Year 9 2026 – BYOD information
In 2026 all Year 9 students attending Naenae College will be required to have a device with them for learning. This should be either a Chromebook or a Laptop.
BYOD is crucial for four key reasons:
1. Academic Equity: Digital tools are crucial for addressing academic disparities and supporting students with neurodiversity and trauma. They provide access to learning resources outside of school hours and facilitate Universal Design for Learning (UDL), which is increasingly important for digital assessments.
2. English Language Learners (ELL): Digital learning offers several benefits for ELL students, including translation tools, grammar support, culturally appropriate visual prompts, instant AI feedback in their native language, and more efficient differentiation for teachers.
3. Future Workforce: The digital revolution, driven by Generative AI, is reshaping the job market. This necessitates that all students develop strong digital and computer literacy skills. Our goal is to equip them for an AI-powered workforce where these competencies are paramount.
4. NZQA Digital Exams: NZQA has consistently communicated its intention to transition to “digital first” examinations. This shift from traditional paper-based assessments to digitally completed and submitted ones means that without prior access to or experience with a device, our students will be at a disadvantage, potentially hindering their success.
BYOD Devices
To ensure the device is useful in the classroom it must:
- Have a battery that lasts a school day – the school can’t provide power outlets for students to charge their laptops nor have power leads run across the floor (health and safety issues).
- Operate fast enough that the student can keep up with the class activities – some older devices can do the work, it just takes them so much longer.
- Be exam compliant so that it can be used for Digital NCEA exams which begin in Year 10.
- Support one of the following operating systems: Windows 11, MacOS or ChromeOS.
- The device must have a keyboard: this would exclude iPads/tablets unless a keyboard was added.
Minimum Specifications
- Chromebook: Intel N150 processor, 4GB RAM, 32GB SSD storage
- Windows: Intel I5, 16GB RAM, 256 GB SSD storage, 14” screen
- Mac: MacBook Air, M2 processor, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD storage, 13” screen
Options available for 2026
1. Our preferred supplier is Noel Leeming. To purchase your device, simply click here to purchase outright or visit the local store.
2. Alternatively, Noel Leeming also offers a number of financing options (often 12 months interest free, with indemnity/damage protection cover and extended (three-year) warranties.
3. Whilst it is preferred that students supply their own Chromebook or Laptop, should this not be possible, there are two options for whānau to explore.
a. Term by term loan. A limited number of devices (45) have been donated to us by the Open Polytechnic. These are available for whānau to loan free of charge on a term-by-term basis. An application will be required. Please email the Operations Manager, on bnn@naenae-college.school.nz for an application form.
b. Day loan of a device from school. In the case of a student forgetting a device or not fully charging a device at home they may sign out a Chromebook to use for the day from the library. There will be a limited number of Chromebooks available and will be first in first served. These devices will need to be returned at the end of the day.