Ensign Peak Academy uses online platforms for learning, teaching and communication. This page identifies the technology needed to participate in our programs.
Mentor and Student Technology Needs and Requirements
Review the following hardware, software, connectivity, internet bandwidth, speed and applications necessary for the platforms used for our programs.
An inexpensive student PC laptop is recommended. Laptops should not be more then 3 years old. Chromebooks do not work well and create a variety of problems including navigation, insufficient tools to complete homework, problems submitting homework and being dropped from Zoom meetings.
Canvas
Canvas is a learning management system used by Ensign Peak Academy. It is where students access lesson content, submit assignments, take quizzes, take proctored final exams and view grades and feedback. It is also used for communication between students and mentors, via the Canvas inbox.
Review the following computer and browser requirement:
Browser and Computer Requirements for Canvas
Zoom
Make sure your technology meets the Zoom System Requirements.
Please review the Zoom Audio, Video and Sharing procedures.
For optimal participation, it is preferable that you use a USB headset with a microphone. An ethernet connection works better than wifi. Audio connection through your computer works better than using a phone, but you can use a phone.
Sycamore
Ensign Peak Academy uses Sycamore, a student information system (SIS). It’s a platform that manages applications, enrollment, academic records, communication and other administrative procedures for schools.
Word Processing Software
All students need access to word processing software. Microsoft Word is recommended. Google Docs works well. Any word processing software that allows a document to be converted to a PDF file will also work. Students create and save assignments on their own device before uploading to Canvas.
It is also helpful to have software that allows for the creation of slideshows. PowerPoint works well. Google Slides also works well. Students are occasionally asked to create a slideshow for an assignment.
Student Email
Each student will need his or her own email address, separate from the address used by the parent.
If your student is under age 13, please make a separate email for the student, but with you, the parent, as the owner. This is because child-owned email addresses are more likely to block embedded YouTube videos and other links in the Canvas courses. The legal issue comes down to who owns the account, not who uses the account. When your child turns 13, you may change ownership over to them. We also recommend that parents, whether students are under thirteen or not, have all messages from a minor’s email forward to the parents email. Here are the directions for how to do that.
Elementary school students are encouraged to use a Gmail address for their Canvas account in order to have access to the Digital Unit Study Journals which are built using Google Slides. If you do not already have a Gmail account, please use this link to obtain an account: https://accounts.google.com/signup
It is school policy that all written communications between students and mentors take place within the Canvas inbox and not through personal email accounts.
Internet Safety for Online Students
The following presentation by Diann Jeppson and Kimberly Bingham will assist parents in preparing their students for a safe and enriching online learning experience:
Internet Filtering and Monitoring
We strongly recommend that every family in our school community purchase and use an internet filtering and monitoring service. Our surveys and service comparisons conclude that Bark Home is an excellent service.
To prevent distractions, we request that parents block notifications and access to all social media platforms during their student’s live classes. In addition, we request that students leave personal cell phones in a different room during their live classes.
Attending an online school simply means that your students will be online more often. We strive to provide students with a variety of off-line assignments, projects, experiments, interviews, books to read and fun things to create. When they are online, let’s be safe.
Since we embed YouTube videos in our Canvas lessons, we strongly recommend that you block ads. AdBlock is a recommended free service. Configure AdBlock to prevent thumbnails on the video after viewing. Here are simple instructions. You may also want to block YouTube entirely when your students are not actively doing homework, and unblock it only to allow them to view the videos in the courses.