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Location & Contact Details

Office Hours

Monday – Friday
7:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Address:

West Catholic High School
1801 Bristol Ave NW
Grand Rapids, MI 49504

Events Calendar

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iPad Tutorials

Sometimes we all need a little reminder on how to do certain tasks and sometimes we need some tips on how to troubleshoot a problem. Below are some helpful How To and Troubleshooting tutorials on frequently asked questions.

How-To Videos/Guides

Submitting Assignments in Canvas

The video and examples in this section show how to submit assignments in Canvas.  Please note that some types of assignments require different processes for submitting them correctly, so be sure to use the steps for the type of assignment that you are submitting.

The examples in this section will cover:

1)  Overview of how to Submit Standard Canvas Assignments (Video Example)
2)  Instructions on how to Submit PDF’s and Image Files (Step by Step Guide)
3)  Instructions on how to Submit Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides (Step by Step Guide)
4)  Overview of how to use Canvas Studio to submit Videos (Video Example)

How to Submit Assignments (All Types)

Please note that when submitting a pdf or image file that you should always save the file to your iPad files area first and then attach the file to your Canvas assignment using the steps shown.  (Attaching directly from your Google Drive can cause submission problems for these types of files.)

Steps for Submitting a PDF or Image File

When submitting a Google Doc, Google Sheet, or Google Slide Presentation, use the Google Drive (LTI) option in Canvas to submit.  Use the steps shown here.

Steps for Submitting a Google Doc, Sheet, or Slide

Canvas Studio is a tool built into Canvas that allows users to upload videos that were created on their iPad.  Watch this video to learn the process.

Using Canvas Studio to Submit Videos

Introduction to Google Meet

Watch this video to get an introduction to Google Meet.

 

Logging In To Infinite Campus Student

Infinite Campus is the one app that doesn’t use the customary Google account login, watch this video to see how the login differs. You’ll need your Student ID and Password for this account.

 

Adding Additional Email Accounts to iPad

To add an email account to your iPad, follow these instructions.

Downloading and Opening Books On Your iPad

Some classes will have digital books or pdfs that can be downloaded from the Jamf Student App on your iPad.  To download a book, simply open the app, click on Resources, and click Get on the book needed.  After downloading the books / pdfs, they can be found in the Books app on your iPad.  Watch the video to see the entire process.

Using Notability

Notability is a great app for scanning documents, taking notes, recording lectures, and marking up or annotating worksheets.  Watch these videos to learn more about some of the helpful tools found in Notability.

Using Notability to Scan Documents

 

Recording a Lecture While Taking Notes with Notability

Troubleshooting Tips

How To Get My iPad On The Internet

To successfully connect your iPad to the Internet outside of school, you will need to follow these steps:

1)  Find an available network service or hotspot device (Xfinity, AT&T, etc.) to join
2)  Connect to the available wifi network using your in your iPad.  A password for the home wifi network will likely need to be entered.
3)  Sign-in to iBoss (West Catholic’s Internet Filter) 

The detailed instructions and images on the right side of this page will help to show the correct steps for getting connected. 

Additionally, there are some instructions below to help with troubleshooting if you have any problems getting connected.

Connecting to WiFi

Your chosen WiFi network will have a blue check mark next to it if you have connected to it successfully.

To login to iBoss, first click on the iBoss icon on your iPad.  Next, enter your login information in the following format:

       Username:  [firstnamelastname]

       Password:  [your password]

       Domain:  WCHS

Signing Into iBoss

The first step of getting online is clicking on the iBoss icon on your iPad.

The next step is to login to iBoss.  Below is a video that explains how to login.

If you have followed the steps above for getting online, but you still cannot get connected, try the Troubleshooting Tips listed here.

Troubleshooting Tips

1. Try powering off your iPad and starting it up again.  Then retest your connection.

2.  Check if the device that you use to connect online is an AT&T Hotspot.  Certain models of AT&T Homebase Hotspots need a special profile installed on the iPad for them to successfully login to iBoss.   Email:  [email protected] if you have an AT&T Homebase Hotspot.  The support team will coordinate to get the special profile installed on the iPad.

3.  Confirm if other devices in the home are able to connect to the Internet successfully via WiFi.  If they are, then confirm that the steps for connecting to the WiFi and iBoss (at the top of this page) were successfully completed.

4.  Put your iPad into Airplane Mode and then take it back out of Airplane Mode.  This will act to clear any cached network information that may be giving you trouble.

5.  If no devices in your home are connecting online properly, this could mean that either the wireless router in your house has an issue, or possibly your service provider is having an issue.  Checking the lights on your router may indicate if the Internet is down.  Rebooting your router by powering it off and back on (or by unplugging it) may be a good test to see if the Internet comes back up.  After powering it off or unplugging it, wait about 30 seconds and then power back on the device.  If the Internet does not come back up, you should check with your service provider to see if there is an outage or if possibly your home service or hardware needs attention. 

6.  If it is possible to test the device on a network outside of your home, this can also help to determine if the problem is with the network or the device itself.  If the iPad connects properly on other networks, it is likely not an iPad issue.  If the iPad will not work on any outside network, then possibly the device needs IOS updates, or possibly it needs additional measures taken by the West Catholic Technology Support Team.  Email:  [email protected] for additional assistance.

Problems Logging Into Or Opening Canvas

Canvas uses Google authentication to sign-in.  Therefore, when you sign-in to Canvas you will use your Google email address as the Username and your Google password as the Password.  If it will not let you login, try these troubleshooting steps.

Troubleshooting Tips

1.  Confirm that you are connected to your home WiFi and that you are signed into iBoss (See the Troubleshooting Tip about How To Get My iPad on the Internet if necessary)

2.  Confirm that you are logged into your school Gmail account and not a personal account.  Remember that Canvas auto-signs into Google based off of the Gmail account that is currently logged in on the device, so if that is a personal email or a relative’s email it will cause an error. 

3.  Confirm that you are accessing Canvas with the iPad shortcuts provided on the iPad or by clicking on the link to Canvas from the WC website:  https://www.grwestcatholic.org/students  Sometimes auto-suggested shortcuts made by your web browser will not sign you in properly.

4.  Confirm that you can login to Google successfully.  If you cannot get into your Google account properly, then you will also not be able to get into Canvas.  If you cannot access Google files or Gmail, you will want to confirm that you are successfully connected to the Internet and iBoss first.  (See the troubleshooting tip about How To Get My iPad on the Internet if necessary)  Next, check your Google Mail account in your iPad setting to confirm that it is not prompting for you to take any action.  If you have recently reset your password it is possible that it will be prompting you to Re-Enter your password in the Mail Account Settings.  If so, enter your password then attempt to access Google and Canvas again.

5.  Try powering off your iPad and starting it up again.  Then retest logging into Canvas.

6.  If you still cannot sign-in to Canvas, try clearing your browser’s cache on the iPad using these steps:

a)  Go to the Settings on your iPad and scroll down to click on the Safari optio
b)  Once on the Safari tab, scroll down and click the Clear History and Website Data option
c)  Attempt to login to your Canvas account again

7.  Confirm your iPad is up to date with IOS updates.  Download any updates that are available.  Remember that your iPad will not work properly if it is too far out of date, each update contains valuable fixes to problems.  To update your iPad: click on the Setting icon, Click on General, Click on Software Update, and click to Install Updates.

8.  If you have attempted all Troubleshooting Tips and the iPad will still not login to Canvas successfully, then possibly the device needs additional measures taken by the West Catholic Technology Support Team.  Email:  [email protected] for additional assistance.

Getting Into Google Meet

To join a Google Meet you will first need to click on the Google Meet app and login into your Google account.  Your Google Username is your email address and your Google password is the password you have set. 

After opening the Google Meet app and logging into Google, you will click the button to Join a Meet.  Next, you will enter the Meeting Code for your class.  The Meeting Code will always be the last name of the Teacher of the class.  (Exceptions:  Mrs. Nawrocki = lnawrocki  and  Mr. Nawrocki = tnawrocki)

Troubleshooting Tips

1.  Confirm that you are connected to your home WiFi and that you are signed into iBoss (See the Troubleshooting Tip about How To Get My iPad on the Internet if necessary)

2.  Confirm that you are logged into your school Gmail account and not a personal account.  Remember that Canvas auto-signs into Google based off of the Gmail account that is currently logged in on the device, so if that is a personal email or a relative’s email it will cause an error. 

3.  Confirm that you are accessing the Google Meet with a Meeting Code and not a link.

4.  Confirm that you are spelling the Meeting Code (teacher’s last name) properly. 

5.  Confirm that you are in the correct meeting at the correct time of day.  (Otherwise you may not find anyone else in the session)

6.  Double-click your iPad home button and swipe away the Google Meet App to close it entirely, then go back to your Google Meet App and attempt to connect again.

7.  Confirm that you can login to Google Drive and Gmail successfully.  If you cannot get into your Google account properly, then you will also not be able to get into a Google Meet.  If you cannot access Google files or Gmail, you will want to confirm that you are successfully connected to the Internet and iBoss first.  (See the troubleshooting tip about How To Get My iPad on the Internet if necessary)  Next, check your Google Mail account in your iPad setting to confirm that it is not prompting for you to take any action.  If you have recently reset your password it is possible that it will be prompting you to Re-Enter your password in the Mail Account Settings.  If so, enter your password then attempt to access Google and Canvas again.

8.  Try powering off your iPad and starting it up again.  Then try connecting to a Google Meet again.

9.  If you still cannot sign-in to Google Meet, try clearing your browser’s cache on the iPad using these steps:

a)  Go to the Settings on your iPad and scroll down to click on the Safari option
b)  Once on the Safari tab, scroll down and click the Clear History and Website Data option
c)  Attempt to login to your Canvas account again

10.  Confirm your iPad is up to date with IOS updates.  Download any updates that are available.  Remember that your iPad will not work properly if it is too far out of date, each update contains valuable fixes to problems.  To update your iPad: click on the Setting icon, Click on General, Click on Software Update, and click to Install Updates.

11.  Delete the Google Meet App and then reinstall the app from Self-Service on the iPad.  This will force the app to pull any necessary updates when it reinstalls.  Then try to open the app again and reconnect to a Meet.

12.  If you have attempted all Troubleshooting Tips and the iPad will still not connect to a Google Meet successfully, then possibly the device needs additional measures taken by the West Catholic Technology Support Team.  Email:  [email protected] for additional assistance.

13.  If you are able to connect to a Google Meet, but you are periodically losing the connection, this is likely due to a slow home connection at that time or due to service provider issues.  For more information on connection speed issues, please visit the Slow Internet troubleshooting tip.

Gmail Is Not Working

To send emails on the iPad you will need a Google Mail (Gmail) account setup.  To setup a Gmail account on the iPad follow these steps:

1)  Click on the Settings App on the iPad
2)  Scroll down and click on the Mail option
3)  Click on the Accounts option and then click on Add Account
4)  Choose Google and then sign-in with your Google username (email address) and Google password
5)  Then Save the sync setting options.  (Click Save at the top)

If you already have an account setup, but other people are not receiving your emails, try these Troubleshooting Tips.

Troubleshooting Tips

1.  Confirm that you are connected to your home WiFi and that you are signed into iBoss (See the Troubleshooting Tip about How To Get My iPad on the Internet if necessary)

2.  Confirm that you can login to your school Gmail and Google Drive account successfully.  If you cannot get into your Google account properly, then you will also not be able to successfully send a message.  If you cannot access Google files or Gmail, you will want to confirm that you are successfully connected to the Internet and iBoss first.  (See the troubleshooting tip about How To Get My iPad on the Internet if necessary) 

3.  Next, check your Google Mail account in your iPad setting to confirm that it is not prompting for you to take any action.  If you have recently reset your password it is possible that it will be prompting you to Re-Enter your password in the Mail Account Settings.  If so, enter your password then attempt to open Gmail and send a message to yourself or someone that can confirm if an email message was received.

4.  Try powering off your iPad and starting it up again.  Then try logging back into Gmail and attempt to send a message to yourself or someone that you can confirm if an email message was received.

5.  If messages are still not being received, try clearing your browser’s cache on the iPad using these steps:

a)  Go to the Settings on your iPad and scroll down to click on the Safari option
b)  Once on the Safari tab, scroll down and click the Clear History and Website Data option
c)  Sign into Gmail and send a message to yourself or someone that can confirm if an email message was received.

6.  Confirm your iPad is up to date with IOS updates.  Download any updates that are available.  Remember that your iPad will not work properly if it is too far out of date, each update contains valuable fixes to problems.  To update your iPad: click on the Setting icon, Click on General, Click on Software Update, and click to Install Updates.

7.  Delete your existing Gmail Account, recreate it, and then test it again using these steps:
a)  Click on the Settings App on the iPad
b)  Scroll down and click on the Mail option
c)  Click on the Accounts option and then click on your current Gmail account
d)  Press the option to Delete Account
e)  Go back to the Accounts option (in Settings / Mail) and then click on Add Account
f)  Choose Google and then sign-in with your Google username (email address) and Google password.  Then Save the sync setting options. (Click Save at the top)

Next, try logging back into Gmail and attempt to send a message to yourself or someone that you can confirm if an email message was received.

8.  If you have attempted all Troubleshooting Tips and the iPad will still not send an email message successfully, then possibly the device needs additional measures taken by the West Catholic Technology Support Team.  Email:  [email protected] for additional assistance.

Slow Internet

Internet connection speeds can vary greatly depending on the service provider, the hardware being used, and even the location of your home. 

In most cases, our school cannot make your home connection faster, we can just help to find the best options for successful instruction and learning.  

The Troubleshooting Tips on this page can help you to understand connection speeds and your options.

Troubleshooting Tips

1.  If your Internet is working, but everything is loading slowly, it might be helpful to run a speed test on your Internet connection to better quantify how fast your network runs.  You can visit speedtest.net to run a free speed test or download the Speed Test App by Ookla from Self-Service on the iPad.  Then simply press the Go button and wait for the site to report back your Download and Upload speeds in Megabits Per Second (Mbps).  To give some context, a Comcast / Xfinity connection during peak hours might be something like:  Download speed:  150-250 Mbps  Upload Speed:  10-15 Mbps   (This can fluctuate greatly, but you can use this as a guage)  In contrast, a very slow connection download speed could be below 15 Mbps Download speed with even lower Upload speeds.  Download speeds are important for loading pages and streaming video Google Meets and upload speeds are important for sending information or submitting work.   If your home connection Download speeds consistently drop below 20 Mbps your device may have issues consistently maintaining a successful Google Meet or Internet connection.

2.  Increasing your Internet speed may be possible with hardware updates, newer hardware, or different service plans.  If you feel like you should be receiving faster speeds with your current Internet plan, you may want to check with your service provider to learn about your options. 

Often times providers will give free hardware upgrades over time.  Additionally, your provider should be able to tell you what speeds you should experience in your house.  If you do not reach those speeds they may help to troubleshoot any issues with your account.  Your provider should be able to:

  • Confirm if all equipment is working properly

  • Confirm if your equipment is current from a hardware / software standpoint

  • Confirm if there are any bandwidth or performance issues in your area

3. If your Internet speeds are preventing you from connecting to a Google Meet or Canvas, remember that any device that can get online can potentially connect you to coursework or online instruction.  (cell phone, hotspot, etc.)

Additionally, students without dedicated wifi access in their home can choose to work independently within our “MAK” student space on a daily basis if necessary. Students can also work from any available wifi network. Home wifi networks of friends and family or other free wifi networks are an option; however, during the current Covid-19 pandemic we would caution all students to limit their exposure to crowded and public spaces in the interest of their own safety.