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Why family owned in High School?
Greater innovation and differentiation in the classroom means that students must become more independent learners. This also means they must make more decisions regarding how and where to access the information they need as well as be more creative in how to present that learning. In many cases, that may be different than their classmates sitting next to them. BYOD enhances that ability by enabling the creation of Personal Learning Environments by each student. Since we have concerns about our internet bandwidth, the student use of smartphones using their own phone network is one way to provide BYOD beyond their laptop.
Why do we use the term “family-owned Laptop”?
We believe in the importance of parent involvement when it comes to the use of the Internet and other digital tools by our students. Our young ladies and gentlemen still need parental guidance in the area of digital citizenship, digital manners and laptop care and security. Family-owned indicates that the laptop is shared by the family. Its use and data should be appropriate for any member of the family to operate and view. It is important that parents take an active role in monitoring the use of the laptop. The student needs to feel a sense of responsibility to the family for the care and use of the laptop.
What laptop should our family purchase?
Your choice of laptop should match your child’s or family's educational needs. The educational program of some students only requires them to do Internet research, word processing and occasional multimedia presentations. In this case, simple, somewhat inexpensive laptops may meet their needs. Some 1:1 programs are even exploring the use of Chromebooks, smart phones and iPads with Internet, word processing and spreadsheet applications to satisfy their school computing needs. Students should check the requirements of their class syllabuses before selecting this as an option. Some students who take multimedia-rich electives probably will prefer high-end laptops that easily handle video and other large graphic editing.
The nice thing about our program is that the choice and expense are up to you. To help you with this, you can use the following minimum specifications as a guide when purchasing your family-owned laptop. Most school-related tasks can be accomplished with the following recommended specifications, similar to those we use for purchasing our desktop and laptop computers. Both Mac and PC models will meet these minimum specifications. The laptop you choose may meet more.
We recommend the following minimum specifications for a family owned, BYOD laptops (PC or Mac). These minimum requirements are designed to ensure students have a device which enables them to fully participate in educational activities and be supported appropriately by teachers and technicians.
Service on BYOD Devices
The CAC Tech Department can provide initial basic diagnostic assistance on your family owned devices. The purpose of this diagnosis is to determine if it is an software issue we can assist with or a deeper software or hardware problem that must be provided by a service provider at the discretion of the family. Below are some service providers that we are aware of. CAC makes no guarantee or takes no responsibility as to the reliability of these service providers.
For Apple products:
SwitchPlus:
http://www.switchegypt.com/
Tradeline:
https://www.tradelinestores.com/
For Dell/HP/Lenovo
Interact:
http://www.interactts.com/contact-us/
Platform
- MacIntosh (OS 10.12 or higher), Windows 10 or higher (English language only)
- Laptop
- Platform must support Adobe Flash and editing of Google Docs.
- Platform must have a physical keyboard suitable for touch-typing.
*iPads and other slate-type computing devices may be used at times, but do not meet all these requirements and are unsuitable as the only device for the student.
Age
- Two years maximum
Memory (RAM)
- 4 GB or more (8 GB preferred)
* Lack of RAM can result in severe degradation in speed for the students.
Processor Type
- Multicore
Recovery from Standby
- 1 minute maximum
Audio / Video
- Students will need headphones or earphones as well as a built-in or external microphone.
- Web camera
Keyboard
- Must be suited to touch typing. (Keyboards used in school are United States layout.)
Wireless
- 802.11 G or N
Battery Life
- Three hours or more battery power. If purchasing, get the most amount of battery (6 cells or more) possible.
- An extra charged battery is desirable but optional.
Power Adapter
Students are required to have a power adapter during the school day for use in the class if their battery runs out.
- An extra power cord is desirable, so it can be kept at school for any necessary recharging.
- Power cords must match the Egyptian regulation. Other power cords may require that the student bring an adapter.
Required Software
Most of the software, below are free or open source.
- Browsers: Latest English version of Firefox and Google Chrome
- Plugins: Latest versions of Flash, Java, Silverlight
- Acrobat PDF Reader 10 or above or Foxit Reader
- Office suite such as MS Office, iWork, OpenOffice 3.2
- VLC Media Player
- Antivirus (Free versions such as AVG or avast! are sufficient)
- Students should have sufficient rights to update and install appropriate software
Warranty
For new devices, we recommend you purchase a complete care warranty that covers accidental breakage. If the computer is purchased outside of Egypt, verify with the seller that the warranty is international, will be honored in Egypt and that the company has the capability to fix the particular model in Egypt with a 1 or 2 business day turn around. While these warranties tend to be more expensive, they do provide peace of mind.
Location in Home
While not really a device specification, we recommend that the laptop or mobile device be kept and used in a public place in your home, such as a living room or family room, where hours and work can be more easily supervised.
Computer Contingency Fee
As a 21st Century School, the devices are necessary for class. Occasionally a student will arrive at school and find his or her device or computer doesn't have power, isn’t functioning correctly, does not start, etc. A small number of laptops will be provided for students who lack access to a laptop on a short-term basis.
For students requiring a loan computer for an extended period, Used Mac laptops will be available for a $450 US fee a year. Liability for these laptops will follow the same agreement in place for the Middle School Laptop Program which states:
- I understand that priority is given to school use of this equipment and therefore, my use is subject to cancellation in the event of a conflict with a school event or if the school deems that it is in its best interest to cancel the rental of the equipment.
- I also assume responsibility for returning the equipment clean and in the condition it was received.
- I hereby accept responsibility for the care of this laptop computer. If it is lost or damage while in my care, I understand I may be charged for its repair or replacement.
- All school owned laptops use on campus will follow the current CAC liability policy, agreements and practices for school owned equipment used by students.
Laptop Purchase Assistance
Apple Computers:
Best Buy, the Maadi store is known as Switch Apple.
Address: 4/3 El Laselky Street ,New Maadi,Cairo, Egypt
Contact Person: Hossam Haroun Mob: 01116066767
Facebook Map&Info: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Switch-Apple/628805767133002?sk=info
Windows Computers:
Compume
Website: https://compume.com.eg/
Maadi Branch:
Address: 9/2 El Nasr St. New Maady
Opening Hours: everyday from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Phone: 19127 everyday from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM Friday from 3:00 PM to 12:00PM
InterAct: HP Authorized dealer
http://www.interactegypt.com/interactegypt/
Contact Person: Remon Foad
Mob: 012-269962927
Addresses:
Head Office : 142 El Laselky St. New Maadi, Cairo - Egypt
202 275 4444 3Hot line
: 202 275 45 911
