Frequently Asked Questions

Digital technology is an important aspect of preparing our children to participate, create and thrive in this fast-moving digital world.

Is BYOD compulsory in years 3-6? 

No, but we highly recommend children bring their own device. This gives greater empowerment for students to exercise agency and take control of their own learning in a seamless way between home and school. This helps grow their capacity to be better self managers and take greater responsibility for aspects of their own learning. There is the constant readiness of the device, no having to share or wait for a device to use.

Year 1/2: Students will have access to school owned iPads and chromebooks (Not BYOD)

Year 3 - 6: Chromebook, Macbook or iPad are the schools choice of device for BYOD. Android Tablet/laptop will not be turned away however it must be able to connect to wifi and have Google Chrome installed as the search tool for school.

How much time do you envisage the children spending on devices per day? 

This will vary depending on the learning task. A device is like a piece of stationery for your child. A device is only one tool a teacher may use. They will use it for different purposes in different subjects. All teachers ensure there is balance.

Will the children’s devices be ‘staying at school’ or going back and forth in school bags? 

This will be up to parents. A good device case will prevent harm to your child’s device in their school bag. If need be, we can organise to have them locked away in a cupboard at school. Teaching your child responsibility for their device as young as year 3 will put them in good stead for the following years.

Will the children have access during lunchtime/morning tea? 

No. Devices are strictly for educational purposes only and under teacher supervision. 

How will the school (and parents) prevent pupils from accessing inappropriate content etc?

Parents can visit www.netsafe.org.nz for the best tips when it comes to keeping your child safe online at home. Here at school, we have major security in place which prevents certain sites and material being accessed online. However, the internet is a large platform to monitor therefore we place a huge emphasis on teaching children digital citizenship. Please visit www.netsafe.org.nz for more information as this what we follow. 

What proportion of time do the children spend using their devices and for which subjects?

This will vary in every classroom. Students will use their device in all subjects at some point but not every lesson, every day. All teachers ensure there is balance. 

What might my child’s learning look like when using devices? 

Here is an example of what your child might be doing on their device at each year level. Each year they apply and use the same skills/apps taught in previous years, so their digital skills build every year. Each year they will cover digital citizenship as well.

Please visit www.netsafe.org.nz for more information and examples of lessons regarding digital citizenship.  

At Te Mata School we use Hapara Teacher Dashboard - This allows teachers the ability to quickly access, view and give feedback on student work in G Suite.

Year 3-4: Use GAFE (Google Apps for Education) and use their @temata.school.nz email account to log in, create google docs and slides. Begin to learn to code. Complete cyber safety learning. Use Seesaw to communicate learning and practice skills. 

Year 5 & 6: Continue with GAFE Google Sites, use of workspace and hapara, creating websites, create films using iMovie, learn to code (computer programming) and Robotics. Digital citizenship lessons will include continued discussion around digital citizenship and their digital footprint going forward. 

Does my child who has an iPad as their device need their own Apple ID?

No. You can control and monitor your child’s device better if it is connected with a parent’s Apple ID and email address. 

How do I know what apps are needed for the iPad? 

These can be found on this page.