BYOD

Bring Your Own Device

What type of device do I need?

A small number of chromebooks are available at school for daily borrowing, but this cannot be relied upon as these are often needed for internal assessments. For that reason we strongly recommend that students have easy access to a chromebook or laptop at school and at home. We expect that all year 9 and year 10 students have their own device.

Cell phones are not permitted to be used in class they do not make good work devices. iPads (without a keyboard) and tablets (without a keyboard) are not appropriate devices for school.

If you already have access to a chromebook or laptop (with the specifications below), there is no problem as we can easily add it to our school managed IT system.

What device does Mairehau recommend?

For 2024 we recommend purchasing the Acer C734 Chromebook; for more information about purchasing this Chromebook through Uru Manuka Trust please click this link below or check this website for a price comparison over various stores.

Purchasing a Chromebook

When looking to buy what should I consider?

Battery life: should last 5-8 hours to be able to get through the day without recharging
Weight: Light enough to be carried around throughout the day
Dual Band Wireless: 802.11 b/g/n (5.0 Ghz) – this allows a more stable connection to our network.
RAM: should be 4GB or more, so that programs can run fairly quickly
Screen size: 11” or bigger
Antivirus – free is OK, like AVG
Insurance: the school cannot be responsible for damage or loss of electronic devices, so please make sure this is covered on your own policy
Warranty: having a good 2 year or 3 year warranty is important as students who are using a device will want faults fixed quickly.

Hardship Provision

If you are unable to get a device, we will have a small number of devices available for students to loan daily. This can be discussed with your child’s dean.

Chromebooks can also be paid off through the WINZ scheme for families on lower incomes. You do not need to be a WINZ client. A letter from the school must be provided in order to support the application.

For more information on eLearning and BYOD please contact Assistant Principal, Rebecca Swanson: swansonr@mairehau.school.nz

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