 | Technology at Windermere Preparatory School
Everywhere we look, technology has permeated our lives. From the television set in our living rooms to the computers we call cell phones, it is getting exceedingly difficult to find a place where technology is absent. Some proscribe to the thought that just as technology can be found everywhere you go outside a school, that we should fill a classroom with it as well. While Technology has its function, it is our mission to find and use technologies that enhance the learning environment and utilize those technologies only where appropriate. You will not find a smart board in every classroom, nor will you find the same software everywhere. What you will find is a set of technologies, chosen for their effectiveness at enhancing education, and placed where the greatest benefit can be found.
It is also our mission that children be taught the proper use and safeguards regarding technology. While we block offensive websites from accidental viewing, we also must teach them what to avoid. The cell phones found on our students often have internet access that only a family can choose to restrict. The computers students use when not at school only have the safeguards that the family has put in place at home. Thus, it is our imperative to teach our students how to be responsible technology users, whether it be by chat, email or internet. This is the best way we can prepare them for college and life.
All that being said, you can find computers in every classroom and on every teacher’s desk. Handheld interactive devices, visual display deices, and portable computing technology can be found across campus, culminating in our Laptop Learning Program, where students from 5th through 12th grade utilize their own laptops in every class they take. Tying all this technology together is a campus wireless network available wherever wireless devices are used, including common areas like our gymnasium, café, and many green spaces.
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Students in grades 5 and above are required to have laptops. Laptop Purchase Standards:
In general, a student is expected to come to campus with a functioning computer capable of accessing the internet and prepared to open and send out files compatible with Microsoft Office.
- Operating System: OS X (Apple), Windows (XP, Vista, 7), Linux
- Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo (recommended but not required)
- Memory: 3+ GB recommended, 2GB minimum
- Hard Drive: 80 GB minimum
- Wireless Networking: 802.11G or 802.11N (802.11B is not supported)
Netbooks/Tablets/iPad: Adobe's Flash is a required component of several textbook publisher's software tools and is therefore a requirement at WPS. Because of the current lack of Flash support on the iPad, students coming to campus with an iPad will be unable to participate in some classroom activities. It is therefore advised that the computing device used on campus exclude Apple's iPad for now. Many Netbooks, while technically capable, have very small keyboards. Please consider this as you make your computer selection.
All computers must arrive on the first day of school with the following software (the school will not be supplying or installing this software). The software must not expire during the school year without being renewed. Failure to maintain this software may result in the termination of the student’s computer rights until the situation is resolved in order to maintain the safety and security of all users:
- (Windows only) Anti-Virus Software with a subscription that will not expire in the school year
- (Windows only) Anti-Spyware Software with a subscription that will not expire in the school year
- Parental Control Software – This software is a recommendation especially for our students in grades prior to High School. This allows the parent to control what software the student is allowed to use and when they may use it. NetNanny is an example of a service that has a paid subscription and www1.k9webprotection.com is a free alternative.
- Microsoft Office 2007 or equivalent, but must be able to read and write MS Office 2007 file formats (.docx, .xlsx, .pptx). If you choose to use an equivalent program, please teach your child how to save documents in MS Office format prior to the start of school. In class usage will assume that the student can translate the expected actions into whichever program they have installed. If you are unsure as to how to prepare your child for this, we recommend using Microsoft Office instead.
Families are responsible for all maintenance aspects of the laptops. If your child takes their laptop to a WPS Teacher or Staff Member for assistance, WPS assumes no liability for the condition of the laptop. Any actions taken by our staff are solely for the assistance of that child. Staff will not make physical changes to a laptop without permission from the Student or Parent. |
| | | The Laptop Learning program provides the opportunity for students to learn and use technology tools within their classes. By incorporating the use of email, word processing, database, spreadsheets, presentation and research tools into the curriculum, students have an opportunity to learn and use these skills well in advance of traditional programs. These technological skills are intended as a tool to support the class curriculum and to assist students in completing assignments and projects. This model not only allows students the opportunity to gain computer skills but also provides both teachers and students with tools for powerful teaching and learning. Laptops are simply another aspect of the excellent education provided at Windermere Prep. |
The Touchpoints program connects classrooms across Meritas schools via voice, video and the web. This is an integral part of the Meritas Academic Plan (MAP) and provides a framework for engaging students from 2nd through 8th grade in activities that are not only global in nature but are integral in our teaching of critical thinking.
As a part of the Touchpoints program, each class from 2nd through 8th grade creates and participates in a wiki, where they post information and engage in dialogs with students at other schools in the Meritas family. In a safe, secure environment, they can discuss topics their classes are studying, learn about other cultures and fully participate in critical thinking activities that help them realize their role in a global community. |
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