Community
Student Devices
At Pedare, we believe that technology has the power to enhance student learning; to empower them to find new ways of thinking and express their creativity.
Student Devices
Junior School Devices
The use of technology is transforming the way we teach and learn. Powerful, creative tools, interactive textbooks and a wide range of educational applications and content result in limitless learning possibilities.
Why do we use devices?
Research shows that students who have their own electronic devices engage more deeply in their learning, become more active creators in the learning process, take greater pride and ownership over the knowledge they subsequently create, and can participate in more flexible forms of learning. Student thinking, participation and interaction can be much more accountable in the digitally-equipped classroom. Each student develops the knowledge, skills, practices and attitudes necessary to be a successful digital citizen.
Devices
In the Junior School, iPads are the primary device used to enrich learning outcomes. Devices are used to support personalised learning, foster learning autonomy, assist research and organisation, and enhance online collaboration and home-to-school connectedness.
Reception to Year 2
- College-owned shared iPads
The College has PODS of iPads accessible for classes as the class teachers require. These iPads remain at the Junior School.
Years 3 to Year 5
Students will be part of the BYOD Program. BYOD stands for “Bring Your Own Device”. Students will need to start the year with their own devices.
- Student (BYOD) 1:1 iPads
- Students in Year 5 will have the option to purchase a Chromebook; Please refer to Middle School Devices for more information and specifications.
Recommended iPad Specifications
- iPad A16 – This model has a 11-inch liquid retina display and a 10-hour battery life.
- 128GB Storage
- WiFi only models are preferred – Cellular not required
- Protective Case and Screen Protector
- Bluetooth-enabled keyboard is preferred
Headphones: We ask you to provide your child with a set of headphones that is compatible with your child’s iPad.
iPad’s can be purchased through our supplier LWT from the Pedare order portal or an authorised Apple retailer.
Student devices
Middle School Devices
After extensive research across several years, the College determined that in Middle School, a single device across all year levels would provide the best outcomes for students.
An education-specific device, the Chromebook, was selected, and we believe this choice best suits the learners in the Middle School.
The reasons why this device was chosen include:
- Durability – can be used through to Senior School (depending on subject choice – for example our Senior Digital Technologies teachers are using high end Chromebooks working side by side with Mac and Windows devices)
- Reduced distraction – permissions allow students to use the Chromebook with their own Google account during non-school times (enabling games outside of school hours, but not within)
- Very high resistance to virus/malware – no virus scanning or malware software needed
- Long-life battery
- Work stored in the cloud – which means no more lost work as learning can be accessed from any device
- Full keyboard
- College managed device supporting teachers and students – application deployment is instant to students across the College network
- Access to Web 2.0 Technology – Chromebooks can video edit (GoogleVids), sound edit (SoundTrap), image manipulate (Vectorpea and Photopea) and undertake software programming across all languages (Blocky, Python, Java and C+) in addition have full access to the entire Google Workspace Suite for publishing of work.
All students in the Middle School are required to use a Chromebook for their daily lessons at the College.
After Middle School, students can choose to continue with their Chromebook or change to another device as they move into Senior School.
Chromebook Minimum Specifications
Chromebook running ChromeOS (please double-check this when purchasing; Chrome OS Flex-compatible devices are not supported)
- Intel / AMD Processor
- 8 Gb RAM minimum
- 128 Gb SSD Storage minimum
- 13.3-inch minimum screen size
- Inbuilt camera
LWT also offers the choice of including 3 Year Onsite Warranty which includes accidental insurance on Chromebooks purchased through their portal which is highly recommended.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the College Office.
Student Devices
Senior School Devices
Our students are digital natives, they have grown up with technology and access to extraordinary amounts of information.
At Pedare we believe our devices program is central in allowing students to learn the necessary skills of being effective and responsible communicators as well as utilising technology as a tool enabling them to consolidate and extend their learning.
If students are considering studying technology-based subjects in Senior School, they may require their bring your own device (BYOD) device to have specific hardware capabilities based on software needs.
For students selecting non-technology based subjects, a student can continue using their Chromebook or a minimum of
- Apple MacBook Air 13” or equivalent PC
- 128GB flash storage, 1.6 GHz dual-core
- Intel processor, minimum 8GB memory
The following subjects require increased minimum specifications:
- Furniture Construction
- Digital Technologies
- CAD/CAM
- Product Design
- Music
- Media Art
Operating System
Apple macOS Sonoma v 14.7.1 as a minimum or Windows 11 (64-bit only)
- CPU Type – 64-bit processor
- Apple M3 or Core i5 or equivalent, 3.0 GHz or greater
- Memory – 16 GB Ram
- Graphics Card – 512MB GDDR RAM or more
- Disk Space – 256 GB SSD minimum – Note some computers come with 2 hard drives for storage, these are acceptable as long as one is a SSD.
- If you prefer to buy a MacBook device, it can be purchased through Learning with Technologies (LWT) or directly from major manufacturer websites or education-based electronic retailers such as Officeworks or JB Hi-Fi.
LWT also offers the choice of including 3 Year Onsite Warranty which includes accidental insurance on Chromebooks purchased through their portal which is highly recommended.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the College Office.
