At Walford we offer a wide variety of the latest technology for our students to learn and experiment with. The use of technologies such as 3D Printers, Laser Cutters, Virtual Reality and Drones are common place at Walford.

Our teachers are skilled at integrating these technologies into the classroom to enhance the learning experience across all learning areas. Teachers and students work together to utilise the latest technology to create an exciting and collaborative learning environment.

Students at Walford go beyond the basic use of the latest technologies and challenge themselves to explore new and exciting ways to develop the skills they will use now and into the future.

To support this collaborative learning environment the school promotes the use of Apple technology within a ‘bring your own device’ model that allows student to have their own personalised learning device.  With support from our IT department, students are encouraged to take responsibility for the setup and use of their device to promote a culture of good technological habits that will benefit them far beyond their school journey.

This unique approach empowers our students to develop responsible use of their devices and provides the opportunity for students to be confident and independent in their use of technology. With this confidence students are encouraged to explore new and emerging technologies and develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills that can be applied across multiple disciplines.

The following information is provided to parents and student to guide them in selecting the best device for their daughter’s education.

This year to make the device purchase experience easier for parents we have partnered with Computer Depot who are a local business and have created an online form to order a new device, which can be accessed via this link.

Please note the following devices are recommended for anyone needing to purchase a device now. If you already have an Apple device and it is capable of running the latest OS your device may already meet our requirements.

If you are unsure that your current device meets our minimum requirements, please feel free to contact the IT Department who will be happy to assist you.

Reception – Year 5 – School Provided iPad

The school will provide students in Reception to Year 5 an iPad for use in class, this is managed by the school and no additional setup is required. If you have any questions about the use of the iPad in class time please contact your class teacher.

Year 6 – 12 – Laptop

Standard Laptop 

MacBook Air 13″ M2 8GB RAM 512GB SSD

Creative Arts (eg Music, Design Tech etc)

MacBook Pro 14″ M3 8GB RAM 512GB SSD

Due to the greater focus on digital content in the creative arts and design technology we recommend a higher spec machine for anyone studying these subjects, particularly from Year 10 onwards. This machine offers the additional power for the more complex software required for these subjects.

While we do not require you to purchase a cover for you laptop we do recommend it, below are some good options that you may want to consider.

InCase Hardshell for MacBook Pro

 

Accessories

All students in Years 6 -12 are required to bring their own set of headphones for learning purposes.

The type of headphones is entirely a personal choice, however we recommend purchasing a standard set of wired headphones that can be used exclusively for school work and should remain at school.

All other accessories are optional. If you would like any advice on additional accessories you would like to purchase please contact the IT Department

 

Software

The school will provide Microsoft Office and the Adobe suites for student devices, we do have some other required software however this is software is free of charge. For more information about installing the required software for school please see this link.

Backup and Document Storage

Students are responsible for the backup of their own device and we recommend using Microsoft OneDrive to backup your important documents, this is provided free of charge for students.

We also recommend using iCloud to store and backup personal files including photos, this is the preferred method to backup your iPad or iPhone.

 

Setup and Additional information

We have created some handy guide to help you get up and running as quick as possible, please see the link below to our self-help guides.

For more information about setting up your device please see the links below.

• Setup your Device
• Setup OneDrive
• Setup iCloud

If you still need help setting up your device we offer personalised help and setup sessions throughout the year. At these sessions we will cover the setup process and provide further information about the following services.

• Printing and Internet Access
• Family Sharing
• Cloud Services
• ScreenTime
• Office 365
• Adobe Cloud

You can book your setup session using this link.

If you have any questions about the technology requirements at Walford please contact the IT Department.