Learning with ICT

Our planning has to embrace both mobile computing and personalised learning so that we are:

• preparing students to learn, live and work as global citizens
• using quality digital content from around the globe
• teaching with strategies and tools to create, deploy and track engaging learning experiences
• using advances in high speed broadband and communications technologies as well as social networking for a trusted ICT investment

Using a Bring Your Own Technology (BYOT) program for students in Years 7-12 from 2018, flexible and learner-centred approaches to learning allow teaching staff to integrate quality teaching practices with information and communications technologies (ICTs) in engaging, contemporary and real world contexts.  

Please note: BYOT is also known as BYOD (Bring Your Own Device)

BYOT program rationale and benefits

As part of The Hutchins School Strategic Plan, the Bring Your Own Technology (BYOT) program is supporting our blended learning curriculum model in Years 7–12 in 2019. There are minimum and recommended specifications for student devices being authenticated on the School’s computer network for internet and printing services.

The BYOT strategy enables students to maintain control of their personal device to use seamlessly between home and school. This evidence includes their capacity to have greater technical knowledge and familiarity, capabilities to differentiate their choice of tools, to have an interest in taking responsibility for their own learning and to have more opportunity to demonstrate safe, responsible and creative uses of digital technologies.

The part that online learning plays in our students’ lives to create, communicate and collaborate is explicitly addressed in teaching and learning at The Hutchins School. Students are shown how to manage and connect their own wireless-enabled devices securely to work on the School’s wireless network. Students have a generous monthly allocation of colour and black and white printing in the School’s libraries.

Years 3-5 Chromebook program

After the successful rollout of Chromebooks to Year 4 students in 2017 the Chromebook program has been expanded to include Year 3 and 5 students.

Students in Year 5 will be allowed to take their Chromebooks home during the year for homework purposes, and at the end of 2018 the Year 5 Chromebook ownership will be passed on to the student.

Students can bring their Chromebooks into Year 6 for 2019.

This decision has been taken for a number of reasons. Primarily, Chromebooks have many advantages over a traditional BYOD (also known as BYOT) model for Junior School students.

• Chromebooks are easy to use; they boot up in seconds; they join our WiFi immediately, and the batteries will last up to 10 hours. The Chromebook’s durable design is much more suited to the rigours of classroom use than most laptops are. The School is able to control the apps that are available on the Chromebook and apps can be deployed to class groups in seconds by their teachers.
• Chromebooks are safe. The School is able to monitor the Chromebook, control what is accessed, what is installed, and filter and monitor email. With its cloud based operating system, Chromebooks do not require anti-virus and anti-malware software or active firewalls.
• Chromebooks support collaboration. Chromebooks facilitate individual and cooperative work through apps, Office 365 and the Google G suite. Our students are also able to cast their Chromebooks to the large screens installed in the classrooms to showcase their work, their collaborations, and their creativity.
• Chromebooks are popular. The overwhelming feedback from the students is that they love using their Chromebooks. We have been able to embed the Chromebooks into the curriculum and avoid some of the distractions that BYOD brings.
• Chromebooks give the teachers more time for teaching. Having one controllable device in the classrooms means that the teachers can spend more time teaching, and less time troubleshooting, finding lost documents and diagnosing niggling problems.
• The Chromebook plan will also reduce costs for parents/carers.

BYOT purchasing portals

We are pleased to advise that BYOT purchasing portals are now live. These portals are provided by external vendors JB Hi-Fi and Mac1 as an option for parents/carers for convenience, pricing and optional extras such as insurance. Please note, we are happy for parents/carers to purchase BYOT devices from any supplier.

JB Hi-Fi Mac1

JB Hi-Fi: Login with code HUT2018 and includes both Apple and Windows devices.

Mac 1: This portal is specifically for The Hutchins School and is for Apple devices.