Learning+and+teaching+in+the+Upper+Years+with+1+to+1+laptops

=== This document outlines guidelines and policies for students, teachers and parents to understand and implement so that all members of our school community can become fully engaged in an exciting journey of learning and teaching using technology at St. Mel’s. ===

St. Mel’s is committed to providing learning environments that will engage our students and give them independence and flexibility in their learning. From Prep through to Grade 6, students are encouraged to explore the world around them and extend their current understandings in new and interesting ways. They work in teams, collaboratively, as a whole community and independently.

As a learning community we believe that our students should be able to share their learning experiences with their classmates, family and the wider community. Our use of technology in learning and teaching expands the learning environment beyond the walls of the classroom, giving students opportunities to share ideas, collaborate, create and think in a truly global setting.

In the Upper Years classrooms at St. Mel’s, every student and teacher has access to his or her own laptop computer, allowing students the flexibility to learn at their own pace and style. The laptops and other technology are used as an integral part of the student’s learning, giving the students new tools for thinking, analysing, discussing and problem solving.

The success of using one-to-one laptops as part of Learning and Teaching in the Upper Years is reliant on cooperative practices and commitment from students, parents and staff. We look forward to your participation and commitment in working together to ensure the best learning outcomes for St. Mel’s students.

**What will St. Mel's do to support this program?**


 * LEARNING AND TEACHING **

> > ** OPERATIONAL **
 * Provide students with learning opportunities that will allow them to engage in technologically rich learning tasks, access digital learning resource, educational software and collaborative work spaces with their MacBook Pros.
 * Support students to complete their **Laptop Learners Licence** ensuring that students have a solid understanding of their responsibilities to their school, family, friends and the wider community when using their MacBook Pro at school and at home.
 * Provide ongoing support and professional development opportunities to staff ensuring their current learning and teaching practice continues to up to date and relevant to children’s learning.
 * Provide online learning spaces where students and parents can see both the curriculum content and learning outcomes for the learning taking place at St. Mel’s.
 * Use Apple Remote Desktop software as a way for students to share their work with the class and teacher. It is also used as a monitoring program to ensure that students are on task and using their MacBook Pro as a learning tool.
 * Communicate with parents any issues that may arise through the use of their MacBook Pro.
 * Provide a high speed wireless network system which will allow students to have access to all network resources in all areas of the school
 * Provide licensed software that meets the educational needs of the student. This software has been approved by Catholic Education Sandhurst for use in our primary schools.
 * Provide systems for the management of email, data storage, online resources and secure access to the Internet.
 * Provide back up resources for those times when students MacBook Pros are out of service.
 * Update programs and software as deemed necessary.
 * Monitor and supervise the use of student MacBook Pros, ensuring that they are being used according to the policies developed by St. Mel’s.
 * Regularly update information about the Upper area learning and teaching program.

**What will parents do to support this program?**
 * Attend meetings that communicate the roles and responsibilities of parents in the program.
 * Understand that they have full authority to restrict MacBook Pro usage at home. Examples are: locations where MacBook Pros are used in the family home, examining the contents of the computer, ensuring the MacBook Pro isn’t taken to other people’s homes or when travelling (except to and from school or if collaborating with other students in a learning task), making rules of usage at their discretion.
 * Understand that they have the right and the responsibility to constantly check their child’s use of the MacBook Pro by checking Internet history, files on the computer and use of social networking sites.
 * Support their child to complete their **Laptop Learner’s Licence**. The LLL will give parents the opportunity to set rules about the use of the MacBook Pro so that the computer fits in with the home life of the family.
 * Ensure that the MacBook Pro is being used according to the St. Mel’s ICT Acceptable Use Policy, Hire Agreement and this booklet, when used at home.
 * Inform St. Mel’s immediately of any damage or theft of the MacBook Pro. Theft of a MacBook will require parents to complete a police report (see ‘//When things go wrong’// page)
 * Provide an external hard drive for students to regularly back up their work.
 * Provide alcohol wipes and ensure the MacBook Pro is regularly wiped down and cleaned by the student.

**What will students do to support this program?** Students will complete a number of tasks in order to gain their **Laptop Learners Licence.** The Licence will cover the responsibilities and the skills that the students will need to understand before taking the MacBook Pro home.

Students are responsible for:


 * Looking after their MacBook Pro (see ‘//Looking after your Macbook Pro//’ page).
 * Making sure that system preferences, settings and software are not modified or deleted unless instructed by a staff member.
 * Ensuring that the MacBook Pro is used as **a learning tool** at school and at home.
 * Not sharing their MacBook Pro with siblings or friends,.
 * Abiding by the rules and responsibilities set out in this booklet and the tasks described in the **Laptop Learner’s Licence.**

Before your child is able to take their MacBook Pro home they will complete a series of tasks designed to educate them in using a laptop competently, as well as getting them to think about cyber safety and responsibility. Many of the tasks will require discussion between family members about the use of the MacBook Pro at home. These tasks will be available online and paper copies will be available if needed. Some tasks will encourage family members to talk about the rules and responsibilities they would like to set for use of the MacBook Pro at home. We hope that the LLL tasks will provide support for children and their families for the times when the laptops are taken home.

The following areas will be covered in gaining the Laptop Learners Licence:
 * Management and organization of their digital portfolio, files and folders. In Particular, using the organizational structures available in iLife and Finder
 * Cyber safety
 * Cyber bullying
 * Effective searching of the Internet for research purposes
 * Finding information and using it – copyright and what does it mean
 * Being a respectful digital citizen and how we connect to others online
 * Where, how and when to use the MacBook Pro at home
 * ‘Looking after your MacBook Pro’ rules and responsibilities
 * Care and maintenance of the MacBook Pro

How will students use their MacBook Pro at home?
 * Access online collaborative websites such as class blogs, wikis, edmodo… (Internet).
 * Use school email (internet).
 * Access online resources for school projects and homework tasks (Internet).
 * Create multimedia projects that form part of school projects.
 * Create documents, spreadsheets and presentations.
 * Regularly back up work on the external hard drive.

** OWNERSHIP ** St. Mel’s has chosen to use the Apple MacBook Pro as the learning tool for our Learning and Teaching in the Upper Years program. The MacBook is a fully featured, powerful and robust computer with a proven track record in schools. Students will have home access to the MacBook Pro, however the school retains ownership of the MacBook Pro.

St. Mel’s covers the majority of the cost of the lease of each MacBook Pro, however a hire fee determined by the school board is necessary to cover the full cost of the lease. That hire fee is included as a component of the annual school fees.

Each MacBook Pro will be set up and managed for one student only. At the end of the hire period or when a student leaves St. Mel’s the ownership of the computer stays with the school. The MacBook Pro and all accessories must be returned to the school in good condition and full working order, clean and free from any irreversible markings to the enclosure and screen.

The hire period will be for 3 years. Families will pay a hire fee each year. During the hire period St. Mel’s will maintain the hardware, upgrade software applications and operating systems as required, and cover any insurance or maintenance as per the hire agreement.

** WHAT’S ON YOUR MACBOOK PRO? **

The MacBook Pro is supplied with a software image. All software on this image is provided through licensing agreements approved by St. Mel’s and Catholic Education Sandhurst.

It is important that software isn’t modified, shared or deleted. The operating system and software applications will be updated during the hire period as required.

** ADDITIONAL SOFTWARE RESTRICTIONS **

As a part of the Laptop Learners Licence, students will discuss the importance of copyright especially in relation to music and games and the ethical use of someone else’s work.

Students are not to add their own software to the MacBook Pro as other software might compromise the reliability and stability of the current MacBook image.

We encourage the students to create their own music, photos, movies and podcasts with the programs available on the laptop. This will ensure that all files on the MacBook Pro are owned by the student. Students are not to install music, videos or games onto their MacBook Pros due to the difficulty in ensuring that all such files are owned by the student.

** RE-IMAGING A MACBOOK PRO **

Problems with a MacBook Pro may mean that it needs to be re-imaged. Re-imaging a laptop wipes out ALL files and installs a new software image. The laptop will be set up exactly like the first time the student received it. It is VERY important, therefore, that students back up their laptop onto an external hard drive regularly. Students will be shown how to do this as part of their Laptop Learners Licence.

** LOOKING AFTER YOUR MACBOOK PRO **

It is impossible to anticipate every situation that may cause a problem or issue with the MacBook Pro. However the following instructions will help keep the MacBook Pro safe and in good working condition: ** CARE WHEN IN USE ** ** HANDLING AND TRANSPORTING ** ** STORAGE ** ** CHARGING ** [] ** CLEANING ** ** SOMETIMES THINGS GO WRONG DUE TO ACCIDENTAL OR NON-ACCIDENTAL REASONS **
 * Always ensure the MacBook Pro is on a secure, stable surface when in use
 * Make sure the laptop is closed and carried with two hands when moving from one place to another
 * Don’t eat or drink when using the laptop and avoid exposing it to dirt or other liquids
 * Do not turn the MacBook Pro on if it has been exposed to liquid spills
 * Do not squeeze, poke, put pressure on or pick up the laptop by the screen
 * Avoid bumping, dropping or shaking the MacBook Pro
 * Ensure that the MacBook Pro is in sleep mode or turned off when travelling to and from school
 * Use the MacBook Pros dedicated kitty bag when transporting the MacBook to and from and around school
 * Avoid placing heavy items on or against the MacBook Pro. Pressure on the laptop can cause damage to the device.
 * Do not leave the MacBook Pro in unsupervised areas during the school day. Ensure that the laptop is in the classroom and locked in the laptop storage cupboard when you are not in the room
 * Never leave your laptop unattended or on open display in an exposed area where it can be targeted for theft
 * Organise to have the MacBook Pro stored securely at school overnight if events, such as sporting commitments prevent it from being in a safe place between leaving school and arriving home
 * Ensure that the MacBook Pro is fully charged at the start of each day. When at school charge in the designated areas. When at home the MacBook Pro needs to be shut down when charging overnight
 * Only use the power adapter that came with the MacBook Pro
 * The Apple Website suggests battery saving options.
 * With the laptop turned off, regularly wipe down the keyboard, metal casing and screen with alcohol wipes. Remove the hard shell cover once a month and remove any dust or marks from the metal casing.

There are two types of damage as defined by the school. Accidental damage is where a MacBook Pro is damaged or stolen and the student has met all the requirements and guidelines discussed in this document and during the completion of the **Laptop Learners Licence.**
 * Accidental damage
 * Non accidental damage

Non accidental damage or loss may include The responsibility for covering the cost of a lost or damaged MacBook Pro due to accidental reasons will be 50% covered by parents and 50% covered by the school. In the case on non-accidental damage, parents will be responsible for the full cost of repairs or replacement.
 * Damage as a result of not carrying the MacBook Pro in the designated Kitty bag
 * Theft from an unlocked or unattended vehicle
 * Theft from a vehicle when the laptop was left clearly visible
 * Theft while left unattended and out of view of the student. This includes leaving the MacBook Pro outside a shop, on a sporting field, school bus or unattended within the school outside normal school hours or whilst attending any extra curricula activity outside school hours
 * Scratching the casing and or bruising/cracking the screen as a result of misuse
 * Theft or loss of the AC adapter or power cords

If the MacBook Pro is lost or stolen, parents will be required to obtain a police report and contact the school immediately. If damaged or not working, the MacBook Pro needs to be returned to school and we will then return it to Apple, who will make an assessment as to whether the damage is covered by warranty.