Laptop Program - FAQs
Why do you require each child beginning in 6th Grade to have a laptop?
McGehee believes that one-to-one access is necessary in achieving the mission of the school to provide a rigorous college prepatory education to girls. The program helps to foster self-esteem, encourages high personal standards, addresses individual student needs, and emphasizes active student participation in learning.
The goals for our technology program are:
- To use technology in support of the mission of the school.
- To enable students and faculty in all curricular areas to synthesize and integrate information and to allow for an inclusive learning environment.
- To instill habits of independent thinking, problem solving and self-reliance in all disciplines.
- To enable students and faculty to engage in the creative process and to become enthusiastic about learning.
- To provide access to information worldwide.
- To use technology in innovative ways to enhance student understanding and achievement.
- To use technology in ways which encourage active student participation and collaboration.
- To use technology to communicate among parents, teachers, students and administrators.
- To meet the needs of individual students by presenting information in a variety of ways.
- To educate students about appropriate and inappropriate uses of technology.
When students have their own laptops, faculty members can more easily integrate technology into their curriculum. Students can become independent and responsible users of technology at an early age; thereby, giving them an advantage for the future.
What is the recommended laptop and what are the benefits of using it?
Each year McGehee recommends at least two Dell laptops that are current for the year: a standard-sized model and a more compact model. Our experience is that one platform is the most desirable for an integrated technology curriculum.
*Visit McGehee's Dell store to view and purchase the laptops we've configured!*
The benefits of using the recommended models are as follows:
- The recommended models are imaged by the school's tech department and include all required software.
- A four-year, next-day accidental damage warranty is included. All parts are replaceable in a timely manner.
- If a recommended laptop has to be repaired, a loaner laptop will be given to the student.
- The McGehee tech department services and supports the recommended laptops.
- Technology is most easily integrated into the coursework - and academic success is more easily obtained - with standardized laptops and software.
- The McGehee faculty also use McGehee recommended Dell laptops, so that students and faculty are standardized.
- The student has access to printers, technical support, and software that is provided by the school.
My daughter already has a laptop. Can she use it?
Your child may use another laptop on our wireless network, as long as that laptop has either Windows XP Professional or Windows Vista Business. However, she will not have any of the benefits of the recommended laptops, including access to loaner laptops.
Why can't my daughter use a Mac?
As stated above, we believe one platform is beneficial to both students and faculty. Your daughter may use a Mac but she will not have the benefits of the recommended laptop. Further, she will run into some incompatibility issues. Our faculty have reported the following issues with students using Macs:
- Safari does not allow text editing on wiki spaces
- Documents are difficult to exchange between PCs and Macs - particularly when dealing with Office 2007.
- Many images are not included when submitting Mac Office documents to the teacher's PC. This results in the student submitting an incomplete assignment.
- Macs cannot be hooked up to the Smart Boards for presentations without a special adapter
- Macs are not compatible with the robotics software used in the middle school
What if my daughter's laptop needs repair?
If your daugher has one of the recommended models, then she needs to bring the laptop to the tech department office where someone will diagnose the problem and give her a loaner if needed. The tech department will manage all repairs, either fixing the problem in-house or calling Dell to have parts replaced. The turnaround time for repairs is usually 24 hours. If a student does not have a recommended model, then she will be responsible for her own repairs.
How do students use the laptops in the classroom?
Each department and teacher may use technology with laptops in a different way depending on the needs of the particular curriculum.
Some examples include:
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Email communication between students and faculty
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Posting of homework assignments, study questions and course materials on SchoolFusion
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Use of Microsoft Office, Timeliner, Inspiration, and other software for coursework
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Use of Web 2.0 resources such as Sketch Up 3-D design, Google Earth & Google Docs
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Use of wikis (collaborative workspaces), blogs and podcasting
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Library research tools including JSTOR, ABC-CLIO, and Gale
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Electronic submission of homework assignments
How does my daughter print at school?
Students have access to approximately six laser printers that are located in strategic areas of the school. McGehee-recommended laptops have all the printers included.
Do you have Smart Boards in the classroom?
We have approximately 38 Smart Boards across campus; most classrooms have access to that technology.
Do you teach keyboarding?
Keyboarding is taught primarily in the Lower School, using TypeToLearn.
If a student still feels that she needs keyboarding help after Lower School, we recommend purchasing either Type For Fun or Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing. These software titles can be purchased from many different online and local vendors.
What does McGehee do about internet safety?
On campus, our students and faculty are protected by a SonicWall content filter. Through use of this software, social networking sites are blocked along with many other undesirable and inappropriate sites. Internet safety presentations are periodically made to the students, faculty, and parents. The school's acceptable use policy is discussed and signed by all students at the beginning of the year and is strictly enforced.
Our 6th and 7th graders are further protected by CyberPatrol software, which is installed on their laptops. This software follows the students home, acting as a filter there as well. Although this software is very effective, parents are encouraged to be vigilant at home, keeping an eye on the sites their daughters visit.
As a parent, can I access your email system and my daughters's email account?
McGehee uses Microsoft Exchange for our email system, and each student in grades 6 - 12 has an account. If you want or need to access your daughter's account, you may ask her for her password.
How do I protect my child's laptop at home from viruses?
The recommended laptop is pre-loaded with a McAfee firewall, virus protection, and browser protection that works at school and at home. Under normal circumstances, the software receives updates automatically. If for any reason a student notices that the McAfee software is out of date, she should bring her laptop to the tech department immediately.
Additionally, students are cautioned against downloading "free" games, programs and add-ons, such as cursors and screen savers. Many of these free downloads are laden with spyware and others simply slow a system down so much that it's not usable for academic work.
In the case that a student's laptop does contract a virus, the tech department will attempt to clean the virus. If removal of the virus is not possible, the laptop will be freshly reimaged, or restored to the point at which the student received the laptop. If this happens, files that are not backed up will have been lost. The McGehee tech department makes every effort to salvage files in these cases, but a student having a recent backup is always preferable.
How do I make sure my daughter is not accessing inappropriate websites and wasting time playing games, IMing, and using social networking sites at home?
McGehee recommends that your daughter use her laptop and cell phone in a public area of the home and not in a closed room. Honest discussions with your child about the internet and other uses of technology are recommended. Here are some resources to help you better understand some of the technologies used by students today.
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