Teaching and Learning > Secondary School > Laptop Program

Laptops for Secondary Students

In an important initiative for students in the Secondary School, St Margaret's is preparing to roll out a Student Laptop Program in 2011, with students from Year 8 to Year 12 receiving laptops in Term 1. St Margaret's vision is to create a dynamic learning community where the use of information and communication technologies is integral to the learning of every student. Through authentic engagement and involvement with their learning, we are striving to equip our students with the tools and skills for their future world.

Mr Dean Downes, CIO for the Society of the Sacred Advent schools said "Laptops are both the technology and the tool. They provide a means to replace, to a great extent, previous media and previous technology and represent a better way to access and integrate a vast array of digital resources.

At St Margaret's, teachers recognise that using technology can add to the vibrancy of their lessons. The provision of laptops to students will further enhance options for staff facilitating the integration of educational wikis, blogs, podcasts and other Web 2.0 learning tools in the classroom and beyond.

"There are endless possibilities. Now teachers have access to teaching resources of the quality, quantity and variety not seen before and all available via the internet direct to your computer," said Mr Downes.

The School's Student Laptop Program provides students with personal portable computers to enhance their opportunities for learning and also the support and management of the program.

The provision of laptops has been partially funded through the Digital Education Revolution. The school will be providing extensive software, insurance and additional IT staffing to support the program across the Secondary School.

Included in the program will be: 

• Software: Laptops will have a range of licensed commercial software loaded including the latest Windows 7.
• Wireless: All will have wireless infrastructure to enable connection to the School's wireless network which has been recently upgraded.
• Remote Access: A number of integrated systems from SharePoint to Scholaris and email will be accessible remotely.
• Hardware Support: A stock of spare laptops will be available to students in the case of hardware failure.
• Help desk Support: The School will provide high levels of support and service for the program.

Students will have full access to the laptop while at home or in the Boarding House. The Student Laptop program aims to provide students with standard hardware and software to ensure maximum compatibility, support and connectivity within the School's network.

The use of mobile computing, both inside and outside the classroom, prepares our students for living and learning in the 21st Century.