Set Up a Chromebook

Were you one of our first Samsung Chromebook users?

If you received a Chromebook from us in late spring / early summer and signed in with your personal Gmail account, click here to request an appointment with us to convert it to a RCS-enrolled Chromebook. It should take about 20 minutes.

RCS-enrolled Chromebooks

If you were received a Chromebook in June or later and signed in with your Riverdale Gmail account, you're enrolled. Congratulations! Keep going.

Absolutely necessary steps:

1. Turn on your Chromebook using the power button to the right of the keyboard. It's the small silver one.
2. Sign in to your Chromebook using your RCS username and password.
3. If you're asked to, select an image for your user profile.
4. Ensure you're on the RCS-Community Wi-Fi network.
   1. Click the status tray at lower right (it has the time and your avatar photo).
   2. If you see "Connected to RCS-Guest," click it, select RCS-Community, and enter your password.
5. Next update it by following these instructions (in the "Check for updates yourself" section). Click Done when finished -- no need to wait there.
6. While you're in settings, check out some of your options. Under "Touchpad settings" you can reverse your scrolling direction (Chromebook calls this "Australian scrolling"). "Google Now cards" and "OK Google" might be useful.
7. When your Chrome OS update is ready, you'll see an alert in your status tray. Restart your Chromebook to install the update. Again, instructions are here.

Optional but important additional steps:

1. Once updated, you should be able to use the Google Play Store in order to test Android apps. You'll see it open when you log back in.
   1. Click Agree, wait for it to run an update, and then browse our apps.
2. Next start learning about Chrome OS with these links:
   1. Google's Chromebook tutorials
   2. 11 tips (Geek.com)
   3. 10 tips (Gizmodo)
   4. And search Google for "Chromebook tutorial" if you want more.
3. Definitely Chrome OS keyboard shortcuts by pressing ctrl+alt+?.
   • alt+[ , alt+] , alt+- and alt++ are alt-awesome, and there are an alt-ton more.
   • Trust us, you won't figure them out unless you use ctrl+alt+?.
   • (Note: the above shortcuts mean you hold alt and press the key after the +.)
4. Try out our awesome Chromebook workflows! We've tested thoroughly this summer and have built a number of methods for getting things done on a Chromebook. Go here.
5. Start looking for great apps that we can use in the fall. Browse via this link since you can't install until we authorize new apps. Then request authorization of apps via Tech Support request. Some to try:
   1. OneNote (for, um, notes) Google Keep (also for notes) (it's already installed) Schoology (for integrated audio/video posting as well as status tray notifications) Explain Everything (for whiteboard recording) AirDroid (for file transfer between Chromebook and laptop)

Find other useful Android apps Lirbi Reader might be a good e-reader (especially if you're named Jason Curry... Jason, check out Musician mode!), but there are a ton more. What else might you need? If you're a Math teacher, you need to try the Geogebra apps. English and History teachers might be fine with Xodo (link above) for document annotation, but there are plenty of other options to try. Science, you say? See whether any of these 10 or these 14 suit you. And finally, everyone should browse the Google Play store -- or just do a Google search for "android app" plus your discipline or course.

Don't forget about the stylus.

And finally, share your learning in our Schoology group "Professional Learning at RCS." That's a REQUIREMENT. We're all going to learn from each other this summer, whether we like it or not. :) Special bonus: you're already a member.