January 2021 Tech Update

     FMX: Report Summary for December 2020 is below. As of January 11, 2021, there are 7 open requests.

Directions on using FMX:1. Go to https://loganelm.gofmx.com. 2. There are 3 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. I have added the "Log on with Google" for students. They only have rights to create tech requests. They cannot complete maintenance or field trip requests.

ThirtySeven4 AntiVirus: We renewed our contract with ThirtySeven4 AntiVirus. You may have received a message on your laptop or desktop asking to Renew or Uninstall. Please choose Renew. If you keep getting the message, please open an FMX technology request.

Print to ANY copier driver on Windows laptops/desktops: You need to have this driver installed to print to our copiers. It is installed by default on desktops and laptops that are joined to our active directory domain. If you are experiencing issues printing to copiers, open an FMX technology request.

Clear browser cache in Google Chrome: A lot of the tech requests I am receiving lately can be resolved by clearing your browser cache. For instructions on how to clear your cache in Google Chrome, click on this link.

Calendly/FMX: When you fill out a tech request for a desktop/laptop issue which will require remote assistance, you can go ahead and schedule a time for the remote session. Click here to access my Calendly page. Also, you can find the link on my technology page.

Chromebooks: I am noticing in increase in the following areas: 1. Students are coming to school without their chromebooks (forgot at home). 2. Students are not taking care of their chromebooks (repairs have increased substantially since November) and 3. Students are not cleaning their chromebooks. 

Please remind students they need to bring their chromebooks to school daily. Today, we loaned out 15 chromebooks district-wide. One building ran out of loaners, so I had to deliver more. In my opinion, forgetting a chromebook would be the same as coming to school without a pencil or textbook. The chromebook is now the textbook. When the students remember to bring their cellphone to school fully charged, but forget their chromebook, I have a problem with that.

There has been an increase in broken chromebooks, mainly broken displays. Please remind students that the insurance is for 2 repairs. After that, payment must be made for the actual cost of the part. I was getting reclaimed displays for $20, however, they are no longer available. New displays are $43.

Chromebooks that I am getting in for repair are filthy. Some have food debris lodged in the keyboard. Displays are covered with fingerprints, even though our chromebooks have non-touch displays. I clean all chromebooks that come in for repair. This website provides information on how to clean a chromebook. Feel free to pass it along to your students.

Technology webpage: As I stated earlier in this update, the direct link to the Technology page is https://www.loganelm.org/Technology.aspx. Or, you can go to loganelm.org, click on Departments and then click on Technology. You will find tech status, which includes information on any issues with the services we use. There are links to FMX and Calendly. I have deactivated the LoganElmTech Twitter account. Please visit the technology page for updates.