At Forbes High School, we see that access to technology is vital in a future-focused learning environment and to ensure we continue to move our education system into the 21st century model of teaching and learning.
Students today face an ever changing and very dynamic job environment where many employment prospects of tomorrow have not been thought of. This will require a different approach to teaching and learning by incorporating a vast range of pedagogical practices that focus on developing 21st century skills for our students. These include digital literacy, creativity and innovation skills, critical thinking and problem solving skills, communication and collaboration, and self-directed learning.
In response to the end of federal government funding of the laptops for learning program, the DoE is adopting a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy and Forbes High School will be implementing a school wide policy that allows students the option to bring a suitable portable device (laptop or convertible laptop) to school for the purpose of learning and engagement.
The federally funded Digital Education Revolution (DER) program provided every Year 9 student with a laptop and a secure wireless network to operate within. As a result our school has been left with a robust network infrastructure that will allow us to continue to provide wireless network access to all students on a range of portable devices of their choice.
It is important that laptops brought by students are suitable for use at school and details of the minimum specifications also the types of devices suitable for use in the school environment will be available on the school website. The DER laptops issued to students can continue to be used on school.
The DoE has given students' access to Google's suite of Applications for Education, Microsoft Office 365 and some Adobe software free of charge. This gives all students secure access to powerful productivity tools and a collaborative learning environment at no cost.
Students will be using specific internet based applications for developing their skills across the key learning areas as well as many elective subjects. Each application will have a specific purpose for use and teachers will ensure that all students understand how they will be used in classroom. This will enable each student to further develop their 21st Century learning skills whilst making them proficient learners in the digital age.
We have made provisions for providing students access to a loan pool of laptops for occasional use. It may also be the case that a device that you currently have at home can be "handed down" for use by your child at school.
We recognise that just like uniforms, supplies, and extracurricular activities, a device for student use represents a significant investment and along with hard cases, we encourage families to consider insurance as an option for extra protection.
Local suppliers are fully aware of the program and can supply devices that sufficiently meet the School's minimum specifications and a range of budgets. Please refer to the BYOD Device Specifications document at the top of this page.