Junior School Devices

At Pedare, we believe that technology has the power to engage students in their learning; to empower them to find new ways of thinking and express their creativity. The use of technology is transforming the way we teach and learn. It is intuitive, yet has powerful, creative tools, interactive textbooks and a universe of educational applications and content which result in limitless learning possibilities.

Why do we use devices?

Research shows that students who have their own electronic devices engage more deeply in their learning, become more active creators in the learning process, take greater pride and ownership over the knowledge they subsequently create, and are able to participate in more flexible forms of learning. Student thinking, participation and interaction are much more accountable in the digitally-equipped classroom. Each student develops the knowledge, skills, practices and attitudes necessary to be a successful digital citizen.

Devices

At Pedare Junior School iPads are the primary device used to enrich learning outcomes. Devices are used to support personalised learning, foster learning autonomy, assist research and organisation, and enhance online collaboration and home-to-school connectedness.

Reception to Year 2

  • College-owned shared iPads

The College has PODS of iPads accessible for classes as the class teachers require. These iPads remain at the Junior School.

Years 3 to Year 5

  • Student (BYOD) 1:1 iPads
  • Students in Year 5 have the option to purchase a Chromebook – Please refer to Middle School Devices for more information and specifications.

Students will be part of the BYOD Program. BYOD stands for “Bring Your Own Device”. Students will need to start the year with their own devices.

Recommended iPad specifications

  • iPad 10.2 inch
  • 64GB Storage
  • Wifi – Cellular not required
  • Protective Case and Screen Protector
  • Bluetooth keyboard

iPads can be purchased though our supplier LWT from the Pedare order portal  or an authorised Apple retailer.

Middle School Devices

After extensive research across a number of years, the College concluded that in Middle School, a single device across all year levels would provide the best outcomes for students. An education-specific device, the Chromebook was selected, and we believe this choice best suits the learners in the Middle School. 

The reasons why this device was chosen include:

  • Durable devices – can be used through to Senior School (depending on subject choice – for example our Senior Digital Technologies teachers are using high end Chromebooks working side by side with Mac and Windows devices)
  • Reduce distractions – permissions allow students to use the Chromebook with their own Google account during non-school times (enabling games outside of school hours, but not within)
  • Very high resistance to virus/malware – no virus scanning or malware software needed
  • Long-life battery
  • Work stored in the cloud – which means no more lost work as learning can be accessed from any device
  • Full keyboard
  • College managed device supporting teachers and students – application deployment is instant to students across the College network
  • Access to Web 2.0 Technology – Chromebooks can video edit (WeVideo), sound edit (SoundTrap), image manipulate (Gravit and Photopea) and undertake software programming across all languages (Blocky, Python, Java and C+) in addition have full access to the entire Google Workspace Suite for publishing of work.

All students in Year 6, Year 7, Year 8 and Year 9 in Middle School are required to use a Chromebook for their daily lessons at the College. 

After Middle School, students can choose to continue with their Chromebook or change to another device as they move into Senior School.

Chromebook Minimum Specifications:

ChromeOS (please double-check this when purchasing)

Intel / AMD Processor

8 Gb RAM
128 Gb SSD Storage minimum
13.3-inch minimum screen size
Inbuilt camera

 

All Chromebooks used at the College require a one-time-only purchase to enable Google’s Chrome Education Upgrade. The Chrome Education Upgrade costs $62.70 and enables the management of the device while enrolled at the College. The Chrome Education Upgrade is included in the bundled price provided by LWT through their purchasing portal. If purchasing a Chromebook through another supplier, you will need to purchase the Chrome Education Upgrade separately through the Qkr! App within the ICT menu.

LWT also offers the choice of including 3 Year Onsite Warranty which includes accidental insurance on Chromebooks purchased through their portal which is highly recommended.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the College Office.

To purchase from our supplier, Learning with Technologies, click on the link below. 

VISIT ONLINE STORE 

Senior School Devices

Our students are digital natives, they have grown up with technology and access to extraordinary amounts of information. At Pedare we believe our devices program is central in allowing students to learn the necessary skills of being effective and responsible communicators as well as utilising technology as a tool enabling them to consolidate and extend their learning.

If students are considering studying technology-based subjects in Senior School, they may require their bring your own device (BYOD) device to have specific hardware capabilities based on software needs.

For students selecting non-technology based subjects, a student can continue using their Chromebook or a minimum of

  • Apple MacBook Air 13” or equivalent PC
  • 128GB flash storage, 1.6 GHz dual-core
  • Intel processor, minimum 8GB memory

The following subjects require increased minimum specifications

  • Furniture Construction
  • Digital Technologies
  • CAD/CAM
  • Product Design
  • Music
  • Media Art

Operating System
Apple macOS Catalina v 10.15 as a minimum or Windows 10 (64-bit only)

  • CPU Type – 64-bit processor
  • Core i5 or equivalent, 3.0 GHz or greater
  • Memory – 8 GB Ram
  • Graphics Card – 512MB GDDR RAM or more
  • Disk Space – 256 GB SSD – Note some computers come with 2 hard drives for storage, these are acceptable as long as one is a SSD.

Devices can be purchased from any computer retailer. If you prefer to buy a Mac device families can purchase a Mac or accessories through Apple’s online store or an authorised Apple retailer.