Catholic College is committed to provide learning environments that will engage our students and give them independence and flexibility in their learning.
We believe that students should be able to learn in teams, collaboratively, as a class, a whole community or alone. We believe that students should be able to share learning experiences with their classmates and the wider community.
In 2010, Catholic College will be introducing a one-to-one laptop program into Year 7. The program aims to expand the learning environment beyond the walls of the classroom to give students the capability to collaborate, share information and experiences and take control of their learning in ways not previously possible.
A parent strategy team have worked with the College to help identify and provide answers to what they believe will be frequently asked questions prior to parent focus group meetings. The questions have been organised under the following topics—we hope that you will find the information helpful.
Frequently Asked Questions Topics
Laptops or computer labs
What is a one-to-one laptop program?
One-to-one learning provides every student and teacher access to his or her own laptop computer in a wireless environment allowing students to learn at their own pace and ability levels. One-to-one initiatives have gained momentum, worldwide, and are increasingly seen as a key to transforming education and better preparing students to succeed in a global world.
In the one-to-one program, students' access to a laptop and the Internet enables them to be self-directed and receive highly personalised instruction. Teachers can create Personal Learning Plans for each child, addressing his or her unique needs. Students use their personal devices to do research, homework, problem-solve, team projects, email and academic coursework. At the same time, they gain valuable 21st century skills that will be beneficial throughout their lives and careers.
Why laptops instead of computer labs?
Teachers report that when computers are in labs, they use technology less often for instruction because of the difficulty of scheduling time in the lab and transporting students there.
More widespread access to computers makes it possible for students and teachers in schools to transition from occasional, supplemental use of computers for instruction to more frequent, integral use of technology across a multitude of settings. Providing students with ubiquitous access to wirelessly connected computers has the potential to transform learning environments and improve student learning outcomes.
Furthermore, 24/7 access to computers makes it possible for students to access a wider array of resources to support their learning, to communicate with peers and their teachers, and to become fluent in their use of the technological tools of the 21st century workplace.
Does every student need a computer?
One-to-one classrooms provide several advantages over the two-to-one and four-to-one classrooms. In one-to-one classrooms, students used computers more across the curriculum and used them at home for academic purposes. In one-to-one classrooms, instruction was different as well; there was far less large group instruction than in two-to-one and four-to-one classrooms. One-to-one classrooms provided for more personalised learning.
Students in one-to-one laptop programs use computers more often and for a wider array of purposes than do students with less ubiquitous access to computers. They greater levels of technology literacy and most often use productivity and design tools in ways that are integrated into other classroom activities and assignments.
Why does the classroom need to be any different?
The term "learning environment" suggests place and space - a school, a classroom, a library. And indeed, much 21st century learning takes place in physical locations like these. However, in today's interconnected world, a learning environment can be virtual, online, remote; in other words, it doesn't have to be a place at all. Whilst teaching good teaching and learning still need to happen, it should not be restricted to within the physical walls of a classroom.
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What do teachers think?
From a longitudinal study involving approximately 5,000 teachers involved in a state-wide one-to-one laptop program most teachers believed that laptops helped them:
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personalise curriculum to fit student needs;
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access more up to date information;
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better access diverse teaching and learning resources;
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cover more material in class;
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explore topics in greater depth with their students;
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create learning materials which better meet state standards;
Teachers also indicated that one-to-one laptops facilitated student learning, allowing students to:
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be more actively engaged in their learning;
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do more work;
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be more apt to revise/edit work;
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get work done more efficiently;
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become more organised;
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gather, more easily, information from different sources;
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express ideas more effectively;
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better study real-life issues.
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What do students think?
Approximately 43,000 students participated in this survey. They indicated that with a one-to-one laptop program, that:
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they were more likely to edit work;
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they would get work done more efficiently;
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they would do more work;
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they were better able to understand work;
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the quality of work improved;
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they were more engaged in learning and more interested in school.
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What is the research telling us?
OK. Now for the good news. Research has shown that students involved in one-to-one laptop programs perform better in state-wide testing. Writing and numeracy are two of the areas that have been researched extensively.
In writing for example, research has shown that students participating in a one-to-one program use their laptops more often for composing, drafting and creating final written reports and have a greater probability of success in achieving proficiency in state-wide standards. Even though these tests are pencil and paper-based!
Students performed better the more they used their laptops in developing and producing their writing. Most importantly, they became better writers in general-not just better writers using laptops.
In relation to numeracy, the final results of research across 245 classrooms clearly indicated that students in laptop classrooms are performing significantly better that students in standard classrooms. (Centre for Education Policy, Applied Research and Evaluation)
There is a growing body of evidence indicating that one to one laptop initiatives are impacting teachers, students and learning in many positive ways. The major thrusts of the research indicate that:
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Teachers are more effectively helping individual students with their learning and achieving the state-wide standards;
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Students are more motivated to learn, are learning more and learning it more deeply;
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Students are acquiring 21st Century Skills;
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One-to-one laptop programs are bringing about a positive change in learning and the acquisition of knowledge.
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Laptop hardware and software
What type of laptop will students be issued with?
The College has chosen to use the Apple Macintosh platform throughout the school. The chosen laptop is the white MacBook. The laptop uses the powerful Intel processor, 2 Gb of memory, large hard drive and DVD/CD drive.
The MacBook comes with a range of built-in teaching and learning tools designed to make teaching and learning easier and more engaging. Each MacBook come with a built in video camera, microphone and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth networking. The MacBook works effortlessly with most printers, cameras and other peripherals.
The laptop comes with a three year warranty and a sturdy protective shell that clips onto the case, protecting the laptop from damage.
The MacBook was designed for education and has some features, not readily available of PCs, that make them durable and suited for the rough and tumble of school life. Some of the features that make the MacBook extremely durable include: no delicate trays in its slot-loading DVD drives, no mechanical latches to break, just a magnet, MagSafe power adapter that quickly releases from the computer if tripped on and a Sudden Motion Sensor that works to protect the hard drive should a Mac notebook ever be dropped.
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What software applications will be installed?
The MacBook uses the powerful and secure Unix operating syste. This protects the laptop from the bugs and viruses that commonly affect other laptops. The MacBook comes pre-loaded with a range of powerful software applications including Mail, the Safari Web Browser, iTunes and the iLife and iWork software suites. The iLife suite includes popular iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, iWeb and Garageband applications. The iWork suite include the Pages word processing and desk-top publishing program, Keynote presentation application and Number spreadsheet software. These programs are able to open, read and save to the file format used by Microsoft Word, Powerpoint and Excel. 
The College will also license and install powerful productivity and design software for students to use, including the popular Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash, Dreamweaver, Acrobat Pro and In Design), FileMaker Pro, Inspiration and a typing tutor. Other specialist software applications will be able to be loaded onto laptops as required. Normal educational pricing for the Adobe application alone is over $500.
The MacBook can also run a range of powerful open source software applications. Many schools and organisations are now using open source software. Some of the open source software that will be installed on the computers include the Neo and Open Office suites, FireFox web browse, Kompozer web authoriing software and Gimp graphics application.
Families will have the option of installing Microsoft Office on the MacBook. The one-off cost of a licence is expected to be approximately $70.
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Transit, handling and storage
Will the laptop withstand rough handling by students?
The white MacBook has been designed specifically for the education market. The computer and hardware and screen are protected by a tough polycarbonate enclosure. They can withstand some rough handling, but there will be accidents and some will be dropped or suffer heavy knocks.
Each laptop purchase comes with additional protection. This additional protection will be in the form of a hard protective shell that fits neatly onto the enclosure. This will allow the laptop to slip easily into a back-pack for transport. The laptop does not have to be removed from the shell to be used. Furthermore, the shell allows the student to personalise their laptop with stickers, etc. without damaging the original casing.
Will carrying a laptop to and from school pose increased risk to student security?
Laptop programs are increasingly becoming the norm for schools in Wodonga and around Australia. Experience from schools already running large-scale laptop programs is that it has not increased risk to personal security. We would assume that the risks associated with carrying a laptop would be no different to the risks associated with carrying around a mobile phone and portable audio-visual devices.
Most schools however, recommend a standard school issue backpack with an internal compartment for transporting the laptop. The external appearance of the backpack looks no different than any other backpack. The College will investigate and recommend a backpack that is designed for this purpose.
How heavy is the laptop to carry?
The laptop weighs 2.27 kg, about 70 grams more than the combined weight text books used for Maths and Science. To help minimise the weight of materials being carried by students, the College is moving towards e-books and online resources for a number of subjects, minimising the need for students carry a laptop as well as heavy text books.
Where will students store the laptop when it isn't being used?
There are times throughout the day when students will not be required to use their laptops and they will need to be stored securely. Each student at the College is provided with access to a personal locker. The lockers are modern, large and have ample storage room. Each locker is secured using a combination padlock. The lockers are protected from the weather and are located in highly visible areas throughout the College.
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Using the laptop at school
 Can the laptop be used anywhere in the College?
The College has recently installed a state-of-the-art high-speed wireless networking system. This system provides high-speed wireless access at all locations throughout the College-inside and outside of classrooms. This enables students to access resources on the internet and the College intranet from anywhere on the College grounds. Data points will also be available throughout the College if and when heavy "data lifting" needs to be done.
How will the College support the use of laptops?
The College will provide all of the service necessary to support learning, communication and collaboration. This will be underpinned by a high-speed, reliable infrastructure which ensures that all laptops are able to connect to resources and the internet using the College's wireless networking system. The College will also provide servers and systems for the management of email, data storage, printers, copiers and scanners, online resources and secure access to the internet. The infrastructure will be supported through the employment of highly competent ICT Services personnel who will be responsible for the sound operation of all hardware and the networking system.
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Using the Laptop at home
 How can students complete school work outside of school?
This is one of the biggest advantages of a one-to-one laptop initiative. As the student is not required to share the laptop, it is personalised for their own use. For all intents and purposes it is their own portable personal computer. A student will complete and save work directly on their laptop without needing to connect to the internet. However, if they are able to connect to the internet they will be able to access the full range rich digital learning content and opportunities for collaboration with their teachers and peers within a safe virtual learning environment.
What if I don't have access to the internet at home?
Having access to the internet will certainly enhance opportunities to communicate, collaborate and access a range of resources. However, a small number of families will not have access to the internet at home. In these cases, students can will still be able to use the software on their computer to complete work. They will also be able to download and save some of the resources, for example, PDFs, Word Documents, web archives, etc., so that they can continue to work on them at home. This requires a little more forward planning, but is a good skill to learn. There are an increasing number of public wireless access points in Wodonga that will allow students access to the internet.
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Equipment breakdown or loss of data
What if something goes wrong with the laptop?
Although the MacBook is robust and reliable, the reality is that sometime things will go wrong. All laptops are covered by a three year warranty. Any hardware fault is covered under this warranty. More importantly, the College will maintain a bank of spare laptops that will be swapped in and out of service when a computer requires a repair. This means that a student will have access to a computer at all times—even if their own computer has a hardware fault that needs to be repaired.
What if the data is lost?
This is a bit like a student losing their bag and all of their school books. The advantage of a laptop program is that all of the data on a laptop can be backed up. The College will leave the method of back-up to the individual student, but would recommend using a USB memory stick or USB hard disk drive. The USB stick is currently on the College's booklist.
 The MacBook's operating system includes an excellent automated back-up system called Time Machine. Time Machine automatically backs up data each time the memory stick or hard drive is connected. The College's ICT Services Department can use these devices to recover any lost data right up until the point in time the malfunction occurred or the data was lost.
Students will also be able to back-up important data to a folder on the network or secure online storage. Full details are not available at the time of writing, however, students will be able to use the College's Google education and Catholic Network Australia portals to back-up important files.
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Battery life and recharging 
Will the laptop battery last all day?
The short answer is no. If the laptop is used flat-out all day, the battery life will only be 4-5 hours. An accurate answer requires a little more explanation.
Experience from other schools using this type of laptop, is that if used wisely, most laptops that have been fully charged the night before, will have enough charge to last the school day. The College will operate information sessions to inform students and parents about power-management techniques and getting the best out of their laptop. Interestingly enough, many students are already familiar with this concept in managing power to get the best out of their mobile phones and portable devices.
How is the laptop battery recharged?
Each student will be issued with a power pack. The power pack is kept at home and the student will be responsible for charging their laptop over night. The power pack uses "magsafe" connector which reduces the risk of injury or damaged if someone trips on it.
What if my child forgets to charge up their laptop?
Each laptop classroom will also have a small number of charging points that can be used by students to top-up or refresh a charge throughout the day. Also, there will be times when a student forgets to charge their laptop or a battery dies. To manage situations like this, the College will maintain a bank of charged batteries that can be borrowed out by students a limited number of times each school term.
Students will not be allowed to bring their power pack to school with them.
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Costs of a one-to-one initiative
What will the cost be to families?
The most cost effective way is for the College to purchase the laptops at educational volume pricing and have families pay a laptop use fee. Educational volume pricing is significantly less then retail pricing enabling the savings to be passed on directly to families. The cost to families for a laptop, with all software, insurance, would be approximately $630-$700 per year. Like school fees, the fee for laptop use will not include GST.
Are there any funding sources available to families?
There are a number of sources of funds, allowances and taxation refunds, available to families. However, each access to each depends on a number of factors eyond the control of the College. The two main sources currently available to parents for offsetting cost sare through allowances and taxation rebates.
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The School Start Bonus is available for all students starting Year 7 in Term 1 in a registered Victorian Secondary School. It provides a benefit of $300 per student paid at the end of January.
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The Education Tax Refund applies to any family eligible for Family Tax Benefit Part A. The refund allows for a rebate of 50% for up to $1,500 for expenses for each secondary school student.
The College is also helping families offset costs by reducing the number of items required on the book list. Where possible, the College is moving towards programs and texts in online or electronic form as they become available. Electronic resources are less expensive than paper-based texts often provide an additional level of interactivity. Online resources and e-books will provide significant savings to families.
What payment options will be available?
The College envisages that, like school fees, parents would like to have a number of payment options available to them. This could include one-off up front payments, half-year, quarterly or monthly payment schedules. The College will advise of the payment options after further consultation with parents.
What if a laptop is damaged, lost or stolen
This will happen. However, the fee for a laptop will include insurance. Insurance will cover the laptop from all non-warrantable damage, loss or theft at school, home or in transit. The excess on a claim is expected to be about $150. Costs less than this amount would be the responsibility of the parents.
The insurance will not cover theft if the laptop is left unprotected in plain sight or wilfull damage.
How long will a laptop last?
The maximum effective life of a computer iin a school situation is considered to be three years. However, most schools turn over their resources every two years. Two years is ideal as it overcomes obstacles associated with hardware, operating systems and software updates. With laptops, it also overcomes problems associated with batteries which usually have to be replaced into the third year.
Whilst, spreading the life over three years reduces the cost a little, the cost of a replacement battery and increased maintenance needs to be taken into account. The College will renew the laptops after they have been in operation for two years. This means that a student starting at Catholic College in Year 7 will be issued with a new laptop at the beginning of Year 9 and again in Year 11.
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Laptop use and health and safety
What health and safety issues are associated with laptop use?
Instruction on use of laptops in a good ergonomic environment will be presented to students at the start of each year. This will focus on good posture with attention to the position of the chair, desk and laptop. Additionally, we advise students to avoid looking at any screen for prolonged periods.
Laptop use by students at school will differ greatly from laptop users in the workplace. Generally, students will not be seated in the same place for long periods of time whilst using the laptop and are likely to take frequent breaks during the class and throughout the day.
Evidence from other laptop programs is that the combination of educating students about good practice and young peopleʼs natural habit of changing posture frequently addresses the issue of physically safe use successfully.
 Will it increase the incidence of cyber-bullying
Like mobile phones, email and messaging systems can be used to bully others. It is essential that all members of the community, students, parents and staff are aware of the potential for cyber-bullying and are aware of the College's Harassment and Acceptable Use policies. To date it has not been a major problem and any incident of cyber-bullying reported would be investigated and dealt with in accordance of theses policies.
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Netbooks, PCs, Windows and Viruses
Why not net-books?
Net-books are the smaller cousins of laptops. Whilst they can run basic applications and can be used to access the internet, they do not have the capabilities of a powerful laptop computer. The College believes that for effective learning, the laptop should provide students with access to powerful design and creation tools. Students should be able to create and manipulate graphics, multi-media and video as part of their learning and should not be limited to a smaller, less powerful sub-set of applications.
Why not Windows Laptops?
It's true that many families use PCs that use the Windows operating system, so why choose an Apple MacBook? There are many inexpensive laptops in the market place, however, it is important that we compare "apples with apples" (no pun intended). The specifications are important in terms of processor power, RAM, storage capacity, audio/video capabilities, networking capacity etc. Catholic College has access to a range of PCs at volume pricing for education so a comparison is important.
The MacBook product is a little more expensive than the equivalent standard model laptop and Windows operating system. The Windows laptop being compared are reliable, well known brands costing approximately between $930-$1,025. The MacBook however, comes as a complete hardware-software package. It comes with a range of software applications for teaching and learning that would have to be purchased in addition to the PC Laptop and Windows operating system. The purchase of equivalent specification software for audio, video and DVD production, web authoring and basic applications, make the MacBook a more attractive option.
Additionally, the College already has in place an existing substantial and reliable infrastructure and support system for the Apple platform.
Can I use files from a Windows computer?
 The most common files that people use are Word, Excel or PowerPoint. The good news is that these programs run on both the Apple and Windows platforms. Microsoft, develop compatible programs for both platforms. There are also some widely used open source programs that run on the Apple and Windows platforms (Open Office/Neo Office) that work allow you to open, edit and save files created in Microsoft Office. The iWork 09 suite that comes standard on the MacBook also allows you to do the same. Families would have the option to purchase a licence for Microsoft Office for approximately $70.
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Other FAQs
I am not confident with computers. How can I help my child?
The implementation of a successful laptop program will require the provision of some training and information for students and parents. Students and parents will be required to attend an information session when the laptops are distributed. These sessions will ensure that students and parents are familiar with the laptop and basic operational procedures before taking them home.
Can a student do anything that they want with their laptop?
The simple answer is no. All laptop use, whether at home or at school, must be within the terms of the College's Acceptable Use Policy. This means that students would need to be aware of requirements for copyright for the storage of music and videos and community standards for the access and storage of inappropriate material. This policy would be signed off on by both the student and parent on delivery of the laptop. In the event of inappropriate use of a laptop in the home environment, the College, in consultation with the parents can restrict the functionality of the laptop. The College will also support parents with tips about effective strategies for managing laptop in the home.
What impact will it have on handwriting and writing skills?
A two-barrelled question really. Even though they have laptops, students will still be required to be required to do some handwriting. However, the laptop will be used to do a lot more in the writing process, the creating, editing and revision of the text. Research has shown thatone-to-one laptop programs have had a positive impact on writing skills.
It will be important that students are able to type effectively. A touch typing tutor will be installed on each laptop and students will set and work towards targets throughout the year. It is best not to think about handwriting as a lost art-rather think in terms of it being supplanted by another form. Much like email has supplanted but not replaced regular mail.
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