Remote Learning Resources
Best Practices, FAQs, and Troubleshooting
Chromebook Best Practices
Restart your Chromebook at least once a week.
Close out of any tabs that you aren’t using. Rather than keeping tabs open, use bookmarks if you need to access certain web pages frequently.
Turn off/disable or delete any extensions or apps that you don’t use: https://support.google.com/chromebook/answer/2589434?hl=en
Periodically clear the browser cache and cookies: Ctrl+Shift+Backspace. Set time range to "All Time", click the "Clear data" button.
Troubleshooting Tips
If you experience issues using your NSD Chromebook, try the following:
Restart the Chromebook. If it won’t shut off, press and hold the Power button for about 5-10 seconds until it shuts off. Wait 10 seconds. Press and release the power button to turn it back on.
Clear the browser cache and cookies: Ctrl+Shift+Backspace. Set time range to "All Time", click the "Clear data" button.
Confirm that the Chromebook successfully connects to a Wi-Fi network.
Check to make sure you are on the latest district supported version of Chrome OS (currently version 114). Go to the URL chrome://os-settings/help in the Chrome browser to see which version of Chrome OS is on your Chromebook and update it if necessary.
Contact your teacher or your school's STS if you've tried troubleshooting but your issue persists.
Clever & Schoology
Clever is our District’s portal system. All parents and students have an account in Clever to help them get connected to all the other systems the district uses. Students and parents log into Clever differently.
Parents will log in to Clever at https://family.nsd.org
The parent portal will give parents access to buttons for ParentVUE, Schoology, and other district systems. It also provides a method for helping students to get logged in on their device. This is called “Instant Login” and should be used only when a student has trouble logging themselves into Clever. If you did not receive your invitation, please visit https://family.nsd.org and click “Reset Password”. Enter the email associated with your Northshore account. An email will be sent with password reset information. If you have not received the email within 48 hours, please contact your school's office or STS.
Students will log in to Clever at https://my.nsd.org
Student accounts follow this pattern: the username is their email address and their password is the password they ended last school year with or the default (for new students). Student accounts use the student’s ID number as part of their address. If you do not know your student’s ID number please look at their information in ParentVUE. If you do not have a ParentVUE account, you can request an account and activation code here: https://form.jotform.com/200321140182132
Schoology is our district’s Learning Management System. It replaces systems that were used previously to distribute class assignments and learning materials, such as Google Classroom. All parents have access to an account in Schoology to monitor student progress, view course materials and assignments, and communicate with teachers. To log into Schoology, parents will login to Clever (https://family.nsd.org) and click on the Schoology for Parents tile. Enter your email and password. If you have not activated your account, click “Forgot your password” on the Schoology login screen. Enter the email associated with your Northshore account. An email will be sent with password reset information. If you have not received the email within 48 hours, please contact your school office.
Students will log into Schoology by logging into Clever (https://my.nsd.org) and clicking on the Schoology tile.
Commonly Reported Issues
I cannot see all of my children in Clever/Schoology:
This is likely due to incomplete information in Synergy, our student information system. Please log into ParentVUE and review the information associated with your account to ensure that you can see all children and have all contact and educational rights to all of your students. If that information is correct, please contact your school’s main office to research further.
I never received an email invitation to Clever and/or Schoology:
Check your email spam and junk folders to ensure that the emails didn’t get misplaced. If you still don’t see those invitations, visit Clever and/or Schoology and use the “Reset My Password” or “Forgot your password” links to generate a new email from one or both systems.
Zoom Best Practices
Use the Zoom icon at the bottom center of your screen, or through Clever.
Use "Speaker View" rather than "Gallery View." "Speaker View" uses less CPU than "Gallery View," so use "Speaker View" when possible.
Close other tabs and apps to reduce your CPU usage. Apps and browser tabs that are open on your Chromebook use CPU power. Close out of any tabs or apps that you are not using to help optimize your Zoom experience.
Avoid connecting multiple monitors or other peripherals. Unplug external monitors and/or other peripherals to minimize CPU load.
About Clever Badges
What is a Badge?
A Badge is a QR code that can be used in place of a student email address and password, and is uniquely made for each student. Holding a student’s Badge up to the device’s camera will automatically log the student in to the Clever Portal. If you are using a device that does not have a camera, you can log in using your normal NSD credentials.
How do I get my student’s Badge?
You can generate your student’s Badge by going to the Family Clever Portal at https://family.nsd.org and signing in to your parent Clever account. Once you are in your parent portal, choose which student you want to generate a Badge for. Click "Clever Badge" under "Log in on a different device." Your student's Badge will be generated, and you will have the option to print or download. Save the Badge to your device or print it out for easy access. If you lose your student’s Badge, you can always regenerate and save it again. Using a Clever Badge to sign your student in to their Chromebook saves them the trouble of having to remember a password, but remember that using Clever Badges is completely optional.
How do I use my Clever Badge to sign in to my Chromebook?
If you are using a district borrowed Chromebook*, you can choose to use your Badge to sign in by clicking "Next" on the login screen. The camera on the Chromebook will turn on, your student will hold up the badge to the camera, and your student will automatically be signed in! To sign in with your student’s @apps.nsd.org account and password, just click "Sign in with a different account."
*Chrome OS 102 and above, opens up to the camera by default. Click the "Enter Google Account info" button to use your user id and password. Revised Mar 2023
Cleaning NSD Technology
Including Chromebooks, MacBooks, and iPads
DO NOT use aerosol sprays, bleach, peroxide-based, ammonia-based, or abrasive cleaners. Avoid excessive wiping or submerging the device in cleaner. Never spray cleaners or other liquids directly onto computer keyboards or screens.
Basic Cleaning
Recommended for fingerprints on screens!
Shut down the device and unplug all external power sources and cables.
Use microfiber cloths with an ammonia-free cleaner such as Windex Multi-Surface Vinegar.
Spray the cleaner on the cloth and use the damp cloth to clean the surface.
Ensure surfaces have completely air-dried before powering on the device or storing it.
Disinfecting
Shut down the device and unplug all external power sources and cables.
Use only 70-75% alcohol wipes to gently wipe all surfaces of the device. This includes the screen, keyboard, trackpad, and exterior surfaces of the device.
Ensure surfaces have completely air-dried before powering on the device or storing it.
More resources:
Home Wi-Fi Network Tips
Place your Wi-Fi router in a central, unobstructed location in your home. This gives you a stronger signal and better speeds.
Objects can interfere with your Wi-Fi connectivity. Move items away from your router. Microwaves, baby monitors, and metal are especially bad for network signals.
Limit your family’s network usage while Zoom-ing. Fewer people concurrently using your home Wi-Fi network can help improve network performance. If multiple family members are video conferencing at the same time, this can negatively affect performance.
Check your download and upload speeds. Many internet service providers (ISPs) offer very fast download speeds, but slower upload speeds. Video conferencing, which uses upload AND download functions continuously, may lag or drop during heavy network usage. You can check your current download and upload speeds using various online tools (search for “speed test”). For gallery view and/or 720p HD video, Zoom recommends at least 1.5Mbps/1.5Mbps (up/down).
Check your modem. Check with your internet service provider to make sure that the modem you have supports the speeds you’ve signed up for.
The NSD Technology Department does not provide support for home networking equipment or services. Here is a link that has a list of support pages for popular network hardware vendors and internet service providers that may help you troubleshoot home network issues: http://go.nsd.org/wifihelp