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EPORTAL TRAININGOCT. 1, 2014
BRIEF REVIEW OF THE EPORTAL TABLET
• ePortal tablets are basically hardware based web browsing devices
• Use the same way you would Internet Explorer, Firefox or Chrome on your PC
• Although Android based, there is no support for apps
• Website access is managed via URLs represented by tiles on a dashboard (URL = Uniform Resource Locator or web link)
• Internet access is still protected by ENA firewalls and proxies just like any other device on the ECS network
LOGGING ON TO EPORTAL
• https://eportal.ecschools.net
• Use same username as Windows logon
• Use the provided hardened password
USER ACCOUNTS
• Accounts will be created for any teacher that wants to actively manage dashboards for themselves or others
• Requests for an account can be submitted the usual way by clicking the Technology Request link under quick links at http://www.ecschools.net
ORGANIZATIONS
• An organization is a group of managed tablets
• Tablets are organized by school: ESE, HME, WSE, TAD, etc.
• All organization configuration is handled by the Technology Department
• The most important thing to understand about organizations is that when dashboards are added, removed or changed for a particular organization, *ALL* devices in that organization are impacted.
DASHBOARDS
• A dashboard is collection of tiles
• Each dashboard can hold up to twelve tiles
• A tile is a pictographic representation of a URL
DASHBOARDS, CONT.
• Dashboard creation and editing
• Enhanced mode vs. classic mode
• Deleting tiles (isn’t as easy as it should be yet)
• Turning dashboards on and off
• Testing dashboard changes
• Sharing dashboards
• Dashboards already shared within an organization
• Sharing allows one school to share dashboards with another
DASHBOARDS, CONT.
• Device groups
• Each ePortal cart is grouped for easy dashboard deployment
• Instantly push configuration changes to a specific cart or tablet
DASHBOARDS, CONT.
• It is important to note that all users within an organization have full rights to dashboard management within that organization
• This means each authorized user can edit other user’s dashboards
DASHBOARDS, CONT.
• To reduce the total number of dashboards and keep the tablets manageable, it is good practice to encourage more savvy users to assist consolidation of redundant dashboards or tiles
• Too many dashboards can become unwieldy since the tablet must be swiped like the pages of a book to navigate them
• Ten dashboards means ten swipes to get to the last one!
DEALING WITH PROBLEMS
• Raise tickets as usual to deal with any of the following issues:
• Hardware failures of the tablets or keyboards
• Website issues or incompatibilities
• Dashboard management problems
• The Technology Department will interface directly with MXN Corporation support for hardware replacements and to troubleshoot compatibility problems
DEALING WITH PROBLEMS, CONT.
• Typical problems with hardware:
• Bad digitizers
• Can affect just an area of the screen or the whole screen
• The screen doesn’t recognize when it is touched
• Bad keyboards
• The plug can break and should be handled gently
• Keys can fall off but can usually be gently popped back in
• Ideally, students shouldn’t be handling the USB port on the tablet
DEALING WITH PROBLEMS, CONT.
• Office suites don’t run particularly well
• Google Docs
• Mobile version runs but is sluggish
• Requires a user account per class
• Office Live
• Doesn’t work at all
• Traditional labs or laptop carts are probably better for writing assignments that require advanced formatting
DEALING WITH PROBLEMS, CONT.
• Logons can be cached, sometimes making it difficult to change users once logged on to a website
• This has been reported to MXN as an urgent issue since it may break some websites
• When available, a log off link on the affected page should allow a new user to subsequently log on
DEALING WITH PROBLEMS, CONT.
• If a tablet becomes frozen, hold the power button for a few seconds to power it off (a click may be heard)
• Tapping the power button will prompt for a reboot or shutdown if a website becomes unresponsive
WARRANTY
• All hardware is warrantied for 2 years from the date of purchase
• As most tablets were purchased early this year we still have more than a year of warranty left
• Please open tickets for the replacement of all defective hardware while the warranty is still in force
• After the warranty period, defective ePortal tablets can only be replaced by purchasing new ones