Information & Communication Technology
Primary ICT (Prep-Year 6)
Bayside seeks to have an educational environment that allows students to use technology to enhance their learning in a manner that reflects and upholds the College purposes. To accomplish this goal, the College is committed to educating students about digital citizenship from Prep onwards, helping students learn how to be smart, safe and responsible online.
ICT is fully integrated into the Primary School curriculum and used to enhance learning in subjects including: literacy, numeracy, LOTE, music, visual media; and, IT-specific topics such as email, coding and robotics.
Commencing in Prep, students begin using iPads and desktop computers in the classroom for lessons primarily targeted at numeracy, literacy, music and basic computer skills such as typing. As some students engage and respond better to visual or interactive lessons such as videos or educational games, teachers can use these resources to take a differentiated approach with students where appropriate.
Classroom Computers
Each Primary classroom has a small number of iMacs available for students to assist their learning in different lessons. The classroom computers are also regularly used for research and editing of media such as videos or sound recordings.
iPads
All of the Prep-Year 2 classes have access to iPads with a wide variety of age-appropriate educational apps available for use. We have found the iPads are particularly useful for younger students who do not yet have the dexterity and skill to use a keyboard and mouse as effectively as older students.
Beginning in Year 3, students are introduced to email and the Google G Suite of apps that is widely used at the College by all students from Year 3 onward. Students in Years 3-6 also begin using Chromebooks as well as engaging in a more diverse range of ICT topics including visual media, coding and robotics.
Because we recognise that online safety is an increasingly important factor in the wellbeing of our students, Bayside is a certified eSmart School and takes a holistic approach to cybersafety. Students are also taught strategies and skills to be a good online citizen through our C.A.R.E (Care and Respect for Everyone) program, which includes understanding and agreeing to uphold these standards in our Primary ICT Acceptable Use Policy Agreement form from Year 3 onwards as they are given more access to online resources.
Chromebooks
All of the Years 3-6 classes have Chromebooks available for use throughout the day to be used in lessons in various topics as well as completing assignments in G Suite, including Google Classroom. This experience provides excellent preparation to Primary students in their transition to Secondary School, where they will use Chromebooks and G Suite extensively as part of our Years 7-9 Chromebook Program.
Classroom Computers
Years 3-6 students also continue to have access to iMac computers in their classroom to be used for advanced photo and video editing tasks and research to enhance their learning in various subjects.
All students from Prep to Year 6 will have many opportunities throughout the school year to further their ICT studies in a dedicated, modern computer lab fitted with iMacs, Lego robotics kits, and a large screen interactive panel.
Chromebook Program (Years 7-9)
From Years 7-9, students enter our Chromebook Program, which supports students to develop their God-given gifts, establishing an engaging learning environment that makes use of e-books and other online educational resources for collaboration and communication.
Students are issued with a Chromebook by the College in Years 7-9 under a low-cost rental agreement (part of the fee structure), which includes comprehensive warranty and accidental damage protection insurance, as well as on-site IT support and assistance.
The Chromebook was chosen for our Years 7-9 program after careful consideration of several factors, including:
- effectiveness in supporting learning in the classroom
- ease of use for students
- features and performance
- security and management, and
- durability and cost.
Education Focused with Less Distractions
Chromebooks have been specifically designed to be used in the classroom with the Google G Suite for Education being perfectly suited for classwork collaboration. The Chromebook also provides the College with tools to make it much easier to restrict the use of games, social media and other time-wasting activities in the classroom than is possible with most other devices.
This feature helps the College to address concerns about cybersafety and assist parents in preventing their children from accessing inappropriate materials online both at school and home as part of our Digital Discipleship programs.
All students will have many opportunities throughout the school year to further their ICT studies in a dedicated, modern computer lab fitted with iMacs, Lego robotics kits, and a large screen interactive panel.
The G Suite for Education is a collection of cloud-based applications provided by Google to enable students and teachers to work and collaborate while enjoying the benefits of a fully connected environment. The G suite includes Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Drive, Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides, Google Forms and Google Classroom.
This suite of apps make it possible for students to work from almost anywhere they want, simply by logging into their College account on their Chromebook or any other internet-connected device.
Is a Chromebook mandatory for all Years 7-9 students?
Yes, all Years 7-9 students will be provided with a College-issued Chromebook as it is a key educational tool in our Years 7-9 program. Many classroom activities and homework assignments will require the Chromebook to successfully complete the work.
Are Parents Required to Purchase the Chromebook?
No. All Year 7-9 students will be issued with a Chromebook by the College under a rental agreement that is included in the fee structure. The Chromebook used for our program is a ruggedised model specifically designed for student use, and is covered with a full three-year warranty and accidental damage protection insurance. The Chromebook is returned to the College at the end of Year 9.
Who will be responsible for warranty or Accidental Damage repairs to Chromebooks?
The College is responsible for the repair or replacement of all Chromebooks leased through the College under the manufacturer warranty and accidental damage insurance coverage. Students with Chromebooks requiring repairs must take them to the ICT Department, which will arrange for the Chromebook to be repaired or replaced through the manufacturer.
Families who purchased a Chromebook for the program prior to 2018 are still responsible for the repair and replacement of those Chromebooks; however, the College can provide assistance with any warranty and non-warranty repairs for these Chromebooks as well.
Will internet use be monitored on the Chromebooks?
Yes. The College utilises Enterprise-grade web security tools to filter and monitor student internet traffic at the College.
Less restrictive web filtering will also be in effect off-campus wherever the Chromebooks are used, whether at home, at an internet cafe or other public WiFi services. This web filtering will be limited to inappropriate websites including: explicit sites, sites used for academic fraud, malicious sites, gambling and keyword filtering on the College YouTube accounts.
Please note that this limited web filtering is not infallible and is not a substitute for parental guidance at home.
Are students allowed to install games or messaging/social apps on their Chromebook?
No. The Chromebook is intended for educational purposes as part of the Years 7-9 Chromebook Program. Only the apps vetted and approved by the College may be installed on the Chromebooks.
Can students print from the Chromebook?
Yes, using Google Cloud Print. Instructions for setting up home printers for use with the Chromebook can be found here.
Will the Chromebook eliminate the need for physical books?
No. Some books on the Years 7-9 booklists will be provided as an eBook, however, some books will need to be purchased in traditional hardcopy.
Will the Chromebook eliminate handwritten work at school?
No. Use of the Chromebook will be combined with more traditional learning activities involving handwriting, presenting and listening activities.
Senior Secondary (Years 10-12)
Bayside provides a one-to-one computer through the MacBook Air Program for all students in Years 11-12.
This allows students to use an authorised IT device to aid and improve their learning opportunities at the College. The previous BYOD program was phased out back in 2019 and the current system provides a consistent and equally capable device for all students.
It is mandatory for all incoming Year 10 students to acquire their device through the College’ 1-to-1 program, with MacBook devices provided by the College, along with the necessary support, insurance and protection software. The MacBook computer is then issued to the students at the end of Year 12 as their very own device to take to their further studies if needed.
Cybersafety / eSmart
Because we recognise that online safety is an increasingly important factor in the wellbeing of our students, Bayside is a certified eSmart School and takes a holistic approach to cybersafety. Each year, the College provides cybersafety programs and resources for our students, teachers, parents and the wider community seeking to provide safer online environments both at school and home.
The full College Cybersafety Policy can be viewed here.
For Parents
A few good guidelines to follow to help ensure a safe internet experience for your family:
- Never allow children to have access to the internet unsupervised. No internet-capable devices should be allowed in the bedroom or other private areas where you cannot monitor them.
- Regulate the use of social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Social media sites have become the biggest sources of cyberbullying for many school-age children.
- If your children have a social media account, ensure their privacy settings are set appropriately.
- Do not allow unrestricted or unmonitored use of message sites and apps such as iMessage, WhatsApp, Snapchat and other services that allow private, group or “secret” messaging between users. Services such as this have also been used for Cyberbullying as well as grooming of children.
- Use a web filter to protect your family from inappropriate images and content on the internet.
If you would like more tips and guidelines for keeping children safe online, see the iParent website, provided by the Federal eSafety Commissioner.
For Children
- Never post private information such as your phone number or address on Facebook, Twitter or any other blog or Wiki.
- Remember that all comments, photos or videos posted on the internet today may stay available on the internet for years or decades. Don’t post something you will regret because it may be permanently online.
- Be a good online citizen and never write or post anything that you know would hurt someone else’s feelings or be considered bullying. There are laws governing all forms of workplace, schoolyard or cyberbullying.
- Always inform your teacher(s) or parent(s) if you come across anything online that makes you feel uncomfortable, or that you consider to be bullying against yourself or another student.
- Immediately inform your parents or a teacher if someone asks for private information on the internet.
- Never agree to meet an “online friend” that you have met online.
Bayside Christian College takes the issue of cyberbullying very seriously. We are committed to educating students to use technology with wisdom and discernment, while also protecting our students from immoral, illegal or damaging actions by themselves or others, either knowingly or unknowingly. This is done through education, on-site and off-site web filtering and alerts, as well as counselling and disciplinary strategies where necessary.
If you would like to speak to someone about cyberbullying issues, we encourage you to first discuss these matters with your child’s teacher(s) and/or the College Deputy Principal and to also utilise the resources provided by the Australian Federal Government and other organisations to assist you in learning more about the best ways to address cyberbullying:
Resources
- The Kids Helpline is available on 1800-55-1800 as well as online at the Kids Helpline website.
- Help and advice is also available through ThinkUKnow, a partnership between the Australian Federal Police and Microsoft.
- Reporting of cyberbullying can be made through the “Complaints and Reporting” section of the eSafety website provided by the Australian Federal eSafety Commissioner.
If your child has an iPad, you can activate restrictions, also known as parental controls, on their iPad. Restrictions can prevent children from using specific features and applications such as iMessage, installing Facetime and other apps, making in-app purchases etc.
Learn more about the types of restrictions and how to enable or disable them on the iPad at the Apple Support site.
Support / Help Desk
Technical support is available at the College through the ICT Department for all students from 8:30am to 4:30pm Monday-Friday. Our ICT technicians are located in the ICT office at the back of the Library. Students may visit the ICT office before school, during recess, at lunch-time or after school.
Students and parents may also request assistance from the ICT Department by logging a request on the BCC Help Desk or sending an email to support@www.baysidecc.vic.edu.au.
Chromebook Repairs
All Chromebooks issued by the College to students from 2018 onwards have a three-year warranty and accidental damage protection insurance. Students needing support or assistance with their Chromebook should contact the ICT Department (located in the Library). If warranty service or accidental damage claims and repairs are required the College ICT Department will arrange those repairs.
Where possible, a temporary “loaner” Chromebook will be provided to students while their Chromebook is being repaired or serviced.
