Have Technology Questions?
We're here to help!

Student login

1. Navigate to the Canvas website for login.  ICCSD has its own specific site, so it has to be accessed through the school link rather than through a Canvas link.  

2. Select “Canvas Student and Teacher Login” 

3. It will prompt you to sign in with Google.  If you have the option of more than one account, please make sure you are using your school account.

4. Canvas will take you to your Dashboard, which should show your current courses.  If it does not show your current classes, please contact your school.
   
   

Student Courses

1. Your classes are displayed on the Dashboard as well as in the Courses link.  To access all of your courses, select “Courses” from the left side toolbar and then select “All Courses”

2. On the Courses page, you can choose which courses to show on your Dashboard by selecting the star icon next to the course.  If the star is already selected, it will show on your Dashboard.  If it is not selected, then it will only show in your Courses page.

3. The courses page also shows all of your past courses.  Those can be accessed at any time, although some content may be locked.

   1. If you require access to a course from a previous trimester but cannot access it, please contact your teacher for support.

 

Creating an Account

1. Navigate to the Canvas website for login.  ICCSD has its own specific site, so it has to be accessed correctly.  

2. Select “Canvas Parent Login” 

3. On the new webpage, select the link for “Parent of a Canvas User?  Click Here For an Account”

4. Enter the required information. You will find the directions to find the student pairing code in the next section.

5. Once you’ve logged in, you can click “Account” in the top left, then “Settings”, then “Observing” to add additional students, if needed.

6. Step-by-step video walkthrough

Parent Access - Observing

1. Have your student log into Canvas using the directions above.

2. Follow the directions below, or follow the steps in this video.
   
    

3. On the left side menu, select “Account” and then “Settings”

4. On the right side of the Settings menu, select “Pair With Observer”

5. You should see a window pop up:

6. Share the code with your guardian to enter into Canvas.

7. Alternatively, you can ask your student’s teacher for a pairing code.

8. Guardians who do NOT already have a Canvas account: Log into Canvas using the directions above.  Enter the pairing code under the “Student Pairing Code” field.

9. Guardians who DO already have a Canvas account: Log into Canvas using the directions above.

10. Select Account from the left side menu

11.  Select Observing

12.  Enter your student’s pairing code

 

Setting Up the Canvas Parent App

Parents/guardians can also use Canvas’ iOS and Android apps to access student coursework.  Check out the video below the step-by-step instructions for a visual walkthrough.  

1. Download the Canvas Parent app from the App Store or the Google Play Store

2. Launch the app.  If you’re previously used the app, you may need to clear the app data from your phone settings menu. 

3. Click “Find my School”

4. Type “Iowa” and choose Iowa City Community Schools

5. Click “Canvas Parent Login”

6. If you have not already created an account, click “Parent of a Canvas User” at the bottom of the screen and create an account.  You can also create an account via a computer web browser (recommended) using the first set of instructions contained in the document above. 

7. Enter your email address as the login username, and the password you chose during account setup, and click “Log In”

8. Additional students must be added from the web browser interface using the first set of instructions contained in this document (above).  

Step-By-Step Video Walkthrough

Creating A Securly Parent Portal Account

Securly uses the first contact email listed within Infinite Campus as the email that is tied to your student. Only one Securly account can be tied to a student at this time. You will need to know that email in order to create a parent portal account. If you do not know the email, please contact your student’s school to find out.

1. Navigate to the Securly Parent Portal website:

https://www.securly.com/parent-login

2. Select the link for “Get Instant Access”

3. Enter the first contact email that is listed in Infinite Campus and click “Get Instant Access”

4. If you attempt to use an email this is not the first contact email in Infinite Campus, you will see this error message:

5. Once you have submitted the correct email address, navigate to your email to find a message from Securly.

6. Click on the link within the email to access Securly and set up your account.

 

Setting Up Blocks

1. Log into your Parent Portal account

2. Navigate to the “Rules” tab 

3. The first time you access parent settings it is necessary that you take control of the settings by clicking ‘Manage my settings’.

4. The settings are divided into the following groups: 

   1. Search and Video: This includes the following options -

      • Safe Google, Bing, Yahoo Search: Turning this on will display only filtered safe search results to the child when they use any of these search engines.

      • YouTube Safety Mode: Turning this on will ensure that you cannot see harmful videos on YouTube. They will be displayed only safe videos.

      • Safe Google, Bing, Yahoo Image Search: Turning this on will display only filtered images to the child when they search for any images on these search engines.

      • URL/Keyword Scanning: Turning this on will allow Securly to scan websites for harmful keywords, irrespective of whether they are in the Block list, and filter content appropriately.

   2. Filter Categories: This includes categories such as pornography, gambling, drugs, social media, etc. that are used as a basis to filter all content accessed by the child whether in school or at home. These categories help your school comply with CIPA rules and recommendations.

5. As a guardian, you can either ‘Allow’ or ‘Block’ any of the distinct options listed under the settings and categories mentioned above.

6. Any categories or settings that cannot be edited would appear grayed out to you. 

7. You can also add websites to the ‘block list’ or ‘allow list’ as per your requirements. The ‘block list’ created by you would take precedence over the ‘allow list’ created by the school for all off-site browsing. 

https://homesupport.securly.com/hc/en-us/articles/360004924834-How-can-parents-manage-their-child-s-filtering-rules-

If you are using the SecurlyHome app instead of the website, please see this site for directions. 

Creating an Offline Schedule or Pausing the Device

Offline schedules give guardians a “set-and-go” option for pausing a device’s internet access for specific times of a day or week. These schedules are created for the whole week or specific days, and repeat until the guardian decides to stop it manually.

To create an offline schedule: 

1. Log into your Securly Parent Portal account

2. Navigate to the “Offline Schedules” tab.

3. A “Bedtime” schedule is already provided for your convenience.  You can enable and then edit the schedule, or you can create a new one

4. To create a new offline schedule, click “Create New”

5. Toggle the Enable button to turn it on

6. Provide a unique name for the schedule.  It is not possible to create two schedules with the same name.

7. Select the days of the week when the schedule should be applicable.  You can select weekdays, weekends, or pick individual days.

8. This will open a time slider that can be used to specify the start and end time for the no internet period.  You can set a schedule for a minimum of 30 minutes.

9. Click “Save” to save the schedule

10. The device(s) will be paused as per the offline schedule.  You can “unpause” or stop a schedule early at any time by clicking the pause/unpause button.

Securly Support

Securly has a robust site for help, troubleshooting, or submitting a request.  

1. FAQ page 

2. Web Portal Troubleshooting

3. Securly Home App Troubleshooting 

4. Submit a Request

Authentication

• Here are the instructions on how to authenticate your account.

• Here is a video with instructions to ensure that you have logged in on the Zoom app properly.

• Here is a more condensed version of how to login, containing the “Unauthorized User” prompt.

• ICCSD Zoom Login Link: https://iowacityschools-org.zoom.us/

NOTE: This is not covered in these instructions, but if you come across any screen where you are asked for a birthdate, enter anything before the year 2000. It is an age verification issue that is supposed to have been removed but still pops up from time to time.

General Poor Performance

1. Restart your Chromebook

2. Close unnecessary tabs when attempting to do a Zoom call. These can use up resources on your device and cause issues with the call.

3. Clear cache & cookies 

4. Check if you can Update Google Chrome

5. Check your extensions for anything you don't recognize and disable it

Resetting Chrome settings to default will also disable all your extensions, as well as clear a few other settings. This can help determine if an extension or some other setting was interfering with your ability to join the call. If it works after, enable your extensions again one at a time and try using Zoom. Once it stops working again, you have found the problem source.

Network

1. Run an internet speed test. Make sure your speeds are not under the minimum requirements for Zoom. If you are under, proceed with the tips below.

2. Restart your router and modem

3. Move your device closer to your router. If the device is further away, it can cause interference with the connection. Getting closer will reduce this.

4. Remove the wifi network from your Chromebook and add it again

Audio/ Video

1. Check if you can Update Google Chrome (updating Chrome updates Chrome apps)

2. Make sure your speaker and microphone volume are turned up in Chrome settings

3. Test the camera and microphone by making a short video with the Chromebook’s camera app. This can help determine if the issue is with the hardware on your chromebook or with a setting on Zoom.

4. Make sure the microphone is not muted/camera not turned off.

5. Open settings while in a meeting > Audio. 

   1. Checkmark the setting “Automatically join audio by computer when joining a meeting”

   2. Check if “automatically adjust microphone volume” is checked. Adjust as desired

All-Purpose Solution: Powerwash

1. With the Chromebook powered on, press the Escape, Refresh, and Power keys all at the same time (on the top row of keys).

2. YOU DO NOT NEED A USB STICK, PLEASE READ THIS ENTIRE STEP. On the screen that reads "Chrome OS is missing or damaged. Please insert a recovery USB stick or SD card", press the Control+D keys.

3. Press Enter on the next screen.

4. Follow the prompts on the next screen. You may need to press the Space bar then Enter, or just Enter.

5. Let the device go through its processes until you reach a screen that says "Welcome!" with a button that says "Lets go". Click that button.

6. Connect to the Guest Wifi network if you are in a district building, or your own network if you are at home

7. Accept the Google Chrome OS terms.

8. The Chromebook should now do Enterprise Enrollment automatically. Click done once it is finished. If it fails and gives the option to do it manually, you can enter your ICCSD Google Account information to enroll the device.

9. You should now be at the point where you can sign into the device and use it.

Documenting Further Issues

Please take a video of the issue using Screencastify and send it to helpdesk@iowacityschools.org if the above documentation does not resolve your problem.

Adding Extensions in Chrome

1. Navigate to https://chrome.google.com/webstore to open the Chrome Web Store.

2. Find and select the extension you want to add. 

3. Click “Add to Chrome.” 

4. After installation, you can use the extension by clicking the extension’s icon to the right of the address bar. 

5. If you don’t see the extension, click on the “puzzle piece” icon to the right of the address bar. Then, if you want the extension to always be visible, click on the “pin” icon in the menu that pops up.

Removing Extensions in Chrome

1. To the right of the web address bar in Chrome, look for the extension’s icon. Right-click on the icon and select “Remove from Chrome.” 

2. If you do not see the extension’s icon to right of the address bar: 

   1. At the top right corner of Chrome, click the three dot icon.

   2. Select “More tools” 

   3. Select “Extensions”
      

   4. Navigate to the extension you wish to delete and select “Remove.” 

5. Confirm your selection by clicking “Remove” again.