TechConnect
System Requirements	Installation Tips	Issues & Solutions
Using TechCONNECT Online, students develop proficiency in computer skills as they master core content and enhance their abilities to gather information, think critically, and apply knowledge. Over 1600 Point-of-Use Tutorials lead students through technology skills they need to complete lessons. TechCONNECT tutorials support six different application suites from Microsoft Office, Microsoft Works, and AppleWorks.
Issues: General What characters can we use in a member name or password? What computer application tutorials are available in TechConnect? What Spanish language support materials do you offer? Are the Internet links updated frequently? Are there any activities that can be done only in the classroom and not at home? Can you register as both a teacher and as a TechConnect coordinator? Does the program link to other Glencoe instructional material? Are activities and projects in TechConnect grade-level appropriate? I changed my member name and I can no longer log into the program. Can student files be retained from year to year, so that students can be tracked over time? I am having trouble accessing TechConnect through my firewall. When looking at the student(s) reports there is a blue flag. What does this mean? Do you support AOL/CompuServe/Prodigy users? I accidentally deleted a student from TechConnect, can their information be recovered? I was just alerted that TechConnect was trying to place a cookie on my computer. I have my computer set to block all cookies. My school has a T1 line, but our connection speed is still too slow. I cannot visit the external links in TechConnect. Is there a place where teachers can see what activities students have completed? Where are the access codes for Activities and Assessments? Your site says that the minimum connection speed is 56K, but we are not having success connecting our computers at this speed. Can a proxy server affect TechConnect connectivity? Why should I clean my browser’s cache? How do I do it? Error: You do not have TechConnect Classes At This Time. Enter the Class Key Given to You by Your Teacher. When clicking on the Student Portfolios link, the screen loads, but the student information is missing. How can I get a TechConnect pilot to try the program? My students are entering the Class Key, but the class is not showing in the class selection drop-down. The students have entered the class key, I can see them under my account, but my class is not listed in their drop-down box. Our school re-purchased access to TechConnect, how can I enter my new Content Key? How Do I: Are there any tips for TechConnect 2^nd Year Users? Class edit/setup How do I edit student list? How do I print student instructions How do I generate a report on standards addressed by students? How do I create a class? Can you export students’ information from the program? Is there any way to search the activity database by standard? Where are the access codes for Activities and Assessments? How do I export data? Importing: Can you import students into the program? General import information. I am having problems importing a student list.
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System Requirements:
Windows: Browser: · Microsoft Internet Explorer Version 5.0 and above · Netscape Navigator Version 6.2 and above Desktop Requirements: · Recommended: 500+ MHz Intel® Pentium II processor, 128MB or more of installed RAM · Minimum: 166+ MHz Intel® Pentium processor, 64MB or more of installed RAM Operating Systems: · Windows® 98, 2000, XP, XP Tablet PC, ME Note: Plug-ins: You will need the following plug-ins in order to access the handouts, technology applications lesson plans, keyboarding program, and interactivities. If you have not installed these plug-ins, you will be prompted to do so. · Acrobat Reader® 5.0 or later · Flash^TM Player Version 6.0 or later · Shockwave 8 or later Connection Speed · Recommended: Cable modem/DSL, T1 or greater for labs/classrooms · Minimum: 56K Additional Equipment: Speakers Screen Resolution · Recommended: 124x768 · Minimum: 800x600 · Cookies: Cookie handling settings set to “prompt” and/or “Allow session cookies”
Mac: Browser: · Microsoft Internet Explorer Version 5.0 and above · Netscape Navigator Version 6.2 and above Desktop Requirements: · Recommended: iMac or better · Minimum: 120+ MHz Power PC, 64MB or more of installed RAM Operating Systems: · Mac OS^TM 8.1 or later Note: Plug-ins: You will need the following plug-ins in order to access the handouts, technology applications lesson plans, keyboarding program, and interactivities. If you have not installed these plug-ins, you will be prompted to do so. · Acrobat Reader® 5.0 or later · Flash^TM Player Version 6.0 or later · Shockwave 8 or later Connection Speed · Recommended: Cable modem/DSL, T1 or greater for labs/classrooms · Minimum: 56K Additional Equipment · Speakers Screen Resolution · Recommended:1024x768 · Minimum: 800x600 · Cookies: Cookie handling settings set to “prompt” and/or “Allow session cookies”
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Installation Tips:
Other than plug-in, no installation required.
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Issue: What characters can we use in a Member name or Password?
Solution: Member names and passwords are NOT case sensitive. Member names may contain letters and/or numbers and must be at least six characters long. Passwords must contain at least one letter and one number and be at least six characters long. No spaces or special characters (?, #, *, &, <, >) are allowed in member names or passwords. Member name and password have a maximum of 15 characters.
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Issue: What computer application tutorials are available in TechConnect?
Solution: Office 2003/2004, Office XP, Office 2000, Office 97, AppleWorks 6, AppleWorks 5, and Microsoft Works 6.
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Issue: What Spanish language support materials do you offer?
Solution: TechConnect users will find complete Spanish translations of the student handouts and the technology Step-by-Steps for each activity.
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Issue: Are the Internet links updated frequently?
Solution: TechConnect links are regularly monitored and replaced if necessary. Changes to handouts to reflect new sites are made at this time so that the updating process is virtually seamless to the user.
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Issue: Are there any activities that can be done only in the classroom and not at home?
Solution: All components are designed to be done anywhere, anytime. This asynchronous feature allows parents to become more involved in the student’s learning process.
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Issue: Can you register as both a teacher and as a TechConnect coordinator?
Solution: Yes, TechConnect allows a dual registration. However, you will be required to use a different member name.
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Issue: Does the program link to other Glencoe instructional material?
Solution: Yes. The activities are fully correlated to Glencoe’s and other major publishers’ textbooks for the core content subjects.
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Issue: Are activities and projects in TechConnect grade-level appropriate?
Solution: The grade levels assigned to activities are rated and determined by guidelines and recommendations of national and state standards. All three technology proficiency levels are found within each grade level (6-8). Please remember that the grade ratings are suggestions and that students’ skill levels even within one class can vary greatly.
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Issue: I changed my member name and I can no longer log into the program.
Solution: Even though it appeared to have changed the member name, the program will not allow this to happen. Log in with the original member name and it will be fine. If you continue to have issues, a teacher or coordinator can verify username and password.
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Issue: Can student files be retained from year to year, so that students can be tracked over time?
Solution: Student work is solely connected to the class they are enrolled in. If they are deleted from the class, their work is deleted. If they are removed from a class then there work remains in the database (they will not have access to it) unless they reenroll in the same class they were removed from. They will until they add a coordinator’s class code or they enter the class code of the class they were removed from.
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Issue: I am having trouble accessing TechConnect through my firewall.
Solution: Due to the innumerable configurations that firewalls/filtering software can take, it is not possible to adequately diagnose any specific difficulty you may have with your network’s configuration. In general, opening ports 80 and 8080 will resolve the majority of issues faced by users behind a firewall.
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Issue: When looking at the student(s) reports there is a blue flag. What does this mean?
Solution: The blue flag would be a standard that was covered by the student (not necessarily mastered). It is triggered by completing the student self assessment at the end of an activity. Once they have saved the self-assessment, the program adds all standards covered in that particular activity to the student report, whether they do well or not.
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Issue: Do you support AOL/CompuServe/Prodigy users?
Solution: Although TechConnect is fully compatible with any Internet browser, a few scenarios, especially those involving AOL, CompuServe, and SBC, may result in user difficulty. Most of these browser configurations prevent the user from changing and modifying certain settings, sometimes rendering the application useless with many Internet sites. Users of AOL, CompuServe, and SBC should connect to the Internet via AOL then open a separate browser window. Connect to the Internet by logging on via AOL. Minimize the AOL application. Open Internet Explorer or Netscape Communicator. In the address window of the browser type: http://www.techconnect.glencoe.com (for TX: www.tx.techconnect.glencoe.com) and hit the enter key. This will bring up TechCONNECT.
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Issue: I accidentally deleted a student from TechConnect, can their information be recovered?
Solution: Unfortunately if a student is deleted their account is accessible (though they would need to enter a new class code to do any of the activities) and all their work will be gone.
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Issue: I was just alerted that TechConnect was trying to place a cookie on my computer.
Solution: Please see our privacy notice, specifically: TechConnect does not use permanent cookies. However, TechConnect does use a temporary user session object or “temporary cookie”. This temporary cookie stores a user’s member name and password while visiting TechConnect. This user session object allows a user to visit various pages within the secure network without having to enter his or her member name and password on every page that he/she visits. The temporary cookie expires when a user logs out of TechConnect or after a period of inactivity within TechConnect.
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Issue: I have my computer set to block all cookies.
Solution: In order to use TechConnect you will need to change your cookie handling settings to “prompt” and/or “Allow session cookies.” This is necessary to allow TechConnect to temporarily store your username and password while you are visiting the site in a temporary user session object. As previously stated this object or “session cookie” immediately expires when you log out of TechConnect or after a period of inactivity within TechConnect.
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Issue: My school has a T1 line, but our connection speed is still too slow.
Solution: Contact your network administrator he/she may need to dedicate more bandwidth to your classroom/lab.
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Issue: I cannot visit the external links in TechConnect
Solution: Please contact your network administrator. While occasionally one of the external links in the product may not longer be available or is broken, the inability to visit any of the links indicates that your organization’s firewall or filtering software is preventing you from doing so.
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Issue: Is there a place where teachers can see what activities students have completed?
Solution: TechConnect coordinators can download reports summarizing which of the ISTE/NETS Technology Application standards have or have not been addressed by each student, as well as a list of core content standards addressed. Texas users can generate a report of which TEKS (core subject and technology application) have been addressed, rather than ISTE NETS-S and national core standards.
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Issue: Where are the access codes for Activities and Assessments?
Solution: They are located in the back of the user’s guide. The access codes for activities are also found in the About pop-up and on the Search Results screen. The access codes for TechChecks can be found in the Teacher Resources pop-up. The access codes for Tech Skills Tests can be found on the Tech Skills Tests landing screen. The access codes for Final Exams can be found on the Final Exams landing screen.
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Issue: How do I export data?
Solution: 1. Log into TechConnect as the teacher. 2. Select Class Setup on the Teacher Home page. 3. Select a class from the drop-down list and click Go. To export the data into electronic format choose the second option on the page under Student Information. The link will say “click here’. 4. Choose Excel as the type of file you would like to download. 5. Wait about 30 seconds and then click the “click here” link in order to open the file. Now it is an Excel file and can be opened or saved at any time.
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Issue: Is it possible to run a class or district report?
Solution: A class or district report can be run at any time as long as students are enrolled into a class. However, in order to run a district report all students using the program must be enrolled into one class (to create a District Class). On the Teacher Home page: 1. Select Class Setup from the top. 2. Select the class you would like to run a report on from the drop-down list. Click Go once selected. 3. Export the data into electronic form by using the “To export student data from TechCONNECT…” link. There will be a “click here” link to start the process. 4. Choose the Excel File radio button and then click Download. 5. Click the “Click here” link to view the file. You have the option in Excel to save the file to a location of your choice. Note: The report will include the following fields: First Name, Middle Initial, Last Name Member Name, Password Identity Question, Identity Question Answer Student Identifier Email Address Tech Skills Test Tech Skills Test Score Final Exam, Final Exam Score TechCheck, TechCheck Score ISTE Performance Indicators (NETS-S) Subject Standards for Language Arts, Math, Science and Social Studies.
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Issue: Your site says that the minimum connection speed is 56K, but we are not having success connecting our computers at this speed.
Solution: 56K is the minimum connection speed for a single computer. Cable modems and DSL lines will show marked improvement in performance. Multiple computers (like school labs) should be connecting via a T1 or greater connection. Please contact your system administrator.
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Issue: Can a proxy server affect TechConnect connectivity?
Solution: Many large companies (such as McGraw-Hill) and many schools use a proxy server to help manage Internet usage by employees/students. Such a system provides increased security and control over what a user can view. However, oftentimes, this increased security comes at the expense of a user’s ability to configure his or her system. Therefore, some users will make proper and necessary adjustments to browsers and still not achieve success due to a setting at the proxy-server level. In this case users should contact their system administrator.
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Issue: Why should I clean my browser’s cache? How do I do it?
Solution: Often the reason a user’s browser is moving slowly or not displaying the most current information is due to a full cache. Moreover, many schools configure browser settings to fetch the most current version of a page only once per session—that is only when the browser is closed and reopened. Clearing a user’s cache and properly configuring the cache settings can improve system performance. Internet Explorer: 1. Click Tools, then Internet Options. 2. Look under the General tab click Delete Files. 3. Look under the Temporary Internet Files section. 4. Click on Settings and make sure every visit to the page is the selected option. Netscape: Click Preferences, you should see Cache under the Advanced section. After you clear the cache check to see that every time is selected in the Document in Cache is compared to document on network section.
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Issue: Error: You do not have TechConnect classes at this time. Enter the class key given to you by your teacher.
Solution: If the student has not entered a class key, they will need to do so. If they continue to get this message after entering the class key correctly, the teacher has most likely registered as a TechConnect Coordinator instead of a subject teacher. The solution is to Change the account to a Subject Teacher, create a new class and share the new class key with the students. To change the user’s status you log-in and click on Profile. At the bottom of the screen you will see the two profiles, click on Subject Teacher and then click the Update button. You will need to delete the classes you previously created and add new one(s).
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Issue: When clicking on the Student Portfolios link, the screen loads, but the student information is missing.
Solution: This occurs with Netscape 7.1 and is due to a Pop-up blocker setting within this version of Netscape. Unlike IE, the student folders are displayed in a pop-up window when being viewed in Netscape 7.1. There are two workarounds; the developers suggest workaround #1. 1. When on the blank student portfolio screen: a. Look in the bottom right corner of the Netscape screen. There should be a yellow explanation point. b. Double click on this icon and a window called Allowed Web Sites will be displayed. On the top there will be a section that says: Allow Popups from the Following Web Sites:. The field should have techconnect.glencoe.com and you should click Add. c. Click OK, return to the TechConnect home page. d. Click on Student Portfolios again and everything should work. e. Note: If you do not get the yellow explanation point, go to the teacher’s home page, click on Tools, point at Popup Manager, and click Allow Popups from this site. 2. This is a permanent change to Netscape settings. On any Netscape window: a. Click Edit and then Preferences, on the left Nav click on the arrow to expand Privacy &Security. b. Click on Popup Windows under Privacy & Security. A screen for pop-up settings will be displayed on the right. c. Uncheck the line that says: Block Unrequested Popup Windows.
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Issue: How can I get a TechConnect pilot to try the program?
Solution: You will need to register for a 30-day trial and then contact your sales representative if you need additional seats (more than 30) and/or additional time (more than the 30 days).
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Issue: My students are entering the Class Key, but the class is not showing in the class selection drop-down. OR Issue: The students have entered the class key, I can see them under my account, but my class is not listed in their drop-down box.
Solution: We have found that if the teacher selects TechConnect Coordinator during the registration process, it affects how the class is linked to the student. At this time, we are working on defining the differences between the TechConnect Coordinator and the Subject Teacher account since they appear to have the same functions. One noticeable difference is when the TechConnect Coordinator creates a class; TechConnect does not give them the option to select a Application Suite from a drop-down, as it does on a regular teacher account. The solution is to Change the account to a Subject Teacher, create a new class and share the new class key with the students. To change the user’s status you log-in and click on Profile. At the bottom of the screen you will see the two profiles, click on Subject Teacher and then click the Update button. You will need to delete the classes you previously created and add new one(s).
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Issue: Our school re-purchased access to TechConnect, how can I enter my new Content Key?
Solution: If the teacher’s Content Key expired, they will be prompted to enter their new key after they log into the site. TechConnect will not allow overlapping keys to be entered; if the new Content Key starts after the current key expires then both can be entered. However if they Content Key dates overlap, then the new key can only be entered after the current one expires.
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How Do I’s:
Issue: Are there any tips for TechConnect 2^nd Year Users?
Solution: Yes, we do offer some helpful tips; click here to view them.
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Issue: Class edit/setup <or> How do I edit student list? <or> How do I print student instructions? <or> How do I generate a report on standards addressed by students?
Solution: Click the Class Setup tab on the Teacher Home screen to set up classes. Class Setup also allows you to edit class names and number of students as well as change the default application suite. Note: To edit details for a previously created class, view or edit the student list, print student instructions, or generate a report on standards addressed by students, click the down arrow and select the class from the menu, Then click GO.
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Issue: How do I create a class?
Solution: Follow the instructions below: 1. Click the Class Setup tab on the Teacher Home screen. 2. Click on the link entitled Create a Class. 3. Enter Class Name (any combination of letters, numbers, and spaces but may not contain special characters) 4. Select the application suite that students will be using for point-of-use tutorials (AppleWorks 5 or 6; Microsoft Office 97, 2000, or XP; or Microsoft Works 6) 5. Click Next; the class key will be generated (distribute this to your students).
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Issue: Can you export students’ information from the program?
Solution: The new portability functionality also offers more robust reporting of student progress, in a selection of formats: Excel, text, and HTML. The exported data includes the core subject and technology standards addressed by students as a result of having completed TechConnect activities as well as students’ results on TechConnect’s various assessments (TechChecks, Tech Skills Tests, and Final Exams). To access this Export feature, click the link on the Class Details/Student Information screen. You are then walked through selecting an export format and downloading the file.
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Issue: Is there any way to search the activity database by standard?
Solution: There are many ways to search for activities in TechConnect, including grade level, computer application, keyword, standards, standards, discipline (core content subject), and technology proficiency level. To initiate the search options click on Activity Search on the left navigation bar.
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Importing:
Issue: Can you import students into the program?
Solution: TechConnect’s newly deployed portability functionality allows teachers and administrators to use an Excel spreadsheet to import student names, member names, and passwords for the purposes of registration and initial class enrollment. You can find instructions and the Excel spreadsheet on the class setup screen. (After a student has been registered and enrolled in a class via the import spreadsheet, the student can easily enroll in additional classes on the Student Home screen.)
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Issue: General import information.
Solution: The only required information is First Name, Last Name, Member Name, Password and Identity Question. Please remember: Member names must contain at least six characters. Passwords must contain at least six characters and must contain at least one number and one letter. Member names must be unique within TechConnect. Spaces are not allowed in any of the fields.
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Issue: I am having problems importing a student list.
Solution: Please verify the import Excel file meets the following requirements: 1. The students’ information must be on the first worksheet of the Excel file. 2. The first worksheet has to be name “Sheet1”. 3. The worksheet has to contain just the number of rows for the students. There cannot be any rows that have the Identity Question filled in (automatically filed in by macro when a line is clicked on or accessed) without the other student information. To verify this, select the row immediately after the last student through 5 or 10 rows and click on Edit (from the menu bar) and click on Delete. 4. While the Identity Answer is optional, the Identity Question is required. This is automatically populated when you click on a row (as long as macros are enabled). You do not have to change the default question, which is “What is my favorite food?” nor do you have to enter an Identity Answer. 5. There cannot be any spaces or special characters in any of the fields. Hyphens are acceptable and can replace spaces in the first name and last name fields, if needed. 6. Member names must be a minimum of 6 characters and a maximum of 30. 7. Passwords must contain at least 6 characters, including at least one number and one letter. 8. The column labels must be present (even if they only fill in the required fields: First Name, Last Name, Member Name, Identity Question and Password). 9. The Middle Initial field will only accept 1 character (i.e. you cannot enter the student(s) middle name). 10. Verify your account has sufficient seats available to accommodate the number of students you are trying to import. This information is displayed at the bottom of the portfolio screen. 11. Verify all column headings have not been changed. The headings should be exactly as listed and in the same order: First Name, Middle Initial, Last Name, Member Name, Password, Identity Question, Identity Question Answer, Student Identifier, E-mail Address.
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