Open Box Dates • About the Program • Prohibited Software • Parent Resources

Laptop Program summary presentation
This presentation summarizes the KCD Laptop Program.

PURCHASE A LAPTOP
Please review the information in About the Program before making your purchase.

Purchase a PC laptop
Purchase an Apple laptop

OPEN BOX DATES
Open Box orientation dates are listed in the Laptop Program summary presentation.

ABOUT THE PROGRAM
KCD’s upper school laptop program includes students in grades 9–12. The objective of the program is to broaden the curriculum and prepare each student for university life, where technology will be commonplace. Each student in the Upper School brings a laptop computer to class each day, to send e-mail, transfer documents, and access the Internet via a campus-wide wireless network.

Contacts
Roger Basham
Laptop Coordinator & Technical Support
814-4369 or ltc@kcd.org

Jim Conrey
Upper School Technology Coordinator
814-4306 or jim.conrey@kcd.org

Tim Rice
Director of Technology
814-4366 or tim.rice@kcd.org

Standard vs. non-standard laptops
KCD-recommended (standard) systems are detailed below. Students who wish not to purchase one of these standard laptops may use their own laptops, but technical support for these non-standard laptops will be strictly limited. Additional troubleshooting performed on non-standard laptops is also subject to an additional fee structure.

Support for standard laptops
All KCD-recommended laptops come with Microsoft Office and Macromedia MX Suite as well as the latest system updates and anti-virus software. KCD-recommended laptops will also include Phone Home software, which helps recover laptops in the event of theft. School-recommended laptops will have a software image made in the event that laptops need a reinstallation of software. These images will be kept on campus in a secure place. In addition, all school-recommended laptops come with an extended care warranty. All laptops covered under this warranty will be repaired without cost if a hardware malfunction occurs. Loaner laptops will be provided to the student in the event that a hardware or software issue cannot be resolved within a 10–15 minute diagnostic period.

Support for non-standard laptops
Students with PCs must have laptops running Windows XP Pro or Vista Business (Vista Enterprise and Vista Ultimate are acceptable). XP Home and Vista Home will not work on the KCD network. Students with non-standard laptops will receive a one-time configuration session of 30 minutes or less and 10 minutes of troubleshooting for hardware or software problems. Students must demonstrate that Macintosh and/or Windows updates are being applied automatically. Students must allow the Laptop Coordinator (LTC) to install antivirus software and enable automatic virus definition updates. In addition, laptops must have Microsoft Word installed. The family assumes the cost of all repairs, and the laptop loaner pool will not be available.

Standard systems
The two recommended Lenovo/IBM system(s) are enterprise (commercial quality) models with the addition of a couple of case options, comprehensive warranties, and combination CDR/DVD peripherals. Please remember that these recommended system(s) come with our full support, and a computer loaner pool will be available if there is any system problem. Lenovo/IBM system packages range in price from $1600 for the r61 to $2200 for the x61 Tablet.*

KCD in conjunction with MacAuthority has created a website to order Apple computers. The laptops come with a three-year warranty, but Apple does not offer accidental damage. However, an accidental damage policy is being negotiated with Service Net and MacAuthority to cover damage to laptops.

Purchasing a laptop
Links for the purchase of KCD-recommended laptops can be found below. Make sure you read the information on this page carefully before purchasing.

Lenovo/IBM Buyers
Parents purchasing one of the recommended HP models can pay for their computer in one of the following ways:

1. Credit Card.
2. Credit. Allows for individuals who complete a credit application to pay for their computer in two installments within 60 days of purchase.
3. Check or money order.
4. We are currently working with a local bank to offer reasonable financing, but the arrangement has not yet been finalized.

Purchase a PC laptop

Apple Buyers
Parents purchasing the recommended Apple model will be buying through the MacAuthority Web site custom built for KCD. The computer will be delivered to Roger Basham, laptop coordinator. The laptop will have all the software installed and set up for use. Parents and students will be notified when to pick up the laptop at KCD.

On the MacAuthority Web site, an account will be set up by the purchaser and payment made by credit card to MacAuthority. Any accessories purchased through the site will also be delivered with the laptop to KCD and picked up when notified by the laptop coordinator.

Purchase an Apple laptop

PROHIBITED SOFTWARE
Please consult this listing of software that is banned from laptops at KCD.

PARENT RESOURCES
http://www.isafe.org
http://www.getnetwise.org/
http://www.fbi.gov/publications/pguide/pguidee.htm

Resources on social networking sites (MySpace, FaceBook, Xanga, etc.)
http://www.weblogg-ed.com/discuss/msgReader$4516
http://schoolcomputing.wikicities.com/wiki/Social_Sharing_Sites
The Case for Social Networks
USA Today - January 9 MySpace Article
USA Today - January 9 2nd MySpace Article
USA Today - January 15 Opinion
What is MySpace and Should I Allow My Child to Use It?

Parenting Tips
• Take an active interest in your child's Internet activities.
• Place Internet-capable computers in public locations.
• Install a web filter and/or use parental controls (e.g., AOL parental controls)
• Discuss how much time your children are allowed to spend online, and whether their computer use is dependent on conditions such as finishing homework, doing chores, etc.
• Decide whether to impose restrictions or guidelines on the physical location where the kids can go online. Can they go online at a library? At a friend's house? Are they allowed to be online when no adult is around?
• Set reasonable time limi ts on Internet and recreational computing.
• Learn how to use Internet tools, like a web browser, Instant Messaging, and file sharing applications. Kids are usually happy to show you how they work.
• Children should always have gender-neutral screen names.
• Children should never give out personal information, such as their full name, address, sport jersey number, school, or picture, to anyone they meet online.
• Talk about which kinds of web sites are okay, and which ones are off-limits. Are they limited to sites related to their schoolwork? Sites that are designed especially for children?
• Explore a few chat rooms together while discussing your guidelines. What is your comfort level with this method of communication? Do you want your children to chat in monitored chat rooms only? Are your children allowed to send personal messages to people they've only met online? Check out the “Chat” category on Yahooligans!

AOL Tips
If you have AOL at home, here are some suggestions on how you can secure Internet access:

• Online Timer: Allows you to limit the amount of time that your child is on the Internet or in chat rooms, e-mail, etc. Different times can be set for each day of the week. Your child can always see how much time he or she has left.
• AOL Guardian: Enables you to receive updates on your children’s online activities

Safe Chatroom, Provided by iSafe
i-SAFE wants to be there to help keep America's kids safe online. For this reason, i-SAFE America would like to offer students a fun and safe place to meet with their friends online. i-SAFE has designed a monitored chat room open daily for kids and teens to use freely, yet as a good cyber citizen. The i-SAFE monitors, STATs (Safety Trained Awareness Team) and JRSTATs, are adults and student mentors trained in Internet safety and are here to keep the i-SAFE Chatroom fun as well as safe for the students.

Go to www.isafe.org kids and teens section and click on chatroom.

What our teachers are saying
I rate the laptop program a huge success in my classes. There have been wonderful teaching opportunities as a result of the program. The flexibility that working with laptops offers in the history and government classroom adds another dimension to my classroom instruction.
Kevin Sullivan, history teacher

The laptop program has allowed all of my students to have immediate and individual access to software that permits us to explore geometric concepts both dynamically and visually.
Jenni Williams, math teacher

All my students can now access the syllabi, study guides, and major projects I’ve posted to our class website. Most of our discussion articles are now emailed out to our class listserve. Communication has become extremely effective now that we are all “wired” together.
Pat Mulloy, history teacher

The laptop program has had a significant, positive impact on my classroom. Students can now write during class, bring their writing from home, and share their writing with others with great ease. All submission of written work and essay comments from me are now done electronically, making it easy for both students and teacher to have a record of what was submitted and when it was submitted.
Anne Glosky, English teacher

*Purchase price(s) are best estimates