macOS Laptops
Current distribution:
- Certificated Staff: MacBook Air (13.3-inch M1, 2020)
- Administrators: MacBook Air (13.6-inch, M3, 2024)
Common Questions:
What is the procedure if a laptop must go in for repair?
A: The first step is to create an LPS HelpDesk ticket to report the nature of the problem with the laptop. The district will then provide access to a loaner laptop while repairs are made to your laptop. Problems with your charging cord, power brick, or USB-C adaptor should also be reported via a HelpDesk ticket. Do not have your device serviced by anyone other than LPS.
What if my laptop is missing?
A: All losses must be reported to LSP Risk Management in a timely manner. Begin the process by putting in a help ticket & telling the Executive Secretary in your building about the damage, loss, or theft of your device. If you believe your laptop has been stolen, please contact the police immediately to file a report.
If your laptop will be unavailable for more than a full instructional day, you may be provided a “loaner” laptop.
What if I move to another LPS school?
A: Take your laptop with you when moving between LPS buildings. Your laptop stays with you as long as you continue to be a staff member employed by the district and your classification (certificated, administrator) remains the same.
What is the procedure if a laptop recipient takes a leave of absence?
A: If the leave is greater than a semester, the laptop, charging brick and cord, and USB-C adaptor must be returned to the district. The procedure is to turn in your laptop to the school office, and the school office will create a HelpDesk ticket to have the laptop and charging cord picked up by Computing Services staff.
What do I do with my laptop if I am leaving the district?
A: Turn in the laptop, charging brick and cord, and USB-C adaptor to the office during the standard check-in procedure for your location.
Connections
USB-C
On the left side of all MacBook Air laptops you will find two (2) USB-C ports that allow charging, audio, & video connections to monitors, or other peripherals.
Administrator laptops (M3) also have a MagSafe 3 charging port on the left side of the device.
3.5 mm headphone jack
On the right side of all MacBook Air laptops you will find a standard headphone jack.
USB-C Adaptor
A USB-C Multiport Adaptor can provide all the necessary ports to connect your teacher laptop with projectors or monitors, power, mice, and more. For example:
- USB-C Power Delivery
- Ethernet Network
- HDMI
- USB-A conversion
Depending upon your role & situation, LPS may have provided a (1) multi-port adaptor with this laptop. There are a few different styles.
Schools may choose to purchase additional USB-C adaptors if desired. They can be found in the LPS Buying Guide (#13074).
Do not allow adapters (or any other connector) to hang off of the side of a desk or table, pulling down. We have seen quite a few laptop motherboards that were physically damaged by strain on the USB-C port. This is caused by the weight pulling down while connected to the laptop. Laptops are being damaged beyond repair due to this scenario.
Another consideration – do not walk around with the adapter connected. The sway/swing of the unsupported adapter is damaging to both the port and the adapter.
Accessories
Computing Services often receives questions about what accessories we recommend to go with teacher laptops. The truth is that there are thousands of items that will work great with this laptop. Following are a few recommendations.
LPS Buying Guide
If you are purchasing accessories as an LPS entity, please use the links provided in the LPS Buying Guide. For personal purchases feel free to use any retailer of your choice.
Power
Certificated Laptop (M1)
- Apple 30W USB-C Power Adapter ($40)
- USB-C Charging Cable ($30)
- OPTIONAL: Power Adapter Extension Cable ($19)
Administrator Laptop (M3)
USB-C Adaptors
- USB-C Multiport Adapter (CableMatters)
- USB-C 5-in-1 Adapter (Anker)
- USB-C to HDMI and USB-C (F) Dual Port Adapter (Monoprice)
Laptop Shells
A shell is an inexpensive way to protect your laptop from everyday wear and tear and offer a splash of personality. They DO NOT offer complete physical protection for your laptop.
Responsibilities and Expectations
Provided for teaching & learning
LPS Board of Education Regulation 6441.1 states this laptop is provided for your use in teaching and learning. It also states “computer use shall not be permitted for personal reasons or for purposes that are contrary to the mission of the building site or the Lincoln Public Schools, unless deemed incidental, intermittent, or occasional.”
ITRs/ITPs
The information technology rules (ITR) and information technology procedures/practices (ITP) describe the responsible use and/or expected behaviors related to District technology resources.
All staff are expected to review these rules, procedures and practices. They are posted here for your convenience.
Financial Responsibility
When staff members are issued district equipment, they accept the full financial responsibility for the cost of repairs for any damage (e.g. spilled coffee on the keyboard, dropped device, etc.) or for replacement in the event of loss (e.g. stolen when the computer was left in a car, etc.) of such equipment while in their possession. The only exception to this policy is when the item disappears or is damaged as the result of a school building or district building break-in or vandalism. See Board of Education Policy 4690 (HR #7) for more information.
If there is damage, loss or theft of this laptop, staff are responsible for alerting the school district in a timely manner as described in the DLT process at right.
Out of pocket costs can be reduced by participating in the EDRRP program, described elsewhere on this page.
EDRRP
The Electronic Device Repair and Replacement Program is an optional program that allows an employee for a very modest cost to cover some of the risks for district-owned laptop computers and other covered electronic devices. Each employee has the choice to register for this Electronic Device Repair and Replacement program.
- Sign up for EDRRP in ICE – the Information Center for LPS Employees
- Questions? Contact LPS Risk Management
Damage, Loss, or Theft (DLT)
All losses must be reported to risk management in a timely manner. Begin the process by putting in a help ticket & telling the Executive Secretary in your building about the damage, loss, or theft of your device. If you believe your laptop has been stolen, please contact the police immediately to file a report.
If your laptop would be away for repair for more than a full instructional day, you may be able to use a “loaner” laptop.
Laptop Health
Caring for your laptop is easier than it may seem.
There are things you can do to manage the health of your laptop. Turning it in for repair is super annoying for you, and we want to help you avoid that situation.
Here are some suggestions that will help you maintain a healthy device that works well for you, and the people who use this device AFTER you do!
You won’t like a dirty laptop.
When your laptop gets dirty, there are consequences. Trackpads stop working. Keys stick and make it hard to type. Sticky screens etch with dust scratches making things permanently blurry. Follow the guidance below to keep things clean and working as needed.
Normal Cleaning
To clean the screen, outside, or keyboard on your laptop:
- Shut down the computer and unplug the power adapter.
- Dampen a soft, lint-free cloth (microfiber is best) with water only.
- Use the dampened cloth to clean the laptop’s screen, shell, and keyboard.
BE CAREFUL:
DO NOT spray liquid directly on the computer.- DO NOT allow moisture in any openings.
- DO NOT use aerosol sprays, solvents, abrasives.
- DO NOT use cleaners containing hydrogen peroxide.
Is it EXTRA dirty?
To clean hard-to-remove smudges or fingerprints on the display or exterior of your Mac, you can use a cloth moistened with a 70-percent isopropyl alcohol (IPA) solution to gently wipe the display or enclosure of your Mac laptop. Do not allow moisture in any openings.
No water in your bag
When you put water in the same bag as your laptop, you are courting disaster. Water bottle lids leak, and they tend to “sweat” with condensation. These are death sentences for a laptop in the same bag. Please leave water bottle OUTSIDE of your laptop bag.
Don’t cover the keyboard
Many laptop shells come with a “FREE!” silicone keyboard cover. DO NOT USE THIS COVER! Modern Apple laptops do not have a fan, and rely upon free air movement around the keys to cool off. A keyboard cover will cook your laptop inside!
No stickers are allowed on LPS devices
After you spend 3 years with this device, it will have a second use in our district. If you want to adorn your laptop with stickers, purchase an inexpensive shell (discussed above) and apply the stickers to the shell.
User Logins
LPS employees log into this laptop as themselves by entering their LPS user name and password.
You will be held professionally responsible for any violations of LPS Board of Education Policies while you are logged into any LPS device.
Never give anyone your LPS password for any reason. This includes family members or help desk employees.
Set up your new laptop
Printers
If you find yourself needing to add or remove a printer instructions for doing that can be found here, along with all copying, scanning and faxing information you may need.
Mirroring or Extending your Screen
When connected to a projector or an external monitor, you can use the macOS key combination of [command] + [F1] to toggle your computer back and forth between “Mirrored” and “Extended” modes.
Display Preferences: scaled for display
The first time you connect to an Apple TV, you might notice the screen size/quality changes to match the projector’s screen. This may make everything on your laptop screen too small. Instructions to change this setting can be found here.
Zoom Setup
Instructions for setting up the Zoom desktop client for macOS can be found here. Be sure to follow the steps closely and sign in with the SSO option, or you may end up in a non-LPS account.
Zoom notifications live in two places:
1) Apple > System Preferences > Notifications > Zoom.us
2) Zoom Settings > Chat/Team Chat > Check “Show unread message count for channels”
Moving Your Apple Music Library
If you were syncing your Music folder on your old laptop, you can move those files to your new laptop and continue to use Apple Music with local files.
Adobe Creative Cloud
There are some roles in LPS that need access to Adobe Creative Cloud apps. If you are one of these people, use the Creative Cloud Installer found in Mosyle to download the individual apps you need. Then use the instructions below to sign into them.
Helpful System Settings
General- Desktop & Screen Saver
- Display Settings
- Battery/Energy Saver
- Keyboard Settings
- Finder Preferences
“Screen Recording” Preferences
Due to Apple’s increased security, many applications will need permission to “record your screen” in able to properly work. Zoom, MyVRSpot, WeVideo, PROXYPro, and many other legitimate tools will ask you to allow this, and it is safe to do.
Most of the time, these tools will offer a button to click that will take you directly where you need to be in order to allow these permissions. If not, you can find here:
- Click the Apple Menu in the top-left of the screen
- Choose System Preferences
- Click Security & Privacy
- Click the Privacy tab along the top of the window
- In the left menu, scroll down and choose “Screen Recording”
- Place a checkmark beside any tool that you recognize as a tool you use. Scroll up and down to see all available tools listed.
- Close the window. Some apps may require you to quit & restart the application.
Google Drive for Desktop
Computing Services has installed a tool called Google Drive for Desktop on your LPS computer. This utility syncs your LPS computer’s files to your LPS Google Drive storage.
This strategy allows you to keep some files on your computer but have them safely and securely backed up, preparing you in case of “technology disaster” or moving to a new laptop.
Setting up Drive for Desktop
Please be sure that Google Drive for Desktop is set up and working on your teacher laptop. This includes identifying the places on your laptop (like the Desktop or Documents folders) that should be mirrored to your Google Drive storage. Follow the instructions below to log in and begin keeping your computer and your Google Drive in sync.
When you move to a new laptop…
When you receive a new laptop from LPS, you will still have access to any files from your previous laptop that were included in your previous Drive for Desktop setup. They can be found online.
- Visit LPS.org keyword: PORTAL
- Sign into your LPS account
- Click Google Drive
- In the left menu of Google Drive, click Computers, as shown below.
You can access these files at any time. If needed, you can download them to your new computer.
If you have a situation where you need to move all of these files to your new computer, they can be dragged from the old computer to the new computer in the Google Drive web interface shown above. Contact the Help Desk for assistance.
File Storage Strategy
No two of us have the same data storage needs. However, there are “cloud” based storage options in LPS which should eliminate the need to keep most files on your laptop at all. The following ideas might be helpful for you as you move away from local storage.
Productivity / Work Documents
Word processing, spreadsheets, slides, PDFs, and any other type of file can live in Google Drive (Even if they were created in MS Office.). If you use Chrome, you can simply open Google Drive and drag files right into your browser window to upload them to Drive. So quick and easy!
Videos
Video files can also be kept in Google Drive, but LPS also has a tool called MyVRSpot for managing video files. It has some features that Drive does not when you are working with videos. Find it in the LPS Portal.
Photos
Again, Google Drive can store photos, but you might appreciate knowing that Google Photos offers LPS staff (not students) unlimited storage for most photos. It can be used with your LPS Google account (@class.lps.org) for storage and sharing of your work related multimedia content. Find it in the LPS Portal.
macOS Dock Setup
When you first receive your new laptop, the Dock will not be setup the way it was on your old computer. See the information below to configure your Dock to meet your needs.
Remove Unwanted Apps
- Click and hold on the unwanted app
- Choose Options > Remove from Dock
Add Folders
- Click on Finder in your dock (blue face logo)
- Locate the Applications and Downloads folders
- Control-click on a folder
- Choose Add to Dock
Convert Folders
- Locate the new Applications or Downloads folders in your dock
- Control-click on it
- Under Display as, choose Folder
Add Applications
- In the Go menu, choose Applications.
- Drag any apps into a spot on your dock, as desired.
Some suggestions:
- Chrome
- Manager
- Zoom
Additional Software
Self-Serve Software (Mosyle Manager)
Depending upon your role in LPS, you may have a reason to have software applications on your laptop that other LPS employees may not need, or be licensed to install. In an effort to get the right software to the right staff members, LPS offers a way to install your own software, on your LPS computer, using a tool called Mosyle Manager.
The software available through Mosyle Manager is curated by Lincoln Public Schools. It will only show the software that LPS makes available to optionally install on your LPS laptop.
Mac App Store
The Mac App Store is Apple’s way to purchase, download, and install software made specifically for your Macintosh computer. You can use it if you choose to, but know that use of the Mac App Store requires an Apple ID, which is not procured, administered, known, or supported by LPS.
iCloud (Apple)
Do not store LPS work product in iCloud Drive or iCloud Photos. iCloud is not an LPS-supported nor endorsed solution for file storage. iCloud is Apple’s cloud syncing and storage solution in which they afford you a small amount of space for free with any Apple product; to use more advanced features requires a subscription.
Google Chrome
There are many good web browsers, and we have installed Chrome, Firefox, and Safari (Mac) or Edge (Windows) on your machine so you can use whichever tool meets your needs in a given situation. However, we are encouraging teachers to use Google Chrome as their default browser for a number of reasons.
If you are new to Chrome, you may not realize there can be an extra click when printing. This page will show you the “Print using system dialog…”
If you are struggling with an issue related to Chrome (password saving, broken login, etc.) or are interested in ways to make your use of Chrome more elegant, this LPS page may offer the ideas or solutions you are seeking.
For general information and help using Chrome, visit the Chrome Help Center, or contact the LPS HelpDesk.
Sync Your Data
Google Chrome users should make sure their LPS profile is syncing. Follow these simple steps to sign in with your LPS Google Account:
- At the top right of the window, click the
button (or the image you’d previously selected for your account). - Click Sign in to Chrome (or Turn on Sync if you’d been previously synced).
- Enter your LPS Google account address (username@class.lps.org) and click Next.
- Sign into the LPS Portal on the next screen.
- Verify it is your @class.lps.org account and click Continue.
- Select Link Data.
- Select Yes, I’m in.
Bookmarks, history, passwords, and other settings saved with your account will automatically sync.
Software Updates
LPS computers receive software updates, security patches, anti-virus definitions, and inventory updates on a regular basis. You are expected to run all available updates as soon as possible (without impacting instructional time.)
Microsoft Office
Not having a copy of MS Office installed on the laptop will not prevent teachers from being able to view existing MS Office files. There are a number of strategies for interacting with MS Office files on your teacher laptop without having MS Office installed. Learn more about them here.
LPS recognizes there may be situations where teachers have a defined business or curricular need for having MS Office installed on their teacher device. If you feel that this applies to you, LPS makes MS Office available for download by staff members. Instructions can be found here.
Updated September 9, 2024
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