At Pymble, your daughter’s experience in the digital learning environment ensures she is ready to step into her future as a confident, innovative and responsible user of technology. She is prepared for the changing nature of the global landscape and the way technology enables her to shape her world.
Technology accelerates our vision for Personalised Learning. It provides challenge, insight and opportunities for growth in the Pymble Learner Dispositions. As she works with her teachers, a Pymble girl develops confidence in her ability to select and use a range of digital tools to organise and analyse information and to collaborate and connect with others. She learns how technology can deepen areas of passion and interest through effective research. Technology offers her choice in how to creatively present and showcase her learning with real audiences.
From her earliest days at the College, your daughter will have access to intentionally selected digital learning tools. Students in K-4 receive a College-provided iPad, granting them age-appropriate access to enriching digital learning opportunities. This is where she begins to develop an understanding of what it means to be a responsible and ethical digital citizen.
Year 5 marks the beginning of your daughter’s BYOT program (see below), where she takes on greater responsibility for her learning through the ownership of her own laptop. With greater independence comes more explicit instruction how to confidently manage and operate in the digital world. As she journeys through the Secondary School, she thrives in using her device for a wider variety of learning outcomes. She harnesses the power of technology to become the author and designer of meaningful learning experiences. Her teachers continue to support her appropriate engagement in her expanding digital world.
Both the curricular and co-curricular landscapes empower students with passion to develop leadership in the field of technology. In their classrooms and in co-curricular activities, students work with teachers to co-design diverse opportunities in response to the evolving interest of Pymble girls. Engaging with mentors and external experts, participating in excursions and a range of national competitions, girls can choose to focus on areas such as robotics, STEM, coding and entrepreneurism.
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Bring Your Own Technology (BYOT) Program
As the College continues its journey Towards 2020, we acknowledge the importance of delivering personalised learning experiences for our students. A key part of this strategy will be to provide students more flexibility in both how they learn and what technology they use. With this in mind, the College implemented a well-researched and supported Bring Your Own Technology (BYOT) Program for Years 5 to Year 12.
From Year 5, students are required to bring their own laptop as part of the College’s BYOT program. We recommend purchasing through the College as the purchase includes appropriate warranty and insurance cover, plus on-site support. However, students are able to bring a device of their choice, provided that it meets the Minimum Specifications.
The BYOT program will also provide teachers with new opportunities to design open-ended learning experiences for their students that promote choice along with creative and critical thinking. The diversity of technology available in the Pymble BYOT program will help foster a culture that respects that there are many different ways to solve problems, encouraging our students to unlock different modes and processes of learning. We believe these skills will be invaluable in their further study and working careers.
The Bring Your Own Technology (BYOT) Program at Pymble is based upon a comprehensive study of BYOT programs in schools internationally.
Frequently asked questions
Laptops purchased through the BYOT Portal meet recommended minimum hardware specifications. The price includes anti-virus protection, a carry bag and premium support. The premium support provides a three-year extended warranty for accidental damage, loss and theft protection and access to on-site repairs.
Following a comprehensive review of available technology, the College now offers a number of devices for purchase. The devices available to purchase via the Portal support all of the learning experiences your daughter will engage in at Pymble.
We recommend purchasing your daughter’s laptop through the Portal as the purchase includes appropriate warranty and insurance cover, plus on-site support. However, she is able to bring a device of your choice, provided that it meets the minimum specifications outlined below:
Operating System
APPLE = OS X Sierra or later, WINDOWS = OS Windows 10 or later (not Windows 10S)
Memory/RAM
8GB+
Hard Disc Drive
128GB+
Wireless Card
5 GHz Dual Band Wireless AC – Built-in adaptor
Screen Size
13.3+ inch screen
Battery Life
10+ hours
Please note: if you choose to supply your own device, the College is not able to provide technical assistance or support in relation to anti-virus software, warranty repairs or accidental damage, including loss or theft.
Through College licencing agreements, we are able to offer each student the ability to install the full Microsoft Office 365 and Adobe Creative Suite products on their laptop at no cost. These are available on both PC and Mac platforms. Our Microsoft licencing model provides each student with five licences to install on any devices that they or their family own.
It is the responsibility of each student to ensure that they have an appropriate backup of their data. The College will also provide access to two cloud-based storage facilities through Microsoft and Google. Students can install software to automate backup to these services.
Students are required to charge their device at home overnight, as there are only a limited number of charging stations at the College – please note that these stations are only available to BYOT devices purchased through the Portal. Some classrooms have a limited number of power points that can be used in emergency situations.
Pymble’s policy in relation to accessing technology has moved from blocking to monitoring and educating. All internet access via the Pymble network will continue to be subject to our monitoring procedures. These procedures offer insight into, and accountability for internet usage by students and their teachers. Note: all known harmful non-educational sites are blocked.
No. All devices must be running a copy of a full operating system (OS), specifically, Windows 10 or Mac OS X Sierra or higher. This is required to support the high level of creative work that students undertake in curricular and Co-Curricular programs.
Windows laptops have touch screens and Apple notebooks do not. iMovie and Garage Band only run on Apple notebooks. Alternative software is provided for use on Windows machines. Please consider your daughter’s learning requirements before making a decision.
Our records show the following purchasing trends over the past two years:
- Apple: 80% in 2015, 74% in 2016
- Microsoft: 20% in 2015, 26% in 2016
Unfortunately, this is not possible. Orders placed with our external supplier are final.
Accidents do happen from time to time. In the event of accidental damage (such as a cracked screen, broken keyboard or other physical damage), students should simply bring their Portal-purchased devices into The Hub – IT Centre to book in for repairs. Please note that a $100 insurance excess fee will apply for each claim and this amount will need to be paid direct to our external supplier before repairs commence.
While waiting for their device to be repaired, students will be temporarily allocated a Windows loan device.
Please note: if your insurance policy is underwritten by Protecsure, the Protecsure accidental damage insurance is capped at twice the value insured – after this, a new policy can be purchased. Microsoft surface protection combines their own Microsoft accidental damage and theft cover, which covers the laptop for two accidental damage claims during the warranty period.
Important: it is a College requirement and the students’ responsibility to ensure that all local data (files, folders, photos, videos etc.) has been successfully backed up before any repair work can take place at The Hub – IT Centre.
If you purchased your device through the BYOT Program and there is a fault issue with your device but no physical damage, students can bring their devices into The Hub – IT Centre for a Service Desk technician to inspect. Depending on the nature of the issue/problem, the length of the repair will take between one to three days, or longer if parts need to be ordered. In the meantime, students will be temporarily allocated a loan laptop.
If you purchased your device independently of our program, you are welcome to bring it to the The Hub – IT Centre for diagnostics/PC health check. You can obtain a billable quotation to have your device repaired on-site by our technician or you may prefer to take it to your own repairer.
Please note: water spills and related issues are considered accidental damage, therefore insurance repair fees apply.
If you purchased your device through the BYOT Program, please come to the The Hub – IT Centre and we will issue you with a loan device. Please then report the loss to your relevant College Administration office. Wait 24-48 hours before filing a police report. We require the Police Report to claim for a new device under insurance. Please note that a $100 insurance excess fee will apply for each claim.
If you purchased your device independently of our BYOT Program, please come to the The Hub – IT Centre so that we can issue you with a loaner laptop for two weeks while you arrange a replacement device.
If you purchase a device from our Portal, your daughter will have access to a loan device until the reported issue (hardware and/or software related) is resolved. If you choose to bring your own device, your daughter will have access to a loan device for a maximum period of two weeks. Please note that all loan devices operate on the Windows operating system.
It is the student’s responsibility to return the loan laptop in good working condition. An excess charge of $100 applies if there is any physical damage to the loan laptop at the time of return.
Charges for missing loaner items are as follows:
Laptop $250
AC Adaptor Charger $70
Carry Bag $50
As the device is owned by you, you are free to change or update it at your discretion. The College recommends updating your BYOT device every three years.
Laptops purchased through the Portal are covered by an extended three-year warranty, accidental damage protection and access to on-site repair.
When you purchase your BYOT device through the Portal, a copy of a three-year anti-virus license is included in the cost of your device. You will need to install this software onto your BYOT device as it is not pre-installed.