FAQs on 1:1

FAQs on 1:1

Why Apple?
 
Apple is the chosen hardware vendor for the following reasons:

  • A stable company with a solid financial statement
  • Strong commitment to the educational market
  • A company that produces reliable products that are easy to support (e.g. stable operating system and less vulnerable to viruses and malware).
  • Our technical staff has an average of 10+years of experience servicing Apple computers and the Operating Systems. This in-house expertise will prove to be beneficial for a successful 1:1 deployment.
  • Our faculty members have been using Apple products over the past 10 years as well. Their experience will help to facilitate the 1:1 roll-out.
 
We view Apple as a strategic partner in this initiative. They are the only technology provider that will provide a complete solution; Apple will assist with the planning, the roll-out, the professional development, access to certain digital content as well as the technical support for the initiative.
 
Why MacBook Air over iPad?
 
The following outlines the key reasons why the District Technology Committee chose the MacBook Air over iPad:
  • With iPads, we still need to maintain ALL of our computer labs and a certain number of COWs (Computer on Wheels) in the District.
  • Concerns over whether iPads would be the best device for the on-line PARCC assessment tests (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers)
  • iPads can't multi-task as well as MacBook Airs.
  • It is the opinion of the committee that iPads are content consumption devices, great for reading and doing research on the web, however, very cumbersome if you are trying to create a document where a lot of text modification may be required.
 
In the end, we wanted a device that will allow our students the most flexibility and efficiency when it comes to creating content. To the members of the District Technology Committee, the MacBook Air was the best fit for our 1:1 Learning Initiative.
 
Why not BYOD (Bring Your Own Device)?

  • If we are to change the way we teach and learn in the classrooms we need to have a uniform platform.
  • With a BYOD implementation, it would be difficult for us to mandate our students to bring in their devices. This means we cannot eliminate any of the labs or student laptops from the district.
  • We would also encounter difficulties in enforcing what the students are allowed to do on their devices and what applications they can have on them.
  • From a support stand point, it would be a problematic for our technical staff to address network, hardware or software issues on the various operating systems and devices.
 
What happens if the student forgets his/her laptop? Will loaners be available to those students?
 
With the 1:1 Learning Initiative, students are expected to bring in their laptops every day. This is outlined in the Student Laptop Agreement. No loaner laptops will be provided.
 
What happens if there are technical issues with the student laptops?

All maintenance and repair will be handled through the schools. Students may drop off their laptops at the ITC offices Monday-Friday between the hours of 7:30 AM - 3:30 PM. Depending on the required repair and the condition of the laptop, loaner laptop may be provided.

What happens if the student forgets to charge their laptop?

Per the Parent / Student Laptop Agreement, students will be responsible in making sure that their laptops are fully charged for school. However, there will be designated charging areas where students can charge their laptops during the school day.

Details will be provided in the upcoming Parent / Student Family Training.
 
What happens if the student loses his/her charger?

The cost for replacing the charger will be billed to the family.

Is insurance mandatory?

Yes. Yearly insurance premium must be paid before the laptop is issued to the student.
 
How much is the yearly insurance premium?

The annual insurance premium will be $70.00 per year.

What will the insurance premium cover?

The District's insurance program covers all minor laptop repairs and it provides a one-time replacement if a laptop is stolen or accidentally damaged beyond repair. The insurance does not cover laptops intentionally damaged or situations where it is determined a student was negligent. Power Supply and / or other accessories are not covered under the warranty or the District's insurance.

Can a family use their own home insurance instead?

The insurance provided by the district is mandatory.

What if the family can not afford the insurance premium?

Accommodations will be made in case of financial hardship.
 
How is the insurance premium paid?

The payment process will be handled through the MySchoolBucks portal.  The same services is used for pre-paying student lunches. 

What if I don't want to use MySchoolBucks to pay for the Insurance?

For everyone's safety and record keeping, we ask that all insurance premium should be paid through MySchoolBucks.com

What happens if the laptop is stolen?

Student / parent must report the incident immediately so that District may initiate the recovery process. A formal Theft / Loss Report must be filed with the respective school within 24 hours and an official police report filed within 48 hours of the incident.

Please note: a stealth theft recovery software will be loaded on each district owned laptop to facilitate the recovery process. Person or persons found in possession of the stolen laptop will be charged with criminal possession of stolen property.

Will the student be allowed to load applications on their laptops?

At this time, students will not be allowed to load applications on their laptops. We may revisit this policy at a later time.
 
Will the student have access to the built-in camera?

Yes. Students will have access to the built-in camera. However, the District AUP will be strictly enforced.

Will the student have full Internet access at home?

No. Student laptops will be filtered based on the CIPA (Children's Internet Protection Act) guidelines. However, there may be some additional restrictions when the student uses their laptops within the District vs. when they are home. For instance, the district is considering allowing YouTube access when the students are at home.

Does the parent need to sign off on the Student Laptop Agreement Form?

Yes. Both student and parent (or legal guardian) must sign the Student Laptop Agreement Form / AUP.

Will the students' documents/files be saved when they turn in their laptops for repair?

In certain cases, laptops will need to be re-imaged to resolve a major issue. This process will delete all personal documents and files. To avoid losing these documents, students should backup their documents periodically to Google Drive, Schoology or external hard drive / thumb drives.