Hello and welcome to our district! We look forward to meeting you in August!
This document answers the most common initial questions we get in the summer from new staff. We will follow up throughout the summer with additional emails on accessing curriculum resources, PD opportunities, etc. And Tech has some time scheduled during ICT days to answer questions and talk more.
The District Technology Office operates an enterprise-class network with a wide range of hardware, software applications, and curriculum subscriptions available to all its users. Over 2,300 desktop, mobile, and tablet computers are available to staff and students, as well as instructional technology such as interactive whiteboards and projectors. Students in grades 5-12 are in a 1-to-1 learning environment (each student is allocated a device for their sole use). We offer ample Internet bandwidth that can accommodate the usage needs of all our staff and students.
Although we have many truly amazing staff helping us -- Instructional Facilitators, a Data Manager, library specialists, and a SpEd assistive tech -- there are only two of us that comprise the District Technology Office. We are:
Chris Brown, Director of Technology, at the Admin building
Kassy Jarvis, Technology Assistant, at the Admin building
Use of the District Network and the Internet is governed by District Policy IIBF. The district maintains the network, software, and equipment upon which network and Internet access is provided and will have access to all user accounts. Violations of this agreement may result in disciplinary measures.
Policy IIBF may be found in the Policies section of the District Website, or click here to review IIBF.
Each staff member has an email account in the form of: username@landerschools.org. The District uses Google Workspace for Education to manage email, calendar, contacts, and documents. You can securely access all these resources easily from work or from anywhere via any web browser, IPad, Chromebook, or smartphone.
You can find your account credentials in your TalentED account. You must access your account credentials from TalentED; for security reasons, we cannot email credentials to non-landerschools email addresses.
Due to cyberinsurance regulations and district data protection, the District uses multifactor authentication (MFA) for online applications that contain sensitive student and staff information. MFA is part of your Google Workspace account. You will need to set up MFA by August 1st. If it is not done, your account will automatically suspend. This is not a big deal for those who may not access their account until August – we will make sure at the first ICT meeting you are able to access your account. Nearly all staff chose either a text message or voice call as their authentication, there are other options like a smartphone app or printed codes. Other applications used by some staff may require MFA as well, especially Infinite Campus.
Click here for a quick guide (PDF) on settings up MFA for Google Workspace.
The username and password in your TalentED account is for both Google Workspace and our district network. Note that your Google Workspace password and your Windows network password are not linked to each other, so if you change one, the other will not automatically change to match. Please keep this in mind if you change your Google password over the summer as you will still need the original for your classroom PC.
You are welcome to change your password, providing you remember that you either need to change it in both places (Google and network), or remember to use the original one in August. Also, our applications will insist on a “strong password,” requiring a length of at least seven characters, combining lowercase letters, uppercase letters, numbers, and symbols; it also cannot be part of your name or have any repetitive patterns.
All certified staff receive a Chromebook. In your classroom, you will have either a Windows desktop or a Chromebox desktop. The Chromebook is meant for you to do mobile work, meetings, trips, etc. You will receive your Chromebook when you arrive for your ICT days. If you would like yours early, just let Kassy or Chris know via tech request so we can assign one for pickup at the Central Administration building receptionist desk.
Click here to learn more about Chromebooks.
The District uses Infinite Campus as our student information system and for teacher gradebooks. Access to IC is granted based on job role, and permissions are set based on job need. The Curriculum Office is responsible for user accounts in IC and can answer your questions. Your account credentials will be given to you during your ICT days.
For other applications (such as language arts curriculum, math curriculum, etc), accounts will be made throughout the summer. You will receive introductory emails during the summer with additional information and account credentials. Depending on your building and job function, you may also receive account credentials for SpEd Advantage and other department- and school-specific applications.
Like many other districts, Fremont #1 receives a lot of "phishing" attempts targeting our staff. These attempts try to impersonate District staff and exhort you to do something (follow a link, send your account credentials, etc). Sometimes these attempts are well-written and use actual staff names, which makes it critical that all staff know how to identify these forgeries.
Check out https://sites.google.com/landerschools.org/techservices/tech-for-staff/phishing-emails for a brief write-up on some of the mitigators we use to help identify these. In the fall, you'll also be hearing about some "phishing drills" that we do every year to help build awareness.
To meet Federal E-Rate funding requirements, our Internet access is filtered through a dedicated network appliance that categorizes websites and blocks certain types of content. Filtering is set differently for staff and students. Staff will have access to additional website categories that students will not. All website access is monitored and a report of sites visited can be generated. However, it should be clearly understood that no filtering can be fully effective. Vigilance, care, and guidance should always be used, especially when students are using Internet resources in your classroom.
Learn more about content filtering here.
The District has consolidated all its tech resources and help links into a single place, called Tech Resources. Here you will find instructions for connecting to network printers, help sheets for using your phone, and tutorials that will help you best use our many educational subscriptions and content services. You can also enter a tech help request into the work order system that is used by the Tech Office staff. To access the Tech Resources site, just follow the link from the District Website.
Our District Public Website hosts resources available to staff, students, and the community, such as news releases and links to the District Calendar with school activities and events.
Hello and welcome to our district! We look forward to meeting you in August!
This document answers the most common initial questions we get in the summer from new staff. We will follow up throughout the summer with additional emails on accessing curriculum resources, PD opportunities, etc. And Tech has some time scheduled during ICT days to answer questions and talk more.
Who are my Tech people?
Although we have many truly amazing staff helping us -- Instructional Facilitators, a Data Manager, library specialists, and a SpEd assistive tech -- there are only two of us that comprise the District Technology Office. We are:
Chris Brown, Director of Technology, at the Admin building
Kassy Jarvis, Technology Assistant, at the Admin building
Where are my account credentials?
You can find your G Suite account credentials in your TalentED account. You must access your account credentials from TalentED; for security reasons, we cannot email credentials to non-landerschools email addresses. If you're reading this email, I will assume you found your credentials! :-)
Multi-factor authentication
Due to cyberinsurance regulations and district data protection, the District uses multifactor authentication (MFA) for online applications that contain sensitive student and staff information. MFA is part of your Google Workspace account. You will need to set up MFA by August 1st. If it is not done, your account will automatically suspend. This is not a big deal for those who may not access their account until August – we will make sure at the first ICT meeting you are able to access your account. Nearly all staff chose either a text message or voice call as their authentication, there are other options like a smartphone app or printed codes. Other applications used by some staff may require MFA as well, especially Infinite Campus.
Visit https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ahxyAUd3fdCI6Yxj6dypq_PernFH5I3v/view for a quick guide on settings up MFA for Google Workspace.
A note about your password
The username and password in your TalentED account is for both Google Workspace and our district network. Note that your Google Workspace password and your Windows network password are not linked to each other, so if you change one, the other will not automatically change to match. Please keep this in mind if you change your Google password over the summer as you will still need the original for your classroom PC.
You are welcome to change your password, providing you remember that you either need to change it in both places (Google and network), or remember to use the original one in August. Also, our applications will insist on a “strong password,” requiring a length of at least seven characters, combining lowercase letters, uppercase letters, numbers, and symbols; it also cannot be part of your name or have any repetitive patterns.
Can I get my Chromebook during the summer?
All certified staff receive a Chromebook. In your classroom, you will have either a Windows desktop or a Chromebox desktop. The Chromebook is meant for you to do mobile work, meetings, trips, etc. You will receive your Chromebook when you arrive for your ICT days. If you would like yours early, just let Kassy or Chris know via tech request so we can assign one for pickup at the Central Administration building receptionist desk.
What can I do with my account today?
Not all applications and accounts that you will need in the fall are ready for use yet. With the credentials in your TalentED account, you can now access your Google Workspace account, which gives you email, collaboration tools (Drive, Docs, etc), calendar, and other communications.
Using the “Sign in with Google” option, you can as of today also access these district subscriptions, if you'd like to explore:
https://www.magicschool.ai - MagicSchool.AI is a collection of Artificial Intelligence tools. You will hear A LOT about MagicSchool this fall so feel free to dive in and try it out!
https://www.wevideo.com - WeVideo is an online audio and video editing environment used by staff and students in grades 4-12.
https://www.edpuzzle.com - EdPuzzle adds student interactivity to videos
https://www.canva.com - Online publishing suite that can create almost anything
Other departments manage other applications, and they will communicate with you when they are ready.
Please let Kassy and I know if you have any initial questions. We're glad you're on board!