Technology Handbook
Student & Family Resources
- Laptop/Tablet Agreement
- Student Use of Personal Device Policy
- Student Computer and Internet Use Rules
- Macbook OS to Chromebook Cheat Sheet
- Family Requests for IT Help
- Infinite Campus Parent Portal
Laptop/Tablet Agreement
Portland Public Schools (PPS) is proud to offer all students one-to-one computing with a Chromebook or tablet.
Download Laptop/Tablet Agreement Form
The District has made an investment to provide this technology to your child because we believe it will enhance their learning experience. We ask that you and your child discuss and make sure you understand the responsibility of taking custody of the device and that you and your child treat the device with the utmost care. Personalizing the devices by putting on stickers, for example, is not allowed. Misusing the device in a way that damages it or renders it unusable will result in a replacement device or repairs being paid for by you and/or your child. A student is eligible for only one replacement device and one replacement charging cord if a device breaks or malfunctions due to an accident or a cause outside the student’s control.
What is Covered
PPS will be providing insurance, at no cost to our students and families. However, in order to offset the cost of this insurance, we are asking families who are able to do so to contribute $40 toward the self-insurance pool. You can do that by sending a check for $40 to Foundation for Portland Public Schools, 353 Cumberland Ave., Portland, ME 04101 or making a contribution online.
Donate to the PPS Technology Fund
The plan covers theft, fire, power surge, natural disasters, and accidental (non-negligent) damage both at home and in school. In case of theft, a police report must be filed and furnished to the school administration as soon as the theft is discovered. The coverage extends from the time we receive this signed form until the end of the school year. A student is eligible for only one replacement device.
What is Not Covered
Damage due to negligence, abusive treatment or intentional destruction is not covered by PPS. In the case of a theft, if a police report is not filed within one week of the loss it will not be covered. This insurance does not cover lost chargers for the Chromebooks or iPads. In such cases, repairs or replacement will be the sole responsibility of the student’s parents/guardians.
The cost for replacing technology are as follows:
- Chromebook - $225
- Chromebook charger - $45
- iPad - $399
- iPad charger - $25
All students using the PPS network and PPS computers/devices must abide by the computer and internet use policy and rules.
Failure to comply with the PPS Student Computer and Internet Use Policy, PPS Student Computer and Internet Use Policy and the PPS Student Computer and Internet Use Rules, or this Agreement, may result in disciplinary action or denial of access to the device, our network, or certain services. By signing the agreement/form, you agree to the following in exchange for access to a PPS-issued device:
- I have read, and agree to abide by, the PPS Student Computer and Internet Use Policy and the PPS Student Computer and Internet Use Rules.
- I agree to abide by all applicable local, state, and federal laws related to use of the PPS network and PPS computers/devices.
- I consent to my child accessing and using Google Apps for Education Enterprise Edition managed by the Portland Public Schools and to the terms of Google’s privacy policy related to the collection of use of student data. Portland Public Schools will provide parents/legal guardians with legally-compliant notice and consent before students access or use PPS Student Number.
- I agree to supervise my child’s use of the internet on their PPS-issued device. I understand that PPS will seek to filter inappropriate content on the Internet, but PPS cannot reasonably prevent access to all inappropriate content.
- I agree that use of PPS technology is a privilege. I am responsible for the proper care of my child’s PPS issued device.
- I agree not to use any student or teacher's password to access the network and other school systems.
- I understand that all files stored on my child’s PPS-issued device will not be private, and that there is no expectation of privacy related to use of the device. PPS personnel can review devices, device use, and/or files at any time.
- I will report any problems with my child’s PPS-issued device to their teacher as soon as I become aware of the problem.
- I will return my child’s PPS-issued device and all of its accessories, including charging cord, by the last day of school each year, promptly upon my withdrawal from Portland Public Schools, or immediately whenever requested by the PPS administration. I understand and agree that I will be charged the replacement amount for the device if I do not return it as required by this Agreement.
Student Use of Personal Device Policy
Students are not allowed to use their own laptops to access PPS software or hardware or software support. A student may bring their device to school, but it will not receive any PPS software. The device will also not be repaired or supported if there are hardware issues. PPS IT strongly advises against a student bringing their personal laptop to school for any reason.
If a student has an accommodation related to a disability that needs a technology solution that should go seek support through Student Support Services. Student Support Services purchases many devices for students that are supported by PPS IT. PPS IT will not support a personal laptop as an accommodation, for a host of reasons. Some of which are that we cannot send information, applications, and updates to a personal laptop. We are also unable to guarantee its functionality or its safety on our network.
Student Computer and Internet Use Rules
Book: I
Section: Instruction
Title: Student Computer and Internet Use Rules
Code: IJNDB-R
Status: Active
STUDENT COMPUTER/DEVICE AND INTERNET USE RULES
All students are responsible for their actions and activities involving Portland Public Schools’ computers/devices, network and internet services (including Google for Education and/or other third-party services), and for their computer files, passwords and accounts. These rules provide general guidance concerning the use of the district’s computers/devices, networks, and internet services, and examples of prohibited uses. The rules do not attempt to describe every possible prohibited activity by students. Students, parents and school employees who have questions about whether a particular activity is prohibited are encouraged to contact a building. These rules apply to all school computers/devices wherever they are used, and all uses of school servers, internet access and networks regardless of how they are accessed.
A. Acceptable Use
- Portland Public Schools’ computers/devices, network and internet services are provided for educational purposes and research consistent with the district’s educational mission, curriculum and instructional goals.
- Students must comply with all Board policies, school rules and expectations for student conduct and communications when using school computers/devices, whether on or off school property.
- Students also must comply with all specific instructions from school employees and volunteers when using Portland Public Schools’ computers/devices.
- Students are required to provide their passwords for any school-issued computers/devices to a building administrator.
B. Prohibited Uses
Unacceptable uses of district computers/devices include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Accessing or Communicating Inappropriate Materials – Students may not access, submit, post, publish, forward, download, scan or display defamatory, abusive, obscene, vulgar, sexually explicit, sexually suggestive, threatening, discriminatory, harassing, bullying/cyberbullying, and/or illegal materials or messages.
- Illegal Activities – Students may not use Portland Public Schools’ computers/devices, network and internet services for any illegal activity or in violation of any Board policy/procedure or school rules. Portland Public Schools assumes no responsibility for illegal activities of students while using school computers/devices.
- Violating Copyrights or Software Licenses – Students may not copy, download or share any type of copyrighted materials (including music or films) without the owner’s permission; or copy or download software without the express authorization of the Technology Coordinator. Unauthorized copying of software is illegal and may subject the copier to substantial civil and criminal penalties. The district assumes no responsibility for copyright or licensing violations by students.
- Downloading “Apps” – Students may not download any “apps” without prior approval from an authorized school employee.
- Plagiarism – Students may not represent as their own work any materials obtained on the internet (such as term papers, articles, music, etc) or through the use of generative AI (e.g., entering a prompt in a generative AI platform and presenting the output as their own in school work) . When internet sources or generative AI is used. in student work, proper credit and citation of the source must be given.
- Use for Non-School-Related Purposes - Using Portland Public Schools’ computers/devices, network and internet services for any personal reasons not connected with the educational program or school assignments.
- Misuse of Passwords/Unauthorized Access – Students may not share passwords (except with authorized school employees); use passwords belonging to others; access or use the accounts of others; or circumvent, or attempt to circumvent network security.
- Malicious Use/Vandalism – Students may not engage in any malicious use, disruption or harm to the district’s computers/devices, network and internet services, including but not limited to hacking activities and creation/uploading of computer viruses.
- Avoiding School Filters – Students may not attempt to or use any software, utilities or other means to access internet sites or content blocked by the school filters. If a student believes filtering should be less restrictive on a temporary basis for specific, bona fide research purposes, they should discuss the matter with their teacher.
- Unauthorized Access to Blogs/Social Media, Etc. – Students may not access blogs, social networking sites, etc. to which student access is prohibited.
- Violating Third-Party Provider Terms of Service – Students must abide by the terms of use/service that apply to the third-party service provider services that students use.
C. Compensation for Losses, Costs and/or Damages
Students and their parents are responsible for compensating Portland Public Schools for any losses, costs or damages incurred for violations of Board policies/procedures and school rules while the student is using district computers/devices, networks, and/or internet services, including the cost of investigating such violations. Portland Public Schools assumes no responsibility for any unauthorized charges or costs incurred by students while using district computers/devices, networks, and/or internet services.
D. Student Security
Students are not allowed to reveal their full name, address, telephone number, social security number, photograph or other personal information on the internet while using a school computer/device, network, and/or internet service without prior permission from a teacher. Students should never agree to meet people they have contacted through the internet without parental permission. Students should inform their teacher if they access information or messages that are dangerous, inappropriate or make them uncomfortable in any way.
E. System Security
The security of Portland Public Schools’ computers/devices, network and internet services is a high priority. Any student who identifies a security problem must notify their teacher or building administrator immediately. Students shall not demonstrate the problem to others or access unauthorized material.
F. Additional Rules for Devices Issued to Students
- Laptops/Tablets are loaned to students as an educational tool and may only be used for purposes specifically authorized by school staff.
- Parents/legal guardians are invited to attend an informational meeting before a device will be issued to their child. Both the student and their parent/guardian must sign the school’s acknowledgment form.
- Students and their families are responsible for the proper care of devices at all times, whether on or off school property, including costs associated with repairing or replacing the devices. Portland Public Schools offers an insurance program for parents to cover replacement costs and/or repair costs for damages not covered by the device warranty. The plan covers theft, fire, power surge, natural disasters, and accidental (non-negligent) damage both at home and in school. If a device is lost or stolen, this must be reported to a school administrator immediately. If a device is stolen, a report should be made to the local police immediately as well.
- The Board’s policy and rules concerning computer and internet use apply to use of devices at any time or place, on or off school property. Students are responsible for obeying any additional rules concerning care of devices issued by school staff.
- Violation of policies or rules governing the use of computers/devices, or any careless use of a device, may result in a student’s device being confiscated and/or a student only being allowed to use the device under the direct supervision of school employees. The student will also be subject to disciplinary action for any violations of Board policies/procedures or school rules.
- Parents/guardians will be informed of their child’s login password. Parents/guardians are responsible for supervising their child’s use of the device and internet access when in use at home. Devices issued to high school students who are attending school in person may only be used by the student.
- Devices issued to middle school students who are attending school in person may be used by the student and their parent, in accordance with the Student Computer Use Policy and Rules.
- Devices issued to any student who is attending school remotely for some or all of their instructional days may be used by parents and any siblings enrolled in PPS, in accordance with the Student Computer Use Policy and Rules.
- All use of school-loaned devices must comply with the school’s Student Computer/Device and Internet Use Rules and other applicable policies and procedures.
- Devices must be returned in acceptable working order at the end of the school year or whenever requested by school staff.
Additional Rules for Use of Privately-Owned Computers/Devices by Students
- A student who wishes to use a privately-owned computer/device in school for school purposes, in lieu of or in addition to a school-issued computer/device, must complete a Student Request to Use Privately-Owned Computer/Device form. The form must be signed by the student, their parent, a sponsoring teacher, the building administrator and the Technology Coordinator. There must be an educational basis for any request.
- The building administrator or their designee will determine whether a student’s privately-owned computer/device meets the district’s network requirements.
- Requests may be denied if it is determined that there is not a suitable educational basis for the request and/or if the demands on the district’s network or staff would be unreasonable.
- The student is responsible for proper care of their privately-owned computer/device, including any costs of repair, replacement or any modifications needed to use the computer at school.
- Portland Public Schools is not responsible for damage, loss or theft of any privately-owned computer/device.
- Students are required to comply with all Board policies, administrative procedures and school rules while using privately-owned computers/devices at school.
- Students have no expectation of privacy in their use of a privately-owned computer/device while at school. Portland Public Schools reserves the right to search a student’s privately-owned computer/device if there is reasonable suspicion that the student has violated Board policies, administrative procedures or school rules, or engaged in other misconduct while using the computer/device.
- Portland Public Schools may confiscate any privately-owned computer/device used by a student in school without authorization as required by these rules. The contents of the computer may be searched in accordance with applicable laws and policies.
- Violation of any Board policies, administrative procedures or school rules involving a student’s privately-owned computer/device may result in the revocation of the privilege of using the computer at school and/or disciplinary action.
H. Google for Education
Portland Public Schools will, at its discretion, create Google for Education accounts for students. Accounts will be terminated when a student ceases to be a student in the district. Google G-Suite features will be enabled on a user-by-user-basis at the discretion of the Technology Coordinator. Use of Google for Education is subject to Google’s acceptable use policy (available at https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en-US or upon request from the Technology Coordinator), and all district policies, procedures and rules. The district maintains the right to suspend or terminate a student’s access to their account for violations of policies, procedures, rules or applicable laws. Students must, at all times, take reasonable measures to protect files and information in Google for Education, including, but not limited to, not sharing passwords and following all security and access rules.
Cross Reference: IJNDB – Student Use of School-Issued Computers, Devices and the Internet
Revised: August 2020, June 18, 2024
IJNDB-R - Student Computer and Internet Use Rules.pdf (27 KB)
Macbook OS to Chromebook Cheat Sheet
- Power
- Connecting to the Internet
- Logging In and Logging Out
- Touchpad
- Keyboard
- File and App Management
- Apps
- Slow Device
- More Resources
Power
Opening the Chromebook will turn it on if it wasn’t powered off. If it’s not on, push the power button in the upper right corner of the keyboard. If the computer still doesn’t turn on, ensure that it was charged by plugging it in and waiting two minutes before pushing the power button again.
Be aware that just closing the lid does NOT turn it off, and will slowly drain the battery. To power the Chromebook down, either use the “Shut down” button in the lower-right menu, or push and hold the Power button at the upper-right of the keyboard.
Connecting to the Internet
Logging In and Logging Out
Users will need to enter their entire school email address and their password. If there are problems, users should double-check the spelling of the email address. To log out, you can either use the “Sign out” option in the lower-right menu, or on the keyboard, hold down Ctrl + Shift, then tap the “Q” key twice.
Touchpad
Your touchpad will operate similarly to any other PPS device you have used. You can find a live tutorial for using your touchpad here:
Change Your Touchpad Speed
At the bottom right, select the time. Select Settings. In the "Device" section, select Touchpad (or Touchpad and mouse). Change how your touchpad works: Adjust how quickly your pointer moves: Move the sliders next to "Touchpad speed" or "Mouse speed."
Keyboard
The main portion of a Chromebook keyboard is identical to a regular keyboard. The “special” buttons, however, do have some differences
NEW KEYS
There are some new keys on the keyboard that will look different from a mac keyboard. Here are the main ones:
New If the Launch key goes full screen and you want to minimize it, select Launch again.
interactive map of chromebook keyboard
CAPS LOCK
There is no “Caps Lock” key; instead, there is a “Search” button. Tapping it allows you to search the Chromebook and the Internet (like going to Google.com). To toggle the Caps Lock feature on or off while typing, use the key combination “Alt + Search”. When Caps Lock is on, you will see an “Up” arrow in the Menu area.
SHORTCUTS
Here are some commonly used keyboard shortcuts
Screenshots:
To take a screenshot of the entire screen press the Ctrl key and the Show Windows key at the same time:
To take a screenshot of part of the screen press the Ctrl key, the Shift key, and the Show Windows key at the same time. Then, select and drag over the area you’d like to capture
Lock your screen:
Search + L
Sign out of your Google account:
Shift + Ctrl + q + q
Copy selected text:
Ctrl + c
Paste copied text:
Ctrl + v
Open the keyboard shortcuts helper:
Ctrl + Alt + /
Zooming In and Out:
Chromebooks offer two ways to zoom in and out. It depends whether you want to increase the size of a single page/app, or of your whole screen.
To zoom in and out on a single app, press Control + Plus or Control + Minus accordingly. You can reset your screen's zoom by pressing Control + 0.
If you'd rather change the zoom level across the entire operating system, press Control + Shift + Plus or Control + Shift + Minus. This shortcut will also change the size of your app dock, thus letting you fit more apps on it if you're running out of space.
interactive guide to keyboard shortcuts
CHANGE LANGUAGE
keyboard language & special characters
To change this, go to settings in the bottom right corner, On the left panel, select Advanced Languages and inputs. Under "Languages and inputs," select Inputs. Under "Input methods," select Add input methods. Select the keyboard languages you want to use . Add. "Enabled" is listed under the current keyboard. To set a different keyboard language, use your cursor to point to and select another keyboard.
ONSCREEN KEYBOARD
To turn this on or off, go to settings in the bottom right corner, select Advanced. Under "Accessibility," select Manage accessibility features. Under "Keyboard and text input," select the correct input.
File and App Management
Apps
You can pin apps to your dock (at the bottom of the screen) for easy access and use. You will want to have students keep, at a minimum, Chrome, Gmail, and Drive in the dock and any apps you have students use often, like Docs and Slides.
To add apps to the shelf, simply right-click on an icon and select Pin to shelf. You can do the same to remove an app (unpin) or you can drag it out and drop it somewhere on the desktop.
There are other ways to customize your desktop that can be:
Slow Device
If your device is really slow, it may be pending a restart for an update. To check, in the right hand bottom corner go to updates and look for “pending restart”
If you want to force an update:
- At the bottom right, select the time.
- Select Settings .
- At the bottom of the left panel, select About Chrome OS.
- Under "Google Chrome OS," you'll find which version of the Chrome operating system your Chromebook uses.
- Select Check for updates.
- If your Chromebook finds a software update, it will start to download automatically.
More Resources
Family Requests for IT Help
PPS IT is committed to helping students and families use technology to meet their learning needs. All requests for support from IT should come through the school when possible. If a family has an IT concern they should contact their student’s school who will engage PPS IT as necessary.
Parent Portal Support: in the event that you are unable to access Infinite Campus Parent Portal please email your concerns to parentportal@portlandschools.org.
Recovering your student’s password: Please reach out to your school if you need your student’s Infinite Campus password information or to reset it.
Infinite Campus Parent Portal
PPS Technology Fund
PPS provides insurance for student Chromebooks and tablets at no cost to our students and families. However, in order to offset the cost of this insurance, we are asking families who are able to do so to contribute $40 toward the self-insurance pool.