Questions?

The education system is evolving and schools are operating in tight financial climates where supplying technology to every student can be challenging. The advantage of access, anywhere, anytime on any device, using a choice of apps gives the concept of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) a significant advantage.
MCAS wants to ensure that no student is disadvantaged by the ending of the DER Laptop Program. Accordingly MCAS has extensively reviewed all options and determined that our only reasonable course is to introduce a BYOD policy.
MCAS values the rich learning experiences that come with integrated interactions with technology. MCAS also recognises the need to prepare our students for a rapidly changing world, where technology plays a large role in our personal, social and professional lives. Our findings from student consultations have revealed that our students want to have access to devices available to support learning activities in the classroom.
Many students have access to electronic devices that could be used to enhance their learning. BYOD enables students to bring these devices to school and use them in the classroom.

The advantage of a BYOD strategy is that it enables students to personalise their learning and adapt technology to suit their individual learning styles, rather than working with a device that has been prescribed for them.
The School’s BYOD policy means that students bring their own school approved computing device to all of their classes. In implementing its BYOD policy, MCAS empowers its students and gives them direct involvement in the way they use technology in their learning.

• The technology is available to the student all day at school, so learning is not limited by availability of high demand school resources.
• Devices can be smaller, more convenient to carry and are generally more easily accessible.
• Provides consistent and more up-to-date access to ICT, allowing students to view e-textbooks, videos, educational apps, online research and digital learning apps.
• Seamless integration between home and school, leading to more consistent application to learning.
• Students have complete control of their own devices and are not obliged to return them at the end of a lesson or a day, thus reducing time spent booking out or returning equipment.
• Research suggests that when students have ownership of their devices, engagement in the learning increases, ICT skills improve and students become more versatile in the way they demonstrate their learning outcomes.
• Students can become more autonomous learners, improving their self-reliance and resilience, which provides a more solid grounding for higher learning and employment.

It is vital that students have the capacity to learn with technology. It allows all teachers and students to have access to world-class digital content with which to create, communicate and collaborate locally and globally. Learning is engaging, personalised and authentic to enable students to become confident, creative, active and informed citizens of the twenty-first century.

Since 2009 the Digital Education Revaluation program has allowed MCAS to increase the number of school purchased laptops, for student use, from 44 to 133. It also allowed for the installation of wireless access points throughout the school.

The DER laptop program has led to enhanced access to computers and the internet for students and teachers, plus the movement of teaching practice towards the skills of the 21st century, greater access for students to global information resources and tools and improved motivation and engagement of students (source: The 2010-2012 evaluation of DER-NSW by the Universi
ty of Wollongong).

With funding for the Digital Education Revolution (DER) program by the Australian Government ending in 2014, Mount Compass Area School is adopting a BYOD policy for students. This is because the technological requirements of schools now means that it is not feasible for schools to purchase and maintain a large and ever increasing amount of devices. Some schools substantially increase their fees to purchase and maintain school technology. MCAS has chosen to avoid large increases in fees as we recognise that many families already own devices which are currently used by students at school and/or at home.

MCAS will provide the ability to connect compatible devices to a filtered Internet service. Existing DER laptops will continue to be available, however the equipment offered will need to be shared amongst a number of classes.

MCAS has invested $50,000 upgrading outdated servers in 2015 and a further $50,000 in 2016 to upgrade the infrastructure to make sure the wireless network could cope with the increase in numbers of devices coming into the school.

MCAS does not have payment plan options for purchasing of suitable devices. There are many suppliers of devices that have their own payment plan options.

To support parents who wish to purchase a new computing device for their child, MCAS has brokered an agreement with Learning With Technologies (LWT).The devices offered by LWT meet the MCAS BYOD minimum standards. The devices can be viewed at http://mcas.orderportal.com.au

Parents and caregivers are encouraged to shop around to get the best deal they can on a suitable device.

The school is still committed to providing reliable access to ICT for all students, but the equipment offered will need to be shared amongst a number of classes.