ACPS@Home Update

Teen Doing Homework on Computer at Home

The Department of Technology has been working on a plan to support ACPS families and promote our Digital Learning Initiative at home. The program, known as ACPS@Home, works through partnerships with five major cell phone providers (AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, US Cellular, and Verizon) and Kajeet to distribute Wi-Fi HotSpots to students without access to the Internet at home. With the current school closures, the interest in participating in this program has increased dramatically.

The demand for these HotSpots far exceeds the national supply available at this time. School administrative teams collected the names of over 650 students and staff who reported that they have no Internet access. Continue reading

ACPS@Home

Teen Doing Homework on Computer at Home

As part of the Albemarle County School Board’s commitment to the ACPS Digital Learning Initiative and digital equity for our families, the Department of Technology has partnered with Kajeet to launch ACPS@Home. ACPS@Home will provide filtered wireless Internet access for ACPS-provided laptops to secondary students who do not have Internet access at home and need it through a cellular enabled device. Continue reading

Digital Learning Day 2020 – Feb. 27

Digital Learning Day 2020

Digital Learning Day 2020 is Thursday, February 27. This is a day that celebrates learning of all kinds that is strengthened by the use of technology. Visit our Digital Learning Day site to check out the Flipgrids of LTIs showcasing some of their favorite digital learning tools. Watch the demos and then vote for the one you’d like to try for Digital Learning Day! We can’t wait to share student learning on Twitter! Follow us at @acpslearntech.

Department of Technology Launches “Learning Tech Quarterly,” an Educational Technology Newsletter

Learning Tech Quarterly

Learning Tech Quarterly is a brand new newsletter from the Department of Technology that explores the intersection of education, tech, and Virginia’s Five C’s. The Five C’s, a set of expectations established by the Profile of a Virginia Graduate, highlight the importance of Critical thinking, Collaboration, Creative thinking, Citizenship, and Communication in public education. Continue reading

New Web Design & Content Management System Coming in Summer 2020

Finalsite

In response to feedback from students, parents, employees, and community members, ACPS will transition to a new web design and content management system this summer! We’re excited for this opportunity to enhance communications and engagement with our school communities.

After several years with SharePoint as our web design and content management provider, ACPS has decided to move its public-facing internet content to Finalsite. Continue reading

Important: If You Haven’t Had Your Computer Reimaged, You Won’t Be Able to Connect to the ACPS Network Beginning Feb. 14

Windows 10 Important Update

Last summer, the Department of Technology announced a plan to reimage every ACPS computer assigned to staff and students. The purpose of the reimage was to update our computers to Windows 10, the current Microsoft operating system. This update serves to protect our network from data breaches and viruses that can negatively impact our employees and students. The original deadline for this project was October 1, 2019; however, there are still employees who have not scheduled with their TSS to have their computer reimaged.

Please note: Any computer that has not been updated to the Windows 10 operating system by February 14, 2020, will no longer be able to log in to the ACPS network. Continue reading

Naviance: Required Password Update on Jan. 27

Naviance

Middle & High School Faculty and Staff: As you may have heard, Naviance is implementing a new password policy that will require all ACPS students to change their Naviance passwords to meet new, more secure requirements on Monday, January 27, 2020. This process of moving to more secure passwords is necessary to best ensure the security of our students’ Naviance accounts and student data. Continue reading

3 Tips for Technology Safety in the New Year!

Cyber Safety

Don’t Feed the Phish!

Phishing is a fraudulent practice of sending emails pretending to be from reputable companies in order to get individuals to reveal personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers. DO NOT EVER share your password with anyone by clicking on a link through an email or in person. No reputable company or organization will ever ask you to provide your personal information. Continue reading