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| Printable version STUDENT LAPTOP FAQs Ronald C. Wornick Jewish Day School (RCWJDS) is committed to the integration of technology into the academic programs of the school. At the end of the school year, in June, the laptops and all the cables must be returned in good working order to the school. The questions below address issues that parents and students may have regarding the laptop program. Quick Links
Who supervises/monitors the student use of the laptops? When the students are at school they are under the supervision of their teachers. When they are at home, the students are under the supervision of their parents.What equipment comes with the laptop? Each laptop comes with one battery, a battery charger, and an AirPort card (installed).How fast is my laptop? What operating system is installed on it? How much RAM is installed on it? To answer these questions, click on About this Mac under the Apple Menu in the Menu bar.What software comes installed on the laptop?
Can I upgrade the laptop? Can I change the hardware, such as add memory? No, you may not change the laptop’s hardware without explicit instructions from the Director of Technology. Periodically, Apple will provide software updates to update the applications on the laptop or the operating system. Please DO install these updates.I was told there are certain settings I shouldn’t change, which are they? Please do not change the setting in the following System Preferences: Network & Sharing.Can we load software from home onto the laptop? All the laptops have been carefully tested to assure that they will function correctly when launching applications and accessing the wireless network at RCWJDS. The software that is loaded on the laptop is the software designed for school use. You are only allowed to install software that a) you own or for which you own a license or b) does not interfere with the operation of the original applications installed by RCWJDS. IF YOU DO NOT OWN OR HAVE A LICENSE FOR A PIECE OF SOFTWARE, DON’T INSTALL IT.What happens if I forget my password? Come find the Director of Technology and s/he will reset your password to abcd.Does the laptop have to be transported in a carrying case? Yes. You must carry your laptop in a carrying case whenever you transport it.What if I forget the laptop at home? Forgetting your laptop at home would be very much like leaving your binder at home now. You would be missing all your work and materials which may cause some of your assignments to be late. You would still need to complete your school assignments that day, so you would have to do your work by hand —with pencil and paper— like you do now.Where should I charge my laptop? You should recharge your laptop at home overnight. You are expected to bring your laptop to school fully charged.Should I bring my power cord and power brick to school? No, your power cord and power brick need to stay at home. You should keep your power cord and power brick in the same location in your house all the time. Make it a habit of plugging in your laptop as soon as you get home.Can I use my laptop while it is plugged in? You can use your laptop while it is plugged in. Whenever it is plugged in, and the battery is connected, the battery is being recharged whether the laptop is on or not. It is actually preferable to use your laptop while it is plugged in.Where should I store the laptop? You should store your laptop in the carrying case in your school locker or inside your classroom with permission from your teacher. At no time should the laptop be left out on campus. If you are doing an activity that prevents you from keeping an eye on your laptop, it must be placed in a locker. Do not leave your laptop in a classroom unless the teacher has specifically directed you to do so. The teacher is not responsible for your laptop—you are. Keep it with you or place it in your locker.How should we clean our laptop? You can use a damp, soft cloth to wipe the exterior white plastic of the laptop. If that doesn’t clean the exterior, use a gentle, nonabrasive cleanser. DO NOT use a damp cloth or cleanser on the LCD (screen) because it will cause damage. Use a screen cleaner and a tissue to clean the LCD. A screen cleaner can be bought (at a modest price) at any office supply store such as Staples or Office Depot. Limit the need for cleaning by not touching the screen, washing your hands before using your laptop, and not eating or drinking while using your laptop. If you need to have the screen or keyboard cleaned, please come and see the Director of Technology, who has the proper supplies. At no time should you ever use cleaners with ammonia on your laptop. Remember, the cleanliness of the student’s laptop is a factor of his/her technology grade.Can I personalize my iBook with stickers? No. Do not place stickers or writing on the iBook. This will be considered “user abuse” and you will be responsible for repairs or replacement.What should I do if the laptop breaks or malfunctions? Bring it immediately to the Director of Technology and s/he will diagnose it and coordinate its repair. Repairs to the laptop that are not coordinated by the Director of Technology are not allowed.How will the laptops be repaired? laptops will be repaired either at school, sent to Apple for repair, or you may be asked to visit The Genius Bar at the Apple Store (either Palo Alto or Burlingame) for their services.Are the laptops under warranty? Each laptop is covered by the manufacture’s warranty and an AppleCare extended warranty. Combined, the warranty is valid for 3 years.Who is financially responsible for repairs? If the damage is caused by faulty equipment (dead battery, dead hard drive) our AppleCare extended warranty will cover the cost of repair. If, however, the damage is the result of “user abuse” (e.g., cracked screen, broken case plastics) the financial responsibility will fall upon the family. The school will pay for repairs to expedite the process, then send home a bill. The bill needs to be paid by the family before the student can take his/her laptop outside of the school. In all cases, Apple will have the final say on what is and isn’t “user abuse” as this determines what the warranty will cover.What will the Director of Technology do to help me recover my data if it is lost because of a malfunction of the laptop? The Director of Technology will spend up to one hour attempting to recover lost data. If after that hour, the data cannot be recovered and the operating system requires repair, the Director of Technology will reformat the hard drive and reset the software to the original settings from the beginning of the school year.I was told it is the student’s responsibility to maintain and back-up their own data. How do I do that? Students can back up their data by burning a CD, saving files on USB Flash Drive, uploading files to the server, or emailing data to another laptop. Students will be given instruction in technology class as to how to accomplish this.I have a PC at home. Will I be able to transfer documents? These days, with newer software, most documents transfer easily between PCs and Macs, so this shouldn’t be a problem. However, since you will have a laptop to use at school and to take home, you probably will not need to transfer documents between laptops. You should check the documents you plan to transfer between laptops for viruses before you execute the transfer. You can do this with a Virus Protection program like McAfee or Norton AntiVirus.The laptop you were issued this year will be returned to you next year. How do I know which laptop is assigned to me? Will it have my name on it? There is a label on the laptop with your name, computer identification, and an asset tag. The school has recorded the serial numbers to identify the equipment as positively yours. Each laptop is also assigned a digital signature in the system preferences that should not be changed.Can I remove or change the stickers that are on my laptop? No. Those stickers serve to identify your laptop and act as identification for asset inventory.Can we use the laptops whenever we want? You will have your laptop with you each day at school, and you will take it home each day as well. You will make sure that you have your laptop in your classes each day. During lunch and recess, you’ll store your laptop in your locker. During class, you will use the laptop in conjunction with schoolwork, as directed by your teacher. At home you will use the laptop to complete your homework and work on projects.Do I get to keep my laptop when I graduate? If you spend three years at RCWJDS middle school and successfully graduate, the school will give you your laptop as a graduation gift.What happens if I leave the school before I graduate? Can I buy my laptop from the school? No, you may not buy your laptop if you leave the school early.Can I share the laptop with family members? I do not expect that you will share the laptops with friends. However, I do expect that family members will want to share this experience with you and try out the laptops. This will be fine—you’ll probably teach each other lots of things! Remember that the student and his/her parents are responsible for the proper care of the laptop no matter who is using it. (Note: If you have a sibling at RCWJDS, s/he should not store documents on your laptop and expect to have use of your laptop at school.)Will I have access to a printer? Do I have to plug anything in? When you are on the wireless network, you have access to the two network printers assigned to the middle school. One of the printers is an Inkjet Color printer and the other is a Black and White Laser printer. Please only print to color when ABSOLUTELY necessary. Printing is for school related use only and it requires teacher permission. We prefer that you communicate electronically, but understand that it isn’t always possible.Can I print at home? Can I install a printer from home on my laptop? You may install a printer from home on your laptop if you like. Make sure you are using the correct software for your printer that will work on the operating system in your laptop. Instructions for installing a printer may be found on the Technology Department website: http://www.wornickjds.org/techHow do I access the Internet at school? Your laptop is equipped with a wireless network card, called an Airport card that allows you to connect to the school’s wireless network. To check to see if you are connected to the network, click on the Airport icon in the menu bar. You should see “RCWJDSNet” checked.How accessible is the Wornick Day School network from home? RCWJDS wireless network will not be available from home. However, if you are online at home, we expect that you will be able to browse the Internet using your current ISP (AOL, SBC DSL, etc.). Email is accessible on any laptop that has access to the World Wide Web. Just visit http://www.wornickjds.org/upCan I access the Internet from home? You may connect the laptop to the Internet outside of school if it doesn’t interfere with the normal operation of the laptop. You may connect to the Internet through an Internet Service Provider of your choice. The laptop comes with wireless capabilities, a 10/100 Ethernet port, and an internal modem.Can we surf the Web or send and receive personal emails? Our Internet access is designed for educational use only, not private. However, at home you are under your own supervision.Is there any content filtering software installed on the laptop to protect the students from offensive material? No. When the students are using their laptops at school on the school’s wireless network they are protected by software installed on that network. However, when students connect to the Internet outside of school they are not being protected by the school’s web filtering software.What are the rules for using my email address? Your school email address is to be used for school related business, such as asking teachers questions, turning in homework, and sending information to classmates under the supervision of your parents.Can I use my school email account to send personal email? No, you should use a different email account for personal email.The first week of school you should have set up the Mail program to check your email and save it on your laptop. However, if you don’t have your laptop available and you want to check your email, visit http://www.wornickjds.org/up and enter your username and password. How often should I check my email? It is good to get into the habit of checking your email often. You should check it a minimum of once a day.AIM (America OnLine Instant Messenger) requires that users be at least 13 years-old. If you are not 13 or older you may not use iChat. If you are over 13, you need your parents permission to use iChat. However, KOL (Kids OnLine) provides a chat program that can be used by those under 13. You may wish to investigate using KOL. May I create/maintain a MySpace account? MySpace requires that users be at least 14 years-old. If you are not 14 or older you may not create or maintain a MySpace account. If you are over 14, you need your parents’ permission to create and maintain an account. You are not allowed to make any reference to the school in your (through text or pictures) on your account. All content and conduct on your MySpace account is governed by the RCWJDS Code of Conduct while you are a student at RCWJDS.Can we listen to music on the laptop? You are not permitted to listen to music at school unless your teacher instructs you to do so. However, at home you will be under your parents’ supervision. It is against the law and school policy to download music that has not been paid for. So, if you don’t own the CD or have not bought the music from an online resource, you shouldn’t download the music to your laptop. Remember that listening to CDs (or watching DVDs) uses a lot of your battery’s charge which may prevent you from using your iBook for classroom work. Save your CD and DVD use to those times when you can be plugged into a wall outlet.Can I play games on my laptop or is it for school use only? You may not play games while you are at school. However, laptop games are very much a part of the digital culture and provide interesting and even productive diversions. When you are away from school you are under the supervision of your parents.Can I install MS Windows on my laptop? No. Since a) the Apple Boot Camp software is still in the development phases, b) MS Windows takes up to much storage space, and c) the installation of a second operating system may adversely affect the OS X operating system, MS Windows may not be installed. |