Dear Families, Students and Community Members,

I am pleased to announce that Mordialloc College has recently achieved eSmart status in 2017. eSmart schools are schools that promote the smart, safe and responsible use of information communications technology. In recent years we have developed processes and curriculum that have ensured that students are prepared for many of the challenges they may face in the online world. Cybersafety and eSmart lessons are taught across the College in Mentor, Digital Technologies and Health classes and provide students with information on how to be responsible digital citizens, how to avoid getting themselves into trouble online and the support that is available to them if they have any issues or concerns.

Looking forward to 2018 there are several changes that will be occurring in the eLearning landscape at the College. Over the past 3 years we have implemented a BYOD program in the Senior School. This allows students to use their own personal digital device as a learning tool at the College, whether it be a laptop or a tablet. This program was  implemented to replace the 1:1 netbook program which was an initiative of the former federal labour government. We have continued to support the netbook program for the past 3 years, despite their being no government funding during this time. In 2018 we will no longer be able to support the 1:1 program as these computers have exceeded their end of life. As such, it is expected that all students in the Senior School will be bringing their own devices to use at the College from the beginning of 2018 if they are not already doing so. This should only affect a small number of students, as the BYOD program is almost fully embedded across the Senior School.

Another change that is occurring for the 2018 academic year is the use of Compass Pay. This module will not only allow you to use Compass to pay for any excursions or events which your child may participant in, but also to give your consent to them attending these events online. This is obviously a significant change which will save staff, students and parents significant time, but it also highlights the need for increased vigilance with your Compass login and password. In order to implement this module, it is necessary for us to reset all of the parent passwords across the College. It is import that this password is not shared with your child or anyone else, because anyone that has access to the password will be able to provide consent for your child. We will be sending out more detailed information regarding this new process and the cessation of the 1:1 netbook program later this term.

Justin Wischusen

Director of eLearning/STEM