Technology at SACS
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Technology at SACS
Technology is an important part of the learning experience at St Andrew's in all years. We aim for Learning Technologies to be used authentically and appropriately to enrich, enhance and extend learning.
Our Year 5-11 students use a School Provided device, with Year 12 choosing between an appropriate tablet or laptop. Access to computer labs is available as required and desktop computers can be accessed in the Middle School Library, Design Centre and Senior Research Centre.
Technology Student Use Policy
The Technology Student Use policy is reviewed regularly. It is in the student diaries and the most current version is kept on the Technology Student Use Policy page.
Year 12 Laptops
It is recommended that students bring a lightweight laptop or tablet device with a keyboard. It is also important to consider improvements brought about by services like OneNote by Microsoft and the functionality brought about with stylus input for writing and annotation. There has been great progress with tablet devices and it is recommended that students consider written input with Windows-based tablet devices.
Personal laptops for Year 12 should:
- Be a lightweight in good working order.
- Be less than 2 years.
- Have an up-to-date operating system.
- Have sufficient processing power and at least 4GB RAM (8GB is better).
- Be stored in a hard ‘clamshell’ case and/or a padded sleeve (for carrying within a schoolbag).
- Be purchased with accidental damage / theft insurance.
- Have a long warranty. Please be careful – by default most consumer equipment only comes with a one year ‘return to base’ warranty.
NOTE: Tablet devices should also have an external keyboard NOTE: some electives may have specific requirements; such as Design electives (Timber, Design, IST, Engineering, Visual Arts) and Music.
| Design Electives | All Other Subjects | |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 10 | Windows 10, Mac OS X, iOS |
| Type | Laptop | Laptop, Tablet |
| Wireless | Yes | Yes |
| Storage | 128GB SSD Minimum | 64GB (Recommended 128GB) SSD |
| CPU | Quad Core Recommended (Dual Core Minimum) | Dual Core Recommended |
| RAM | 16GB Recommended (8GB Minimum) | 8GB Recommended (4GB Minimum) |
| Dedicated Graphics Card | Yes (Recommended) (On Board Minimum) | Not Needed |
| Anti-Virus | Yes | Yes |
NOTE: There are software specific issues that Solidworks have for its GPU (Graphics Drivers). Follow the link below to confirm your Laptop GPU Model Check:
https://www.solidworks.com/sw/support/videocardtesting.html
Software:
Office Suite: As part of the Schools Microsoft Subscription students can download the Office Suite onto 5 PCs or Macs, 5 tablets, and 5 smartphones. To do this:
- go to the SACS Portal (Link) on your browser via PC/MAC
- login with your school account for access to your files, folders, email etc
- click on "Office365" in the top ribbon
- select "Install Software" above the Microsoft Apps List
- choose the software you want to install on your computer
- download and install setup files to your device
- login to synchronise and save files as you work on them
Adobe Software: The School also offers Adobe software.
SolidWorks for Design Students: School has given Design students access to the 3D Modeling Software for use at home. This is accessed through the Leader of Learning (Design and Art).
Insurance
We suggest parents carefully consider arranging insurance cover for their Year 12 child's iPad or laptop. Many Home & Content Insurance Policies have the option to add electronic devices to guard against loss or theft while away from home.
School Computing Resources and Assistance
In addition to students’ own personal devices, desktop computers are available for students to use in the Junior School, in the Middle School Library (Level 4 of St Andrew’s House) and in the Senior Research Centre (Level 3 of the Senior College). Desktop computers with specialised software are also available within Design and Technology and Music classrooms.
Systems and Services
The School provides and supports a number of services including:
- Microsoft Office365 - is a cloud subscription service that is the backbone of many of the services of the school including the SACS Portals.
- Office365 brings us storage, access, sharing, editing and collaboration across all devices. The service has a number of main services that are backed up and synchronised online. The main services of Office365 include OneDrive for personal files and folders, Word, PowerPoint, Excel and OneNote for document edits and Forms for collecting and graphing data. Students have full access to the Office suite of apps and software for iPads, laptops, computers and other devices.
- Digital Textbooks - see Textbooks for more information on Textbooks in years 7-12 (including how to purchase hardcopy textbooks)
- Schoology our Learning Management System - our platform for our class content in years 5-12. Schoology enables interactions, communication, discussions, access to resources and information as well the ability to submit work and receive feedback. (+ numerous other options) Schoology works well across all devices via the portal or on the iPad app. Read more on schoology.com/
Support and Help
For technical support; Inquiries for assistance with IT can be directed to the IT Department (Ph: 9286 9555) or the IT Help Desk that runs each lunchtime on level 4 of St. Andrew's House.
Students can drop off their device to the SACS IT Helpdesk and talk to one of the staff there.
