Technology

We believe that technology provides us with tools to help us better understand our world and better communicate with our fellow humans. We recognize that access to technology gives students greater opportunities to learn, engage, communicate, and develop skills that will prepare them for work, life, and citizenship. We are committed to helping students develop 21st-Century digital life skills in order to create, collaborate, communicate and think critically while at the same time preserving our unique culture and maintaining a balance of screen time and face-to-face time with teachers and peers. Technology use is embedded throughout the curriculum, including digital video editing units, learning to use spreadsheets in math and science classes, learning to use organizational apps, using presentation software, taking notes and recording data with hand-held devices.

List of 4 items.

Portal

Teachers, students and parents use the community portal to customize their communications from the school. Portal users can access customized calendars, news feeds, slideshows and athletics updates and receive alerts to their mobile phones. Our parent and student portals offer access to virtual classroom spaces, assignment calendars, report cards, a searchable school directory and supplementary information available to portal users at any time from anywhere. Students depend on our classroom portal as an easy way to access their homework assignments, participate in a discussion board topic, contribute to a class blog, turn in work, and collaborate on projects, and it serves as a communication center for many student clubs and groups on campus.
1:1 Chromebook Program (Grades 5-9)

We support a 1:1 Chromebook program in grades 5 through 9, with students receiving school-provided Chromebooks to use. We believe that devices such as Chromebooks allow students to explore and create, and reinforce a process of learning that allows innovation and problem solving. Teachers work closely with each other and with the Technology group to develop a dynamic curriculum that integrates the devices in a thoughtful, deliberate way, consistent with the ethical and moral standards of the School and the larger community.

Bring Your Own Device (Grades 10-12)

Bring Your Own Device Program: Tandem Friends has a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) program in grades 10-12. Students in grades 10-12 may also choose to continue to use a school-provided Chromebook. While we don’t recommend a specific BYOD device, there are some points that should be taken into consideration, as listed below. Please note that in order to use the Adobe Creative Cloud software, or Microsoft Office Desktop software, we recommend that students use a more robust computer. There are some loaner laptops available with Microsoft Office if a student requires the device for a class activity, and the Art department has classroom laptops available for Creative Cloud.

The minimum device requirements:

be lightweight and sturdy;
include a keyboard;
have several hours of battery power and easy options for recharging;
have wireless capabilities;
have access to cloud storage;
be available to come to school each day with the student.

Recommended minimum specifications:

Processor	Intel® or AMD processor with 64-bit support*; 2 GHz or faster processor
RAM	4 GB or more of RAM (8 GB recommended)
Hard disk space	3.1 GB or more of available hard-disk space for 64-bit installation.
Monitor resolution	1024 x 768 display (1280x800 recommended) with 16-bit color and 512 MB or more of dedicated VRAM; 2 GB is recommended***
Graphics processor acceleration requirements	OpenGL 2.0-capable system

If your student is interested in the digital arts or graphic design, we recommend the following specifications:

Processor	Multicore Intel processor
Operating system	macOS version 10.13 (High Sierra) or macOS version 10.12 (Sierra) or Windows 10
RAM	8 GB of RAM (16 GB recommended)
Hard disk space	3.5 GB of available hard-disk space for installation
Monitor resolution	1024 x 768 display (1920 x 1080 recommended), Retina display support
Video card	32-bit video card

NOTE: We do not require a specific operating system (i.e., Mac versus Windows). However, in order to take advantage of the software subscriptions we offer to students, we do not recommend purchasing a Chromebook for students in grades 10-12.

Basic student responsibilities with regard to the BYOD program: Students are expected to bring their devices to school each day fully charged and ready for use. As with any device on campus, students are expected to adhere to the school’s Acceptable Use Policy.