Bring Your Own Device FAQs

List of 20 items.

• Are there any suggested accessories for each student's device?

  Yes. Please be sure to have, at the very least, a protective sleeve or laptop bag for your student’s device. Since many of the laptops may be of the same make and model, please have some form of identifying label for you student’s device.

• Can a teacher or administrator apprehend a student's device?

  Yes. If a student is found to be in violation of the Acceptable Use Policy, the BYOD guidelines, or the teacher or proctor’s direction, then their device will be apprehended.

• Can I buy my student's device at the school store?

  No. Currently, we do not sell any laptops at our school store.

• Can my student record the teacher or classmates using the device's camera or microphone?

  Any video recording, audio recording, or picture taking without prior teacher consent is strictly prohibited. Teachers may allow recording as an instructional and educational aide as they see fit.

• Can my student use their iPad or Android tablet as their dedicated device?

  No. Please have a full laptop for your student. 

• Can my student use their phone as their dedicated device?

  No. While mobile devices such as phones and tablets are great devices for quick communications and fast research, they lack the computing power, software compatibility, large screen, and full keyboard that a laptop offers.

• Do I need to purchase any software?

  Any software that is required will be provided by the school, apart from the small list of free software that is found on this page.

• I have multiple students enrolled at Bishop Ireton. Can they share a device?

  No. Each student will need to have their own dedicated device.

• Is it ok to purchase a used or refurbished device?

  Yes.  A used or refurbished device is fine if it meets specification requirements.  A great resource for refurbished and off-lease laptops can be found by clicking here. 

• What are the suggested specifications of the device?

  • CPU: 7th Generation Intel i5 Processor or above (AMD equivalent is fine)
  • Memory: 8gb of RAM or higher (16GB recommended)
  • Storage: 256gb or higher with an SSD (Solid State Drive) preferred
  • Battery: Please make sure the battery will be able to hold a charge through a standard school day
  • Screen: We suggest a screen size of at least 12” and no larger than 15” to ensure portability

• What happens if the device breaks while at school?

  The laptop’s security and safety are in the hands of the student. Each student is responsible for his or her device. Please be sure to have a protective sleeve at the very least. Parents are strongly encouraged to purchase a third-party insurance policy or warranty.

• What will stop the students from using their devices for texting and communications?

  During various times of instruction, teachers will have students close their devices to ensure that they are not being used for specific instructional tasks such as quizzes or tests.

• Which laptop would you recommend?

  We strongly recommend name brands such as Dell, HP, Lenovo, and Apple for laptops as they can provide warranties. With any new laptop purchase, we highly suggest purchasing a warranty.

  • For Dell, we recommend the either the XPS or Latitude line as they are higher build quality
  • For HP, we recommend the ProBook line as they are higher build quality
  • For Lenovo, we recommend the T or X series as they are higher build quality
  • For Apple, we recommend the MacBook or MacBook Pro

• Will a 2 in 1 Windows tablet work as a dedicated device?

  Yes. A device such as the Microsoft Surface Pro runs a full operating system and has a full-sized keyboard, and when in use with the kickstand, is said to be in “laptop mode."

• Will a Chromebook work for my student's personal device?

  No. While Chromebooks are great for certain purposes, many of our resource applications are native to Windows and MacOS only.

• Will my student be able to keep personal files such as music or photos on their device?

  Yes. Students will be allowed to keep personal files and applications on their devices as long as they do not pose a threat to the campus network nor violate the Acceptable Use Policy. Any usage of the personal device while on Bishop Ireton’s campus and network must adhere to the school’s BYOD policies and Acceptable Use Policy.

• Will students be able to print from their devices?

  No, students will not be able to print from their own devices. However, students can access printers through the computers in the Co-Lab located in the library.

• Will students be allowed to surf the web at school? Will there be a web filter?

  Students will be able to browse the internet at school using Bishop Ireton’s Wi-Fi network. The network does have a content filter and firewall to ensure the safety of the student. Students should not use any cellular tethering while on campus as this does not use our network and therefore does not use our content filter or firewall.

• Will students lose all of their data if their laptop is damaged or stolen?

  Students will have access to both Microsoft 365 and Google Drive for cloud storage of all files. The computers that are found in the school’s computer labs and library natively use Microsoft’s 365 for student file storage, so we recommend students to do the same on their personal devices. New students will have training on how to save to the cloud during their Computer Science classes, freshmen year.

• Will the teachers at Bishop Ireton be required to implement the use of laptops in their classroom instruction?

  No. Teachers may choose to implement student-owned devices into the learning environment of their particular classes if they see fit, but there is no requirement to do so.