Technology Integration | Academics | International School of Dusseldorf

In a technologically enhanced learning environment, students have the opportunity to interact with outside experts, collaborate with other students around the globe and publish their work to an authentic global audience.

Our aim is for every student to be a responsible, global digital citizen who can safely and confidently navigate online social spaces and use digital tools to enhance their own learning and contribute to the learning of others. We aim to integrate the teaching and learning of digital citizenship into all subject areas.

• I will show respect for myself through my actions.
• I will select online names that are appropriate.
• I will consider the information and images that I post online.
• I will consider what personal information about my life, experiences, experimentation or relationships I post.
• I will not be obscene.
   

• I will show respect to others.
• I will not use electronic media to flame, bully, harass or stalk other people.
• I will show respect for other people in my choice of websites.
• I will not visit sites that are degrading, pornographic, racist or inappropriate.
• I will not abuse my rights of access and I will not enter other people's private spaces or areas.
• I will respect others' privacy by asking for permission before publishing a photo, video, or story about a person online.
   

• I will request permission to use resources.
• I will suitably cite any and all use of websites, books and media.
• I will validate information before sharing.
• I will use and abide by the fair use rules.
   

• I will ensure that the information, images and materials I post online will not put me at risk.
• I will not publish my personal details, contact details or a schedule of my activities.
• I will report any attacks or inappropriate behaviour directed at me.
• I will protect passwords, accounts and resources.
   

• I will protect others by reporting abuse, not forwarding inappropriate materials or communications; and not visiting sites that are degrading, pornographic, racist or inappropriate.
   

• I will request to use the software and media others produce.
• I will use free and open source alternatives rather than pirating software.
• I will purchase, license and register all software.
• I will purchase my music and media, and refrain from distributing these in a manner that violates their licences.
• I will act with integrity.

From Prep through to grade 5, each student receives an iPad for the school year to record his or her learning. As they progress through the Elementary School, students are exposed to a variety of learning experiences via the many different programmes and apps provided, developing important research and presentation skills along the way.

An important aspect of helping students understand technology is exposing them to coding/programming from an early age. In the ISD Elementary School that starts in Prep and grade 1 where students learn the basics of block coding, using TTS 'Blue Bot' robots.

In grades 2 and 3, students expand their coding knowledge with programmes such as Turtle Art and Lego WeDo 2.0; they learn about motors, sensors, and building things that actually move! A lot of time is also spent on debugging, which develops resilience and encourages children not to give up.

In grades 4 and 5, students take it up a level with TTS Pro Bots, learning about angles and measurements in parallel with their maths programme. This is also when they begin to experiment with our 3D printers, learning about patterns and sustainability. At the same time, we use MakeyMakeys to understand electricity, and Spheros to practice the coding language.

In each instance, we encourage teamwork and provide opportunities for students to learn in the way that best suits them. Our focus is not so much on the end product, but rather on the ways in which each student is able to work towards their end goal.

Students have access to industry standard applications from Adobe Creative Cloud (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign), Autodesk (Fusion 360, Maya, Sketchbook) and internationally recognised data collection tools from Vernier and Pasco.

Bringing the vision, technology and curriculum together is where ISD excels. Teachers and students work with world-class technology integrationists to curate a broad spectrum of the most up to date and effective tools for each learning opportunity. Additionally, our integrationists work with parents on issues surrounding screen-time, teachers and students on digital citizenry, and drive the discussion of technology’s role in society across the community.

MUST HAVE:

• Apple MacBook
  - MB Air models from 2020 onwards are sufficient; check for ‘normal’ battery health.
  - Should run MacOS Big Sur (min).
• 100% charge each morning
• English keyboard (US, UK or international)
• Headphones
• Software (Free)
• Chrome Web Browser
• Educational Software
  - Will be provided by ISD.
  - Ability for students to install new software when requested (advance notice will be given).
   

Please note that any of the notebook models currently offered by Apple is perfectly acceptable for use by students in Grade 6 to 8.

Our current recommendation is the 13-inch MacBook Air, as this is the device with the best price, weight, performance and battery life.
 

When setting up the laptop, parents need to decide how much control to give students over their own laptops. We prefer that students be given full administrative rights since they are then able to install new software, install updates and diagnose technical issues themselves.

If parents decide not to give the student administrative rights, and the student needs to install software or diagnose technical issues, the tech support technician will create an ISD controlled admin account on the student’s machine.

We recommend using Parental Control features only as a last resort as these place significant restrictions on what students can do with their machines. Parental Controls very often get in the way of what students need to do in class.

Please use the buttons below for more information about setting up user accounts on student laptops.

SETTING UP USER ACCOUNTS

SET UP PARENTAL CONTROL
 

The school will provide students with the software they need for their classes, including Microsoft Office. We try to use free and web applications where possible.

Please be aware that the Apple Creative Applications, iMovie and Garageband must be installed on all student computers. These applications are pre-installed on all new Macs, but need to be re-downloaded if the OS has been reinstalled at any time.
 

RECOMMENDED DEVICE

Our current reccomendation is the 13-inch MacBook Air, as this is the device with the best price, weight, performance, and battery life.

• 13-inch MacBook Air or Pro.
• Mac OS X 10.15.

Click here to see a comparison of all current Mac notebooks.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

• Mac OS X 10.15 or Windows 10/11.
• 1 gigahertz (GHz) of faster 64-bit (x64) processor.
• 4 gigabyte (BG) hard disk drive (HDD).
• 5 hours of battery life.
• 802.11n wireless network (wifi) adapter.
• Integrated camera, microphone, and spreakers.
• Attached physical keyboard.
• Less than 5 years old.
   

While we recommend the MacBook Air we recognise that students may have their own preferred laptop and will want to use that instead.
 

When setting up the laptop, parents need to decide how much control to give students over their own laptops. We prefer that students be given full administrative rights since they are then able to install new software, install updates and diagnose technical issues themselves.

If parents decide not to give the student administrative rights, and the student needs to install software or diagnose technical issues, the tech support technician will create an ISD controlled admin account on the student’s machine.

We recommend using Parental Control features only as a last resort as these place significant restrictions on what students can do with their machines. Parental Controls very often get in the way of what students need to do in class.

Please use the buttons below for more information about setting up user accounts on student laptops.

MAC OS X

SET UP PARENTAL CONTROL

SETTING UP USER ACCOUNTS

WINDOWS

SET UP PARENTAL CONTROL

SETTING UP USER ACCOUNTS
 

The school will provide students with the software they need for their classes, including Microsoft Office. We try to use free and web applications where possible.
 

In addition to a laptop, students are also required to have the following items.

• An always-on cover or sleeve to protect the laptop against bumps and scratches. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
   
• A set of in-ear headphones for use in class. Sometimes, students will watch instructional videos or listen to recordings made by their fellow students in class. This can’t be done using the built-in speakers in a classroom setting.
   
• A 32 GB or bigger USB memory stick for transferring large files from the school’s computers to the student’s laptop.
   
• A 500GB or larger external hard drive. We can’t emphasise the importance of backing up the work on your computer enough. Students should have an external Hard Drive which they keep at home on which their work is backed up on a regular basis.

The 1-to-1 environment can sometimes blur the boundaries between school and home. Families need to accept that the 1-to-1 device will have some influence on home life.

Clearly communicating your expectations for how the device is used at home is crucial. The sample parent child agreement below could be a useful tool to help you clarify and clearly communicate your expectations with your child.

Please feel free to modify the agreement to your family's own preferences.

ENGLISH

GERMAN

JAPANESE
 

Yes, parents are welcome to purchase a laptop from any retailer. To receive an educational discount from Apple, a school certificate (Schulbescheinigung) can be obtained from the main office in the senior school.
 

The school has a small pool of MacBooks available to loan to students in cases deemed necessary.
 

Yes, the laptop is an essential learning tool used to research, communicate, organise and create. Students should bring a fully-charged, fully operational laptop to every class.
 

Yes, students need a set of headphones for watching educational videos and a 32 GB USB memory stick to transfer large files between their laptops and the school's iMac computers. Students also need an external HDD for backing up their machines.
 

The school employs a full time laptop technician who helps students with general technical troubles. We also have a student tech-team that provides in-class support for less serious issues that can be fixed on the spot.
 

All required software will be supplied by the school. Students should be able to install this software on their own computers.
 

Every student has a locker to lock away their belongings. Laptops should be locked in lockers whenever they are not needed.
 

Students are allowed to use their laptops for school work in the library, and for socialising and playing games in a teacher-supervised room. Laptop use is not permitted in any unsupervised places.
 

When using laptops, students and teachers still engage in social, collaborative learning experiences. Collaboration and communication will happen online and face-to-face depending on the task. We want students to develop both digital and face-to-face social skills.
 

Under normal circumstances, no. Modern laptops have good enough battery life and should last a whole school day without charging.

Students should bring the laptop to school fully charged and conserve the battery as much as possible. In emergencies charging stations are available in the library for students to charge laptops during breaks.
 

No, laptops facilitate a collaborative, social learning environment where digital and analog tools are blended to engage students for understanding.
 

The school's Internet connection is protected by a Sophos UTM. We subscribe to a service that filters and blocks dangerous and inappropriate content.

Sophos web filtering is trusted by many other international schools and provides a very good level of protection. However, we still believe that education is the best tool for keeping students safe on the web.

Internet Safety is one of the themes of Digital Citizenship, which is integrated into our curriculum. The Digital Citizenship Agreement (in the Student/Parent Handbook) gives firm guidelines for safe online behaviour.
 

Yes, sometimes students will need to use their laptops for schoolwork at home. This could be in the form of reading, researching, watching videos, completing online exercises or writing up projects.

While it is a good idea to ensure that children get enough time away from a computer screen and take regular breaks while working on a computer, setting strict limits on "computer time" might negatively affect the student's learning.

We encourage parents to have conversations with their children about what they are doing on the computer and how it benefits their learning.
 

Most modern home routers have a built-in Wireless network through which your child's laptop can connect to the Internet.
 

Mac OS and Windows provide tools for parents to control certain aspects of their children's computer. However, we encourage parents to use these only as a last resort.
 

Yes, students will need an Internet connection at home in order to access many of the learning resources used at school. Many of the projects students work on are online and students need an Internet connection to do research.
 

All children are different. Setting clear, age appropriate, personalised boundaries and regularly discussing them with your child is important. Talk to your child about their online experiences and review the boundaries regularly.

There are many ways of exerting technical control, but often non-technical measures prove to be more effective. Keeping the laptop in a family room while charging in the evening is a good idea. Agreeing on a time when the laptop needs to be locked away for the night might be a good idea.
 

No, the laptop is not covered by the school's insurance. Families own the laptop and it should be covered by the family's own insurance plan.
 

Many German insurance companies provide Guarantee Insurance (Garantieversicherung). Guarantee Insurance is meant to supplement a laptop's manufacturer guarantee and pays for repairs not covered by it. One company that offers guarantee insurance is Ergo Direkt. Click here for more information.
 

Most insurance companies in Germany will allow you to add specified additional items to your existing household insurance policy. Please contact your insurance broker and ask about adding a specified laptop onto your policy.
 

The school will not mediate in situations where one child damages another child's laptop. Students are only allowed to use their laptops in areas supervised by an adult. The supervising adult can provide a report of the incident upon request.

It is advisable to purchase personal liability insurance (Haftpflichtversicherung) for your child which would cover the costs if he or she accidentally damages another child's property.