Glendowie College is now a fully BYOD school. All students in years 9 - 13 are expected to have their own digital device to support their learning at the college. This page provides parents and whanau with guidelines for the best equipment to buy for their child. Click on the tabs below to learn more.
Click on the link below to reset your GDC password.
https://account.activedirectory.windowsazure.com/ChangePassword.aspx
All students at Glendowie College are expected to have their own digital device to access learning resources and to create files required for assigned tasks and, increasingly, some NCEA assessments.
At Glendowie College, students use a variety of learning media. They will also need to use their devices to access applications such as Google Classroom, Education Perfect, Sibelius and more. Some applications incur a cost (e.g. licence or usage fee) while others are free. The course handbook identifies this.
Increasingly the resources and applications used by students are online. As students progress into senior subjects, they may want to purchase specialist software that needs to be downloaded and installed on their device. Read the “Buying Devices (Guidelines)" to learn more about this.
We are aware that some families may struggle to afford a device. Please note that a device is NOT compulsory. See “Financial Support” if you would like more information about this.
NEW STUDENTS:
BEFORE setting up Wi Fi access on your device, you must follow the password 're-set' procedure if you are a Year 9 or other new student. Your form teacher will provide you with the instructions and the Portal password you will need to in order to complete this procedure. Below is the link for the password re-set. You will need to access this link from home or on your phone using your personal data.
The password you set must be at least 8 characters and cannot contain any part of your name or student ID number!
Password Re-set Link:
Once you have completed the password re-set procedure, the password you set will be the password for Wi Fi access, Google Drive and Google Mail, Office 365 and network and logging on to school owned devices. The password for accessing the Portal (the original one that your form teacher provided) does NOT change!
When setting up your school Wi Fi connection, you will choose the "GDC BYOD" connection. Your user name is your five digit school ID number. The password is whatever you reset it to using the password reset link.
If students are having difficulty connecting a device to Wi Fi after they have COMPLETED the instructions for the “Reset Password Link” on the school’s website, the instructions via clicking here may be of some assistance. You will have to sign in with your school Google account to access this document.
IMPORTANT: Students with iPads will have to go see the IT Technician IN PERSON after completing the above instructions!
RETURNING STUDENTS:
This password will be the same as your Google password that you set using the “Reset Password Link” on the school website previously.
Returning students who do not know their network password will have to:
As your child progresses through college, they will need their devices for different purposes. Some students find that they bring their device less to school in their senior years, while others need it more as they select specialist subjects such as Technology or Visual Arts.
Our experience is that few devices will last five years, so it may be better to think of two purchases during your child’s education at Glendowie College. The first purchase may last from years 9-11, and then the second is in year 12 and may see them beyond school into university or other tertiary studies.
We do not require specific brands or devices. Rather we recommend three different categories of digital devices, depending on your child's year level and subject choices.
All devices must have:
Ideally students devices should also have:
Additionally, students doing specialist subjects such as Digital Technologies, Design and Visual Communication, Media Studies and Visual Art Design & Photography may need a laptop with higher specifications to run specialist software, such as Adobe Creative Cloud.
NOTES:
Basic Devices:
These devices include Chromebooks and basic laptops that can cost as little as $400. Many students like these devices as they provide access to the web, are small and the battery life is usually very good.
They will support the vast majority of year 9 -10 courses and many courses in the senior school, especially as more learning applications are web-based. The limitation of some devices (e.g. Chromebook, iPad Pro) is that students cannot install software (e.g. Adobe Photoshop) on these devices.
Midrange Devices:
These devices have higher specifications than Chromebooks. These devices are usually better designed (e.g. have nicer screens, a bigger keyboard, etc) and students are able to install software on them. This would include devices with a minimum of 4GB RAM and dual to quad core processors.
Many students like these because they have better specifications and students are able to personalise them. However, they are not suitable for some specialist courses.
Advanced Devices:
These devices include powerful laptops with higher specifications. These devices need to be capable of software installation and easily running software such as Adobe Creative Suite (which students can access for as little as $7 per annum). These devices would need to have the minimum specifications of an i5 processor, 8GB of RAM and a dedicated graphics card.
While the school will endeavour to provide a limited number of advanced devices for student use at school, many students prefer to own these devices because they can store files and access specialist software outside of school.
Specialist subjects include Media Studies, Photography, Design & Visual Communications and most Digital Technologies courses.
It is not compulsory for students to bring their own device to Glendowie College. Students without a device will be able to access any course at the college.
To support students who may not be able to afford their own device, the college provides the following devices for students
There are a limited number of Chromebooks available for student use in the library. These devices can be checked out prior to the first period of the day for use for one day. These devices are provided for 'emergency use' only, e.g. when a student's laptop is being repaired.
In the case of financial hardship, the deans may request that a device be provided for a student’s use during the school year. There are a limited number of these devices available. There is a $100 refundable bond payment required prior to the loan of an equity device. These are older devices and may have some damage and/or limitations (e.g. the mouse pad not working, the screen is scratched, etc.).
Specialist subjects provide a limited number of PCs for students enrolled in these courses to access during class time.
Battery Life
Self management skills are one of the “Key Competencies” in the NZ curriculum. Students need to manage the responsibility of ensuring that their BYO device is fully charged at the start of each school day.
Insurance
House and contents insurance may cover student devices at school. Contact your insurer for details. Please be advised that the Glendowie College is not liable for loss or damage to students’ devices while at school. While we will endeavour to investigate reported incidences, it is important that the students understand that they are responsible for their devices.
Links to Helpful Advice for Managing Students’ Device Usage
Netsafe: Online Safety for New Zealand
10 Tips for Limiting Your Child’s Screen Time
Kids and Tech: Tips for Parents In the Digital Age
Parenting In a Digital Age
Students' devices should have the following software intalled on their devices:
Under the school's licensing agreement with Microsoft, students and staff may download and install the Microsoft Office 365 Pro Plus software suite for PC and/or Mac on up to 15 different personal devices using their school email address. Click here to download your free Microsoft Office software.
All students are provided with a Google Workspace for Education account. This service includes both a Google Mail account and a Google Drive account, as well as access to Google Classroom. This service is provided free of charge for the duration of each student's enrolment at the college. All school related email communications are sent to this Google Mail account. Google Drive provides students with 25 GB of online file storage, the ability to collaborate with teachers and peers and online access to software applications like word processing, presentations, drawing, etc.
At Glendowie College we emphasise 'respectful relationships' across the school, and this includes online. Student and staff behaviour online is covered by school rules - including behaviour out of school hours if it affects the learning or wellbeing of other students or staff.
All students agree to the college's CyberSafety Student User Agreement when they enrol and complete the enrolment application forms. This is signed by both the student and the parent/caregiver. This agreement encompasses all use of the college's ICT facilities, network, and online spaces; and covers student and staff online behaviour both during and out of school hours.
Cybersafety and Digital Citizenship are discussed with students through their studies at the college, especially in Year 9.
Glendowie College is not liable or responsible for the damage, loss or theft of a personal student device. Although the school will investigate incidents related to device damage, loss and theft, the device is the responsibility of the student. It is advised that devices are covered by personal insurance policies for loss and theft, that they are kept in and/or protected by an appropriate case, sleeve or protective cover, and that they are clearly named. Parents should check with their insurance company to determine the level of cover under existing insurance policies.
Glendowie College staff are not responsible for the technical aspects of device use, repair or maintenance. This includes all teaching, ICT and support staff. Any IT support will be limited to verbal and/or written instructions on troubleshooting common problems, such as connecting to the wireless network. Teaching, ICT and support staff will have a strictly ‘hands off’ policy due to liability issues. Any technical problems, repairs and maintenance issues are the responsibility of the student.
The TECHS is a community service student team that are available to provide ICT technical assistance to both students and staff. This team can provide assistance with connecting personal devices to the school's Wi Fi access, tutorials on using Google Mail and Google Drive and other ICT related assistance as needed. Students interested in joining the TECHS team should speak to Ms. Mercer or any of the team members.
All Year 9 students attend an ICT and Internet safety presentation in the first week of school. The school’s ICT Manager (Vicki Mercer) and the student ICT team (the TECHS) discuss issues concerning safety on the Internet and the appropriate use of the school’s computers. Instructions for Wi Fi connection and ICT related school procedures are introduced.
Each student is responsible for maintaining the security of their school ICT accounts. These ICT accounts include Google Workspace and Wi Fi connection. The student is responsible for ensuring that strong passwords (at least 8 characters is required) are set up for all ICT accounts. Students are responsible for ensuring these passwords are not known to others. Additionally, each student is liable for any inappropriate activity that occurs on any school provided ICT account.
Glendowie College uses the Zoom platform for class meetings during lockdown and/or learning from home.
Teachers will supply students with a meeting invitation. The invitation will be either sent to the student’s school email or posted on the Google Classroom for the subject/class. The link needed to join a class meeting is included in the invitation if sent in via email. If the invitation is sent via email it will be sent no later than the morning of the scheduled meeting.
If the student does not have Zoom installed, the first time they join a meeting the user will be required to install the program. The installation is very easy and quick. The student should just accept the default settings for the installation.
When a teacher starts a meeting and the student joins the meeting, the student will be placed in a ‘waiting room’. The teacher will take the roll and admit the students to the meeting, usually within 3 to 5 minutes from the meeting start time.
Below is a link to some frequently asked questions that students may find helpful when they are using Zoom for the first time.
https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/206175806
