TECHNOLOGY

List of 9 frequently asked questions.

• Q: Why does Flintridge Sacred Heart have a 1:1 laptop program?

  A: Flintridge Sacred Heart produces young women of faith who are lifelong learners and seekers of truth. We want our graduates to be globally connected leaders in an increasingly complex world. Key to this leadership is not only a mastery of the new tools of this digital age but also the ability to interpret and critically evaluate the vast wealth of information that is now at our fingertips and to harness that information in the creation of new ideas and original material.

  
  In order to facilitate the acquisition of these skills, Flintridge Sacred Heart has developed a 1:1 (one-to-one) laptop program. In a 1:1 laptop program, each student is assigned a laptop that she can use both at school and at home. It provides anytime, anywhere access to all of the tools and resources her 21st-century education requires.

  
  Flintridge Sacred Heart is committed to providing a 21st-century learning environment for students, and we believe this laptop program helps us fulfill that commitment by:
  
  

  • Providing all students and classes with equitable and continuous access to extensive technology tools used throughout the curriculum.
  • Cultivating leadership, collaboration and teamwork skills through digital communication and productivity tools.
  • Promoting and facilitating students' critical thinking, problem-solving, innovation and real-life application of knowledge.
  • Emphasizing electronic research and information literacy skills required for college and career success.
  • Strengthening student technical skills and focus on the balanced, ethical and responsible use of computers in today’s digital world.

• What other tech tools are available to students and faculty?

  All classrooms have large-screen projection systems, SMART Boards and digital document cameras. Microsoft Office, the Adobe Creative Suite and countless other digital tools are provided, and students are encouraged to use a variety of web-based resources to enhance learning.

• What are the outcomes of your laptop program?

  The laptop program:

  • Provides all students and classes with equitable and continuous access to extensive technology tools used throughout the curriculum.
  • Cultivates leadership, collaboration and teamwork skills through digital communication and productivity tools.
  • Promotes and facilitates student critical thinking, problem-solving, innovation and real-life application of knowledge.
  • Emphasizes electronic research and information literacy skills required for college and career success.
  • Strengthens student technical skills and focus on a balanced, ethical and responsible use of computers in today’s digital world.

• Q: My daughter already owns a laptop. Will she be able to use it?

  A: For curricular consistency and program efficiency, all students need to use the same school-assigned laptops. The school maintains the computers and ensures that every student has the right technology tools needed for each class. In addition, teachers have an easier time instructing the students on how to use tools and access resources when there are uniform tools in place. Success of the program depends on hardware/software simplification and unification for the teachers and students to focus primarily on their curricular objectives, rather than technical issues due to incompatibilities and variations.

• Q: What support is provided to students?

  A: The following technical support is provived to all students:
  
  

  • A tech boot camp is included in new student orientation each year.
  • A centrally located Help Desk office is staffed by a dedicated full-time employee during school hours. Students can bring their laptops there for assistance or support, and loaner laptops are provided if problems aren’t immediately fixable.
  • All laptops are re-imaged every summer to ensure that they are running clean installations of the latest operating system and have the required software for the coming year’s curricular needs.
  • As all students and teachers have the same devices running the same software, the stronger users in any given class will be able to provide on-the-spot support and help to their peers.

• Q: What is expected of the students?

  A: Student expectations with the 1:1 Laptop Program include:
  
  

  • Students are expected to bring their laptops to school every day in working order, with a fully charged battery and with its power adapter.
  • They are expected to use their laptops legally, ethically, and in accordance with all applicable Acceptable Use Policies and Laptop Use Agreements.
  • In addition to her laptop, each student will be provided a small external hard drive to be used for backing up her data, and she will be instructed in its use. She is solely responsible for her files and digital work, and for backing up important items regularly.
  • Students are expected to treat their laptops with care in accordance with policies, guidelines and recommendations set forth by the FSHA Technology Department.

• Q: What happens if the laptop breaks or malfunctions?

  A: We have a centrally located Help Desk that's staffed during school hours where students can go with any problems that may arise with their laptops. Our technology staff can either quickly address the problem or, if the issue requires more troubleshooting or repair, issue a loaner laptop to the student so that she may return to class without delay. Software issues and many hardware repairs are dealt with on-site by our staff, and we make every effort to return the student's laptop to her in a timely manner.
  
  Policies regarding the costs of out-of-warranty repairs (accidental damage due to drops, spills, abuse, etc.) and theft are addressed in the Laptop Program Agreements for Parents and Students.

• Q: Who pays for this laptop program?

  A: The cost of running this laptop program is paid in large part by our families via an annual technology fee. This fee is paid every year that the student is enrolled at FSHA. The technology fee for the 2016-17 school year is $500.
  
  Additionally, large portions of our technology capital budget that previously paid for laptop carts, labs and other student-use computers are now be spent on this program.

• Q: How does the school deal with prevalent social networking and inappropriate non-educational use of the internet at school? Does Flintridge Sacred Heart block any websites?

  A: The school employs security measures at the perimeter of our network that serve two primary functions:
  
  

  • A security firewall that protects against viruses, malware and intrusions.
  • A web content filter. The content filter blocks particular websites in categories the school chooses. The websites in these categories come from a subscription service and are updated daily. The school can choose to make exceptions to the websites in these subscriptions (white list) or add sites manually to the list (black list).

  
Currently, most social networking sites are blocked for student use on campus, although from time to time certain sites may be unblocked for specific lesson-related purposes.

  
  We stress responsible, ethical and respectful laptop use in the classroom setting and beyond. We expect the students to stay on task and use the Internet appropriately, and just as in the pre-digital era, the teacher is present and responsible for keeping the students focused and engaged in the lesson or project at hand. The teacher is in control of classroom and can ask students to close programs that are not germane to the lesson or close the lid of the laptop, much in the same way that the teacher can instruct a student to close a comic book.