Introducing BYOD
15 April 2015
Dear Verdala High School Parents and Students,
At Verdala International School, we believe that information technology can play a vital and powerful role in the education of our students. Technology supports students as they engage in a highly competitive, enquiry based, educational program.
Beginning with the 2014-2015 school year, VIS High School (grades 9-12) is joining many international schools around the world in becoming a “Bring Your Own Device” (BYOD) school. This means that every Verdala HS student will be required to bring a laptop to school. Based on a student survey conducted at Verdala, this is a natural step for VIS to take. Over 90% of our students tell us they own a laptop. The vast majority of those students bring those devices to school and use them at school on a daily basis. So requiring laptops as part of every student’s educational kit is a logical and necessary transition.
2104-2015 will be a roll out year for our BYOD program. A group of eight teachers have volunteered to work together to better understand how technology can enhance their classes and the learning experience of their students. As this group of teachers learns and grows together, they will share their experiences and emerging expertise with their colleagues and over time, all of our teachers will use technology as an integral part of their lesson delivery. Our students are digital natives and have lived their entire lives in a digital world. As a professional teaching community, we aspire to cultivate our own digital awareness and expertise, and thereby enrich the educational lives of our students and prepare them for life in the 21st Century.
Some basic information regarding BYOD.
- Every HS student will be required to bring a laptop to school as part of their program.
- VIS will provide safe and secure storage space for each student’s laptop. Security is ultimately the responsibility of the student.
- VIS will provide transparent guidelines for ethical student use of the technology.
- Teachers will be given training and support regarding the best use of technology in teaching and learning.
- The minimum specifications for the device are attached. If your student’s device was purchased within the past four years, it will probably meet or exceed the specifications.
- If you need to purchase a computer and are not sure where to go, we can connect you will a computer retail company used by the school. We have communicated our requirements with them, and they will offer competitive pricing.
- Students will be solely responsible for their device maintenance, repairs, software installation, virus protection, and so on. VIS assumes no responsibility for maintenance, repair, software issues, etc.
- By January 2016, we expect the majority of the HS campus to have wireless internet access.
More information regarding our BYOD program will be forthcoming. Please contact Mr Crawford or Mr Weber with questions.
Sincerely,
Mr Crawford