Technology @ GSB

Created by Joe DeVico, Modified on Tue, 11 Apr, 2023 at 9:27 AM by Joe DeVico

Welcome! GSB provides many technology resources for your learning and community activities.

Technology is used thoughtfully and with an eye toward maintaining personal interactions at GSB. During the school day and while on campus, students in grades PreK – 2 will have access to iPads, and students in grades 3 – 4 will have access to Chromebooks. For grades 5 and higher, GSB is a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) school.

Device Recommendations for Individual Work and Home Use

In Lower School, we recommend students have access at home to a device with the requirements below. This can be a shared family device.

PreK – 2: an iPad running iOS 14 or later.
Grades 3 – 4: a Chromebook running the latest version of ChromeOS (preferably 4 years old or newer).

In Middle and Upper School, students will need to have their own device with the following requirements:

Grades 5 – 8: a Chromebook running the latest version of ChromeOS (preferably 4 years old or newer) OR a device that fits the Upper School recommendations. No tablets or iPads in grades 5-8.
Grades 9 – 12: Newer model laptops running Microsoft Windows 10 or later or an Apple laptop running macOS 11 Big Sur or later. Chromebooks and tablets are NOT RECOMMENDED in the Upper School, as they often cannot support applications used at this level.

Here are some specific recommendations for computers for students in 9-12 grades:

For Windows Computers
		Operating System	
Minimum: Windows 10 (Home)
Recommended: Windows 10 or 11 (Pro, Education, Enterprise)		
Processor		
Minimum: Intel Core i5 dual-core processor (9th Generation) or AMD Ryzen 5 4500 series
Recommended: Intel Core i5 quad-core processor (12th Generation) or AMD Ryzen 7 4700 series or later generations		
Memory		
Recommended: 16GB or more		
Hard Drive	
Minimum: 256GB or larger hard drive or solid-state drive (SSD)
Recommended: 512GB or larger SSD
			
For Apple Mac Computers
		Operating System		
Minimum: MacOS Big Sur
Recommended: MacOS Monterey		
Processor		
Minimum: Intel Core i5 dual-core processor (9th Generation)
Recommended: Apple M1 or M2 processor		
Memory		
Recommended: 16GB or more		
Hard Drive	
Minimum: 256GB or larger hard drive or solid-state drive (SSD)
Recommended: 512GB or larger SSD

All devices must have the latest updates and security patches. Antivirus software is also required on Mac and Windows computers.

Email and Applications

GSB uses Microsoft 365 for school email and applications. All students in grades 5 – 12 have an active GSB email address. This is the official communication method between teacher and student. As part of our Microsoft 365 subscription, every student can download the desktop apps for all of the Office tools on up to five personal devices.

Knightsite is our Learning Management System (LMS). This is a cloud-based system from Blackbaud. You start your journey in Knightsite during the application process. Once a student is enrolled, an individual account is created for them. This is how students will know their academic schedule, keep track of and hand in assignments, and access resources and the school directory.

GSB provides several other software tools and apps to support learning. In our evolving distance learning environment, we are updating this list of tools with an eye toward safety and data security, as well as community building. More information will be provided later in the summer.

The Technology Department is here for you. While we anticipate being able to assist most people with basic troubleshooting and use of their school online tools, we may be limited due to factors we cannot control. For assistance email help@gsbschool.org or call 908-234-1611 ext. 475.

Your Technology Department:

Jacqueline Teichman, Director of Technology

Steve Andriolo, Technology Support Specialist

Eileen Procaccino, Registrar/Data Systems Manager

Joseph DeVico, Coordinator of Instructional and Visual Technology