The Challenge

With changes to school funding and existing device leasing arrangements coming to a close, Boronia Heights Primary School, assessed how best to proceed with its students’ technology use.
Kim Hindmarsh, Year 3 Teacher and Learning Specialist (Curriculum/Digital Technologies) at BHPS says, “Our teaching vision, which includes supporting IT, is to offer a breadth of learning opportunities for the development of confident learners.”

“We needed a user-friendly device for children, one that would last our students through to the end of primary school,” she says.

A BYOD policy was settled and introduced to Years 3–4 which would eventually filter through to Years 3–6. The device selected would have to be applicable to and robust in an education setting. BHPS also wanted an external keyboard, a device that met NAPLAN requirements and would support student typing skills.

Under a BYOD policy, students have access to both school endorsed resources and personal content. “As parents would be making the purchase, it had to be clear to families that it was their child’s device, to be used however they wanted at home. But we needed to be able to block personal apps during school hours to minimise distraction and keep students on task,” Kim says.

The Solution

“We went in with a blank canvas. Compnow actively helped our selection. They took us through the pros and cons of different devices, and broke down the costs. We benefitted so much from Compnow’s expertise with advice such as introducing the BYOD from Grades 3 and 4, rather than to 5 and 6, to give families the longest return on their investment. And the keyboard they proposed allows our students to use the iPad as a laptop and develop their typing skills,” she says.

Boronia Heights embraced the advantages of modern deployment. Under the new regime, all devices are enrolled via the specifically designed Apple mobile device management (MDM) tool, Jamf School.

A vital element of Compnow’s service offering is training in new technologies. Kim and the school’s IT technician undertook Jamf sessions to optimise the school’s self-management of its BYOD policy.

“Compnow suggested Jamf so the management of our BYOD policy would be as easy as possible. We can remotely manage devices, update software, deploy apps for learning and troubleshoot issues. Everything is arranged in folders so all the iPads look the same. Our teachers can quickly tell their kids where to find things. It saves so much time and classroom disruption,” Kim says.

During the consultative process, Compnow introduced BHPS to a number of reference site schools who shared their BYOD policy and Compnow experience. “We were given information booklets and parent agreements which meant we didn’t have to start from scratch. To get a best fit for our families, we only had to adjust these proven documents.”
Many parents were concerned about iPad protection during school hours. The sturdy case, which Compnow proposed, reduced the potential for breakages. Further, Kim says the problem of devices being left in bags or out in the rain was solved by placing a lockable trolley or cupboard in each classroom, “Our students quickly learned to put their iPads into the trolley as soon as they got to school.”

Parents were also appreciative of Compnow’s payment plans that helped with affordability issues. And the warranty arrangements means that parents can contact Compnow directly, and all queries to the school can be forwarded to Compnow.

The Benefits

“There’s a very strong partnership between our teachers, students and parents. The aim is for our community to achieve through respectful engagement. And Compnow very much fits with us.”

“Compnow made all the difference to the success of our new BYOD policy. They were, and still are, with us every step of the way. Their communication is great, whether it’s giving us technical responses or putting parents’ minds at ease at the information nights. They’re very accommodating, and always available,” Kim says.

With Jamf School, teachers can access specific apps and content based on student needs and abilities.

“We can easily set different work and testing levels — which is particularly useful for our higher achieving, more independent learners,” Kim says. “With Google Classroom we can send out an activity or a video with a problem-solving task. The teacher can both engage with the rest of the grade and check in on individuals.”

Important to the success of the BYOD policy is the Jamf School parent app. Not only can they log repairs and order devices, but outside of school, usage and monitoring control over the iPads automatically transfers to parents. They also have access to the tools and resources being used in the classroom by their children.

“We have peace of mind when we push out apps or restrict student access to them. And Jamf makes communications so easy between the school, students and parents. It’s really, really great.”