We expect all students from Year 9 to 13 to bring a fully charged laptop to school each day. To help families prepare, we have put together this list of frequently asked questions.

How do we know if this laptop is money well spent or wasted?

Students use their laptops daily to take part in a wide range of tasks relevant to the learning goals. Students learn to use their device to solve problems, to manage themselves, to collaborate with others in their class, to make connections with the wider world and to develop their digital capabilities.

Some units of work rely heavily on electronic resources. Students will use software and hardware in different ways in different subjects.

Won’t students without a device feel left out?

To support students and families, we offer a limited number of loan devices for those awaiting repairs or experiencing financial hardship. We also have some laptop storage spaces at school for students who would benefit from leaving their device at school overnight. If you’re interested in either option, please fill out this form and we will be in contact:  Device Support Request Form

How will students learn to use their device?

The first few weeks of the year focus on the transition back into school. Time will be set aside for gradually introducing new-to-Nayland students to our systems and to set up devices. Support is also available to resolve technical issues, such as accessing the wifi and setting up Office 365 on their BYODevice.

What laptop should we get?

Devices that prove effective have good battery life, are lightweight, have a strong screen and keyboard, have enough memory to store documents, are powerful enough to start quickly, run fast and are strong enough to survive teenage life. There is more information on our website: https://nayland.school.nz/curriculum/byod/

What if the device gets damaged?

We strongly recommend that families ensure their child’s device is covered by home content insurance. Accidents, loss, or damage can happen unexpectedly, and insurance helps avoid unexpected costs. Please check with your insurance provider to confirm coverage both at home and at school.

We also encourage laptops are kept in protective case or a dedicated section of a school bag.

Don’t teens already spend too much time online?

The simple answer it that not all screen time is created equal. Spending two hours on the internet playing games isn’t as beneficial as spending two hours on a device learning. As parents, we suggest you set your own guidelines about how online time is used at home.

You can start this by having a conversation with your child and setting up some healthy device habits at home.

For example:

• Have limits on screen time. 

• Set up an area out of bedrooms to charge the laptop each night.

• Run software updates regularly. 

• Talk to your child about how to be cybersafe.

• Model some of the behaviours you are asking your child to follow.

Helpful tool to start the conversation: Family Tech Planner: Common Sense Media

How am I going to afford to buy a laptop?

There are a range of options available, and all major retailers have BYOD sections in their stores. An entry level Windows 11 laptop has worked well for junior students in the past.  Please see our website for further details. Many retailers offer payment plans.

If you need a WINZ quote, please email us at xtend@nayland.school.nz.

While we encourage families to shop around, we’ve partnered with two providers to offer special discounts:

• Cyclone – Discounts are automatically applied when you log in via the Nayland College page.

• PBTech – Use the school code BYODNC at the top of the page when you log in (not at checkout) to access discounts.

Is there technical support if the laptop won’t work?

Yes. There is IT support for students to get their devices set up.

The  IT support team can also assist with diagnosing issues that might come up and recommending next steps. The school is not able to help with any hardware repairs for BYO devices. We recommend whanau contact IT Support providers like Call a Geek - 03 548 0007 or Your computer guy – 035441995 to get devices fixed.

How do I help my child with their laptop?

We suggest that you set up the laptop for your child. This will help you to understand how it works and will support to make sure the laptop is ready for use in class.

During the first few weeks your child will also be supported at school to set up the device on the school network and systems.

When students learn on laptops, how do they stay safe?

Nayland College teaches students digital citizenship and this is integrated into our schoolwide expectations for behaviour. Netsafe (netsafe.org.nz ) is an online safety for New Zealand and has a great deal of up-to-date and quality content. We have processes to manage responsible behaviour that includes a student user agreement and the ability to monitor online activity. 

The school’s internet access is managed by N4L who block a wide range of non-educational websites. Students are not allowed to access VPN networks. . 

https://www.n4l.co.nz/managed-network-home/ 

I still have some questions, who can I talk to?

Chami Hutterd - Email: chami.hutterd@nayland.school.nz