Technology Times

This is our first full week of school. Without question we will face some challenges with technology. Many of our students are turning on their devices and logging in for the first time in months; we are pushing our devices and infrastructure to new limits; and we're experiencing school in a manner that has never been attempted. Please be patient and understanding if you encounter an issue. We will work as quickly as possible to help resolve the problem.

Please reach out to your child's teacher as a first point of contact. Beyond that, we have a network of people that can help assist you with your problem.

Login trouble can be frustrating for all people involved. This should help solve these issues quickly.

In the High School, Middle School, and IEC, student passwords follow the same pattern:

Lp and the last six of the student ID. Example Lp123456

You can find your child's student ID in Parent Portal, or on their Schedule. If you are unsure of your child's login information, please reach out to their teacher for assistance.

Chromebooks are very popular in schools because their cost effective and they're simple. There is not much that can go wrong. USUALLY if a Chromebook is having trouble, it needs to be updated. Most of these Chromebooks have been powered down all summer and would not have been updated. It needs to be charged, connected to WiFi, and updated to work. Please follow this process if you think your Chromebook needs an update.

Updating Chromebooks

Throughout the year, these issues will be minimal since devices will be regularly used and automatic updates will keep them running at an optimal level.

Usually this problem is solved by an update; however, in a pinch a student may not have time to update their device in order to join a meeting on time. The following video will show how to join a meeting through the web browser and bypass the app.

Video: Join Zoom in Browser

At this time, students do NOT have Zoom accounts. They do NOT need to put in a username or password.

Joining a Zoom meeting will happen in one of two ways:

1. Students will click on a link provided to them by the teacher. That link may have been sent by email, it may be in their calendar, or it may be in Seesaw or Google Classroom. All the student needs to do is click on the link to enter the meeting. Upon entering, they will need to type in their name. Please have your child type in their full name, first and last, for attendance and security reasons. Students that do not put in their full name can not be admitted to the meeting.

2. Students can also enter a meeting by opening the zoom app on their device and manually typing in the meeting code and password. The meeting code and password may have been provided in the methods described above but they may also have been printed on materials that were sent home. Again, students will be asked to type in a name before entering the meeting. Please have your child type in their full name, first and last, for attendance and security reasons. Students that do not put in their full name can not be admitted to the meeting.

Our iPads are all managed devices which means updates are pushed to them automatically. That being said, updates get "stuck" sometimes if a device is not powered on or lost connection to WiFi. If an app is "stuck," the best thing to do is let the teacher know so they can request an update for the iPad.

Note: The teacher will need the name of the iPad. To find it, go to Settings > About > Name.

Throughout the year, these issues will be minimal since devices will be regularly used and automatic updates will keep them running at an optimal level.

It is possible that your child's device may have some hardware defects at some point. The most common defects that are usually not associated with software updates include:

• Battery not charging or not holding a charge
• Keyboard/mouse not working
• Defective screen
• Microphone not functioning

If you believe there is a hardware issue with your child's device, you may contact the school librarian to troubleshoot and/or arrange an exchange while the device is repaired.

HS: tfaut@lew-port.com

MS: kpax@lew-port.com

IEC: rcummiskey@lew-port.com

PEC: hzielinski@lew-port.com*

NOTE PEC Families: Please contact emyers@lew-port.com and/or nhill@lew-port.com throughout September if needed.

Our youngest students are not used to traveling to and from school with their devices. Please make sure they are safely stored in some compartment of their school back, cushioned if possible.

DO NOT keep an iPad or Chromebook in the same bag as a lunchbox. We've seen library books get ruined as a result of spilled juice boxes and thermoses. Please try to keep these things separated as best as possible especially if there is liquid in the lunch.

Director of Technology & Data

Lewiston-Porter Central Schools

Email: nhill@lew-port.com
Website: www.lew-port.com/technology_services
Phone: (716) 286-7295
Facebook: Facebook.com/LewistonPorterCentralSchools/
Twitter: @lewportcsd