Learning with Tablets
Berwick Academy Student Tablet Program
updated May 21, 2008

Contact info is listed. Click the link to go to the order page. Use the phone number at the top of the page, or the online shopping cart.

The accessories listed are optional. We try to carry tablet stylus’ and AC adapters in the bookstore.

3 year warranty and 3 year SystemGuard (accidental damage protection) included. Fourth year is a listed option.

CARRYBAGS: Please be sure that your child is carrying his or her tablet computer in a PADDED BAG or a PADDED SECTION of a backpack. We have worked with Toshiba to identify the source of our school's frequent motherboard repairs. Tablets - or any notebooks - are not going to withstand being placed into a pile of books inside a bag and jostled around. As we see students in the Help Desk, we are seeing poor habits of protection for this valuable piece of equipment. To protect your investment and limit repairs, PLEASE see that the tablet is carried in a padded bag, preferably, or a well-padded section of a backpack.

SUMMER TABLET COLLECTION: We will be collecting all student tablets between Friday, May 30^th and Wednesday, June 4th. We will keep them until July 1st for re-imaging which will clean up the tablets, install new updates and settings for next year. Families may pick up the refreshed tablets any time after July 1st from the Help Desk in its new location in the Library. Students will be given ample notice and reminders to back up their files - ALL FILES AND SOFTWARE WILL BE ERASED in this process. See Backup Info below for help in backing up photos, music and schoolwork. BACKUP MUST BE DONE BY THE STUDENT.  The Help Desk is not responsible for any files lost that were not backed up.  Any families wishing to have a "Tablet-Free Summer" are welcome to leave the tablets in our care until September.

THIS IS NOT AN OPTION. There are updated versions to software and other important changes that all tablets must have. It is not feasible to do this on an individual basis with hundreds of tablets. Therefore, we ask for student cooperation in this process.

If your student is leaving Berwick Academy, then your tablet will need to be re-imaged to remove Berwick settings and software, or it may not function properly away from campus.  We need to collect your tablet with the others, and will handle the non-returning students first so that you may pick them up earlier if you need to.

BACKUP INFO: Students must backup documents and other files before turning in the Tablet. We are finding that most students have too many files – projects, documents, photos, videos and music – to back up to the network. Instead, we are encouraging backups to CD’s, flash drive or external drive, as mentioned in the Orientation in August. Backups should be done routinely. We hope to do better instruction with Middle School students next year to train them to do regular backups.

SUMMER HELP DESK: The Help Desk in Middle School (moving to the Library in June) will be open most days through the summer. Best to call ahead, as hours may vary. Call x 2915 or email Jay LaBella at jlabella@berwickacademy.org.

BUYBACK PROGRAM: Any student who is not returning to Berwick next year can have BA buy back their used tablet, please email Wendy Harrington at wharring@berwickacademy.org if interested.

WARRANTY UPDATE:

• Class of 2011 & 2012: you have one year left of your 3-year warranty + SystemGuard coverage.
• Class of 2013: you have 2 years left of your 3-year warranty + SystemGuard.

(If you purchased a 4^th year at time of purchase, or through our Faculty Purchase Plan, or through our BuyBack program, your warranty may be different. Contact the Help Desk x2915 for information about individual warranties.)

PURCHASE ACCESSORIES:

from ToshibaDirect at www.toshibadirect.com 

• stylus
• Toshiba Slice Expansion Li-Ion Battery 4000 mAh – long lasting battery
• Second AC adapter
• Additional 1GB of memory
• 4^th year of Warranty and SystemGuard

Tablet Program Dates to Remember ~ 08-09

Participating Classes:  7^th, 8^th, 9^th , and 10th Grades

May 2008 - Info Letter to parents of 08-09 7th graders, and new 8-10th graders.

May 8^th, 7:00 pm, Tablet Info Session, MS Great Room. Order Packets given out. Mailed to those not attending.

May 10 – June, 2008 -  Parents order Tablets

May 28th - New Parent Orientation - review of Tablet Program and Order Packets. 

August 25th - new 8th Graders Tablet Pickup and Orientation, 1:00 - 4:00 PM Jackson Library.

August 28th and 29th - New Freshman and Sophomore Tablet Pickup and Orientation ~ Jackson Library, 9:00 - 12:00 AM, Attend BOTH DAYS.

September 3red - 7th Grade Tablet Orientation during the regular School Day

TABLET VIDEOS Watch our tablets in action! Another VIDEO on TECHNOLOGY: Go to this link and watch the video, "Did You Know?"  It tells students who their competition is going to be for the best jobs in the 21st century workplace--and what skills they're going to need to compete.  What is a Tablet? Tablet computers allow the user to write on the screen in order to take notes, sketch, and control the computer. The hand-written notes can be stored as is, or can be converted into editable text. The tablet pen (also called a stylus) serves as the computer mouse. The tablets have all the capabilities of regular laptop computers, but add the capability to enter text and drawings with the stylus. The screen swivels around and locks down on top of the keyboard when in tablet mode. The tablets combine the features of laptops and paper & pencil notebooks, and extend this functionality with unique capabilities. For a more complete description of all the capabilities of the Tablet, please click here.

Orientation in August "Open the Box" is an exciting day!	Ms. McKay, 7th grade humanities, give instructions on researching in class.	Mrs. Needell, 7th grade science, discusses data collected in Excel
Tablets are used in every class in 7th and 8th grade	Graphing in science and math,	...taking notes in history and english.

 Tablet students are actively using their Toshiba tablets in their classrooms and at home. Reports from teachers:

Sally Needell (Science):

8th grade 1/2 Algebra does not have text book, so all notes are kept on the tablet, along with examples of how to do problems. 7th Grade science: We have watched a unitedstreaming video on heat transfer, taken class notes and completed activities on tablets. My students use their tablets everyday! I think that they are taking better notes.

Sally Wituszynski (Music):

A student took some violin lessons with me during the summer. Shortly after I went to the tablet workshop, he brought in a CD of some music he wanted to learn. We were able to play it on the tablet, and using Windows Journal with the music staff background, I wrote the notes down as it played. Very cool. I can send that file to any student with a tablet, so they can all learn the piece if they want to. The tablets fit nicely onto our school music stands, and once we get wireless in the Arts Center, I plan to use them in orchestra.

Holly Bennett (Health):

I would gestimate that about 25 students out of 42 use their Tablet daily for note taking and to do their Algebra HW. They bring the Tablet to me when they have a question. We each use our stylus to make corrections, etc. It is great! The students love the quick erase feature! The 15 or so that are still using paper and pencil are free to do so. I prefer to allow each student to choose their comfort zone. The number using the Tablet in my class has actually increased since the beginning of the school year. I would credit this increase to their increased comfort level with the Tablet, and their positive observations of their peers using the Tablet in Algebra as a tool.

From Liz-Anne Platt (French):

In seventh grade French, I have noticed a difference in how we are able to manage our homework as a class.  We have our textbook in both conventional and CD format.  Those who are more comfortable with a book, can choose to bring it and their workbook home to prepare essays, short answers and similar exercises. Others have found it easier to have their CD in their tablet at home and write their responses with their stylus directly onto the tablet screen.  They then print their work either at home or here at school.  Those who are less comfortable writing and happier typing follow a similar process.  I like giving my students the option of working in a manner that best suits their individual learning styles.

Program Basics 

• Students in grades 7 -12 will be expected to have a tablet computer to be used daily in school and at home. Grade 5 will have a dedicated notebook cart available in their classrooms.  Grade 6 will have a dedicated tablet cart.
• Students in grades 7-8 will begin the program in the Fall of 2006. The requirement will advance yearly through the grades, so that by School Year 2010-2011, all students in Grades 7-12 will be participating.
Each family will purchase and own the tablet tools used in their student’s education.  Purchase will be made directly through our Berwick

• The Toshiba M400 tablet will be our recommended system for the 2007-2008 school year. Three-year warranty, accidental damage protection, software, tech support during the school day, and participation in the school loaner program will be included in the cost of the tablet and a yearly tech fee.
• Use of the school model will be highly encouraged. Families opting to use their own systems will find that the cost will meet or exceed the cost of the school models once warranties, insurance, and software costs are added. Students using their own notebooks will not receive at-school tech support, or be able to participate in the loaner program.
• Software to be included on the tablets will include Microsoft Windows XP Professional, Novell Client network connection software, Office Standard with Word, Excel and PowerPoint, Internet Explorer, GroupWise Email software, Symantec AntiVirus Corporate Edition, anti-spyware, wireless projection connection software, and installed BA copiers and printers. 
• Internet access at home will be a requirement of the program.
• Use of the tablet in class will depend on the content area and the appropriateness of technology for the lesson being taught. It is expected that the type and frequency of use will vary according to the curriculum. Personal tablets will allow for ease in homework assignments and independent study as extensions of class work.
• Teacher support will be provided in the use and integration of tablets and educational applications within the classroom through a variety of training and professional development formats. Teachers will form their own objectives for the integration of tablet technology based on their curriculum, department, and classroom goals.
• Parent support will be provided as well, through organized “Out-of-Box” training sessions, and regular support groups and communications.

  The Vision

Berwick Academy prepares students to prosper academically and to enjoy an enduring commitment to the life of the mind. The Academy’s curricula and programs are designed to foster the continuing development of each student's potential and to instill the ethic of personal excellence. In addition, we continue to face the challenge of preparing students to live, learn, and work successfully in today’s knowledge-based digital society. The Berwick Academy “Learning with Tablets” program will ensure that all students will have access to 21^st century technology tools as they engage in learning, thinking, and creating within our school community. “Learning with Tablets” will increase student engagement, make it easier to differentiate instruction according to students’ needs, and solidify home-school connections.  As a learning tool, computers facilitate the management, analysis, assimilation, and presentation of information with more sophistication, greater creativity and increased confidence.