Why is it so important that you do a monthly Tech Refresh?
Having your computer run on the most up-to-date operating system and browsers, making sure that all your applications are on the current versions, and just restarting your computer can make overall improvements in performance. Restarting your computer is like getting a good night’s sleep – everything begins in a refreshed state the next day. Clearing cache and cookies in all your browsers will also boost performance.
As you may know, graduating seniors and other students who aren’t returning to Brewster Academy next fall will have their Google account suspended on June 30. If you want to save all of your Google Docs, Sheets, Presentations, and Forms, you have to share them with a personal Gmail account NOW so that you don’t lose them.
Google Drive File Stream:
What and Why?
Google is replacing their desktop Google Drive Application with a new one called: Google Drive File Stream. This process will replace your old version with the new one!
Google Drive has become a great place for our users to store all of their Google or Non-Google files. They are safe, secure and easy to access from many devices. However, Google Drive (online) is NOT what we’re talking about here, only the application on your computer that synchronizes a Google Drive folder with the online Google Drive. The new app works just like the old one, yet it will no longer store and syncing all of that same data on your computer, freeing up huge amounts of space. It also allows you to access the new “Team Drives” we’re putting in place.
It is IMPORTANT to note that the old application will be shut down in March. If you like to use this desktop application it is critical you perform this upgrade before then. IT will force this update before March Break.
Continue reading “Google Drive File Stream.app Replaces Google Drive.app”
What and Why?
For years Brewster has not synchronized your computer login password with any other Brewster service. This has caused much confusion as users are required to remember several different passwords to access the tools that we need to use every day. Our deployment of Enterprise Connect resolves this issue by synchronizing your computers log in password with your Brewster Active Directory (Portal) password. We’ve been using this with the students since the beginning of the year, and the reduction in students forgetting their computer login passwords has dropped dramatically. It will also allow you to more easily change your Brewster Passwords (Portal, Moodle, Gmail, Wireless, PaperCut, Computer, etc.). Many faculty and staff users are already using this technology already and love it!
Continue reading “Sync your Portal and Computer passwords with Enterprise Connect”
Full Computer Encryption (FV2)
What and Why?
As we know, laptops may be lost, stolen or otherwise end up in the hand of those who should not have access to our data. To this end, Brewster Academy will be encrypting all personally assigned, Brewster laptops (our phones are already encrypted). While I could get into great explanations about what encryption is, the long and the short of it is that it will prevent data from being taken from the laptop while it is shut off or sleeping. Right now, if your computer is lost or stolen, your password can be circumvented, allowing your data to be downloaded to another device.
Equations can be problematic when converting MS Word docs to Google Docs. Using the steps below, after you convert your document, the equation will be displayed as an image and not editable from within Google Docs, but it is better than having to recreate the entire document from scratch. Continue reading “Convert MS Office Docs with Equations to Google Docs”
There is a common issue at the help desk: “My computer is running slow!” I am usually met with long sighs when I ask “Have you done your Tech Refresh Updates this month?”
Why is it so important that you do a monthly Tech Refresh?
Having your computer run on the most up-to-date operating system and browsers, making sure that all your applications are on the current versions, and just restarting your computer can make overall improvements in performance. Restarting your computer is like when you get a good night’s sleep – everything begins in a refreshed state. Clearing cache and cookies in all your browsers will also boost productivity.
“Don’t do your online banking or anything sensitive on a public Wi-Fi network.” The advice is out there, but why can using a public Wi-Fi network actually be dangerous? And wouldn’t online banking be secure, as it’s encrypted?
There are a few big problems with using a public Wi-Fi network. The open nature of the network allows for snooping, the network could be full of compromised machines, or — most worryingly — the hotspot itself could be malicious. Continue reading “Browse the Web Securely when Off Campus”
Safari by default displays only a shortened version of the URL. To display the full web address, you can enable the option in Safari Preferences.
To do so, Click Safari > Preferences > Advanced > Then check the box next to Show full Website address
Here is what you see without this enabled:
When you check the box for full website address – this is what displays: 
You will know exactly where you are on a website when viewing the full address.
Brewster Academy Blogs 