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Digital Devices for Learning

Rutherford College requires all students to bring their own device to school to connect to the internet and carry out classroom activities digitally. Teachers use Google Classrooms and online learning sites to engage and support students academically. All year 9 students should have a device. If you genuinely do not have capacity to purchase a device, please chat with the Dean of the Year level who could help with accessing this for your son or daughter.

Wi-Fi at Rutherford College

Rutherford College has wireless connectivity throughout the school. Students can connect to the Wi-Fi after they sign the Digital Citizenship Form at enrolment. 


Google Apps for Education               Microsoft Office 365

Rutherford College is using Google Apps for Education in the classroom.

By logging into Google using your school email address and password, you have immediate access to Classroom, Gmail, Drive, Calendar, Vault, Docs, Sheets, Slides and Sites.

Office 365 is available free to all students and staff who would prefer to use it. Click here to download your choice of Word, Powerpoint, Excel, OneNote, Outlook, Access, Publisher, Lync, InfoPath and/or OneDrive (1TB of space per user) onto up to 5 devices.

Just use your school email address and password to access your account.

Choosing your device

As part of the D4L (Devices for Learning) program at Rutherford College, it is expected that all students bring a digital device.

Minimum specifications for a device:
  • WiFi capable
  • Minimum battery life of 5 hours (students should not expect to charge their devices at school)
  • Minimum screen size of 7 inches

While the school does not require a specific device, a Chromebook has proved to be an economic and serviceable option as the platform for learning resources in use is Google Classroom.

Devices Laptops                                Software

​Laptops - Suggested minimum specifications

KeyboardMinimum 6 hr Battery LifeACD Power Adaptor/charger
2 USB ports8GB MemoryLightweight
10" ScreenAudio OutWiFi

Operating Systems

Windows 10 or higher or Mac 11.0 (Big Sur) or higher

  • Antivirus Software
  • Web Browser (Google Chrome capable)
  • Software that enables word processing, presentations, spread-sheets, image manipulation, video and audio editing (these can be cloud based – eg Google Docs). The Ministry of Education provides Office 365 free to students to install and use both at college and home.
Additional Information

Additional Equipment likely to be required

  • USB Pen Drive
  • Headphones

Things to consider if purchasing a device:

  • iPads do not have the ability to connect to external devices such as a mouse, USB or hard disk
  • Increased memory will result in smoother running devices
  • 2 or 3 year warranties are recommended, especially if they include replacement batteries
  • Ensure your household/contents policy will cover your son/daughter’s device
  • If you are considering taking classes that require Adobe or Autodesk applications, then you will need a device that is appropriate. We would recommend going for a device that has 16GB of RAM minimum along with some form of dedicated Graphics card (sometimes referred to GPU). For more information of Adobes minimum/recommended requirements please see here: https://helpx.adobe.com/nz/creative-cloud/system-requirements.html