HARDWARE TIPS — TABLET COMPUTERS IN THE SCHOOL

TABLET and MOBILE COMPUTER USE IN THE SCHOOL

Beginning in the 2016-2017 School Year Grades Prek4, Kindergarten, First and Second will be using the Tablet computer systems in the school.  PreK4 will have a mobile lab with Nook Tablets that have been converted to the Android Operating System. Kindergarten will be using iPad computers as will Second Grade.  First Grade will be using Samsung, and Dell Android Tablets.  The Library will also maintain a number of Nook Android Converted Tablets as eBook Readers.

YOUR NOOK TABLET

All Nook Tablets have been transferred to either the PreK 4 Classroom or to the Library effective the 2016-2017 school year.  The 30 Nook Tablets in these labs have been  upgraded to full Android Kit-Kat tablets effective the end of January 2015.  This will enable these tablets to be used for all Android applications and will also provide access to the Google Play Store and to the Amazon WEB store.

I am including a link to a short setup video on You Tube that you should watch before beginning your Nook Tablet setup. Here is the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rH762GIDXCI.

After watching this short video do the following:

      1. Charge your Nook Tablet. If it is not already fully-charged (check to see by plugging it into the charger and see if the light is green) If the light is green you are ready to begin. If it is orange, leave your tablet plugged in until the light turns green.

        1. Remember the Nook Tablet is a lithium battery powered device, do not recharge the Nook until it tells you to do so.

      2. You will not need to register your Nook. All of these products have been registered to the school and they are setup under a special managed account system.

      3. You will need to setup your Wifi connection. When you tablet sees the Wifi access point in your area of the school, click on that access point name and enter the security key for that access point, and then click the connect button on the tablet screen.

      4. As a managed computer you will not be able to download your own books or magazines or apps without contacting me first. I will contact our account manager with your request and Barnes and Nobel will load those on your Tablet the next time you connect via the Wifi. Please note, you will need to give me the group number and tablet number on your Tablet box in order for me to give our account manager the correct number of your device to have items loaded. Throughout the year, I will be suggesting some other apps and materials you may want to download to your device. There is a process called side loading in Android where we can load non-Barnes and Nobel products. I will check with the account manager about whether the side load procedure will effect our currently managed account. Side loading is not hacking the device. It is a procedure in the Android Operating system for accessing the Android marketplace called “Google Play”. The Android Operating system is owned by Google. Likewise, when Android issues updates to the Operating System I will have the Barnes and Nobel staff manage the upload and installation of the new updates to your device.

Chromebooks

Grades 6, 7, and 8 have sixty Chromebook computers available in their mobile labs.  These Chromebooks can be used for a variety of classroom and Internet Activity.  Additional Chrome extensions and add-ins can be used with these devices.  Please note the following:  Chromebook computers were added for the fourth grade class during the third trimester of the 2016-2017 school year.  These will follow those students into the fifth grade for the 2017-2018 school year.  Two additional Chromebooks are available for special needs students who have specific IST goals that would require this use.  If we have additional students needing such technology assist we will endeavor to acquire additional Chromebook computers for that purpose.

Other Mobile Computer Systems in the School:

The school retains 25 Netbook computers for use in the school classrooms. These will be used on a temporary basis until other Chromebooks can be purchased.  All of the refurbished teacher laptops will be available for student use in the classrooms as well and will be distributed along with other donated laptops to the classrooms as needed.

 

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