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Technology Parent Resources

Family on computer image

At the Tippecanoe School Corporation, students in grades K-2 utilize iPads in the classroom and students in grades 3-5 utilize Google Chromebooks in the classroom. Although these devices are not taken home, students can access a variety of TSC-provided digital resources from personally owned devices. Students in grades 6-12 also utilize Google Chromebooks, however they are assigned a device to use throughout middle school, and another device to use throughout high school. Students in grades 6-12 take the devices home each night, bring them back to school each day, and retain them throughout the summer to provide learning opportunities beyond the school day. This program is known as the "1 to 1" initiative, wherein each student has access to their own device. The parent orientation the middle and high school 1 to 1 initiative can be found here.

Parenting students who are "digital natives," or who have been brought up in a world full of technology, can provide to be quite challenging. Below are resources that parents may find helpful while parenting in this digital age.

 

growing up digital logo

Digital technologies have profoundly changed childhood and adolescence. The internet and the means to access it, such as tablets and smartphones, along with social media platforms and messaging apps, have become integral to the lives of youth around the world. They have transformed their education and learning, the way they make and maintain friendships, how they spend their leisure time, and their engagement with wider society. Each month, Growing up Digital will highlight a topic related to digital literacy and provide resources, talking points, and other helpful information. 

Getting Started with Google Drive

TSC students in grades K-12 receive Google Drive accounts, which they utilize to create and store digital files. This two minute video shows you how to go to the Google Drive website and login. Parents can login to their child's Google Drive account at any time using their child's username and password (information below). Students in grades 2-8 receive school-issued "closed campus" email accounts, meaning they can only correspond with staff and students at the TSC. Students in grades 9-12 receive school-issued "open" email accounts, meaning they can correspond with recipients inside, and outside, the TSC.

Securly Content (Web) Filter

TSC partners with a third-party company (Securly) to administer content filtering on its network for all students in accordance with federal regulations (CIPA). For students in grades 6-12, content filtering is also administered when their Chromebooks are taken home and used outside of the TSC network. Parents/guardians of students in grades 6-12 can use the free Securly Home App to view real-time activity reports of their child's online activity when using their Chromebook. The App also allows parents/guardians to block individual websites that may not be blocked by the TSC's general filtering policy (i.e. gaming sites, etc.). Parents/guardians are encouraged to exercise caution when using this feature and to keep an open line of communication with their child's teacher(s). If a website is blocked that the teacher intends to use for classroom instruction, the TSC has the ability to override this setting.

More information about the Securly Home App can be found below.

 

 

Please note, only parents/guardians with a PowerSchool Parent Portal account with an active email address are eligible to use the Securly Home App. After receiving the welcome email message, parents/guardians will also begin receiving a weekly email message containing a sample of their child's online activity from the previous week. Parents/guardians can opt out of this email clicking the 'unsubscribe' option located at the bottom of each email message. Parents/guardians will also see an option in the App to purchase the Securly Home HUB, which would provide content filtering for all devices on a home/personal network. The TSC is not affiliated with the Home HUB option and does not endorse its use.

Canvas

Canvas is a learning management system (LMS) used by students in grades 6-12. A Learning Management System is a web-based software application that provides a platform for the administration, documentation, tracking, reporting, and delivery of digital education material and courses. In short, an LMS is where teachers will post announcements, assignments, resources, quizzes, tests, and other course-related materials for students to access. Within the LMS, students will access a calendar that shows information for all of their courses, they will access course materials, collaborate with their peers and teachers, submit assignments, and take assessments.

Parents/guardians of TSC students can create a Canvas account, which will be linked to their child/children. By creating a Canvas Parent Account, parents can review the materials their child's teachers have published within Canvas, check assignment and test due dates, and much more. Additionally, parents can sign-up for alerts and enter their cell phone number to receive text notifications.
 
Please review the instructions shown below to learn how to go about creating a Canvas Parent Account. Please note, there are separate instructions for parent accounts to be used on a computer vs. parent accounts to be used on a mobile device (Smartphone App). Parents can take advantage of either option or both options.
 

Student Login Information

This document shows how to login to web-based digital resources your student can use at home and at school. Resources include Accelerated Reader, BrainPOP, Discovery Education, Google Drive, IXL, and TSC's Digital Library (OverDrive).

24 Video Games You Can Say Yes to After School

Studies show that playing games can lead to positive benefits for learning, thinking, social-emotional skills building, and school performance. Check out this collection of games and apps to support your child academically.

Digital Glossary

Not sure how to decode your teens’ shorthand in the digital world? Feel like you need to brush up on the latest digital apps? Still think that MySpace is the right space?

Family Tip Sheets

These tip sheets cover a variety of topics and concerns that parents might have regarding destructive and dangerous decisions made by students. They are informative and also provide guidance on how you could counsel your student away from such decisions.

Cyberbullying Prevention and Response

Please visit the website linked above to view resources about bullying from the Indiana Department of Education.

Media and Digital Literacy - Resources for Parents

Common Sense Media has compiled this list of resources for parents seeking advice and information about how to help their children explore smartly and stay safe.

Parenting Tips - Videos

The videos explore many topics from appropriate app selection to movie reviews.

Raising Digital Citizens Pinterest Board

This is a collection of resources intended to support and encourage the responsible use of digital tools.

Data Privacy

The Tippecanoe School Corporation adheres to the requirements set forth by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). To that end, the TSC recognizes the importance of protecting the privacy and security of student data. Through ongoing training with our staff, we strive to maintain an educational environment that balances the need to provide students with relevant, engaging learning experiences while still safeguarding their privacy and data. TSC students' use of the Google productivity suite (GSuite for Education) is covered by Google's educational privacy policies.

High Speed Internet Access

Access to high speed internet is a critical ingredient to a student's academic success. While TSC provides high speed internet access throughout each of its campuses, it recognizes that students may not have access to high speed internet when they are not at school. Families in Tippecanoe County have multiple options for obtaining high speed internet access, with providers offering a variety of plans and packages.

Local providers include Comcast, Frontier, Metronet, and TDS. Comcast offers a program called Internet Essentials, which provides a discounted rate ($9.95 per month) for eligible families. To learn more about options for high speed internet, please visit each company's respective webpage listed below. Additionally, Purdue University and the City of Lafayette have been making great strides in providing free, high speed wireless internet available to the surrounding community.

Many of the resources provided on this page were sourced from the Common Sense Media website. Common Sense is dedicated to helping kids thrive in a world of media and technology. They empower parents, teachers, and policymakers by providing unbiased information, trusted advice, and innovative tools to help them harness the power of media and technology as a positive force in all kids’ lives.