Monday, February 2, 2015

The Ten Commandments of Computer Use at MMHS

It seems as though some students are having trouble remembering what the computer use rules are at MMHS, so we made a quick ten item summary of our Acceptable Use Policies and posted them below. Please read them and ask questions if you don't understand.
  1. This is only a summary of the rules.  Use the golden rule of computer use. "Is it for educational purposes?" If no, don't do it. Check the school web site for the list of policies related to computer use if you have questions about anything.
  2. Respect others and yourself online. Don't engage in bullying or harassing behaviors. Use school appropriate language. Don’t use anyone else’s laptop, computer, or computer accounts.
  3. Games- Unless specifically permitted for a specific learning objective by the classroom teacher, games are not permitted at school.
  4. Chat and Messaging- Chat and messaging programs are not permitted at school unless you receive a special exemption from the Principal or Technology Coordinator.  Save that for home.
  5. Security- No hacking, tampering, or bypassing computer settings or security.  Keep your passwords to yourself.  Don’t touch anyone else’s laptop or use their accounts.
  6. Music/Headphones-  Unless working on a specific class or project, you are not to be listening to music and/or using headphones at school.  Save that for home.
  7. Illegal Activities-  You are not to use your school computer to illegally copy and/or distribute music, video, or other copyrighted material.
  8. Streaming and File Sharing- You are not to be downloading or watching streaming material that has not instructional purpose for your classes.  Save that for home.
  9. Appropriate Care- Treat your laptop with appropriate care at all times.  Don’t leave it on the floor.  Don’t walk with it out of the case.  Don’t drink around the laptop.  Don’t put heavy items on top of the laptop.  Don’t put the laptop in your book bag.
  10. Educational Purposes-  Use your laptop for educational purposes and you’ll be “golden.”  That’s the primary reason you have it.  Remember that.  Non-educational uses should be saved for home.

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Unwanted ads on your Mac? Here's what to do.

Icon for AdwareMedic
We've seen a big jump in the number of MacBooks with lots of ads when browsing.  These ads can give misleading results, and are certainly annoying.  What can you do? 

Download a removal tool-  Install and run AdwareMedic  (http://www.adwaremedic.com).  This software will scan your machine looking for adware, malware, and other types of software that can slow down your browsing.  Download the program using the link above.  The file AdwareMedic.dmg will be in your Downloads folder.  Double click on the file and drag it into your Applications folder.

You must press Open in order to use the file.
Drag the AdwareMedic to the Applications folder alias.

If you would like to donate to support this software, you may do so.  Otherwise click Not Now.

Click the magnifying glass in order to start scanning your computer.  If they find anything, allow it to remove the problems.  Quit when finished.  A restart may be required.

Cause:  If you found adware on your computer, it's likely you installed it yourself by clicking on ads.  Beware of ads items you are installing.  If you have to enter your password to put something on your computer, make sure you are expecting it.

One piece of adware called MacTracker has been causing particular problems.  It claims to "speed up" you computer, but we've found it does the exact opposite.  There is also a piece of software called Genio that hijacks your search results.  AdwareMedic will remove both of those types of issues.

If you would like to read more about this type of material, visit http://www.thesafemac.com