Technology

The staff at Dwyer is committed to preparing students to meet the demands of our increasingly technological world. 

What kind of computers/devices do students use at Dwyer?
Our labs include Windows PC's and Chromebooks. 

What software/apps do students use at Dwyer?
Student/Parent Portal - Canvas and ParentSquare,  web-based communication tools, are used by the school district to track classroom assignments and grades, and as a communication tool between staff and students and parents. 

In the Classroom - For standard writing and presentation assignments, Dwyer teachers are migrating their classrooms to Google Apps. In addition, elective courses are offered that teach Microsoft Word, Excel and Animation. 

How should your home computer be setup in order to support student assignments/homework?
The basics - for standard writing assignments and presentations, many devices can be used. Students are very adept at using tablets and smartphones. If using a laptop or desktop computer, a minimum of 4gb of memory is recommended. The work students are going does not require a lot of hard drive space, so that really isn't a concern (computers all come with plenty of space these days). There are multiple browsers that can be used to access websites and schoolwork on Google Drive (Safari, Internet Explorer, Firefox, etc), but at this time Google Chrome works best when using Google Drive/Apps. Thus, it is recommended that you download the Google Chrome browser for your child to use for schoolwork.

If your student is taking an elective, they may be using specialized software that will only be accessible at school. Contact the Elective teacher if you would like more information about the software being used.

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STUDENT ACCOUNTS / STUDENT PASSWORDS
Students will use multiple accounts/logins throughout the school year. We encourage students to memorize their PERM ID# (on their Student ID Card) and pick a secure "School Password" they will use for all of the accounts they use at school. The PERM ID is used as the account name for many of the accounts they will use throughout the year.

A secure password should meet the following criteria (due to the age of our students, we do encourage using familiar words and/or numbers):

• at least 8 characters in length
• contains at least one uppercase letter
• contains at least one number
• contains at least on special character (optional)

EXAMPLE: Ilovepizza123

 

Some of the accounts students will use are:

Canvas - An essential tool for students to view and complete  assignments, grades, attendance and missing assignments. Students and parents create their own accounts. Students are expected to check their assignments frequently (daily/weekly). 

Google Drive - Students are issued a Google Account (see detail below) to be used to create documents and presentations. 

NOTE: Google gmail IS DISABLED when using their school-issued Google Drive account.

Other - Teachers may have students visit other websites for research and learning (typing skills, classroom projects, research). 

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GOOGLE ACCOUNT/PASSWORD
A school-issued Google Account has been created for each student:

      account: permid@hbcsd.us  
          (substitue student's PERM ID listed on their ID Card)
     password: they will be told their default password, and can change it to their personal "School Password"

INSTALL GOOGLE CHROME
The experience when using Google Apps is best when using Google's browser "Chrome". Not all features are available when using other browsers (Internet Explorer, Safari).
Download  Chrome or get it from the appropriate web store for your device.

USING GOOGLE APPS / GOOGLE DRIVE
The suite of Google Apps includes Docs for writing, Slides for presentations, and Drawings for drawings/timelines/cover art (and other apps).

The "home" page for using these apps and accessing your files is Google Drive, and can be accessed by opening Google Chrome and going to the following website (create a bookmark!):

     drive.google.com 

If asked, accept the terms.
Login with the student account, and now you can create/edit school documents.

LOGGING IN TO CHROME vs. GOOGLE DRIVE/APPS

The browser, Chrome, offers a plethora of little helper apps, called Extensions. Students may be asked to add extensions to assist with the classwork (i.e., spanish translation, google classroom). To access these "extensions" they have used at school, the student should log into CHROME with their school account (click on the person icon at the very top right of the browser window). 

SIBLINGS in the same household? Check out THIS YOUTUBE VIDEO about creating/accessing multiple profiles.
 

 

Come check out our interactive hallway displays - EAR BUDS required. Come look at the amazing work our students are producing, and LISTEN to the full story.

 

BRING YOUR EARBUDS

 

 

IOS CAMERA

If you have ios 11

1. Open your camera app

2. Hover over the QR Code (don't take a picture!)

3. You will get a notification at the top of the screen to open the "chirbit".

4. Tap to open, then press play to listen.

 

If your camera isn't automatically recognizing the qr code, download a QR Code Reader from the App Store: TIP: avoid apps that have the word "Ad" in them.

 

ANDROID, iOS QR CODE READER APPs

(After you download a QR Code reader app from the store, open the app)...

2. Hover over the QR Code

3. You will get a notification at the top of the screen to open the "chirbit".

4. Tap to open, then press play to listen.

STUDENT PROGRAMS

Accessing Public Files/Folders
in Google Drive

 

REMEMBER to move documents into the right folder after they copy into your MyDrive.

Timeline Template - Legal Size

Timeline Template - Letter Size

Is it that time? Your years at Dwyer are coming to an end, and you are moving on to the next chapter, High School.

If you would like to keep/copy some of the great work you have done here at Dwyer, see google support for instructions to backup your files to another account.