Dear Parents,
We are pleased to provide you with an update on the progress of the "Bring Your Own Device" pilot program in the Middle and High Schools. Based on the present evaluation, we have decided to transition fully to a "Bring Your Own Device" environment in Grades 6-12, beginning in August 2017. The school will no longer provide tablets for student use. The choice of device and platform will depend on the needs and interests of each student and family.
As a service to our parents during this transition, we have partnered with A+ Computers, a local vendor and service provider, to offer a well-suited device for education that is available on an installment plan. This is offered as an option to families, if it meets their individual needs. Click and print the Bring Your own device Fact Sheet PDF, which has a description of this option and other questions and answers about the Bring Your Own Device program.
The only specific requirement for Canterbury student devices is that they meet the minimum performance requirements of, and have the ability to install and run, the Office 365 software suite (available free to current students). The table on the Bring Your Own Device Fact Sheet PDF contains the system requirements recommended by Microsoft.
The school will provide basic technical support to assist students with connecting to the school network and printers, and with installing any software required by the school. The school will not provide device repair or system software installation for personal devices. Families are strongly encouraged to obtain accidental damage and warranty repair coverage from the manufacturer or computer vendor. The IT department can also assist families with identifying service and repair options for personal devices.
The "Bring Your Own Device" pilot program has been very positive, and the number of participants is significant enough to allow some strong insight into areas of strength and improvement.
- Perhaps the largest impact of the pilot so far has been in the area of device servicing and repair. The first three months of school saw the fewest broken and damaged school-owned devices in three years. As a result, the IT staff has been able to repair and reload school-owned devices without parts waiting lists and service delays. Students and teachers have therefore been able to rely on everyone having working devices in the classroom.
- Students bringing their own devices have reported general satisfaction and easy transition. There is room for further improvement in the ease of adding school printers, but students have so far been able to connect easily to the school network and install appropriate software on their devices. With almost all services and tools for our classes provided via the internet, we no longer need to directly manage the software and system on student devices.
If you have any questions about device suitability or software for the "Bring Your Own Device" program, please contact the Technology Department at support@canterburyschool.org or 260-407-3550.
Sincerely,
Nate Doelling - Director of Information Technology
Ben Ottenweller, Director of Middle School
Bob Schantz, Director of High School