Technical Resources For Parents & Families
How to access your Teacher Pages
Chromebook Care
Care of the Chromebook/laptop is a student’s responsibility
Do not touch screens with fingers, pens, erasers, or any other item...it may cause screen to blur or crack
Headphones may be inserted CAREFULLY
Do NOT handle by the LIDS
Do not walk with the Chromebooks open
Walk with closed LID, both hands, and no playing around
Do NOT stack anything on top of device
No food or drinks are allowed near the Chromebook
If leaving room (fire drill, lunch, bathroom, etc.) close device lid and place in center of desk
Damage, loss, or theft must be reported immediately
Any issues at all - DO NOT attempt to fix it yourself, let your teacher know right away!
Please make sure you understand our Responsible Use Policy
Google Classroom
Seesaw
There are lots of tutorials for parents and families on the Seesaw website!
There are a lot of videos that Seesaw has created to help you navigate Seesaw at home
Have you seen our NEW website? Here is a quick tutorial to show you how to get around the site and into the "Family Login" where you have access to teacher pages, and all sorts of valuable information for families.
Dr. Fauci explains how vaccines work and reflects on the importance of turning to scientific truth to guide our actions, reminding us all that we’re in this together.
Chromebook Layout Overview
Open Chromebook
Press the power button (See image)
It will ask for your STCPS Google account to sign into the chromebook. Make sure you enter your entire username (including the @stcps.org).
Troubleshooting Your Chromebook
Click here to see some of Google's suggested troubleshooting tips!
Most often, issues can be solved easily.
If your Chromebook is crashing or freezing:
Turn off your Chromebook, then turn it back on.
Close all your apps and browser windows.
If a specific tab in your browser causes your Chromebook to crash or freeze, hard refresh the page: Ctrl + Shift + r.
If you've installed any new apps or extensions recently, uninstall them.
Get A Password Manager!
One thing everyone seems to need help getting their arms around is all the numerous passwords needed for, well - EVERYTHING.
Stop storing passwords in an email, in your “Notes” app on your phone, etc.
GET YOURSELF A PASSWORD MANAGER!
Trust me. I use 1Password but there are lots out there. Most will sync across devices so you can access all your passwords with ONE password. Yes, they are safe. LastPass has one of the best free versions but if you want to install on many devices and have them sync, you will have to pay for it. But it is worth every penny! No more resetting your passwords every time you get a new device. Get rid of that long scribbled out paper you keep in a drawer somewhere.
Parents - you should be the "keeper" of all the passwords in your family. If you are not already using one, it is life changing!
Video Conferencing Tips
Parents/guardians should be mindful about what family activities would potentially be heard/seen during the students’ use of video conferencing. This is a great tool to keep students connected, but please have your students use these tools somewhere near enough you can monitor, yet private enough to concentrate on their work.
Please have students dress appropriately when video conferencing and make sure that there are no distracting materials or backgrounds.
Students/parents/guardians, should not take photos, screenshots, record any video, or audio, from these conference sessions. You do not have permissions to do so and it is a violation of our Responsible Use Guidelines.
Please have devices charged and secured somewhere safe during sleeping hours.
The same rules of conduct and behavior will apply as apply in the classroom. The STCPS Responsible Use Guidelines will continue to apply to this remote learning.
Cleaning Your Devices
Apple actually just revised its "How to Clean Your Apple Products" guidelines to endorse using "70 percent isopropyl alcohol wipe or Clorox Disinfecting Wipes." According to Cupertino, "you may gently wipe the hard, nonporous surfaces of your Apple product, such as the display, keyboard, or other exterior surfaces. Don't use bleach. Avoid getting moisture in any opening, and don't submerge your Apple product in any cleaning agents. Don't use on fabric or leather surfaces.”
PLEASE REMEMBER MOISTURE/LIQUID ARE NOT FRIENDS OF ELECTRONICS!! Squeeze out excess liquid and wipe with dry cloth to pick up any extra moisture after wiping. Keeping the devices clean is important but so is keeping them DRY!
As the world continues to deal with the threat of the novel coronavirus, people are looking for ways to clean and disinfect their living spaces and belongings.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says transmission of coronavirus occurs much more commonly through respiratory droplets than through fomites, so your best precaution is to wash your hands and avoid close contact with people who are sick. But they also say current evidence suggests that SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, may remain viable for hours or days on surfaces made from a variety of materials. So cleaning and disinfecting high-touch surfaces – like your Chromebook or other electronics – is a best practice to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in your community.
Now let’s talk about how to properly clean and disinfect your Chromebook. First up is, you will need some bleach-free disinfectant wipes or a solution of 40 percent of rubbing alcohol and 60 percent distilled water. Using full-strength rubbing alcohol can damage the oil-repellent (oleophobic) coating that helps to keep smudges off the screen. You will also need a couple of microfiber cloths or any cleaning cloths that are linen free. Lastly, a can of compressed air is optional if you want to remove any dust that might be hiding in your Chromebook but this step isn’t necessary for disinfecting purposes.
Harsh cleaning supplies like bleach should never be used on your electronics since they can also damage the screen and other parts of your Chromebook. Also, avoid any abrasive cleaning brushes or cleaning pads that might scratch the surfaces of your Chromebook.
Last precaution – never spray any cleaning solution directly onto your Chromebook or any electronic for that matter. You should always apply the cleaning solution to a microfiber cloth and then apply it to the device to avoid any liquid getting into the device and causing damage. With those warnings out the way, let’s get started cleaning and disinfecting your Chromebook.
Step 1 – Completely power down your Chromebook or unplug the power cord if you are cleaning a Chromebook. If applicable, remove the battery from the bottom of the Chromebook. Most Chromebooks do not have easily-removable batteries, but this is a good precaution if possible.
Step 2 – Disconnect any cables or peripherals that are plugged into your Chromebook. This will allow you to access and clean every part of the device.
Step 3 – Use the compressed air to remove larger pieces of dirt or dust that might be in your keyboard and ports. When using compressed air, only give it a few short bursts and never turn the can upside-down. If you have an extra cleaning cloth, you can also dampen it with plain water and wipe down the device during this step.
Step 4 – Use the disinfectant wipe or apply a small amount of rubbing alcohol solution to the cloth and completely wipe down the entire Chromebook, including the screen and around each key of the keyboard. Use a small amount of pressure to remove any fingerprints or smudges on the screen, but not too much since this could damage the display. If you aren’t comfortable using the cleaning solution on the screen, you can buy disinfectant wipes specifically designed for LCD and laptop screens.
Step 5 – After everything is dry, you can use a dry microfiber to buff the screen to remove any haze that might be lingering on the display from the disinfecting process.
Although this article is geared towards the prevention of COVID-19, the cleaning techniques described above can be used to generally clean and disinfect devices, like shared Chromebooks at the end of a school year or during flu season. The same process can also be used for any external peripherals like a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse or even your phone.
