Technology Services Overview
The Technology Services Department of the Baldwin-Whitehall School District serves and supports over 4,700 students and staff with data, voice, video and a rich computing environment. We strive to enable our users by providing superior technical service, and to empower them with information and solutions. Please explore our departmental website to find news, tutorials, documentation, and a variety of other resources.
The mission of Baldwin-Whitehall School District's Technology Services Department is to plan, build, maintain and support technology for our students, staff, and throughout the organization. As a team of professionals, we provide strategic leadership and guidance to the organization; we listen, anticipate and respond to the needs of the district, its staff and students. We engineer and facilitate solutions to bring about improved efficiencies and productivity across all administrative, instructional, and operational departments. Our commitment is to enable effective and efficient use of technology as part of the community's investment in educating children.
Looking for Canvas Information?
Technology Help Desk for Students
- 1:1 Device Initiative
- Skyward
- Software Discounts
- Technology Fund
- Summer Camps
- Seniors: Google Workplace for Education Takeout Directions
- Discounted Internet Access
- Help Desk for Staff
- Technology News
- Staff
- Cellular Discounts
- PikMyKid
1:1 Device Initiative
Welcome to the Baldwin-Whitehall School District’s 1:1 Initiative Information page!
This page is designed to provide you with everything you will need for Baldwin-Whitehall’s 1:1 Device Initiative.
After a successful first year of implementation during the 2017-2018 school year, we expanded our program during the 2018-2019 school year to reach every student in grades 6-12 by providing each student with his or her own Chromebook. Starting with the 2020-2021 school year, all students in grades K-12 have a Chromebook.
The devices will be used to help students personalize their learning and gain appropriate media skills. Students will interact with this technology actively in practicing skills, creating content and products, and communicating with teachers and parents using specific apps and not passively using their devices to watch programs. You can learn more about the benefits of educational technology by clicking here.
- Handbook and Forms
- Self-Protection Plan
- Digital Citizenship
- Chromebook Information
- Discounted Internet Access
- Accounts at a Glance
Handbook and Forms
Baldwin-Whitehall School District Chromebook Handbook
Parent and Student Chromebook Agreement Signature Page-Please note this form is available for students new to the District and in Grades K-6 in the Skyward Family Access portal.
Technology Protection Plan Signature Page-By purchasing the protection plan using e-funds, you are registered for this service. There is no need to provide a physical copy of this form.
Chromebook Protection Plan
This year the District is only accepting electronic payments for the protection plan. This is the same system that is used for meal payments with the food services department. Click here for Directions for new e-funds users. Credit card and check payments are accepted on e-funds. Payments for plans will be accepted through the end of September 2024 for the 2024-2025 school year for all currently enrolled students.
Click The Payment Button To Make A Protection Plan Payment
Self-Protection Plan
Participation in the District’s Chromebook Protection Plan is not required. The Protection Plan will cover the instructional year, starting on the date that the Chromebook is received by the student until the end of the school year.
The annual cost to participate in the Chromebook Protection Plan is $30.00. All payments must be made using the District’s e-Funds electronic payment system (select Chromebook Protection Plan). Directions for those new to the e-Funds system can be found here.
Students will be issued the same Chromebook each school year. Right now, students receive a new device in Kindergarten, 5th grade, and 9th grade. This refresh cycle is consistent with the life cycle of the devices, available support, and responsible fiscal expenditures. However, the cycle is examined annually to make sure it fits the needs of our current students based on staff recommendations.
Items covered: All physical components of the device. For the 2022-2023 school year, the replacement cost for the Chromebook is between $240 and $314.
Items not covered: Loss of device, theft, loss of AC adapter and/or power cord, reasonable wear and tear (Examples may include: scratches, dents, worn keys, etc.), damage as a result of reckless abuse or willful conduct.
Parents/guardians may not substitute homeowners or other personal insurance in place of the District’s Protection Plan.
|
Initial Buy-in |
$30.00; 1st incident free, 2nd incident and beyond at cost. $50.00 for a family with two students. $80.00 for a family with three or more students. |
|
1st Repair |
$0.00 |
|
2nd Repair + |
Cost of Repair |
Chromebook Protection Plan
This year the District is only accepting electronic payments for the protection plan. This is the same system that is used for meal payments with the food services department. Click here for Directions for new e-funds users. Credit card and check payments are accepted on e-funds.
Click The Payment Button To Make A Protection Plan Payment
Digital Citizenship
Baldwin-Whitehall School District utilizes Common Sense Media when selecting appropriate content for student use. Common Sense Media provides detailed reviews and technological advice in a relatable manner to parents and teachers in a 1:1 environment. Reviews include ratings for several different categories including Educational Value, Violence, Language, Consumerism, and many others as well as parent testimony and comments with real-world advice. Each school in the district has been recognized by Common Sense Media as has the district for its efforts across all grade levels.
In addition, Common Sense Media addresses parental concerns regarding screen time, technology addiction, cyberbullying, internet privacy and safety, and many other topics. Many families are entering into family media agreements and device contracts to help all family members with time spent on electronic devices. You can access Common Sense Media's contract here.
You can visit Common Sense Media by following this link: www.commonsensemedia.org.
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Chromebook Information
Introducing the Chromebook
Chromebook Help Center
Click here to access the Chromebook Help Center.
Discounted Internet Access
Comcast/Xfinity does offer discounted internet access to households with students on the free/reduced lunch plans. You can find more information and sign up at InternetEssentials.com.
AT&T
https://m.att.com/shopmobile/internet/access/
Telephone - 855.220.5211
Sprint
https://fedgov.sprint.com/app/ConnectEDII/ProgramRequirements/2-0_lp
Spectrum
https://www.spectrum.com/browse/content/spectrum-internet-assist.html
Verizon
www.verizon.com/support/residential/account/manage-account/lifeline-discount
USAC
https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/lifeline-support-affordable-communications
How to turn your phone into a hotspot (be sure to check with your cell phone provider regarding possible charges)
https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/how-to-turn-your-phone-into-a-wi-fi-hotspot
Accounts at a Glance
Do you have questions about your Skyward, Google, or Canvas account? Check out this document.
Skyward
Skyward Family Access is an online portal will help you both monitor and participate in your child’s education and communicate with teachers. In Family Access, you will view your student’s attendance, grades, upcoming assignments, and other important information. Your children will have their own accounts, where they will check grades, complete online assignments, and more.
To learn more about Family Access, be sure to check out Skyward’s parent toolkit at skyward.com/parents. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the main office at your child's school for K-6 families or the guidance office at Baldwin High School. You can also download the Family Access Mobile App for iOS and Android.
Software Discounts
Please see below for a few discounts that you may like to investigate as many of them offer great savings! Be sure to check out the other software titles that are available when you visit: https://baldwinwhitehall.onthehub.com/.
Teachers and administrators are eligible to use the Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps plan for FREE on up to three machines.
Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2021 version at $19.99 (staff only).
Verizon-Discounts on your wireless plan and accessories
Technology Fund
The Baldwin-Whitehall School District invites you to consider making a donation to our Technology Fund for which all proceeds will benefit the over 4,225 students in the District. Your donations will be used to help us with various initiatives such as:
· Our 1-1 initiative for students in grades 9-12.
· Renovating district spaces such as J.E. Harrison Middle School’s Unified Arts wing to make it the Maker Space of the future!
Through grant funding and generous donations, we have been able to make some of our dreams come to life in spaces such at the IKS Highlander and Mission Ops Classroom of the Future. You can see firsthand how we have used these funds to reimagine the traditional classroom experience for our students by visiting ikshighlander.weebly.com-we think that you’ll agree with us when we say that the students’ learning is truly out of this world!
Not only will your kind and generous support enhance your brand recognition within the District community, you will also help us to pave the way for the future success of our students. Please, help us make a difference for future generations of Highlanders and become a donor today.
Donation Opportunities
Highlander Sponsor: Fund a District Program or Space: $10,000
Purple and White Sponsor: $5,000
Cloud Sponsor: $3,500
Terabyte Sponsor: $1,000
Gigabyte Sponsor: $500
Megabyte Sponsor: $250
Kilobyte Sponsor: $100
“51” Bytes Sponsor: $51
Donations can be made electronically using the e-funds for School system (https://goo.gl/S4Lj0I) or by check made payable to: The Baldwin-Whitehall School District, Memo line: Technology Fund.
Please mail checks to:
Baldwin-Whitehall School District
Attention: Janeen Peretin
4900 Curry Road
Pittsburgh, PA 15236
For more information, please contact Karen L. Brown, Board of School Directors President, at kbrown@bwschools.net or Dr. Janeen Peretin, Director of Information and Instructional Technology at 412-885-7800 or at jperetin@bwschools.net. Thank you for your meaningful support of the Baldwin-Whitehall School District and its future!
Summer Camps
Due to the many construction projects occurring within and around our schools this summer, we will be taking a summer off from hosting summer camps. While we will miss this opportunity to work with students this summer, it is in the interest of their safety that we must make this decision. Thank you for your understanding! We will see you next summer!
Summer Camp Highlights
Seniors: Google Workplace for Education Takeout Directions
Seniors please remember that your Baldwin-Whitehall student G Suite Account (Gmail, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, etc.) will be deleted at the end of your senior year. It is important for you to make a copy of your work in order to take it with you. Google Takeout is a wonderful tool provided by Google that allows you to download all of your work from Drive and take it with you. This process does take some time depending on how much data you plan to download from your Google account. We suggest that you complete this process at home so that your downloaded data is on a personal computer.
Google Takeout Website: https://www.google.com/settings/takeout
Tips
You can choose how you want to download your data from Google. If you plan to upload items from your District Google Drive to your personal Google account, it is recommended to download data as Microsoft files. For items in your Google Drive, Google Documents will be downloaded as Microsoft Word files, Google Sheets will be downloaded as Microsoft Excel files, and Google Presentations will be downloaded as Microsoft PowerPoint files. Google Forms do not download when using Takeout. With this, it is recommended that you share any Google Forms that you want to save with your personal Google Account and then make a copy.
When you upload these items into your personal Google Drive, you can convert all of them back to the original Google template once transferred.
On behalf of the District’s Technology Department, good luck with the next chapter of your lives!
Discounted Internet Access
Comcast offers discounted internet access to eligible families through their Internet Essentials program. You can learn more by clicking here.
Help Desk for Staff
Help Desk
The Information and Instructional Technology Department utilizes the Service Desk system to manage help desk requests from all district employees.
Service Desk can be access by clicking here.
Below is a document that provides an overview of Service Desk and directions regarding submitting a help desk ticket. You can also watch a quick tutorial below. How to Submit a Help Desk Ticket
Technology News
Staff
Dr. Janeen Peretin
Cellular Discounts
Verizon Wireless
AT&T
T-Mobile
T-Mobile Amplified – Available to ALL employees and offers our most premium plan at a highly discounted rate. See attached PDF for more info. To enroll, please call the employee line and reference enclosed promo code.
T-Mobile Military – Discount program available to all active duty and retired military employees. Offers up to 50% off on family lines. To enroll, please call the employee line and reference enclosed promo code.
T-Mobile 55+ Plan – Discount program for any employees that are 55 years old or higher. Provides 2 lines only for $70 per month. To enroll, please call the employee line and reference enclosed promo code.
Our Government Employee Discount Program is exclusive to Government, Education, and Non-Profits only and are NOT AVAILABLE IN STORES.
One main message we want to share is that if you or any of your fellow employees are interested in enrolling in the program, activating new service, or adding new lines to an existing account in order to have applicable discounts processed, please ensure ALL requests are made via our Employee Programs Line @ 1-888-256-5541 and mention the promo code in the enclosed flyer.
PikMyKid
In our ongoing efforts to enhance your children’s safety, we have decided to begin using the PikMyKid Dismissal Application. Throughout the country, it has been proven to simplify dismissal, reduce traffic congestion, and most importantly, improve overall safety.
There are so many unique and exciting features of the application that we are eager to use, but with your help, we’d like to get a few of the basic settings for car riders established first.
We need a few things from you to help us get started.
First, if you have a smartphone, please download the PikMyKid Parent app.
Each parent or authorized pickup delegate who is actively involved in the dismissal routine will need to download the PikMyKid Parent app from their respective app stores. Once the app has been downloaded, select the "Register a New Account" option to register. Each person will need to register with their own credentials. Please be sure to register using the cell phone number and email addresses that are associated with your Skyward account. The app will only connect you to your child(ren) if the mobile number on school records (Skyward) matches your registered mobile number.
Next, use the information on the NEW car tag to help complete your registration. If you have not received a NEW car tag from your child's school, please request one. Once you have the new tag, please display it in your vehicle’s front passenger window.
Depending on your school's dismissal sequence you will either announce once you have pulled into the single-car line, or once you've arrived on campus. To announce, simply hit the green Announce Button on your PikMyKid App found in the Pick Up menu (located in the app at the bottom of the page-third icon) . By announcing, you are notifying us that you are in line to “Pick Up Your Kid”. This will help us sequence the children in the same order as you have entered the lot.
As we work through this new process, we ask for your patience and cooperation! It may take a little longer at first as we work out the kinks, but once we do, it will speed up the dismissal process!
Thank you for your help as we begin this exciting project!
Answers to frequently asked questions (i.e. how to turn on location services, how to make changes to my child's calendar, how do I see other children delegated to me, etc.)
General Directions for Using PikMyKid for Families
Training Videos