Personalized Learning Initiative Updates

Yellow Jacket LogoThomas Jefferson Digital Learning Initiative Updates: Distance Learning Support

September 2020

  • New! Grade 6 iPad pick up is Monday, September 14 at Jefferson between the hours of 6:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.  Here is an instructional video about the case and the configuration.  Information about the grade six keyboard case can be found here
  • Back to School iPad Updates
  • If you need any technical assistance please do not call the school but rather please send an email jeftechhelp@apsva.us
  • Rising sixth grade students who were enrolled in APS last year should continue to use the device they have.  The iPads will be swapped out once cases become available.  Parents will receive communication once we know more about the situation.  If for some reason you turned in the iPad to your student’s elementary school, you need to contact jeftechhelp@apsva.us
  • Middle School Technology Tutorials

Summer 2020

Please check here for first steps in troubleshooting your student’s APS issued iPad.  Please note that students involved in summer school activities will be prioritized and tech support questions may not be answered immediately due to summer schedules of school staff.

Digital Learning Device Help

Teams App Support Videos

Logging into Teams and Notification Settings:https://vimeo.com/415267263/041d254573

Joining a Teams meeting:https://vimeo.com/415296208/f836955c47

March 2020

APS: Learning at Home

School Based Technology Support  Email Directory

The Thomas Jefferson staff worked very hard to prepare students with technology support before school closed.  Damaged iPads were replaced as quickly as possible and many WiFi hotspots were delivered to students who had expressed need for access at home.  Teachers also helped students prepare their Canvas course and iPad settings to ensure, to the best of our ability, continued instructional opportunities while schools are closed.  Despite our best efforts to communicate the need to correctly configure iPads while here at school, we understand that there may be some issues that interrupt Internet connection at home mostly due to Global Protect, the county’s content filtering application.  If you are experiencing issues connecting to home WiFi, here are possible troubleshooting tips provided by Information Services that must be done on the APS network (you might be able access this network from a school parking lot):

GlobalProtect Setup and Troubleshooting Initial Setup (As Written and Provided by Information Services)  These steps need to be done on an APS network.  You can even try accessing an APS network from a school parking lot.  

  1. Reset your iPad by going to Settings/General//Reset/Erase All Content and Settings
  2. After the Apple Logo comes up, set your iPad up from the beginning.
  3. Log into your home WiFi network.
  4. When the Hub app comes down, log into the app with your student number and password.
  5. Then open the Settings app
    • Go to General > VPN > GlobalProtect
    • Click the tiny blue info icon (i)
    • Set “Connect on Demand” to “Off”
  6. Click Home button (round button)
  7. Open the GlobalProtect app
    • Click connect and sign in.
    • If you aren’t prompted to sign in, or the app doesn’t turn blue, force quit the GlobalProtect app and try again (double click the Home button and swipe up on the GlobalProtect app).
  8. Go back to the Settings app
    • Go to General > VPN > GlobalProtect
    • Click the info icon (i)
    • Set “Connect on Demand” back to “On”

For General Issues Away From School

  1. Ensure the iPad is connected to wifi
  2. Open the GlobalProtect app and click connect
    • If the app connects successfully, check the VPN settings in the Settings App:
      1. Open the Settings app
      2. Go to General > VPN > GlobalProtect
      3. Click the info icon (i)
      4. Ensure “Connect on Demand” is set to “On”This will ensure that GlobalProtect will connect automatically in the future.
    • If the app doesn’t connect:
      • Force quite the GlobalProtect app (double click the Home button and swipe up on the GlobalProtect app) and try again.
      • If that doesn’t fix the issue, reboot the iPad and try again.

Troubleshooting at School

If you are in an APS building, and an iPad is running iOS 12 and the student is not signed into GlobalProtect, and GlobalProtect is not working, due to a know issue (details below) you have to follow these specific steps:

  1. Open the Settings app
    • Go to General > VPN > GlobalProtect
    • Click the info icon (i)
    • Set “Connect on Demand” to “Off”
  2. Reboot the iPad
  3. Open the GlobalProtect app
    • Click connect and sign inThe app will turn blue and say “Internal” at the bottom of the screen because the iPad is connected to the APS network.
    • If you aren’t prompted to sign in, or the app doesn’t turn blue, force quite the GlobalProtect app and try again (double click the Home button and swipe up on the GlobalProtect app).
  4. Go back to the Settings app
    • Go to General > VPN > GlobalProtect
    • Click the info icon (i)
    • Set “Connect on Demand” to “On”The GlobalProtect app will automatically disconnect, but will reconnect when not conected to an “Internal” Network.

Other Troubleshooting Tips:

Physical Damage

Throughout the school year, students should communicate with their TA teacher if they are experiencing a physical issue with their device to initiate the repair process.  If you have a student who has physically damaged or disabled their iPad while schools are closed, they will need to let their TA teacher know when school reopens.

Use of Other Devices

Although the hope is to have students benefit from the APS issued iPad, students are able to access all content on any other type of device, if available, including family computer, tablet, or phone.  Student work does not have to depend on the iPad if other options are available.

Instructional Questions

If you have specific questions pertaining to content made available through Canvas, please contact the specific teacher.  Teachers will be able to answer questions pertaining to their instructional practices.

Canvas Support for Students

Students should use MyAccess to get to their instructional applications including Canvas.  Again this site can be reached on any type of device if the APS issued iPad is not working for the student.

Technology Contact

Please feel free to email the Thomas Jefferson ITC if you have technology questions.  As you can imagine, it may be very difficult to solve specific problems remotely without physical access to the device.  We completely understand any frustration you may have when it comes to technology, and we very much appreciate your patience at this time.

iPad Setup Instruction Sheet

Connecting to Home WiFi

Middle School Student Technology Handbook