Technology Support

Northshore wants to support the best use of technology to support teaching and learning.  We value the partnership of parents and caregivers when learning occurs outside of the school building.  As an important reminder, all students and adults using Northshore School District technology platforms must adhere to  the expectations set forth in the Northshore Responsible Use Procedure.   In general, students and adults should be sure to:

• Use respectful behavior and language.  
• Stick to appropriate topic discussions. 
• Send only appropriate video transmissions.  
• Use only appropriate icon, emoji, and avatar submissions.
• Wear school appropriate clothing if attending meetings via video.
• Be honest and use academic integrity by not plagiarizing or copying others’ work
• Not falsify information about oneself or impersonate others online.

When everyone remembers to act kindly, show consideration for others, and treat one another online as they wish to be treated in person, students and adults alike will be able to focus on learning.

Students will be expected to bring the device to school, while school is in session, to use it during the school day. Families should make their best effort to take good care of the device, including keeping it safe when not in use, protecting the screen from scratches or cracks, and using the device only for appropriate academic use.

Use these resources to learn more about how to use and troubleshoot devices:

• Connect a district device to your home wifi network
• iPad basics
• [English] Student Chromebook/Zoom Troubleshooting & Best Practices
• [Spanish] Student Chromebook/Zoom Troubleshooting & Best Practices 

Any District staff member can change or reset a student's password upon request.  District staff will ask families to provide the student ID number and other verifying information to validate the identity of the requestor.  

Northshore takes its responsibility to filter web content seriously.  Federal Law requires that filtering be in place to protect students from content that might be harmful.  To that end, we enforce web filtering on student devices, whether or not those devices are on district grounds or network.  Student computing devices and hotspots are filtered, even when they are at home or off campus at other locations.

For additional support...
Email: i-ReadySupport@cainc.com
Phone: (800) 225-0248 Mon–Fri 7:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m. ET

The Google Chrome browser v81 or higher is recommended on all platforms.

District computing devices are configured to allow connections to home and public WiFi networks. The NSD Technology Department is unable to provide support for home networks. However, here are a few basic troubleshooting steps you can try before checking with your ISP or network hardware manufacturer’s website for support links.

1. Restart your computer or mobile device.

2. Try connecting to your home Wi-Fi network again.

3. Ensure that you are entering the correct Wi-Fi password.

4. Try connecting to another wireless network such as a coffee shop Wi-Fi network or public library Wi-Fi network and see if you can connect successfully.

If you are still unable to connect to your home Wi-Fi, please check with your ISP or network hardware manufacturer’s website for support links.

Support Links to Local Internet Service Providers (ISP)

• Comcast / Xfinity

• Frontier

• Earthlink

Support Links to Network Hardware Manufacturers

• Netgear

• ASUS

• Linksys

• D-Link

• TP-Link

• Google Nest Wi-Fi

Tip #1: Place your Wi-Fi router in a central unobstructed location in your home.
This gives you a stronger signal and better speeds.

Tip #2: Remove things near your router that may obstruct the Wi-Fi signal.
Objects can interfere with your Wi-Fi connectivity. Move items away from your router. Microwaves, baby monitors, and metal are especially bad for network signals.

Tip #3: Limit your family’s network usage while Zoom-ing.
Fewer people concurrently using your home Wi-Fi network can help improve network performance. If multiple family members are video conferencing at the same time, this can affect performance.

Tip #4: Check your download and upload speeds.
Many ISPs offer very fast *download* speeds, but slower *upload* speeds. Video conferencing, which uses upload AND download functions continuously, may lag or drop during heavy network usage. You can check your current download and upload speeds using various online tools (search for “speed test”). For gallery view and/or 720p HD video we recommend at least 1.5Mbps/1.5Mbps (up/down).

Tip #5: Check your modem
Check with your internet service provider to make sure that the modem you have supports the speeds you’ve signed up for. 

To support off-campus learning, the Northshore School District is loaning Mobile Hot Spots to district families without internet access at home. The Hot Spot provides internet access using cell phone towers, just like a cell phone does. Hot spots do not supplement or strengthen existing home network performance. 

Turning a Hot Spot On or Off

1. When you first plug in the Hot Spot it is in battery charging mode. 
2. To turn the Hot Spot on, press and hold the small power button on the front until you see the word "Welcome" appear on the screen on top. 
3. To turn it off, press and hold the power button until you see "Goodbye" on the screen.

Connecting to the Network

1. The Hot Spot box will have a sticker with it’s network name (SSID) and password.
2. On a Chromebook click the pie wedge shaped WiFi icon in the lower right corner of the screen. 
3. Click the little arrow next to the current network, or on the wifi icon (depending on the model) to open the network connections menu. 
4. Select the hot spot's SSID from the listed available networks.
5. Enter the password if prompted.