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New Providence Middle School

NPMS Technology

Welcome from the Technology and Information Services Department

The middle school technology and media center staff are very excited to begin a new school year with your students. Each new year we seek to create innovative learning environments by providing the most current tools and resources for teachers and students. In addition, we provide teachers with training on meaningful ways to integrate technology effectively with our digital learners.. Below, is a brief explanation of technology tools and resources available to students at NPMS. At any time during the school year, please feel free to contact our building technology specialist, Jim McGeechan at jmcgeechan@npsdnj.org if you have any questions.

iPads in the Classrooms
The Middle School continues to support teachers and students a technology-rich environment. Beginning this year, the middle school students will work in a 1-to-1 environment and be able to take their iPads home.  (In order to take the iPads home, parents must pay the insurance fee.) Teachers and students use technology tools to collaborate, communicate, conduct research, create digital content, organize materials, save data, take tests, and otherwise demonstrate their learning and develop skills in a variety of ways.

Apps in our Classrooms

The iPad apps included in September on every classroom iPad support teachers and students include Google Chrome, Google Classroom, Google Drive, ConnectED, Explain Everything, GarageBand, Geoboard, GeoGebra, Green Screen, iMovie, Inspiration, Safari Montage Video, ShowMe, and Socrative. During the school year, teachers will add apps to iPads that support their individualized unit lessons.

Google Tools for MS Students

G Suite for Education continues to be a successful part of every students’ success at New Providence Middle School. The G Suite of productivity tools help students and teachers interact seamlessly and securely across devices. Students will be using the following Google Apps as their basic tools to support everyday learning:

  • Google Drive Creation Tools: Docs, Spreadsheets, Presentations, Draw
  • Google Drive Assessment Tools: Forms
  • Google Calendar and Google Drive Folders: Organization Tools
  • Google Maps, Google Earth, Google News and Google Translate
     

Links: Video- Introduction to Google G Suite for Education

          Website - Support for all Google G Suite for Education Applications

Google Classroom 

Google Classroom streamlines assignments, boosts collaboration, and fosters seamless communication to make teaching more productive and meaningful. Teachers and students can work anywhere, anytime, and on any device. Classroom seamlessly integrates with other Google tools and helps educators refresh their curriculum with integrated education apps. Please ask your child to give you an overview of their Google Classroom dashboard.


Links: Video - Google Classroom Student view
 

Our Media Center

The NPHS/NPMS Media Center is an important aspect of the educational program at New Providence Middle School. It provides a wealth of information and technologies to the students, staff, faculty and community. Our media specialists, Mrs. Nagle and Mrs. McGraw provide daily and ongoing support to all middle school students. Seventh-grade students receive an orientation to inform them of Media Center materials, procedures and resources, as well as lessons on copyright and plagiarism.

Links: Document - NPMS Media Center Fact Sheet

         Document - Online Databases with passwords 2018-2019

Technology Support

Technology support specialists, along with our building media specialists are dedicated to the school, its teachers, and the tools the students use. in the classroom. Members of the technology department work with teachers and students to troubleshoot hardware and software every day. Students may reach out to Mrs. Andersen or the media specialists through email to request technical support.

Parent Website Accounts for District Website (Blackboard, formerly Schoolwires)

Parents and guardians of New Providence students in grades Pre-K through 12 can receive a Schoolwires parent account. By obtaining a Schoolwires account, parents will have the ability to log-in and view information not available to the general public. Once you are sent an email with your Schoolwires username and password, you can login to the website and access information. Please Note: It is not a Powerschool Account and will not provide access to a child's grades.

  • Each primary guardian will receive their Schoolwires username and password via an automated email.
  • Any parent or primary guardian who finds that they need to create a new parent account or verify their Schoolwires account information can email Sandra Andersen at sandersen@npsdnj.org
  • If a parent/primary guardian would like to change their password, they can login with the username and password they received via email and click on the "Access My Info" tab in the top right corner of the screen.

Here are the types of information that you can view with a parent Blackboard/Schoolwires account:

  • Media Center Database usernames/passwords - for the convenience of providing access at home for students.
  • NPMS Club Information
  • NPMS Daily Announcements
  • Itineraries for class trips ie. music trips, STEM competitions

Online Safety at NPMS

Middle school students today need to learn about Internet safety. With social media, malicious websites, and phishing scams all over the Internet, middle school students need to learn how to keep themselves (and their loved ones) safe from digital threats. Throughout the year, our teachers, guidance counselors and media specialist provide instruction on digital responsibilities, digital citizenship, and online research.

Link: Website - Navigating the Online Environment with your student

Technology support for students throughout the school year is available. Please ask your students to email Mr. McGeechan at jmcgeechan@npsdnj.org