COMPUTING REQUIREMENTS
Since Moodle is web-based, its operating system is independent. You can therefore use any modern operating system, such as Linux, MacOS (10.x) or Windows to work with us. There is no need to install any special software in order to access the NSW online learning environment.
Hardware
A computer running Linux, Mac OSX, or MS Windows,
Access to the Internet, (fairly obviously!)
A printer,
A scanner may be useful but is not essential.
Software
A word processor capable of saving files in .doc or docx format, (eg MSWord, OpenOffice, Pages),
A modern web browser, (NSW recommends Firefox),
Information and Communication Technology students will need to have database software for Year 9, IGCSE and A-Level courses. It is therefore recommended that all ICT students obtain a copy of Microsoft Office Professional Plus (2010) which includes Microsoft Access. This is available at very low cost from Software4Students for all NorthStarWorldwide students.
An email client such as Thunderbird,
Up-to-date anti-virus software (we recommend that your anti-virus software is set to up-date automatically),
We recommend the use of a firewall,
Each student needs to have their own personal email address.
We find that parents really do need a reasonable working knowledge of their computer’s operating system. This does not mean that you need to be an IT expert, but in our experience it does help a great deal if at least one parent is familiar enough with computers to, for example, install software, keep an eye on anti-virus software, and backup files to a separate location.