Chargers, what’s the deal?

This past week I ran into a new (to my knowledge) IT problem. A student had come in with a need for a new charger. Her pet had bitten into her charger rendering it useless. After some asking around I figured out the proper protocol for a damaged charger. Any damage to a charger that warrants a replacement is considered an offense. In this case, it was the student’s first offense and I was able to replace the charger. Because it was a first, I had to get some chargers from the middle school. The spares are kept in the middle drawer (as of 4th period 09/08/17), so if a student comes in with charger damage, you know what to do!

Touch Pad Shortcuts

When switching through tabs on the hp Chromebooks you can simply slide three fingers across the touch pad to quickly switch through tabs. Additionally, if you take your fingers from the edge of the touch pad and move them inward it will bring up all separate applications. I discovered these shortcuts while messing around with the touch pad out of boredom.

Infinite Campus App

If you’re a student who likes to know what your grades are at all times then the infinite campus app is for you. This app constantly updates with your online infinite campus report and even gives you updates about grades just being posted. To use the app you have to know your schools code it’s normally a six letter code that you enter first. After that you enter your normal login for infinite campus. This is an extremely useful tool for the students at HCHS and many students use it all the time to make sure the GPA doesn’t go down the drain.

How to: Google Drive

Next we have Google drive. With Google drive you can save, upload, and share any documents on the cloud.  You can store any Google files including from Google docs, sheets, slides, ext. You can also have different files like PDF, PPXT, JPEG, ext. Whats best about Google Drive is that you can access it from any where. Its like a flash drive that you never need to carry but its wherever you go.

Google Slides

Next year, Henry County High School is going all Google. Every student will receive a Chromebook and it’s essential that all students know and understand the various Google apps. Perhaps the most important of these apps is Google Slides, Google’s presentation making application. It bears a huge resemblance to Microsoft Powerpoint, and if you can work your way around that you should be good to go. If you don’t, here are a few things you need to know:

1. Templates

Choose from a wide variety of pitches, portfolios and other pre-made presentations — all designed to make your work that much better, and your life that much easier.

2. Access Anywhere

Google Slides, just like many other Google apps, are accessible from any point in the world as long as you have an internet connection.

3. Collaboration

Through the power of Google, as many people as you want are able to work on one Google Slide at the same time. This is great for groups projects and collaboration.

How to: Google Docs

Google Docs is a simple and wonderful tool that can help you collaborate with others to make that next essay perfect. Here we will teach you some simple things on how to make that next essay AMAZING!

First, you want to log in to google docs using your school computer login. Then, click on a blank template. Once it is open you can start typing. As soon as you open the new webpage there will be the Ribbon on top. With the Ribbon many features can be simply accessed. Here are just a few features that the ribbon offers:

Above the ribbon are the Tabs with the tab many more features. The tabs include File, where you can handle how the document is handled. Edit, where you can find commands such as undo, copy, and past. View, where you can edit how the screen looks when you edit the document. Insert, where you can insert files into the document. Format, where you can easily change the look of the paper and its formatting. Tools, with tools you can check the word count, check spelling, and enable voice typing. Table, where you can insert a table into the document. Add-ons, where you can download online tools to help with your paper like EasyBib. Finally, Help,where you can look up tutorial on how to use Google Docs.

On the top right of the page you can see two buttons Comments and Share. With the Share button you can send the document to others and allow them to view and/or edit the document. You can even simultaneously work on the document together. If you only allow the person to view the document then they can leave comments. Once you hit the Comments button you can view these comments and reply to them.

Google Docs is an easy to use program that is connected with the school’s Google Drive cloud that we use. Google Docs automatically save to the Google Drive in case anything goes wrong. Remember the name Google Docs for your next paper.

The Wikipedia Game

The Wikipedia Game is a game of exploring and racing through Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Players start on the same randomly selected article and must navigate to another pre-selected article by only clicking links within the current article. The goal is to arrive at the home article in the fewest number of clicks or the least time.

Here’s  how to play:

1. The random selection of pages must be performed by someone other than the player.
2. A close tally must be kept of the number of clicks used by a player. All selections must be accounted for. Whoever has the fewest clicks wins. The browser history can be used to determine number of articles.
3. A round in the Wiki Game can be played at one computer, where players take turns, or at multiple computers simultaneously. A round begins immediately after everyone loads their randomized Starting Page and ends when the last person returns to his/her Homing Page.
4. After each round, the history folder of the web browser needs to be purged. The game can also be played by seeing who can get to the designated page first, regardless of the number of clicks.

Infinite Campus

Want to know your grades before the report card comes out. You can simply do this by checking your Infinite Campus. Though all of us know of it, not many know how to use it.

Start at the school’s website homepage. Then, click on Student Resources.

Then, click on the quick link that says IC Parent/Student Portal.

Your username is your student ID which is on your schedule. Your password is first initial, last initial, then full birth date. So, for John Smith born on March 4, 1998 his password would be js03041998. Make sure if your birth date has a single digit put a zero before it.

Finally, click on the button below your picture that says Grades. You have now reached your full grade report.

MyFiles

MyFiles is a helpful service powered by Microsoft Outlook. It allows students to access their H:Drives regardless of which computer they are on. MyFiles is located in the student resources tab on the school’s webpage. This resource will even allow students to access their H:Drives on their home computer.

-Jacob Rayburn