Classroom setup

Tech Resources

Setting up classroom technology hardware & learning new software programs or websites can be intimidating if you are doing it for the first time or even the twentieth time. This page is designed to be a resource for anyone needing help.

See the Table of Contents at the bottom of the page for a quick reference to the topics available.

Hardware Setup

What should you have?

Viewboard Remote
Stylus (There should be two.)
Ethernet Cable
HDMI Cable

Troubleshooting Tip - If the panel won't power on or you get a black screen when it does, there could have been a power surge. Power the TV off, flip the toggle switch on the back to off & unplug the power cord from the wall. Wait 10 seconds, plug it back in, turn the toggle switch on & touch the power button on the front. Contact district tech support.

Getting Started with ViewBoard – A Hardware Overview

Steps to Use...

Plug the power cable into a wall outlet
Check that power is secure going into the panel & that the toggle switch is turned on.
- If the power light on the front of the Viewboard is red the toggle switch is in the on position.
Touch the red power button to turn on the panel. It will turn blue & the screen will power on.
- Touch the power button again one time to put the panel in sleep mode.
- Touch & hold down the power button to power the panel off.

NOTE: There is no reason to turn the toggle switch off on the back of the panel unless it won't power on at all.

Click Here to access Step-by-Step Directions for connection to Wifi & an Ethernet port.

Viewboard Ethernet Vs Wifi

The Viewboard provides two options for connecting to the network...

Wifi - This sometimes has low signal strength that causes the panel to drop the connection.
Ethernet - The ethernet port allows the panel to be plugged directly into a network drop using the long, black cable that was delivered with the TV.

Note: We recommend that you use the ethernet connection wired to a network drop for better performance. You should have at least one drop in your classroom.

Changes in Chrome Brower for Videos when using HDMI Cable:

Open Google Chrome
Click the 3 dots in the top right corner of the browser window, then click settings
Click System on the left under Settings
Toggle off "Use hardware acceleration when available" & then Relaunch the browser
Open the video & it should play with video & audio on the Viewboard TV

myViewBoard: Windows Onboarding w/Laptop – Using Your Connected Laptop (HDMI Cable)

Sometimes there is no option to cast to your ViewBoard from your laptop or it just isn't working. In this case, you can connect your computer via an HDMI cable.
**You will not have touch capability on the ViewBoard using an HDMI cable.

Troubleshooting Tip - Some videos & sites will not play correctly using an HDMI cable. If you attempt to play a video & you hear sound, but see a black screen on the Viewboard TV settings can be adjusted in Google Chrome to correct this issue. (See steps under the video to the left.)

Click Here for the article from the ViewSonic Knowledge Base that provides details about various types of casting to the ViewBoard.

Note: Watch the video for more details about casting to the ViewBoard.

Casting: vCast Receiver

Casting to your ViewBoard allows you to push the functionality of your laptop to your ViewBoard. This is done through a vCast app...

vCast Reciever - This is the app on your ViewBoard that will provide you a code to enter into the vCast Sender app on your laptop.
vCast Sender - This app should be installed on all teacher laptops. Open the vCast Sender app & enter the code generated by the vCast Receiver icon on the laptop. Click OK, then Cast & the contents from your laptop will appear on the ViewBoard screen. **You will have touch capability on the ViewBoard when casting from a laptop, but not from a Chromebook.
(Contact The VTeam if you do not have the app installed)

To cast with AirPlay complete the following steps...

Make sure your device is connected to the same network as the IFP.
On your device, open AirPlay and select the corresponding Device Name from the list.
A one-time AirPlay password will appear on the IFP.
Enter this password onto your device.

Casting using Airplay for IOS Devices (iPad/iPhone)

The ViewBoard allows for casting from an IOS device, such as an iPad or iPhone through the device's AirPlay feature. Your device must be connected to the same network as your ViewBoard.

Watch the video to the left & follow the steps for more details about casting.

**You will not have touch capability on the ViewBoard when casting from an IOS device. Navigation can only be controlled through the casting device.

*Notes...

You will plug your receiver for your mouse into the USB port in place of the wireless mouse he plugged into the USB port.
The ethernet cable in the video will be plugged into a network drop in your classroom instead of a home router as seen in the video.
You will use your Dell teacher laptop with your docking station.

Docking Station

The docking station is a hub that allows you to connect your laptop power cable, monitor, mouse, network cable, etc. in one location. Once connected your laptop can be plugged into all with one cord that goes from the dock to the computer.

Dell dock reset procedures...

1. Unplug USB-C cable from your laptop.

2. Hold the Power button on the dock.

3. Continue holding the power button while unplugging the power cable from the back of the dock for 10 seconds.

4. While still holding the power button in, plug the power back into the dock and let go of the power button.

5. Plug your USB-C cable back into the laptop.

Extend Desktop

When using an external monitor & your ViewBoard with your laptop you may want to duplicate or extend your desktop to make working different files in different windows much easier.

Click Here to access a "How To" document for changing these settings.

Software, Apps & More

Laptop - First Time to Login

The first time you use your school-issued laptop to log in to it, you will need to plug it into a network drop or a docking station plugged into a network drop.

After the first wired login, you will be able to log into it wirelessly.

Tech Work Orders & IP Address

The following information may be useful when having issues & needing to contact the Barren County Tech Office.

To email all tech staff, type Barren Co Tech Help in the "To" section of your email or send an email to: techhelp@barren.kyschools.us
There are times it may be necessary to submit a Technology Work Order - From the Barren Schools homepage, hover over Technology on the burgundy bar, & click Submit a Technology Work Order. Login with Google SSO, & Report an Issue.
Knowing your IP Address is sometimes necessary when the tech office needs to work on an issue remotely - Your IP address can be found by going to the Barren Schools homepage, hovering over Technology on the burgundy bar, & click PC Name/Account Search. Your IP Address will show in the center of the Homepage.

Learn more about Signing in to myViewBoard WhiteBoard

Overview of WhiteBoard Software - This Video will give you a basic overview of WhiteBoard software.

myViewBoard WhiteBoard Software

WhiteBoard software is an amazing tool that takes your ViewBoard Interactive TV to the next level. WhiteBoard gives us the option to sign so that we can access files stored in the cloud.

Note: Watch the video for details about signing-in options. You can also access step-by-step instructions from the ViewSonic Knowlege Base at the link under the video.

Check out the resources from our ViewBoard WhiteBoard Agenda - The agenda is from a WhiteBoard training where we cover the features of Whiteboard in more detail.

myViewBoard Software Options

There are three ways to access and use WhiteBoard with your ViewBoard...

WhiteBoard App installed on the ViewBoard TV - This app is located in the menu on the ViewBoard's home screen. You open it, sign in & run it directly from the TV without a computer. Note: It may ask you to register it if it's the first time it's been used on the ViewBoard. (Click here for a short video on how to do that.)
WhiteBoard Online (Now called myViewBoard Classroom) - This version has limited features when compared to WhiteBoard for Windows, but it offers a collaboration option that allows users to access the session with a code & participate simultaneously. This version can be accessed from anywhere there is internet access.
- To open this version, in your web browser go to myViewBoard.com & sign in using your school Google account & password.
- Click on the myViewBoard Classroom link on the main page, this will open a Whiteboard session online
WhiteBoard for Windows Desktop - This is a version of WhiteBoard that is installed on your PC & can be used on your laptop without being connected to the TV or used on the TV while casting. It has some added features that are not available for the WhiteBoard ViewBoard App & the online version of the program. (Click here for an overview of using WhiteBoard for Windows)

Signing in by Companion app QR code

Launch myViewBoard Companion app on your mobile device (with internet access).
Sign in using your myViewBoard account.
Tap the QR code icon to open the phone's camera.
Position the phone so that the QR code displayed within the myViewBoard Sign-in panel is inside the Companion app QR code scanner.

myViewBoard: Companion App

ViewSonic offers an app for your phone called the Companion App that allows you to sign in to your WhiteBoard software from your phone. It provides the option to control pop quizzes, polls, & throw from your phone to the ViewBoard.

Download the myCompanion app from the App Store or Google Play Store by following the directions in the video using the QR code in the WhiteBoard software.

Click the link below for more details on signing in to myViewBoard WhiteBoard.
Learn more about Signing in to myViewBoard WhiteBoard

For more information about Clever & to access training materials go to the...Clever Resource page.

Clever Login

Clever Login from Laptop - Login to your teacher laptop will not automatically take you to the Clever login page. To log in to Clever...

From the District Website homepage, click Student located in the white area. Click the Clever icon in the top left corner. Click Log in with Google & enter your school email address & password.
Bookmark https://clever.com/in/barrenschools & Click Log in with Google & enter your school email address & password.

Clever Login from Chromebook - Chromebooks are configured to automatically give you the option to log in with Clever. Select Log in with Google & enter your school email address & password.

Watch this video for examples.

Note: If you need to return the document to an MS Office file, in the document, click File-Download & choose the file type you wish to download it as.

Open Office Files Without Microsoft Office

Barren County Schools are a Google district. We have VERY limited license to Microsoft Office which means that your laptops do not have Office installed on them. But, occasionally you will need to access a Word, PowerPoint, or Excel document. Here's how...

Download the document. This will put it in your downloads folder & place a shortcut on the bar at the bottom of your browser page.
Open your Google Drive.
Open the Downloads folder or click the up arrow next to the shortcut on the bottom bar & click show in folder.
Drag the file from your downloads folder to your Google Drive or in your Google Drive click New-File Upload, locate the file in the Downloads folder & upload it to your Drive.
Right-click on the file in your Drive & Open With whatever file type it is. (Ex. If it's a Word file, open it with Google Docs, etc.)

Locating Student Email Addresses for Login

All students in Barren County Schools log on to the computer using their school email address & a password that is made up of bcs & the last 4 digits of their student ID#. These email addresses can be found in two locations...

Infinite Campus - School email addresses are part of the student's personal information in Infinite Campus. (If you have a student whose email address is not in IC, please contact The VTeam.)
PC Name/Account Search - Student email addresses can be found by going to the Barren Schools homepage, hovering over Technology on the burgundy bar, & click PC Name/Account Search. Click Account Search on the left navigation bar. Type the student's last name in the Search bar & scroll until you find the student's name.

Watch the Video for more detailed instructions.

Using a Document Camera with myViewBoard

You can use any USB document camera with your ViewBoard by plugging it into the USB ports on the front of the TV.

Open the WhiteBoard software, & click on the Magic Box on the Main Toolbar. This will open another toolbar. Click on the 4th icon that looks like a doc camera. Select the document camera & this will open the camera image in your WhiteBoard software. You can then use the tools to manipulate the image.