BYOD

At Pulteney, we believe parents should have the choice to explore what works best for their child. Choosing the best device for your child, their learning style and for your family lifestyle is important. When you are deciding, look beyond the brand or what is popular. Here are three considerations to think about before deciding.

What device do you, as parents, have experience in using and managing?
After all, you will need to assist your child with connecting their device to your home environment (e.g. WiFi, printing, media sharing, filters and monitoring). We recommend you keep this in mind when purchasing a device for your child.

Which device is best for a child’s learning? Furthermore, what type of interface should you consider? Pen? Keyboard? Voice? Touch?

The era of digital ink has seen the power of the PC and the pen come together successfully on the Windows platform. Apple too have recently released digital ink capable devices and both these offerings allow students to write and draw directly onto their device, take handwritten notes, draw conceptual diagrams or annotate on top of documents, presentations and other learning resources. It has allowed more fluidity in their learning when trying to draw equations in Maths and Science which is far easier to capture with a stylus and digital ink, than it is to punch it into a keyboard. Touch and pen enabled devices now work the way we want naturally. We already have several teachers using digital ink in their teaching; preparing learning material and providing feedback to their students or to assess their work.

In addition to traditional keyboard and mouse, there are several devices on the market that are both touch and pen enabled which offer students that extra modality for capturing their learning and enhancing their creativity.

It’s worth trying them out at a retail shop to see what feels comfortable for you and your child.

**Please note that Google Chromebooks will not work on our network. Only Windows and Mac devices will be supported**

Hardware:

• Intel Core i5 or higher (12th generation or higher), AMD Ryzen 7 (77xx series or higher) or Apple M2 or M3.
• 16GB RAM (8GB will result in a limited life and performance issues)
• Minimum 256GB SSD Storage
• 7+ Hours Battery Life
  *This is the bare minimum any device should have; 8GB RAM will cause performance issues in the very near future, currently students running 8GB RAM struggle with having more than a few programs open at any time. We highly recommend 16GB to ensure a life of at least 3 years on Apple or Windows Devices.

Software:

• Apple macOS Ventura or Higher
• Windows 11 (ensure this is not the Windows S edition, this will not work correctly and normally is found in cheaper windows devices)

Things to consider:

• Length of warranty – aim for a minimum 3 years of cover
• Servicing arrangements within that warranty period – basic warranty turn around is 2 months, onsite warranty is faster and onsite repair/replacement is even better
• Specifications (mentioned above) – these are set to ensure, as best as is possible, a problem free 3 years of usage
• Insurance – Accidental Damage / Theft & Loss (check your home and contents policies) – you can normally add this on either in store or via online tier 1 retailers (Dell, HP, Apple)
• Carry bag / Case for protection

All our specifications are reviewed in October of each year for relevance and requirements.

More information about human interfaces and digital devices is discussed in a paper by Sharon Oviatt. Read more about this study here.

Where to purchase?

Parents can purchase both Windows and Apple devices from any retailer they prefer. We highly recommend taking the specifications above and speaking with the sales staff to ensure the device meets the minimum specification. If you have any questions or would like advise on a specific model, please contact eServices on (08) 8216 5558 or by emailing us at support@pulteney.sa.edu.au

When purchasing a device for your child, you may wish to consider a 3-year warranty or period of cover to safeguard your investment. Most retailers offer competitive deals/bundles when incorporating this into a device before payment.

Please note that student devices are not covered by the school for damage, loss or theft. It is recommended that parents explore what their Home & Contents Insurance covers and if insurance is required, parents can select an insurance option when purchasing a device from most retailers.