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Curriculum & Learning

BYOD (Bring your own device)

It is expected that students at all year levels will have their own device to utilise as part of their learning programme. Westlake Girls incorporates E-Learning at all levels and we will continue to maintain a blended learning environment where a computing device is one of many tools students will use to learn during each day. Students will use open source tools (free tools via the web) and will not be required to purchase further applications unless stipulated in the course handbook.

While we are a ‘Multi-Device’ school, we have recognised that while tablets and iPads meet our minimum specifications, they are not as effective and efficient in the classroom. Our experience has shown that the most effective device is a laptop/notebook for the secondary school environment.

The minimum specifications are extremely important to ensure that your daughter will be able to use the device effectively in all subjects, and to make sure the device is fit for purpose to ensure a positive experience. Outdated, poor quality or shared devices will make it difficult for students to have an effective learning experience.

Device selection is even more important for students at the senior levels. For any student who is intending on studying a design subject, a laptop is essential and should be capable of having programs such as Adobe Photo suit loaded onto them. For students who want to be able to use Adobe creative suite in subjects such as Art, Technology, digital technology, Media studies, English, Steam. (Mainly senior classes y11-y13), we are encouraging a device with slightly different specs. Students pay a low price of around $10 to have the BYOD Adobe Creative Suite loaded onto their computers for the year, enabling the students to work more effectively with these tools.

 Minimum device specifications: 

Minimum device specifications Recommended Specs: To use Adobe creative suite in senior subjects such as Art, Technology, digital technology, Media studies, English, Steam
  • Be Wi-Fi capable
  • Have a processing capacity that enables creation and manipulation of the
    text and data
  • 10 inch (diagonal) screen minimum (13-14 inch is more suitable)
  • All students who bring a tablet device such as iPads, Samsung Galaxy etc. must also have a separate keyboard.
  • Battery 5+ hours
  • Lightweight and portable
  • Durable
  • Able to operate a Google Chrome browser and Google Apps for Education
  • Intel® Core 4 or AMD Athlon® 64 processor; 2 GHz or faster processor
  • MAC OS version 10.6 or later, Microsoft Windows Windows 10 or 11. (Note, Windows 8.1 will reach the end of support on January 10th, 2023)
  • 4 GB of RAM (8 GB recommended)
  • 40 GB of available hard-disk space required
  • 1024 x 768 display (1280×800 recommended) with 16-bit colour and 512 MB of dedicated VRAM;  2 GB is recommended

Devices with lower RAM means it is slower but can still work.

 

Acceptable Devices but not recommended

Acceptable Devices but not recommended

Ineffective Devices
  • Laptops/Devices that meet the specifications above.
  • iPad/Android tablets with a screen size of 10 inches or larger (note: a keyboard is required).
  • iPad/Android tablets with a screen size smaller than 10 inches.  A 7-inch iPad/tablet is too limiting.
  • Surface RT’s – they have trouble running the chrome browser and therefore google apps for education.
  • Devices without keyboards.
  • Phones.

We also encourage you to:

  • Have a protective case for the device.
  • Insure the device against loss or damage.
  • Load anti-virus software.

Infrastructure 

We have continued to upgrade aspects of the network to ensure appropriate Wi-Fi access and speed.

For the Ministry of Education’s flyer on Wi-Fi and Technology in Education please click here