Technology - Ralston Valley High School

Technology at Ralston Valley High School

As part of Jeffco's TechforEd initiative, all students in ninth grade receive a Chromebook to use for educational purposes during their four years at Ralston Valley High School. Families will pay an annual technology fee which covers the device, a protective case, accidental damage coverage, tech support, and digital learning tools.

Chromebooks for ninth-graders are typically distributed during ninth-grade orientation, which is the first day of school for freshmen.

Device Resources

Securly Home App

The Jeffco TechForEd program provides families the ability to monitor and control their students’ internet and app activity on district devices at home using the free SecurlyHome app. Jeffco uses a Palo Alto firewall to monitor and filter activity and content for students when they are in school. Securly manages the filtering for school-issued devices when they are away from school and outside of the Jeffco network.

Learn More About the Securly Home App

Device Use and Shortcuts

Chromebook problems you can often fix yourself
How to reset your Chromebook
Add a home printer
Bookmarks and bookmark folders
Change default download location
Chromebook use – gestures and shortcuts (video)
- Quick reference guide
Chromebook troubleshooting (video)
- Poster
Google Drive, Docs, Slides and Sheets how-to's
Keyboard and other shortcuts
Language – Change or set the language on a Chromebook
Screenshots – How to Take a Screenshot on a Chromebook
Slow Chromebook? Try these maintenance tips

Device Care and Repair

Avoiding Repairs

Don't leave your Chromebook in vehicles or extremely hot or cold environments for extended periods of time. Excessive hot and cold temperatures are hard on all computers and Chromebooks are no exception. Leaving your Chromebook in a car during sports or after-school activities or overnight can expose your Chromebook to extreme hot or cold temperatures, which will damage the motherboard and battery life.
Always keep your Chromebook in the protective case.
Remove all objects, such as papers or pencils, before closing the lid. Pens, pencils and other items left on keyboards when a lid is closed cause more screen damage than anything else.
Never set anything heavy on the lid.
Keep water and other liquids away from your Chromebook.

Repair process

Please review the Troubleshooting section below to see if an issue can be resolved without a repair. If a repair is needed, students should follow these steps:

Students bring the Chromebook to the library.
Students fill out a form describing the problem and are issued a loaner device.
Students are notified when the repair is complete and will receive their repaired device upon return of the loaner device.

Troubleshooting

If web tools on your computer aren't working properly or if your device is just “acting weird,” try these troubleshooting steps. Although the video was made with Chromebooks in mind, the steps are applicable for anyone using Chrome.

Completely power down your device (push and hold the power button (on the side of newer Chromebooks) for 30+ seconds (not just until the screen turns black). Wait 30 more seconds. Power the device back on.
Clean up cookies and clear your cache. Use the three dots in Chrome and go to your Settings. Select Clear Browsing Data. Change the Time Range to "All Time." Select "Cookies..." and "Cached Images....” Select Clear Data
Clean up extensions and search engines. Extensions are one of the most common causes of Chromebook issues (especially Grammarly). Toggle off or delete any extensions you are not using.
Reset your Chromebook. If resetting at home, connect to your home WiFi when prompted instead of Jeffco-Instructional as the directions show.

Chromebook problems you can often fix yourself

Specific issues

Issue: Keyboard keys display the wrong letter when pushed.
Fix: Set your keyboard style back to US (not INT'L, UK, or anything else).

Lost or Stolen Devices

Notify library staff. If a police report has been filed, please include the case number information.
Device will be remotely locked with a message on the screen to turn it into a Jeffco school, if found.
Student will be issued a loaner device to use. If the original device is not found & returned within 1 month, student will be issued a replacement device and a fee for this device will be added to the student's online fees.

Replacement Chargers

Schoology

Parent access to Schoology and Weekly Digest

How To's for Students

Turning Assignments into Schoology
I Can't Find One of My Courses in Schoology
I Get a Private Access Only message when I try to access some of my coursework in Schoology.
Turning in a Movie or other file to a Schoology assignment
Turning in a video when it's too large to upload
How do I Find Missing Work?
Schoology Kiosk App for Testing | Print Version
Creating an alternate path to login to your Schoology Content can provide access to your Schoology courses when only the Jeffco areas of our Schoology access are having technical issues. Here are two options

Mobile app instructions

Resources for teachers

Transparency in Technology

Excellence in education requires that technology is seamlessly integrated throughout the educational curricula. Increasing access to technology enriches the curriculum and empowers students to maximize their full potential and prepares them for college and the workplace.

All 9th grade students in Jeffco are issued a student Chromebook for use during their high school years. RV also has computer labs for engineering, digital photography, and other classroom projects.

Tools such as Schoology, Google Apps, and other applications will be used to supplement instruction and enrich learning. When evaluating tools for classroom use, student data privacy is a prime concern. RVHS follows the Student and Data Privacy guidelines put forth by the Jefferson County School Board and the Colorado Department of Education.

Here is a list of the digital tools students at RV may use, depending on their courses. This list is ever-changing as we integrate current and contemporary tools in our instruction. If you have questions about a tool listed, you can reach out to Jen Jonson at Jennifer.Jonson@jeffco.k12.co.us (Teacher-Librarian & Tech Integration Specialist).

Digital Learning Applications at Ralston Valley High School

Digital Learning Application	Instructional Intent
Actively Learn	Online curriculum platform to engage learners in deeper learning.
Adobe Creative Express	Adobe Creative Cloud Express is a cloud-based media creation application.
Adobe Creative Suite	Video and image editing suite of apps. (Photoshop, Premiere Pro, Illlustrator...)
Book Creator	Book Creator allows you to bring creativity and critical thinking to your classroom in any grade level or subject area through the creation of digital books.
Canva	Online graphic design tool for flyers, infographics, digital posters, & more
Class Dojo	Interactive classroom management tool
CodeHS	Coding Education Platform
Code.org	Coding Education Platform
Coding Bats	Coding Education Platform
CS Awesome	College Board AP Computer Science A educational resource used to teach Java programming
Discovery Education	Multimedia service, content related videos, lesson plans etc.
Droneblocks	Allows students to apply programming concepts to drones.
EdPuzzle	Allows teacher to add interactivity and checks for understanding to videos.
Equatio	Rich equation editor and other tools for math
Flip (formerly Flipgrid)	Video discussion app
Gimkit	Game-based learning platform for assessment and engagement
Google Apps Suite for Education	Secure collaboration and productivity apps (Docs, Sheets, Slides, & more)
Hudl.com (athletics only)	Video review and performance analysis tools for sports teams and athletes
Infinite Campus	Student information system where students can view grades, schedules, attendance information
IDLE (Python GUI)	Graphical user interface for Python development
IXL	Interactive learning resources & simulations for a variety of content areas.
Kahoot	Game-based learning platform for assessment and engagement
Khan Academy	Curriculuar resources for a variety of subjects and free SAT test preparation
MS Office	Productivity tools explored in Business Computer Apps course (Word, PowerPoint, Publisher, Excel)
Naviance	College and career readiness software which provides students with college planning and career assessment tools.
Padlet	Secure digital whiteboard and collaboration tool
Peardeck	Formative assessment and presentation tool
Powtoon	Presentation and animation tool
PyCharm	Python IDE ( integrated development environmen) for coding
Quizizz	Game-based learning platform for assessment and engagement
Quizlet	Assessment and review tool.
Read 180	Personalized reading instruction and assessment program
Read&Write for Google	Literacy support tool
Remind	Secure messaging and reminder platform for teachers to communicate with their classes
Revit Architecture	Building information modeling software for architects, landscape architects, structural engineers, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineers, designers and contractors.
Schoology	Learning management system
Securly Classroom	Chromebook management tool that helps teachers guide lessons and monitor student Chromebook activity during the lesson.
Solidworks	CAD Design Sofotware
Soundtrap	Sound editing software
Sutori	Presentation software
Unity	Unity is a cross-platform game engine for use in coding classes
WeVideo	Collaborative video editing software
Vex Robotics Software	Softwared that allows studnets to apply programming concepts to Vex Robots

Digital Learning Applications in Jeffco

All students and teachers have access to premium digital learning applications with their Jeffco log-in credentials. A consistent core set of applications allows for student data privacy aligned to state legislation and seamless access for personalized learning. This includes single sign-on (SSO) and integration of applications.

Digital Learning Applications Library

Tech for Ed in Jeffco

Jeffco Public School’s 1:1 program provides first- through 12th-grade students in neighborhood and option schools a district Chromebook. This creates an equitable and sustainable model for technology-enabled classrooms that prepares students to thrive in a connected, digital world in alignment with the Jeffco Thrives Strategic Plan.

All students can access a district-purchased and managed Chromebook to personalize their learning. This closes the digital device divide and addresses the inequities in classrooms to transform learning.

Students in grades K-12 can also access a variety of digital applications and consistent tools that give them opportunities to demonstrate learning in creative and challenging ways. Each of the technology tools supports students as creators, collaborators and innovative problem solvers rather than as consumers of information.

The program also allows for professional development and learning for teachers to use the provided tools and devices to transform student learning experiences. Having consistent tools and opportunities for teacher training allows for more challenging learning and student engagement and deeper technology integration.