March 2020 Technology Update

FMX: Report Summary for February 2020 is below. As of March 2, 2020 there are 8 open requests.

Directions on using FMX:1. Go to https://loganelm.gofmx.com. 2. There are 2 login boxes. Click on the "Log In with AD FS" gray box. 3. Enter your email address (first.last@loganelm.org) and your password that you use to access your email. Click on the "Create Request" button in the upper right corner and choose the type of request you need to add.

The site is very intuitive to use. If you have any questions or need assistance, click on the "Help & Updates" link in the bottom left. There are training videos and a FAQ.

Filtering (Securly): There is a Staff policy and a default policy. Securly uses Google authentication to provide the correct policy. Under the staff policy, I am only blocking adult content. The default policy is the most restrictive policy because we don't know who is on the device. If you login to the Chrome browser with your @loganelmschools account, you will get the staff policy. If you don't, you will get the default policy.

Chrome OS versions: All chromebooks/chromeboxes used for testing must be on version 75 or higher. The current version is 79. To check the Chrome OS version, you can do it one of two ways. The easiest way is to hit alt-v at the login screen. The upper right corner will show the ChromeOS version and the serial number of the chrome device. 

Remember, you have to be logged out in order for alt-v to work. If you are logged in, you can click in the bottom right corner and click on the gear. Then click on About Chrome OS. You will see the version on the screen. There is a Check for Updates button. Click it if the version is below 79. Follow the previous instructions if you used alt-v and found the OS version is not at 75 or above. I did find a chromebook during the snow days that was at version 74 and cannot be updated using the button. I will need to reinstall the OS with a USB stick.

Chromebook cleaning: Cleaning chromebooks/keyboards/mice will help prevent the spread of germs. With two active strains of the flu and now ODE is asking schools to review safety plans due to the coronavirus (http://education.ohio.gov/Media/Ed-Connection/March-2-2020/Coronavirus-Districts-should-review-school-safety) it is essential to keep our chromebooks from being a source of infection. Below are instructions for cleaning the various parts of the chromebook.
Power off the chromebook first! You can hold down the power button for 10 seconds to be sure the unit is powered off.
Exterior (top lid and bottom lid): clean with a 50/50 solution of bleach and water and a rag/towel. Spray the solution on the rag/towel and then wipe down the lids. You can also use a bleach wipe.
Keyboard/trackpad: clean with a 50/50 solution of bleach and water and a rag/towel. Spray the solution on the rag/towel and then wipe down the keyboard/trackpad. You can also use a bleach wipe. Just make sure that the wipe is not too damp. Wipes at the bottom of the container tend to be soaked in the bleach solution.
Screen: Dampen a cloth with water and wipe down the screen. You can use a window cleaner, as long as you spray it on the cloth first.

Email phishing: Email phishing is on the rise. Thieves don't want to work, so they sit at home and try to scam money/gift cards from innocent people. They go to a web site and pick a victim. They target them by pretending to be another employee and carry out their scheme. The latest attack targeted two of our board members. The email had the name of a board member, but the email address was not correct. The email asked for $7000 to be direct deposited into their account and had a link to complete the deposit (probably an off-shore account). Other attacks have asked for an employee to purchase Amazon gift cards online and send them the codes.

To combat this, we have removed email addresses from the website. When you go to the staff directory and search for a staff member, there will be an email me link. The person will need to enter their name and email address and click send. You will receive an email that someone is trying to contact you. This is not a scam. You have to approve the person trying to contact you. Once you give them permission, they will receive an email where they click a link and they can enter the email info they want to send you. Other school districts are doing this, so this is not something new. School districts seem to be targets now, so we need to take appropriate measures.