Academic Computer Lab

 

A second, smaller computer lab is located next door to the Academic Lab, in room 224.  It consists of 24 desktop computers and one networked black and white Toshiba printer/copier.

Both labs have mounted Hitachi data projectors.  A Mobile Cart with 24 HP laptops is also available for checkout.

Lab rules are structured to follow both West Stanly High School and Stanly County Schools Board of Education policies.  Both labs are available for use by both entire classes and individual students and staff.
Frequently Asked Questions
 
NCWise
Computer Tips 
  • What can I do to troubleshoot computer problems?
      Many computer problems can be resolved by simply shutting down completely and restarting.  If a local printer is involved in the problem, power down the printer as well.  Restart the computer first, then the printer.
      If you are unable to access email or the internet, there may be a connection problem.  Make sure the ethernet cable is firmly connected to both the computer and the wall ports.  Make sure you have activity at the computer's port as indicated by flashing lights.  If you are unable to send a print job to a network printer or cannot access the Home Directory on the server, you may have logged on "Workstation Only", meaning you have logged on only to the computer, but are not connected to the network.  At the initial login screen, make sure you have chosen STANLY, not the local computer.  If you don't see this choice, click Options.
      Consult the Pre-Workorder Checklist. If these suggestions do not resolve your issue, report it to your technology assistant or media specialist.
 
  • Why should I power down my computer, local printer, and monitor at the end of the work day?
      Picture a messy office, with file cabinet drawers open, file folders open on the desk, papers from the folders strewn across the desk, the lights left on and the door unlocked overnight.  This is the case when a computer is left on with a user logged on.  Not only is it a waste of power, but your files are insecure.  Only with a shut down can the computer reorganize the files into folders, place the folders in the cabinet drawers, and close the drawers.  It is not necessary to first log off and then shut down.  At the end of the day, go directly to shut down.  The computer will log you off automatically before it shuts down.  If for some reason you absolutely cannot wait for the computer to power up the next morning, instead of shut down, choose restart at the end of the day.  This will cycle the computer through a log off, then a shut down, and power it back up to the login screen.
      Turn the monitor off as well.  It saves power, there is no reason to leave it on, and monitors that are never powered down can develop problems.
      Turn the local printer off.  Again, it saves power, and especially with inkjet printers, the heat generated by leaving the printer on constantly just dries out the ink faster.  Leave network printers on and connected.

Back to FAQs

Document Management

  • How do I access my files from home?
      There is no way to access documents stored on the Home directory (the H drive, or server) from outside the network.  In order to access documents outside the network, the documents should be saved or uploaded to a location that can be accessed.  Documents can be saved to a jump or flash drive, a CD, an external hard drive, attached to an email, or uploaded to GoogleApps.  All Stanly County Schools students and staff members have access to GoogleApps for document storage and sharing.  Links: Student login   Staff login

  • How do I access GoogleApps?
      All Stanly County Schools students and staff members have access to GoogleApps for document storage and sharing.  Links: Student login   Staff login
  • How should users save their data and documents?
       In general, users should save data and documents to their My Documents folder on the H drive.  This saves to the server and enablesusers to access these files and folders from any computer on the network.  When using a computer at school on the network, users will have the option to save on the C drive (hard drive) or the H drive (server).  Users need to be aware whether they are saving a particular document locally on a computer's hard drive, or on the server.  Any document saved locally on the hard drive may be irretrievably lost if the computer needs repair requiring reformatting.
    Files and folders should be named with no more than 13 characters, using no special characters or spaces.  Hyphens and underlined spaces are all right. Organizing files into folders and sub-folders makes it easier to locate documents. 
      It is also a good practice to backup any data that would be difficult to replace.  A thumb drive is ideal for this purpose, but a CD will suffice.  Email attachments can also be used to backup data.   Any important document that the user would not want to be lost or have to reproduce shoud be backed up in at least two other locations.
 
 
  • Why is it not good practice for s to save documents to their computer desktop?
       Saving to the desktop stores that document or folder on the hard drive of that particular computer only, not on the server.  Data saved only to the desktop cannot be accessed remotely from a computer not connected to the school network such as a home computer.  Data saved only to the desktop of a particular computer will not be present on the desktop of a different computer the user logs on to on the network. Data saved only to the desktop of a particular computer may be irretrievably lost if problems arise with the computer requiring it to be repaired and/or reformatted.     

 
 
 
 

Back to FAQs 

  • What is OpenOffice.org?

      This is a direct quote from the OpenOffice.org website:  OpenOffice.org 3 is the leading open-source office software suite for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, databases and more. It is available in many languages and works on all common computers. It stores all your data in an international open standard format and can also read and write files from other common office software packages. It can be downloaded and used completely free of charge for any purpose.
      In other words, if you don't have any document creating software on your computer other than Microsoft Works, or the trial period on your 60 day trial of Microsoft Office has expired and you either can't or don't want to spend the money to purchase the Microsoft Office software suite, there is a free alternative, OpenOffice.  OpenOffice 3 can be downloaded for free directly from the website at http://www.openoffice.org/.

Back to FAQs 

  • How do I convert OpenOffice file formats to Microsoft Office file formats?
      Converting to Microsoft Word
      The following information was obtained from www.ehow.com. The article is entitled How to Convert OpenOffice Documents to Microsoft Word  and is by Deborah Lee Soltesz.
      OpenOffice documents are Open Document Text (.odt) formatted files.  Depending on what software you have available to you, there are a variety of options for converting OpenOffice documents to Microsoft Word documents.  OpenOffice can convert .odt format to Microsoft Word (.doc) formats.  Microsoft Word 2007 can open .odt formatted files and save them to Microsoft Word formats.  A free add-in for Word XP and Word 2003, combined with the Office Compatibility Pack, allows you to open .odt formatted files and save them to Word formats.
      To convert using OpenOffice Writer: Start OpenOffice Writer. Select "Open" from the File menu.  Select the document you want to convert.  Click the "Open" button to open the file in OpenOffice Writer.  Select "Save as..." from the File menu.  Select "Microsoft Word 97/2000/XP (.doc)" from the "Save as type" menu.  Click "Save" to finish converting the file to Microsoft Word format.
      To convert using Microsoft Word 2007: Start Microsoft Word.  Select "Open" from the Office Button.  Select "OpenDocument Text" from the "Files of type" menu.  Select the OpenOffice document (file with an .odt extension) you want to convert.  Click the "Open" button to open the file in Microsoft Word.  Open the "Save as..." menu on the Office Button.  Select "Word Document" to convert to Word 2007 or "Word 97-2003 Document" to save in the older Word format.  The "Save as" window opens.  Click the "Save" button to finish converting the file to Microsoft Word format.

      Converting to Microsoft PowerPoint
      The following information was obtained from www.ehow.com.  The article is entitled How to Save OpenOffice Impress Presentations as PowerPoint Presentations and is by an eHow contributing writer.
      If you use OpenOffice Impress to create presentations, you may want to save the Impress presentation as a PowerPoint file.  You can quickly save or convert your Impress presentation to PowerPoint with these tips.
      Start OpenOffice Impress.  Open a presentation you want to convert to a PowerPoint presentation or create a new presentation for conversion.  Choose the "File" menu and click "Save as."  Even if you have already saved the file as an Impress presentation, this is a necessary step so you can save the presentation as a PowerPoint file.  Select where you would like to save the presentation on your computer using the "Save in" drop down menu.  Type in a file name in the "File name" text box.  If you have already saved the presentation as an Impress presentation, you will see a name in this text box.  You can just leave the name there if you want to retain the title for your PowerPoint presentation.  Click the drop-down menu beside "Save as type" to display the different formats for saving the Impress presentation.  Click the "Microsoft PowerPoint 97/2000/XP (.ppt)" option to save the Impress presentation as a PowerPoint presentation.  Click the "Save" button to complete the save in PowerPoint.

      Converting to Microsoft Excel
      The following information was obtained from www.ehow.com.  The article is entitled How to Convert OpenOffice to Excel and is by Elexis Marie.
      Open the OpenOffice Calc document.  It will have a file extension of ".ods."  Make any necessary edits.  To ensure that the document continues to be fully compatible with OpenOffice, make any changes and save it in OpenOffice format.  Now save as an Excel document.  From the "File" menu, select "Save as."  In the dialogue box, select the Excel version you want to use from the "Save as Type" drop down menu.  Note that you will only be able to save the file to be compatible with previous Excel versions (".xls") and not the newest version (".xlsx").  Open the file with Excel to ensure that the information was converted correctly.  Certain formulae will not transfer from OpenOffice and Excel.  Additionally, any macros that were applied to the file will not be available after conversion.

 
GroupWise Email Issues  
  • How do I set my email to receive notifications of incoming emails?
       From the Start menu on your computer choose Programs, Novell GroupWise, Notify, OR from your GroupWise mailbox choose Tools, Options, Environment, General. Put a check in the box next to Launch Notify at Startup, Apply, restart GroupWise.  A window will pop up anytime a new message is delivered.  This setting is computer specific and will have to be done on each computer on which you wish to be notified of incoming emails. 
  • How do I add or change my signature text on outgoing emails?

      Using the installed client, from the Tools pull-down menu choose Options and double click to open Environment.  Choose the Signature tab. Click New if you are creating a new signature. Choose your font type, size, and color.  Type your text in the Signature text box.  Select the radio button for Automatically add signature to new messages.  You may also check the box to add your Electronic business card (vCard) to your emails.  Click Apply.  To change your signature, edit the text in the Signature text box and click Apply.  Changing your signature in the installed client will not necessarily change it when using GroupWise via web access.  To change your signature via web access go to Options in the upper right-hand corner and choose the Compose tab.  Change your Signature in the signature text box and Save.

  • How do I create a mail list?

      In GroupWise, a mail list is called a Group and is created in Contacts.  Since Frequent Contacts quickly becomes cluttered by incoming email addresses, I recommend creating Groups in your personal Contacts address book under Frequent Contacts.  Select your personal Contacts address book.  Choose New Group.  Name the group to represent its members and add any descriptive information you desire.  Click the Add button to add members to the group.  If the member is within SCS, "Look in" the Novell GroupWise Address Book.  If the contact you wish to add is outside of SCS, and you have already received mail from this contact, "Look in" Frequent Contacts.  If you have not received mail from the outside contact you wish to add to your group, you will have to create the contact in order to add them to your group.  When your list is complete, click OK.  Next be sure to Save your New Group.  The mail list will now be available for addressing new emails.  When you create new mail, click the Address icon and choose your personal Contact list to find the desired group.  The group may be brought up for editing to add or remove members by double clicking on the group.

Back to FAQs

  • How do I set my email to auto-reply?

      In GroupWise, auto-reply is known as Vacation Rule. From the Tools pull-down menu choose Vacation Rule.  Enter the subject and message for your vacation rule reply. Choose a start date and end date and Save.

  • How do I block unwanted emails?

      From the Tools pull-down menu choose Junk Mail Handling.  Choose the Block List tab, then Add New.  Enter the email address for the email sender you wish to block.  Click "Apply."

  • How do I change the display of my mailbox?
       By default, emails in your mailbox display in ascending date order.  This can be changed from File, Properties, Display or restored (for example, if all the mailbox columns do not display) by clicking Restore Defaults in this window.

  • What are the initial settings for using GroupWise?
       When accessing the GroupWise installed client on a computer for the first time the address, mail.stanlycountyschools.org, and port number, 1677, will need to be entered.

  • Troubleshooting problems in GroupWise.
       "Send" not available when replying to a message: Open a new message.  From "View" make sure "Toolbar" is checked.
       Email message displays displays in a preview window below the mail list and items open automatically when selected: The QuickViewer button at the top has been enabled.
        Cannot see all the columns in the mailbox: Select the mailbox, go to "File," "Properties," "Display" tab, and select "Restore defaults."
       GroupWise Learning Resources are also available online.

   

 
 
NCWise 
 
  • Why am I having difficulty printing from NCWise? 
      The most common reason preventing printing from NCWise is a pop-up blocker.  In Internet Explorer, turn off the pop-up blocker by choosing the 'Tools' drop-down menu in the web browser, 'Pop-up Blocker,' 'Turn off pop-up blocker.'  In Mozilla Firefox, go to Tools, Options, Content and uncheck "Block pop-up windows."  This will allow pop-ups from all sites.  You have the option to create exceptions to allow pop-ups from particular sites only.  One way to do this with NCWise is to generate a report you wish to print.  If the document does not pop-up when you hit the print button, minimize the top window.  In the underlying window below the address bar it will indicate that Firefox has blocked pop-ups.  To the far right you will find the option to create an exception to allow pop-ups from NCWise.org.
     Additional toolbars, such as the Google or MSN Toolbar, can have another pop-up blocker.  If this is the problem, contact the technology assistant or media specialist to uninstall this additional toolbar. 
 
  • How can I save paper when printing progress reports? 
     Choosing "portrait" rather than "landscape" page orientation as a print option will permit more assignments per page. 
     Be sure to check the print preview before printing.  If a virtually blank second sheet has been generated with each progress report, choose the option to print only odd numbered sheets.
     Another option is to not print progress reports at all.  Progress reports can be saved individually as pdf files and emailed to parents as attachments.  
 
  • How do I print progress reports two on one page?

      Once the progress report document has been created and is available for printing, use the Print option under the File pull-down menu.  This will bring up the Print dialogue box.  Choose the following options: Page Scaling - Multiple Pages/sheet.  Pages per Sheet - 2.  The paper alignment will be landscape, but the alignment of the progress reports can be either portrait or landscape.  Choose Page order Horizontal for portrait, or Auto-rotate for landscape.

  • How do I create a shortcut to the NCWise login page (or any webpage) on my desktop? 
     Open the webpage for which a shortcut is desired.  In Internet Explorer, right click on the page.  Choose the "create shortcut" option.  To create a shortcut to the NCWise login page it is necessary to be on the page called "Welcome to the NCWise Student Information System," not the page called "Oracle Developer Forms Runtime" on which the actual login boxes appear.  Scroll down the page until there is white space visible below the gray.  Right click in this white space to create the shortcut. 
     In Mozilla Firefox, open the webpage for which a shortcut is desired.  Drag the icon to the left of the URL to the desktop.
     Keep in mind that shortcuts will be created with your default web browser.  In other words if your default web browser is Internet Explorer, even if you have Firefox open when creating the shortcut, the shortcut will be created in Internet Explorer.  To make Firefox your default web browser go to Tools, Options, Advanced, General.  Under System Defaults, Check Now to see if Firefox is your default browser.
     
     
 
 
Online Staff Development System

  • How do I access the SCS Online Staff Development System?
    The Online Staff Development System can be accessed only from computers connected to the Stanly County Schools network.  From the SCS Homepage go to the Staff dropdown menu and choose Online Staff Development System.  Choose "End Users: click here."  If you are using Firefox you will have to add an exception.  If you are using Internet Explorer, choose Continue to this website.  Your Server login information is the same as your Novell login that you use to login on a school computer.  Once logged in you can consult the "Workshop User's Guide" for any further information.

  • How do I register for a workshop?

      Log on to the Online Staff Development System.  Choose the Workshop Calendar either from the text link or the Calendar tab.  Find the workshop for which you wish to register and click on it.  In the top left hand corner, click on the "Register" button.  Enter your social security number and retrieve employee data.  Complete any required fields.  When finished, click on the "Submit" button at the bottom of the page. 

  • How do I complete a workshop evaluation?

      After attending a workshop it is necessary to complete an online evaluation in order to receive credit for the workshop.  Log on to the Online Staff Development System.  Choose the Evaluation tab.  Enter your social security number and retrieve employee data.  The workshop name should now be available in the pull down menu below.  Click on the workshop name to bring up the evaluation form.  Complete all required fields and submit.  If the workshop name does not appear in the pull down menu, contact the workshop creator to make sure your attendance and credit have been marked. 

  • How do I check my renewal credits?

      Log on to the Online Staff Development System.  Choose the Renewal Credit tab.  Enter your social security number twice as requested.  Your renewal credit data will be displayed.  Allow at least 24 hours after completing an evaluation for credit to show for that workshop. 

Back to FAQs

Printers and Printing Issues 

    • How do I sent a print job to a Toshiba printer/copier?
          West Stanly has five Toshiba copiers that have been set up to function as network printers in addition to copiers.  They are located in the Math/Science workroom, lab 224, the media center, the front office, and the vocational office.  If you need one of these printer/copies installed on a computer, ask the computer lab assistant or the media specialist.
          There are several advantages to using the Toshibas for print jobs.  They are more cost effective since the toner is supplied at no cost by Toshiba.  Also, any task that you can perform at the copier itself can be done at your computer.  You can select number of copies, collate, front and back, etc.  thus eliminating the extra step of printing one copy to take to the copier for multiple copies.
          The Toshibas in the media center, Math/Science workroom, and front office do not require an access code and accept "normal" print jobs.  The Vocational Office Toshiba does not require an access code, but accepts only "private" print jobs.  The Toshiba in 224 requires an access code and is also set up to accept only "private" print jobs.  With Private Print, print jobs can be sent to a Toshiba at intervals throughout the day and will not print until released by the sender.  So no one uses your paper but you, no one sees what you print but you, and jobs are printed at your convenience.
         To send a print job to a Toshiba that accepts only private print jobs, from File, Print, choose the Toshiba printer/copier.  Select either Preferences or Properties in the print dialogue box.  Change the print job from normal to private.  From the finishing tab make your selections for two-sided printing, etc.  Click OK twice.  After a few seconds a password box will appear.  This is the password that you will assign to this particular print job.  You will need to enter this password at the Toshiba to release the print job.  You can make the password anything you want, but to make it easier to remember I suggest teachers use the same numbers as their access code for the Toshiba.  When students send print jobs to the Toshiba they should use 12345 as the password.  In that way, the teacher will know the password for all student print jobs.  To release the print job,  press the Job Status button and choose Private.  The computer Novell logins of all those who have sent print jobs will appear.  Select the user name, enter the password, select the document, press Release.
          If using a Toshiba that accepts normal print jobs, simply do not change the setting from "normal."  Make your selections in the Finishing tab and click OK.  No password will be required.
    • What can I do to troubleshoot local printer problems?
          Flashing lights may mean low toner or ink or a paper jam.  If toner or ink are out, take note of the cartridge number and request a replacement.  Recycle the empty cartridge in the computer lab.  For laser printers, when the output becomes light due to low toner, remove the toner cartridge and gently roll it back and forth four to six times the replace it.  This can significantly extend cartridge life until a replacement is obtained.
          In the case of a paper jam, always clear jams by gently pulling paper in the same direction if feeds through the printer.  Some printers have a removable back panel that makes this easier.  If the paper tears, be sure to remove all pieces.
          If there are no flashing lights, no paper jams, no discernible reason why the local printer won't print and several print jobs have already been sent to the printer, check the print queue to see if it is backed up.  Go to Settings, Printers and Faxes, and double click on the involved printer.  Select and right click on all print jobs displayed to cancel them.  Power down the computer and printer and restart as necessary.
          If print jobs do not go to the desired printer, make sure the desired printer is set as the default printer.  Go to Settings, Printers and Faxes, and right click on the desired printer.  Choose the "Set as default" option.

     Back to FAQs

    • How can I save printer ink and toner?
          To extend the life of laser toner cartridges, when the output becomes light due to low toner, remove the toner cartridge and gently roll it back and forth four to six times then replace it.
          Many ink jet printers, especially HP printers can be set to print in a way that is much faster and uses much less ink with no discernible difference in print quality.  This is called "fast draft."  To set this option right click on the desired printer, choose "print preferences," choose, "draft."  Choosing "black" draft saves color ink as well.
     
    • How do I recycle ink and toner cartridges?

          Take all OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) toner and ink cartridges to the computer lab to recycle for cash for West Stanly.  Cartridges that have already been recycled and refilled cannot be recycled again and should be discarded.

    Back to FAQs


    Toshiba Copiers/Printers/Scanners

    • Copying with the Toshiba

          Of the five networked Toshibas at West Stanly, only the one in room 224 requires an access code.  See the computer lab assistant if you need a code created.

    • Printing with the Toshiba

          See above section Printers and Printing Issues, How do I send a print job to a Toshiba printer/copier?

    • Scan-to-Email with the Toshiba

          The scan-to-email feature allows users to scan any hard copy document and email it to themselves or others as a pdf attachment.  To use this feature, first enter your access code if required.  Press the Scan button.  Choose "Scan to E-mail."  The email addresses of all West Stanly staff members have been imported into the address books of all five networked Toshibas.  (If your address is not in the address book, see the computer lab assistant, to have it added.)  If you are sending the email to yourself or another staff member at West Stanly, scroll through the names until you find the name you want and select it.  If you are sending the email to someone other than a West Stanly staff member, select E-mail address at the bottom.  Use the resulting keyboard to type in the e-mail address and press Enter.  Follow the directions by pressing Start to start scanning.  If you have more than one page and wish to add to the same pdf, press continue, scan.  If you are finished, or want to create separate pdf documents, press Job Finish.  The email that results will come from whichever Toshiba you have used.  There will be a message stating: "Please do not reply to this email address. It is a send only device. Thank You." so recipients will know not to reply to the Toshiba.  The scanned document will be attached as a pdf.

    Back to FAQs

    SharpSchool/West StanlyWebsite

    • How do I login to the West Stanly Website/SharpSchool?
          From the West Stanly High School homepage click on "Login" in the upper right-hand corner of the page.  The student SharpSchool login is the same as the network login.  Teachers should obtain their login information from the computer lab assistant.  Teachers may login with their network login, but they may not have the same access under their network login.  See the computer lab assistant to enable the same permissions with your network that you have with your SharpSchool login.
          Once logged in, there will now be several options across the top of the page.  Choosing 'My Classes' will access any classes of which teachers and students are a member. 
    • How do I access my West Stanly/SharpSchool student email account?
           Login to SharpSchool from the West Stanly High School homepage with your network login.  Once logged in, there will now be several options across the top of the page including 'My Mail' at the far right. 
          Teachers do not have a SharpSchool email account.  Teachers can use their GroupWise email account to communicate with students' SharpSchool email accounts. 
     
    • Where else can I find additional training manuals and support?
    SharpSchool provides training manuals and documents, tutorial videos, and customer support via live chat and email at their customer support site, http://customernet.sharpschool.com.  You create your own login to this site.  If you do not already have a login, click on the Signup link.  Create a username and password and provide some profile information.  The account is not created instantly, so you will have to check in a day or two to login to the site.

    Software-Instructional 
    • How do I use SAS?

          SAS is an online resource partner which provides a wealth of lessons, activities, and learning tools in all core discipline areas - English, Math, Science, Social Studies, and Spanish in grades 8 through 12.  The interactivities focus on topics in which doing, seeing and listening provide information and encourage insights in a way conventional methods cannot.  This interactive tool helps students write more effectively, helps connect the classroom to the real world, and relates to specific North Carolina State Standards. 
          SAS can be accessed through links from the SCS Homepage.  From either For Staff or For Students, choose NC Wise Owl, and then SAS inSchool.  In the upper right-hand corner of the next page, choose Subscriber Login or follow this direct link to the Subscriber Login page.
          Students login with a generic login that can be obtained from their teacher or Mrs. Taylor in the Academic Computer Lab or Mrs. Williams in the Media Center.  Teachers obtain a generic login from Mrs. Taylor or Mrs. Williams which allows them to create their own username and password.     

    • How do I use OpenMind?

          OpenMind is a Mind Mapping software tool that is a highly effective way of brainstorming ideas visually, developing them and increasing the comprehension of complex concepts.  OpenMind generates illustrated Mind Maps which can be used as presentations or study guides and can also be exported to Microsoft Word or PowerPoint.  The OpenMind program is found on school computers from the start menu under All Programs, Matchware, OpenMind2.  Follow this link for a document with basic instructions for OpenMind.

    • How do I use OdysseyWare online software?

          Open your web browser and type in the web address stanlyco.owotw.com.   Type in your user name and password.  Once logged in, there will be a 'Support' icon in the upper right-hand corner of the screen.  Clicking on 'Support' will bring up a page on which there are links to downloadable PDF files for various manuals and  quickstart guides including the Teacher Quick Start Guide, and Student Quick Start Guide.

    • How do I use Study Island?
          Open your web browser and type in the web address www.studyisland.com.  Students sign in with a usrname and password supplied by their teacher.
          Parents may find this Overview and PowerPoint presentation helpful, as well as instructions for using Study Island from home in English and Spanish, Usando Study Island en casa.  Teachers may find Creating Custom Material useful.

    • How do I access Discovery Education Streaming?
          Discovery Education Streaming, created by the Discovery Channel, is a collection of free multimedia resources to extend learning .  All students and staff members have access to Discovery Education Streaming.  Login to the site at www.discoveryeducation.com.  All students have accounts.  Students who need a reminder of the format of their logins should see Holly Taylor or Connie Williams.  Teachers who do not have an account should see Holly Taylor or Connie Williams for the passcode with which to create an account.

    Back to FAQs

    • How do I use my Promethean ActivSlate?

        The first step to using your Promethean ActivSlate is to register the hub with the slate.  Remove the end cap from the Activhub and insert it into an available USB port on your HP laptop or desktop (Both the HP laptops and desktops have the ActivInspire software installed.)  Open the ActivInspire software.  From the ActivInspire dashboard choose "Configure," then "Register Devices."  Select "ActivSlate(s)" for the device you are registering.  Click on "Register."  For "Please choose the number of ActivSlates you would like to register," leave it at "1" and choose Next.  Follow the instructions provided in the next screen to register your slate.  Power on the slate by pushing the small orange button on the narrow top edge of the slate.  Use your Activslate pen to press the "Register" button. In the window to the right of the "Register" button, you will see "PIN:" Then press each of the 3 indicated letters on the slate.  As you press each letter, you should see it appear in the window to the right of the "Register" button.  When you have correctly registered your slate, the word "Registered" will appear in the window.  Click "Done."  Now that particular slate will work only with that particular hub.
         Flipcharts have been provided as tutorials to assist you in learning how to use your ActivSlate.  These flipcharts are available in flipchart format for interactive use in the My Classes portion of the West Stanly website.  Click on "My Classes" in the upper left hand corner of any page on the site, scroll down to the Technology organization and click on it.  Choose the "Promethean ActivSlate" class.  The flipcharts can be found in the "Files" portion of the class.
        These same flipcharts are provided in pdf format here: Getting Started I, Getting Started II, Working with Text, Working with the Resource Library, Working with Drawing Tools, Working with Images, Working with Numbers, Additional ActivInspire Tools, Presenting your Flipcharts, Actions_Introduction, Property Settings and Restrictors, Actions_Advanced, Container Activities, and Training Homework.
        A wide variety of additional resources can be found at Promethean Planet.  Create your own Planet ID and become a member.  Signup is free and provides immediate access to all Planet resources and materials.
     
     
    • What can I do to troubleshoot problems with my ActivSlate and pen?

    Tip #1: Keep the pen as close to perpendicular to the board as possible.  Using the pen with too much pressure at an angle can damage the nip of the pen.
    Tip #2: Many problems with the slate and pen can be resolved by reregistering the slate.  Follow the instructions above to register the slate, but first Clear all devices.
    Tip #3: If the slate loses communication with the computer during use, try removing then replacing the hub into the USB port.
    Tip #4:  The slate will hold a charge for up to 3-4 months, depending upon use.  It takes an hour to fully charge the slate.  You will get a message when the slate charge is low.  It is neither necessary nor recommended to leave the slate on to charge continuously.  Only charge it when needed.
    Tip #5:  The slate will turn off automatically after 3 minutes of inactivity.

    • Where can I find tutorials for the Adobe School Collection software?

    Adobe provides online tutorials for many of their products.  Here are links to tutorials for:
    Adobe Acrobat Pro 9
    Adobe Photoshop Elements 7.0
    Adobe Premiere Elements 7.0
    Adobe Contribute CS4  
    Adobe Soundbooth

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