Students
Register
Advertisement
Laptop1

At Da Vinci, each student is issued a laptop at the beginning of the year(one model pictured above). This laptop is used to complete most of the work.

Quality[]

In general, Da Vinci laptops kind of suck. In particular, they are prone to

  • Broken cases
  • Slow performance
  • Screen damage
  • Problems with the power button
  • Battery problems

Software[]

DaVinci laptops come with many multimedia applications pre-installed, including Photoshop, Fireworks, and Flash. It is difficult(though not impossible) to use most third-party applications on a Da Vinci laptop, as the account used by students does not have privaleges to install software. It is however possible to use software that does not require installation or can run off of a U3 drive. However, most third-party applications are against the district's Acceptable Use Policy agreement that students are required to sign before they are issued a laptop.

Filtering[]

The laptops come with web filtering software that is designed to prevent accsess to web sites that the district deems inapropriate. Currently, the Davis school district has installed BSafe 8e6 on the computers, however in the past internet filters have included computer-side systems by Lightspeed Systems in addition to server-side filtering. The computer-side systems that DVHS uses filter web sites even when the laptop is used at home, although there are numerous ways to circumvent or disable this.

Lotus Notes[]

Another application installed on all laptops is Lotus. This application contains calendar and database features and also functions as an email program. Certain parts of Lotus Notes, such as it's Instant Messaging feature, have been disabled.

Privacy[]

As the laptops and servers that the laptops run on are owned by the school district, the school district is liable for any student activity on these instruments. To that end, the school district will read some student emails (mostly those flagged by email filters) and does random audits for illegal music, games, and unauthorized programs.

Advertisement