Laptops

List of 10 frequently asked questions.

• Why does the school have a laptop program? What are the goals of the program?

  After several years of researching the best practices in education, coupled with five years of experience with a laptop program, PVI is confident that technology in the classroom, when used correctly, is one key tool that will enhance the student’s mastery of the curriculum, primarily through more frequent and meaningful teacher student interaction and the capability for more in-class, authentic problem solving assignments. Many Catholic, private, and public schools have been on full-scale laptop programs for years and are successfully integrating technology into their curriculum.

• Won’t the presence of laptops in the classroom provide a distraction for students, tempting them to not pay attention, play games, and/or complete school work for other classes?

  This concern has been greatly mitigated in the laptop classrooms of today. All PVI student and teacher laptops are installed with leading-edge classroom management software that enables the classroom teacher to monitor and control how students will use the laptop in their classroom. For example, student laptops can be controlled from the teacher’s laptop restricting student laptop use to a specific software application(s), assignment(s), and/or Internet site(s). Teachers can also blank-out or disable students’ screens with a push of a button when the laptop is not to be used. A teacher has an electronic picture or tile of each student’s laptop monitor, ensuring that each student is appropriately focused on the technology-supported task at hand.

• Won’t laptops in the classroom discourage communication and interaction between teacher and student?

  Effective laptop programs actually are proving to increase interaction between teacher and student. Data collected from studies at PVI concerning the laptop program also suggest use of the laptops have increased interaction between teachers and students.

• Are PVI teachers trained to use technology in the classroom?

  Each PVI teacher is trained on the appropriate use of technology in the classroom. This training includes formal training as well as countless hours of additional, informal training via professional learning communities and webinars. PVI teachers consistently collaborate with each other sharing best practices.

• What happens if my laptop stops working or is damaged?

  The purchase price of your laptop includes extended warranty coverage and extended accidental damage protection (ADP). Thus, your laptop will be protected at no cost for most all warranty and damage incidences through graduation. All laptops that are in need of repair or are damaged should be taken to the school’s Help Desk located on the second floor of the school (helpdesk@pvipanther.net), where a trained laptop technician will either fix your laptop while you wait or will provide you a loaner laptop while your laptop is under repair. PVI will serve as your point of contact for all repairs and damage by assisting you in the processing of claims with our vendor. Please note that repeated accidents of negligence of the same type to the same laptop could exceed the annual accidental damage protection coverage allotted by the insurance contract and could lead to some out of pocket expenses by a family.

• What happens if my laptop is lost or stolen?

  Unfortunately, lost or stolen laptops are not covered under the Accidental Damage Protection that is provided with the laptops. There is an optional theft protection coverage being offered on the laptop ordering website under Optional Accessories. It is called LoJack for Laptops by Absolute Software, and it can be purchased in 3 year or 4 year terms (it is best to align with laptop warranty). With this purchase, Absolute LoJack will reimburse you up to $1,000 if the device is not recovered within 60 days. (Conditions apply, read service agreement for full details). As for lost or misplaced laptops, we are not aware of any available coverage.

• Is my laptop usable/viable for all 4 years at PVI?

  Yes, PVI commits that your laptop will meet the hardware, software, and processing specifications required by our curriculum for all 4 years. Periodically, student laptops will be refreshed, free of additional charge (covered in technology fee), for newly required, common software and software upgrades.

• Will parents have administrative access to the laptop? May parents install security controls on the laptop to prevent students from inappropriate use while outside the range of the PVI wireless network?

  Accounts that will have access to the laptop will include: 1) a PVI domain account for the student, 2) a local administrator account for parental use/control and, 3) a PVI administrator account for the PVI support team to utilize. We will ask that parents not share the local administrator account with their students. Thus, parents will be able to install additional security software on their family’s laptop if they so choose.

• Will my child lose all of their data if their laptop is lost, stolen, or severely damaged?

  It is critical that students assume responsibility for saving their work appropriately. Students at PVI are trained to use cloud-based Google Drive to ensure back-up of their files. They are led through a process of configuring Google Drive during technology orientation. Most electronic texts are accessible through the web.

• What are the costs of the program? Are there any costs other than the up-front laptop purchase and the annual technology fee?

  The up-front purchase of the laptop and protective case is a one-time only cost, as the laptop is designed to last through graduation. Since the laptop has both an extended warranty and accidental damage protection through graduation, there should be little or no additional costs for the laptop. The exception would be for lost or stolen laptops, for which replacement cost is not covered, as there is no insurance for this occurrence. LoJack for Laptops is an optional accessory that can be purchased on the ordering website that can help protect against stolen laptops. The only other additional family cost of the laptop program is the technology fee of $200 per student per year, which covers only laptop program specific costs including the cost & maintenance of the wireless network, additional student laptop software, bandwidth, the laptop spare pool necessary to have all classrooms “laptop ready” when laptops are being repaired, and the internal IT labor supporting the laptop program.