CHCA Tech Newsletter
Student Edition (August 2015)
Microsoft Office - FREE!
Great news, students! Through CHCA's subscription to Office 365, you can now download and install the latest version of Microsoft Office for free, on up to 5 different devices. For PC users, this will currently install as Office 2016. For Mac users, the latest version is Office 2011. This service should remain free going forward, and should always offer the latest version of Office on either platform.
To access the installation*, you will need to log in to Office 365 using the link on the CHCA homepage for student email, or by manually navigating to mail.chca-oh.org. Once logged in and seeing your mailbox or OneDrive, click the Gear icon in the upper right (next to your name or photo) and choose 'Office 365 Settings' from the resulting list. On the Office 365 Settings page, click 'Software' on the left. There, you will see the option to install the latest version of Office.
*For Elementary grades that do not have email accounts, the best path for logging in and accessing the Office installation is: portal.office.com
We are very excited to be able to offer this critical software to you at no charge. Spread the word!
To access the installation*, you will need to log in to Office 365 using the link on the CHCA homepage for student email, or by manually navigating to mail.chca-oh.org. Once logged in and seeing your mailbox or OneDrive, click the Gear icon in the upper right (next to your name or photo) and choose 'Office 365 Settings' from the resulting list. On the Office 365 Settings page, click 'Software' on the left. There, you will see the option to install the latest version of Office.
*For Elementary grades that do not have email accounts, the best path for logging in and accessing the Office installation is: portal.office.com
We are very excited to be able to offer this critical software to you at no charge. Spread the word!
Great Year
Welcome to the 2015-2016 school year! Each year it is incredible to see each of you advancing your education as you learn, lead, and serve here at CHCA. Technology is clearly a big part of the equation these days, and it permeates all aspects of our lives in one way or another. This digital newsletter is one way we are attempting to keep you informed about the various aspects of some of the technology offerings at CHCA. I hope it's helpful and somewhat enjoyable. Feel free to contact me with ideas and suggestions you might have for future content here, as well as any overall tech ideas or questions. I may not be able to answer or accommodate every request, but I'll definitely do what I can. For now, enjoy - And have a great year!
Office365Movie
Office 365
CHCA has been subscribed to Microsoft's online solution for some time now. At first, we were just focused on the webmail solution. Over time, though, Microsoft has made some great enhancements to their cloud offering and we are heavily pushing usage of the service for the 2014-2015 school year. Check out the different sections below to learn more about each aspect of the Office 365 suite of products and how they can benefit you, as a student, here at CHCA.
Outlook
Outlook is the first thing you'll see when you log in to Office 365. Outlook is basically email appointments, and contacts. Check your CHCA messages, send a new message, organize your messages into folders under your Inbox - all the familiar features are there. You can also customize the look and feel a bit by clicking the round gear icon in the upper right. Along the top of the Office 365 navigation is also a link for Calendar and People. Use the Calendar to schedule and stay on top of important CHCA appointments and events. The People section is where you can create and save personal Contacts, as well as browse the CHCA Directory to send email messages or schedule appointments with peers, teachers, or staff. All 3 of the first set of links (Outlook, Calendar, People) make up what is contained in the traditional Outlook application that is part of an installed Office suite.
To learn more, click HERE.
To learn more, click HERE.
Yammer
Yammer is social networking built into Office 365. It's a lot like facebook, only it's private and not public-facing. It is a social network contained at CHCA and to be used for school related networking and conversations. Share what's going on, collaborate through student groups, stay up-to-date with school happenings - all within our own private social network at CHCA. Just remember that it is CHCA controlled, so continue to remember the Acceptable Use Policy while yammering away. :)
To learn more about Yammer, click HERE.
To learn more about Yammer, click HERE.
OneDrive
OneDrive is your personal space online to store documents. This is where you can save and access all of your school work. (Papers, projects, assignments, etc.) Through OneDrive, you can share documents with teachers or other students in a project group, and then collaborate on those documents together. OneDrive gives you the ability to have multiple people editing and working on a document simultaneously. Storing your school files in OneDrive means you can access then anytime, anywhere as long as you have a computer with internet access. Instead of having files saved in multiple locations, (personal computer, school server, flash drive, email) save them all in One place: OneDrive. Each student has 1 Terabyte of online storage - start using your free storage today!
To learn more about OneDrive, click HERE.
To learn more about OneDrive, click HERE.
Sway
Sway is an awesome new way to create and share interactive reports, presentations, personal stories, and more. Click the Sway app link from your Office 365 menu bar (the grid to the left of the words 'Office 365') to get started and see examples of existing Sway presentations. You can also visit http://sway.com to learn more.
More Information on Office 365
There are many sites online that can help answer further questions about Office 365. A couple are listed below.
Microsoft Office 365 YouTube Channel - videos showing different usage scenarios
End user training resources from Microsoft's technet website - videos and documents
Microsoft Office 365 YouTube Channel - videos showing different usage scenarios
End user training resources from Microsoft's technet website - videos and documents
Skype for Business
Formerly known as Lync, Skype for Business is not a part of Office 365 online, but is worth mentioning. If you have Office 2013 installed on your personal laptop, then you'll already have Lync/Skype for Business (and may already be using it.) If you don't have it, the basic version is available as a free download. The Skype for Business client allows you to text chat, video chat, and share your screen or other programs. Multi-user chat experiences are possible, which could be helpful when collaborating on a project together. It could also be beneficial if you are home sick, traveling, or quickly need to connect with a peer or instructor. Just be sure to respect privacy boundaries, work hours, and again adhere to CHCA's Acceptable Use Policy.
Helpdesk
If you experience technology issues on campus, feel free to open an electronic Helpdesk request. We can assist with specific network problems, account troubles, or issues with CHCA configured devices. If you need your email password reset, we ask that you not use the "forgot password" link on the Office 365 login page. Contact us through the Helpdesk, and let us know what you'd like your password to be set to. The Office 365 link doesn't really work because logins are integrated with our local account directory. There are also technology teachers, and some other staff, in each building who can assist with certain tech issues and password resets. Those individuals are:
Upper School 9-12: Mr. Sammons
Upper School 7-8: Mr. Gilbert
Lower School 5-6: Mr. Gullett
Lower School K-4: Mrs. Rice
Armleder: Mrs. Bodley
We are not able to troubleshoot or work on any BYOD computers (or personal devices you bring to school.) Web filtering occurs at our ISP, and their education filters adhere to the guidelines for CIPA compliance. Otherwise, we are happy to try and assist you with any technology issues that may arise.
Upper School 9-12: Mr. Sammons
Upper School 7-8: Mr. Gilbert
Lower School 5-6: Mr. Gullett
Lower School K-4: Mrs. Rice
Armleder: Mrs. Bodley
We are not able to troubleshoot or work on any BYOD computers (or personal devices you bring to school.) Web filtering occurs at our ISP, and their education filters adhere to the guidelines for CIPA compliance. Otherwise, we are happy to try and assist you with any technology issues that may arise.
Learn, Lead, Serve
I hope you have an outstanding year!
- Learn all you can - knowledge is power
- Lead the way - the future is what you make it
- Serve your friends, family, faculty, staff, community - the rewards are priceless
Most of all - have fun! Enjoy this time and make the most of the tremendous gifts God has given you.
Dave Slone
CHCA Information Technology Manager
Email: dave.slone@chca-oh.org
Website: www.chca-oh.org
Location: 11525 Snider Road, Cincinnati, OH, United States
Phone: 513-247-0900
Facebook: facebook.com/CHCAIT
Twitter: @CHCA_IT