Student Resources

Click on one of the links below for assistance:

• Student introduction to Odysseyware
• How to ask for help in Odysseyware
• Getting a Sharable Link in Google Drive
• How to upload from Google Drive
• Access Odysseyware

• Online Academy Course Catalog
• Students will have access to an on-site learning lab in the Media Center at Princeton High School at 807 8th Ave S, Princeton, MN 55371. The lab will be staffed by a licensed teacher and/or the POA Coordinator. In addition to the on-site lab, students are able to meet face-to-face with teachers virtually during lab hours and specified teacher hours.
• 2019-20 POA Handbook

Attendance is required of all students enrolled in Princeton Online Academy. In a traditional school, this is a straightforward process of counting the students in the classroom. At the Princeton Online Academy, attendance is measured more by demonstrated progression through lessons, as well as time logged.

Princeton Online Academy recognizes that the responsibility for student attendance belongs to the students and their parents/guardians in a partnership for overall communication and learning. The different responsibilities are as follows:

Student's Responsibilities:

• Students make adequate weekly progress (an increase of 8-10% or more per course per week).
• Students communicate questions, computer problems, and school struggles with their school counselor.
• Students attend all required in-person testing days in required locations.

Parents/Guardian's Responsibilities

• Parents/guardians ensure that the student is making adequate weekly progress.
• Parents/guardians provide the student with access to the necessary tools for student success.
• Parents/guardians inform the school in the event of an excusable student absence.
• Parents/guardians work cooperatively with the school and the student to solve any attendance problems that may arise and take an active role in supporting the student in course completion.

Princeton Online Academy's Responsibilities

• The school will monitor attendance, maintain accurate attendance records and apply attendance policies uniformly.
• The school will provide reports to parents and students concerning progress and inform students and parents/guardians of any attendance issues.
• The school will work cooperatively with students and their parents/guardians to resolve any attendance problems that may arise.

View the Princeton Online Academy Handbook which outlines the attendance policy and definitions in detail.

• Creating & Sharing Google Docs
• Logging In and Accessing Google Classroom and Google Apps
• Setting Up Your Gmail Account
• Uploading from Google Docs
• Using Odysseyware
• Chrome Speak Tutorial
• Hover Zoom Tutorial
• Microsoft Accessibility Tips
• MAC Accessibility TipsChromebook Accessibility Tips
• How the Student Inactivity Timer Works

If you need technical support you can reach our Helpdesk by calling 763-389-7253 during regular office hours (7:30am-4:00pm) or through email at helpdesk@isd477.org

Online Academy web-based courses are offered through Odysseyware, and are designed to work on modern browsers and operating systems. Most students will be able to access their courses using any computer that has a current web-browser and Internet access. Visit this website to see if your browser is up-to-date.

Students are expected to be competent at using the Internet including downloading and uploading files, email and Princeton Google Apps for Education (Gmail, Google Drive, Calendar, Google Classroom, etc). Princeton Online Academy will provide an @isd477.org email account for student/teacher communication and students are expected to use their email account as the primary method for communication.

For those without a compatible computer or device, Chromebooks can be loaned to students for use while actively enrolled in Princeton Online Academy. Families are required to sign the Responsible Use Agreement and Chromebook Protection Plan Option documents in Skyward before a device can be issued.
Devices will be distributed the first week of each trimester during Online Academy orientation. Please watch for Chromebook collection details in Student Access.

For those using personal devices, those with larger screens such as Chromebooks and iPads are good choices. Mobile devices with smaller screens such as smartphones or iPods will not provide the best experience and functionality necessary for Princeton Online Academy.

While high-speed home Internet access makes the experience of learning online much more satisfying, it is not absolutely necessary. Some areas of Minnesota unfortunately do not yet have high-speed access available. For those areas that have high-speed access available, however, it is definitely the preferred type of internet access for the program.

Princeton School District provides wireless Internet access at all face-to-face campuses and drop-in centers in Princeton, MN for students to use. If you are enrolling fully online (not supplemental) please take your access to Internet into account and plan for a backup (ie. going to a library, local business with free wifi, friend/relative’s house, etc) if you are unable to reach our drop-in center.

Princeton Online Academy also has Wifi Smart Spot devices available to Full-Time students who do not have internet service available at home.

Please contact the POA office at 763-389-6069 for details.

Hardware:

• A Macintosh computer running OS 10 or higher, or a PC-compatible computer, running Windows 7 or higher
• Microphone and speakers (or headset) providing Audio In and Out capability
• Internet connection (modem, cable modem, or DSL), 2 GB or more of installed RAM
• While we make every effort to make things accessible on all platforms, not all course content may be friendly on all devices.
• Click here for instructions to use your Chromebook offline.

Software:

• The primary software platform for Princeton Online Academy student creation will be web-based creation tools built into Google Apps for Education and Google Drive. Including Google Docs (Documents), Google Slides (Presentation) and Google Sheets (spreadsheets).
• Access to a locally-installed word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation software.
• A Web browser: FireFox v30 or higher, Chrome v36 or higher, Internet Explorer v9 or higher; can also be used to access online course materials. It is possible that under some conditions, browsers other than FireFox or Chrome may not provide full functionality. Safari is not recommended.
• If you use an iPad you may want to consider downloading the Chrome app.
• Keep your browser current to improve security and functionality.
• Web Conferencing Software: Typically we will be using the Link in the course if we need to connect for Virtual sessions. Other options may include: Google+, Skype, or Join.Me in order to share desktop in case assistance is needed.

Q: Why does my writer box not work?
A: Writer can be sensitive to many things, it’s important to remember that Writer is not available on all essay type questions. Here are some reasons and potential solutions:

1. Webpage may not fully load due to slow internet. If it’s a lesson refresh browser. If it’s a quiz or test do not refresh, refreshing the page will lock student out of the quiz or test.
2. Using out of date browser or browser that is not supported.
3. Caching issue in browser. To solve, clear cache in cookies.
4. If it’s a mobile device, it could be complications due to our application being designed for a non-touchscreen device. As a test you could try the essay on a PC or Mac.

Q: Why do I keep getting logged out when working on my assignments?
A: There can be several things that can cause this type of an issue including:

1. Using the back button in the browser or the browser interpreting you pressing the backspace key as you hit the browser back button. Do not use the back button in the browser as this can result in issues. Be mindful where you are clicked on the page to prevent this from happening
2. Using shortcuts, hand swipes, and navigational hotkeys can result in you going back a page or opening a new page. Touchscreen devices tend to have it set so that if you swipe a certain way it can cause you to go back. The same thing can happen with devices like Macintosh can have multi-finger gestures that can cause you to go back or navigate.
3. Signing in to multiple browsers, devices, or having multiple tabs open with your schoolwork can result in logouts and error messages. The application is designed to have you logged in only once, so if your account is accessed by you or others such as parents at the same time, you will likely be kicked off.

Q: I cannot upload my project. What can cause this?
A: Here are some reasons found that have caused this.

1. Slow internet connection which causes a timeout in when uploading file.
2. Incorrect file type or to large of file.
3. The question is skipped.
4. Essay questions on pretest are skipped by default.
5. If using an iPhone or iPad.

Safari browser: file must be saved to iCloud and have the setting turned on in safari.
Chrome browser: file must be saved to Google Drive and have Google Drive turned on in chrome settings

Q: Why am I getting Invalid Username/Password?
A: There can be a few reasons for this. Please check the following:

1. You are at the incorrect URL (web address) for your individual school. With our program, each school is provided a unique log in web address. These websites cannot be accessed through a search engine and must be typed manually into the address bar.
2. Our usernames and passwords are case sensitive. Ensure that you are correctly using all lower case for your the credentials. You may call tech support to verify the username and web address but passwords can only be changed/verified by the school you attend. You must contact them if there are questions about the password.

Q: Why am I unable to answer this question in my test or quiz? Why is it grayed out?
A: This question has been skipped by the teacher, you are not required to answer. Or this is a retake and the question was not reassigned.

Q: What do I do if I get Sorry an error has occurred when first logging in?
A: This is usually a result of not properly logging out e.g. closing the window without logging out first, refreshing the page, or clearing the history should resolve the issue.