Frequently Asked Questions: This page contains answers to common questions of students and parents.
What measures exist to keep my student off inappropriate websites?
In addition to constant adult supervision, our students are shielded from nasty websites by the presence of a hardware and software 'firewall'. The system effectively isolates our users from unwanted websites and prevents unauthorized access to our system from outside.Back to Top
Are the students allowed to use email services?
Absolutely not. We do not allow our students to use our network to access any public email service. Allowing the public at large access to our students via email could jeopardize student safety and undermine the overall security we provide at school.Back to Top
Are the students allowed to bring floppy disks to school?
Generally speaking, we discourage students from bringing their work to school on floppies since we cannot guarentee student floppies will be virus free. We prefer that students send their work to school via email. File attachments can be emailed directly to your student's teacher or to me at TIM.DEMCO@SAINTAMBROSEOFWOODBURY.ORG. File attachments are scanned for virus infections; floppy disks are not.Back to Top
How often will my student use the computer lab?
Kindegartens visit the lab every two weeks. First grade through eighth grade visit the lab once a week. All our teachers are welcome to schedule additional visits as needed.Back to Top
What happened to our dual operating systems?
During an emergency reconfiguration of the network in April, 2004, the decision was made to discontinue the practice of installing redundant operating systems on our computers. The decision was made to expedite reinstallation of business, school, and student software; to simplify the process of deploying software; and to conserve storage space on workstations and servers.Back to Top
Does Saint Ambrose accept computer donations?
On a case-by-case basis we determine the usefulness of the hardware. Sometimes we take it; sometimes we decline it. We accept hardware donations to enhance our resources. Donations that create special setup or troubleshooting challenges are refused, as are donations that would change our essentially uniform environment. We tend to be pretty selective.Back to Top
At what age do the students begin formal keyboarding?
We originally intended to begin in fourth grade, but the software we chose worked so well and the students used it so easily, we decided to launch the program in third grade, too. Our third through eighth graders now spend a portion of their time practicing keyboard skills.Back to Top
How aggressively do you teach keyboarding?
We teach keyboarding as a skill that comprises just a small part of technology training. We try not to hammer keyboarding to the point of discouraging student enjoyment of computers.Back to Top
What does kindergarten do in computer class?
The kindergarteners are taught to log into the network, log out of the network, use the mouse and keyboard to navigate the operating system, and learn basic reading and math skills in Bailey's Book House and Millie's Math House software. We allow them, essentially, to have fun with the software while learning to manipulate the programs and develop hand/eye coordination necessary to use the mouse.Back to Top
Can I donate software to my student's class?
You are free to donate software to classes, but we cannot install the software on more than a single machine since doing so would violate software licensing practices. Saint Ambrose can not use unlicensed software under any circumstances.Back to Top