Technology tips and tricks.
How do I add content on our MSAD11.org webiste? Click here for detailed instructions.
Any of our school library card catalogs can be searched from any computer with Internet access. Click on this link to access a list of school libraries.
The following instructions will guide you through setting up the FirstClass Client on any computer, office, classroom or home. Also included is how to access your email from any web browser.
Installing First Class
First, Download the client to your Desktop.
Click here to download the FirstClass Client, or go to http://www.firstclass.com/ClientDownloads/
Select the client appropriate to your operating system.
Save this to your Desktop when prompted.
Second, install new FirstClass.
Find the file that was downloaded and saved from the steps above
Double Click to execute the file and follow the prompts.
The defaults that you are prompted for are fine.
When prompted, restart your computer.
Last,run the FirstClass application.
The first time you run the application, you will be prompted to setup First Class. If this does not happen, click Setup.
In the Server Setup window, find the Server field (about halfway down).
Enter fc.sad11.k12.me.us
Save and login to test.
Access your email from a Web Browser.
Enter your user name and password.
Change your password in FirstClass:
Login to FirstClass.
Go to the Connection menu and select Change Password.
Type your current password in the Old Password field.
Type your new password in the News Password field.
Type your new password again in the Retype Password field.
Click OK.
Click here to find any and all information regarding the use and care of GAHS laptops.,
Every teacher should have a classroom website, and it is fun and easy when you make it with FirstClass. Download the instructions here. Please feel free to ask for help.
Any data that is in PowerSchool can be accessed. Click on the links to the left for specific instructions on mining the database.
If you require any additional instructions, please contact Terry McGuire.
Click here for instructions on setting PowerGrade up on your teacher laptop.
Introduction
The purpose of this document is to explain, instruct, and advise you in the use of the Students server. This document will evolve and change over time. It may never be an all-inclusive document. However, as the need arises, additions and alterations will be made.
As a reminder, all the rules of the Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) are in effect. If you have not read the AUP recently, you are encouraged to refresh your knowledge of the contents of the ">Student Acceptable Use Policy
To summarize, please be polite in any communication or document, be responsible with your use of technology and your actions, and protect your privacy at all times. Always bear in mind, violations of school policy may result in penalties up to and including expulsion and financial cost. And may invoke local, state and/or federal laws. Be safe.
Thoughts on passwords & security
Security of your account is your responsibility. Please be respectful of the person who did not follow these guidelines and be mindful of these guidelines when you are finished using a computer. The risk is yours to take or yours to protect against!
Safe guarding your password:
* Do not share you password with anyone. There is no reason for anyone else to have access to your account. Even your best friend could make a mistake. Just imagine what someone who is not your friend could do with your account.
* Do not write down your password. Someone may stumble upon it, or you may lose the item on which you wrote it.
* Make your password easy to remember but difficult to guess. Be creative.
How not to choose a password:
* Do not use any word found in any dictionary. Words found in common English, French, Spanish, Japanese, Klingon, or other dictionaries assist password cracking applications to make an attempt against your user name.
* Do not use your name or any combination of your name.
* Do not use your friend's name. In fact, do not use the name of anyone you've every heard of, famous or not, living or dead, fictional or real.
* Do not use any combination of your birthdate, or any other personal information that others may be able to discover, such as street address, home town, social security number, favorite color, shoe size, etc...
* Avoid slang or acronyms or any word that would result in a positive result in any search engine on the Internet.
* Do not use any suggested password found in this document. Someday it might show up in a search engine on the Internet.
How to choose a good password:
* Choose a password that is at least six characters long. Some systems offer a limit of eight characters. However you can use a longer password. Just keep in mind the first eight characters are all that is needed. For instance, you could use "reallylongpassword" as your password. Only "reallylo", the first eight characters, are needed to log in.
* Use a mixture of UPPER-case & lower-case characters and a combination of letters & numbers. This may be more difficult to remember but you should not write it down.
* Use the "Vanity Plate" method. Take an expression you can remember and squeeze it down to eight characters, just as you would if you were to pick a vanity license plate for a car. For example, "GR8passW" But remember, no matter how impressed you are with it, do not tell anyone.
* Deliberately misspell a word or phrase.
* Drop a specific vowel and/or consonant from a word or phrase, or make a rule about dropping a specific character placement, such as the first and fifth letter from a word.
* Use a combination of the above suggestions. Be imaginative. Be random. But make that password tough to guess and be safe.
Logging in & logging out correctly
From a Microsoft Windows computer
1. During the start-up of a computer, it should prompt you with a Microsoft Network Login screen.
2. Enter the User Name assigned to you.
3. Enter your Password.
4. The domain should read "gardiner-hs" with no quotation marks.
5. Click OK.
6. If a second window appears asking to "set Windows password" then click cancel. This is for local security and should not be saved.
To see your home folder, open "My Computer". You should find a driver letter H: This driver letter is mapped to your personal folder on the server. You may save documents or other items to this folder.
It is important to log out when finsihed. To log out:
1. Go to the Start Menu and select Shutdown.
2. Select Restart.
3. Click OK.
There are other ways to log out. However, if GoBack is installed, as in room 205, room 204 or the library then a restart is the only way.
From a Macintosh OS X computer
1. After the computer has started, from "Finder", go to the "Go" menu and select "Connect to Server".
2. Click on Appletalk.
3. Click on Students.
4. Click Connect.
5. Enter you User name in the Name field.
6. Enter your Password in the Password field.
7. Click Connect.
8. Select Home Directory and any other volumes you may need to access.
9. Click OK.
The volumes you selected in Step 8 above will appear on your desktop.
To log out, simply drag all the volumes you added in Step 8 to the Trash, which should say Eject when selecting Disks or Volumes. Be sure to select all the volumes you added. If you are in doubt, then restart the computer.
From a Macintosh OS 9 computer
1. After the computer has started, go to the "Apple" menu and select "Chooser."
2. Select "Apple Share" from the left panel.
3. Double click the server "Students" from the right panel.
4. Enter the username assigned to you.
5. Enter your password.
6. Click OK.
7. Select Home Directory and any other volumes you may need to access.
8. Click OK.
The volumes you selected in Step 7 above will appear on your desktop.
To log out, simply drag all the volumes you added in Step 7 to the Trash. Be sure to select all the volumes you added. If you are in doubt, then restart the computer.
Changing your Password
To change your password:
1. Logon to a computer.
2. Open a web browser.
3. Point your browser to the address http://students/user-password
4. Enter the requested information.
Forgotting your Password Or facing other Login trouble
* Your responsibility is to have a password you will remember. However, if you do forget your password, then it can be reset. If you lose your password, please ask your teacher, or one of the secretaries to email your name and your account name to the High School Tech Team. We will reset your password as soon as it is convenient, and will email the staff member who informed us and your advisor of the new password. This may create a delay of a day or two. Please do not forget your password if you wish to avoid this delay.
If you are having difficulty logging in, inform your teacher. At the teacher's discretion, the teacher or a fellow student may be able to assist you. If there is an error message appearing, then please write it down, forward all information to the high school tech team and we will resolve the problem as soon as we can.
* No backups will be done on this server. It is important for you to note this. If you accidentally delete a file there will be no attempt to recover it.
Studywiz Quick Notes
Studywiz is an online learning environment which allows users to:
Communicate and collaborate through messages, discussion boards and chats
Complete activities which can involve assignments, polls, assessments, or games
Store documents in their eLocker
Creat a calendar of events which can be added to by teachers and/or students
When you create an activity, be sure to
Set the dates and times it will be available
Check the box that says to publish it when you are done
It might be advantageous to send files to students in pdf or zip formats to ensure that they are
able to be uploaded and downloaded. (There may be a limit on the size of a file which can be
uploaded.)
To create a pdf
With the file open, go to Print
At the bottom of the Print box, click on PDF
Choose Save as PDF, give it a name and place to save
To create a zip file
Save the file
Navigate (get so you can see it) to the file (or folder) that you want to zip
Control Click on the file (or go to the File menu)
Choose Create Archive of ”filename”
It will create the zip file in the same place the original is saved
When you download a zipped file, it will uncompress. Teach students to trash the zip file once it is uncompressed.
Creating an activity
Click on Activities
Select a Class from the Classes Tab
Select a folder for the activity or create one by clicking the green plus sign
(all activities must live in a folder)
Once you click on the folder, click create activity in this folder from the bottom of the
right hand part of the screen.
Things to Remember when Creating an Activity
Hit save often - look for the green saved checkmark
Put in the dates you want the activity to be available
Click the Publish activity button when you want the students to be able to see the activity
Fill in any boxes with red asteriks
Global Edit - If there is more than one teacher assigned to a class, clicking this button
allows all teachers to change the activity.
Editing an activity
To get back to an activity you have already created, click on Activities on the home page
Click on My Classes
Choose the class and folder that contain the activity
Click on the wrench icon to the right of the activity to edit it
Class Sub-groups or Individual folders
You can also create subgroups in a class (team) to send activities or files to only some
students in the class (could be used for remediation or extension)
You can also create individual folders when you want an assignment to go to one student.
Calendar
You can create calendars of assignment dates in folders for a class
Students can turn off particular calendars
You can add events to personal or class calendars
Messaging
To create a message, go to the Tools button and click on Messaging
eLocker
This is a storage space. Students or teachers can upload files into this space for back-up
or to be able to access from home. There is a 5MB upload limit. There is a space limit also. It
tells you at the top how much space you have available.
Files can be attached to messages or assignments from the eLocker.
Click on the picture of the drive on the right side of a file in the eLocker to attach it.
Student/Activity Reports
Go to Tools and choose Manage Students and Reports
Look for a student or an activity to see what the student has done or what students have
done a particular activity.
Archiving Activities
Get to the folder you want to archive under my classes
In the lower right hand corner, click on the green arrow to Export Folder
Click the Download button by Download as an IMS package
Save this file somewhere to be uploaded the next time you want to use those activities