Acceptable Use of Technology
There is an expectation that students will use technology responsibly and respectfully. At enrollment, students and parent/carer are required to read and agree to an acceptable use agreement. This agreement includes an adherence to our policies (and legal obligations) relating to the use of the internet, social media and devices.
See Digital Technologies Policy (in Resources).
There is an expectation that students will use technology responsibly and respectfully. At enrollment, students and parent/carer are required to read and agree to an acceptable use agreement. This agreement includes an adherence to our policies (and legal obligations) relating to the use of the internet, social media and devices.
See Digital Technologies Policy (in Resources).
Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) Program
Warracknabeal Secondary College requires students to provide and bring their own device to school. We are currently transitioning away from iPads and require new students to have a laptop/notebook for use in the classroom. Our technician is available to discuss hardware/software requirements. The college does have devices available for short term use, or when a student's laptop is unavailable.
Warracknabeal Secondary College requires students to provide and bring their own device to school. We are currently transitioning away from iPads and require new students to have a laptop/notebook for use in the classroom. Our technician is available to discuss hardware/software requirements. The college does have devices available for short term use, or when a student's laptop is unavailable.
When Choosing new technology to use at School there are a few qualifications
1: Is the battery life enough to last a day?
2: Is it quick enough so that I can work without delays?
3: Is there support if anything goes wrong?
4: Is it compatible with the Schools software?
3: Is my home notebook too old for school?
The following guide is to help you make the best informed choice for Technology
1: Is the battery life enough to last a day?
A School day is 9 hours long, most notebooks do not even last half this long on battery. Anything with a Powerful graphics card or High end CPU will chew through battery life and give you at most half a day.
As a recommendation choose a notebook with a 13-14” screen, these are marketed as Ultrabooks and are designed to give you better battery life, or purchase a secondary battery for emergency use (these are usually less than $45for new notebooks)
2: Is it fast enough so that I can work without delays?
The other side of economy is performance – the recommended minimum CPU‘s for new notebooks are;
With Intel, i3 Processors are the recommended minimum, if you want more speed i5 and i7 are faster but be aware of a decreased battery life.
With AMD, A4 Quad core APU Processors are the recommended minimum, however A6 to A10 based systems are faster, but with decreased battery life
Anything based on the Intel Atom, Celeron and Pentium Quad Core or AMD E1 or E2 processors are too slow to be effective, we will support the technology but it is not really appropriate.
3: Is there support if anything goes wrong?
We offer a base level of support at the school.
There are Hundreds of different computer systems available with proprietary components. All are slightly different but there are some common components that are interchangeable. As such we will diagnose and replace common components like Hard Drive’s and Memory as well as offering initial Software Support for installing the application that you need.
But this is where the support stops.
From factory all Computers offer at least a year warranty, It is worth considering getting an extended warranty on any computer system – this can often be extended to 3 years for around $150. Alternatively please consider insurance with your notebook.
4: Is it Compatible with the Schools Software?
Because the School is turning to open source freely licenced software we have selected variety of programs compatible with all Windows 7 - 10 Notebooks, and Macbooks with OSX 10.9 - 10.12 There are limitations on the Tablet Design so in years 10-12 it is recommend that you use a Device with a full size keyboard instead of a tablet.
5: Is my home notebook too old for school?
For older notebooks, anything based on, or better than the Intel Core 2 Duo or the AMD AthlonX2 or PhenomX2 systems will be supported, but they must meet the other Requirements mentioned on the last page. It is also highly recommended to get a new battery for older devices, as battery life will have deteriorated over time.
New notebook batteries for older devices are usually available online for under $50
If you don’t know the specifications for your notebook, please bring it to school and we will tell you if it is compatible.
1: Is the battery life enough to last a day?
2: Is it quick enough so that I can work without delays?
3: Is there support if anything goes wrong?
4: Is it compatible with the Schools software?
3: Is my home notebook too old for school?
The following guide is to help you make the best informed choice for Technology
1: Is the battery life enough to last a day?
A School day is 9 hours long, most notebooks do not even last half this long on battery. Anything with a Powerful graphics card or High end CPU will chew through battery life and give you at most half a day.
As a recommendation choose a notebook with a 13-14” screen, these are marketed as Ultrabooks and are designed to give you better battery life, or purchase a secondary battery for emergency use (these are usually less than $45for new notebooks)
2: Is it fast enough so that I can work without delays?
The other side of economy is performance – the recommended minimum CPU‘s for new notebooks are;
With Intel, i3 Processors are the recommended minimum, if you want more speed i5 and i7 are faster but be aware of a decreased battery life.
With AMD, A4 Quad core APU Processors are the recommended minimum, however A6 to A10 based systems are faster, but with decreased battery life
Anything based on the Intel Atom, Celeron and Pentium Quad Core or AMD E1 or E2 processors are too slow to be effective, we will support the technology but it is not really appropriate.
3: Is there support if anything goes wrong?
We offer a base level of support at the school.
There are Hundreds of different computer systems available with proprietary components. All are slightly different but there are some common components that are interchangeable. As such we will diagnose and replace common components like Hard Drive’s and Memory as well as offering initial Software Support for installing the application that you need.
But this is where the support stops.
From factory all Computers offer at least a year warranty, It is worth considering getting an extended warranty on any computer system – this can often be extended to 3 years for around $150. Alternatively please consider insurance with your notebook.
4: Is it Compatible with the Schools Software?
Because the School is turning to open source freely licenced software we have selected variety of programs compatible with all Windows 7 - 10 Notebooks, and Macbooks with OSX 10.9 - 10.12 There are limitations on the Tablet Design so in years 10-12 it is recommend that you use a Device with a full size keyboard instead of a tablet.
5: Is my home notebook too old for school?
For older notebooks, anything based on, or better than the Intel Core 2 Duo or the AMD AthlonX2 or PhenomX2 systems will be supported, but they must meet the other Requirements mentioned on the last page. It is also highly recommended to get a new battery for older devices, as battery life will have deteriorated over time.
New notebook batteries for older devices are usually available online for under $50
If you don’t know the specifications for your notebook, please bring it to school and we will tell you if it is compatible.
