if you need help with the iPad, or setting up Family Sharing.
Ask the staff at Apple Castle Towers to assist you with your iPad.
Call AppleCare on 1300 760 237 and quoting PIN 3232.
As part of the NSW Department of Education support agreement with Apple, students and families can call AppleCare for ongoing support with their products.