Minimum Specification Requirement for Classroom |
Recommended Specification Requirement for Classroom |
Windows 2000/XP/Vista/Windows 7
Pentium III 1GHz processor
512MB RAM (2GB for Vista and 7)
40MB free disk space after installations
Soundcard with speakers and microphone or headset
512 Kbps Internet connection
Anti-virus and Firewall software
Microsoft Office 2003 (Office 2007 SP1 Required for 64-bit Windows Vista and all versions of Windows 7)
Internet Explorer 6 (Internet Explorer 7 for 3G modems)
32-bit Java Runtime Environment 1.5
Microsoft Media Player 9
Adobe Flash Player 9 and Adobe Shockwave 11
Adobe Acrobat Reader 8
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Windows XP SP3
Pentium III 1GHz processor
1GB RAM (Win XP), 2GB RAM (Win Vista or Win 7)
100MB free disk space after installations
Soundcard with microphone headset
Broadband Internet connection
Anti-virus and Firewall software
Microsoft Office 2003 (Office 2007 SP1 Required for 64-bit Windows Vista and all versions of Windows 7)
Internet Explorer 7 or higher
32-bit Java Runtime Environment 1.5
Microsoft Media Player 10
Adobe Flash Player 10 and Adobe Shockwave 11
Adobe Acrobat Reader 9
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The following instructions will guide you through the set up process. Please be aware that these instructions are designed to cover both home and school installations so not all sections will be relevant for you.
Known Java Issue
Please be aware that there is a known certificate error when using Accipio Learning with the latest Java Runtime Environment (JRE 1.6.15_B03). Anyone using this latest version will receive security certificate errors although the classroom will run correctly and safely.
Windows Versions
If you are using Microsoft Windows Vista or Windows 7 to run Accipio Learning, please be aware that it has only been tested and certified for 32bit versions of Vista or Windows 7.
MAC Support/Requirements
Although not mentioned in our minimum or recommended requirements, the Accipio Live and Library services will run and are supported on Mac systems provided that they are running at least OS 10.2 or above.
We would also recommend that the flash and shockwave plugins as well as Microsoft Office, or Mac or Open Office, are installed.
Content Filtering
Accipio Learning strongly recommends the use of Internet/Web Content Filtering software for all computers used by students due to the amount of time they have to spend online. This software is designed to prevent access to inappropriate material and can generally be configured by the parent/guardian to allow exactly what they want the student to see.
The better versions of this software work on multiple levels, on the text content, on the addresses and on the programs that are permitted to access the internet.
There are a number of “proxy” sites that are designed to bypass this sort of filtering by changing the addresses.
Adding the word “proxy” to the list of banned words will block the majority of these sites.
No content filter is fool proof, just as no internet security
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1a. Java Webstart
The classroom runs inside a Java environment. You will need to install the 32-bit Java environment (JRE 1.5) to access both live and archive lessons.
Go to http://www.accipio-learning.com/support_downloads2.html to download the plug-in.
The plug-in is 15MB so may take a few minutes to download. Once you have downloaded this, double-click on the file you downloaded to install (you will need to have administrative rights on the computer to complete the installation).
When installing we recommend accepting all of the default options.
After the installation has completed, you can check for a successful installation by looking for an icon named “Java Web Start” on your desktop. If you see this icon you have successfully installed Java.
Once you’ve installed Java we recommend you disable the Java updates. This can be done through the Java icon in the Windows Control Panel.
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1b. JavaScript
Some of our functionality will require JavaScript to be enabled in the web browser. Please ensure that you have JavaScript enabled. You can check this in the following way.
In Internet Explorer, click on the Tools menu and then Internet Options.
In the Internet Options screen, click on the Security tab.
Click on the Custom Level button.
On the displayed list, scroll down to the bottom and make sure that under the section “Scripting of Java Applets” that the option is set to “Enable”.
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2. Adobe Flash Player and Adobe Shockwave
Our login page for lessons and some of our content will require the flash player to be installed. Go to http://www.adobe.com/go/getflash to download the latest player. Once again, you will need to have administrative rights on the computer to complete the installation. Version 10 was initially released in October 2008.
Some of our lessons use additional online content which requires Adobe Shockwave. Go to http://www.accipio-learning.com/support_downloads2.html to download Shockwave.
The Shockwave installer is 12MB so may take a few minutes to download. Once you have downloaded this, double-click on the file you downloaded to install (you will need to have administrative rights on the computer to complete the installation). When installing we recommend accepting all of the default options.
You will not need to install any of the optional download toolbars that are offered with these items.
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3. Microsoft Office Professional
A number of our coursework materials are in Microsoft Word 2003 format. We recommend students have access to Microsoft Office 2003 Professional or higher. This is the version that includes Access, Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
For systems running 64-bit versions of Windows Vista or any version of Windows 7 we advise Microsoft Office 2007 with at least the Service Pack 1 update.
If you are having trouble obtaining a copy of Office for your student(s) you can always try Open Office as an interim measure. It is available to download from http://www.openoffice.org. If you are using Open Office you will need to set the preferences to use the Microsoft Office file types by default. Please note that you must run Open Office to complete the installation.
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4. Additional software that may be needed for some lessons
Some ICT and Maths lessons require the download and installation of LOGO and Logic software from the Softronix website. Just download and install the “Setup Kit” from each of these sites:
You will need to have administrative rights on the computer to install both of these pieces of software.
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5. File Type Settings
These changes are for Windows 2000 and Windows XP only.
Making these changes will ensure that Challenge Sheets all download into Word rather than opening in the middle of the Classroom. If you are setting up for a demonstration you may miss this stage.
You should make the following modifications for doc, ppt and xls files.
Double click on the My Computer Icon on your desktop.
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6. GOAL Assessment – Cookie Instructions
In order to fully access the GOAL Assessment Tests you may need to do a small amount of setup work on the student’s computer to allow cookies from the GOAL server.
Open Internet Explorer and allow the usual homepage to load.
Go to the Tools menu at the top of the browser window and click on Internet Options.
Click on the Privacy tab at the top of the box.
Click on the Sites button.
In the input box type goalsci.com and click on Allow.
Repeat for goalonline.co.uk and click on Allow.
Click on OK on the Internet Options box.
Close the web browser and open a new browser window.
Try to access the test again.
If the problems still persist the most likely explanation is that a pop-up blocker is preventing the test from launching properly.
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7. Pop-Up Blockers
Pop-Up blockers have been developed by many companies to reduce the number of adverts that pop-up on your screen while you are on the Internet.
The following items are known to contain pop-up blockers:
Windows XP (Service Pack 2)
Searching Toolbars (e.g. Google Toolbar)
Internet Security Software (e.g. Norton's)
Pop-Up blockers can interfere with the running of the Classroom, Online Challenges and the GOAL assessment tests. For this reason we ask that you add the following addresses into the allowed list on your pop-up blockers:
- www.insonoweb.co.uk
- classroom.insonoweb.co.uk
- v8classroom.insonoweb.co.uk
- library.insonoweb.co.uk
- logon.insonoweb.co.uk
- www.goalsci.com
- www.goalonline.co.uk
The following instructions are for the Windows XP Service Pack 2 Pop-Up blocker. Other blockers have different control methods.
Open Internet Explorer and allow the usual homepage to load.
Go to the Tools menu at the top of the browser window and click on Pop-Up Blocker.
A sub-menu will appear at the side of the main menu. If the Pop-up Blocker Settings option is greyed out the blocker is off. If you want to activate the blocker click on Turn on Pop-up Blocker.
When the blocker is on the sub-menu will look like this.
Click on Pop-up Blocker Settings
This window will appear. It lets you add addresses that the Pop-Up Blocker will ignore. Add the following addresses:
- www.insonoweb.co.uk
- classroom.insonoweb.co.uk
- v8classroom.insonoweb.co.uk
- library.insonoweb.co.uk
- logon.insonoweb.co.uk
- www.goalsci.com
- www.goalonline.co.uk
When you have finished click Close.
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8. Personal Firewall Settings
(Only required if you have difficulty logging into the classroom)
Students using their home computers will need to set their firewalls to permit all traffic to and from the following files:
- javaws.exe (or similar)
- IeEmbed.exe (this file will not be on the computer until after it has accessed the classroom)
- eLiveBrowser.exe (this file will not be on the computer until after is has accessed the classroom)
If the firewall allows filtering by website the following addresses should be set to permit all traffic to and from the computer:
- logon.insonoweb.co.uk
- www.insonoweb.co.uk
- classroom.insonoweb.co.uk
- v8classroom.insonoweb.co.uk
- library.insonoweb.co.uk
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9. LEA/School Firewall and Proxy Server Settings
(Only required if you have difficulty logging into the classroom)
While individual systems running firewall software will require the settings above in section 8, the following configurations may need to be made in School/LEA firewalls and proxy servers for access from within these environments, these changes must be made in all relevant infrastructure between the client and the internet:
Firewall (all connections are outbound from the client)
|
URL/Server |
IP |
Protocol/Ports |
logon.insonoweb.co.uk |
84.246.159.87 |
TCP 80 TCP 443 |
www.insonoweb.co.uk |
84.246.159.83 |
TCP 80 TCP 443 |
v8classroom.insonoweb.co.uk |
84.246.159.85 |
TCP 2187 TCP 8080 TCP 80 |
classroom.insonoweb.co.uk |
84.246.159.86 |
TCP 8080 |
Content Filtering |
Allow jnlp and jar files to be downloaded by the client |
All mime application type “x-application-java-file-jnlp” |
Proxy Servers |
The servers listed in the firewall section above will need to be added to the proxy server(s) proxy exclusion list(s). |
Internal DNS Resolution |
The servers listed in the firewall section above will need to be added to the Internal DNS Resolution list(s). |
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10. Useful software that is not currently required for Accipio Learning
Security is always a prime concern for people who are working online. We recommend all computers that are using Accipio Learning have up-to-date anti-virus, firewall and anti-spyware software installed and that scans are performed regularly.
If you are using Windows XP we recommend you ensure it has been upgraded to Service Pack 3 (SP3) and that the most recent updates have been installed. Microsoft release updates on the second Tuesday of the month in the US and these are usually available in the UK by the following morning.
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11. Adobe Acrobat Reader
Throughout our lessons we will point students at various educational resources that are online. Students may find it useful to have a copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader for viewing PDF files. The reader is available from http://www.adobe.com.
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12. Microsoft Internet Explorer
Accipio Learning lesson resources and challenges have been designed for Microsoft Internet Explorer
6 and above. Any customers using a 3G modem/data card for Internet access should upgrade to Internet Explorer 7 in order to make use of the drop down menus in the archives. When performing the update to IE7 you will need to apply all of the available patches for the software.
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13. Microsoft Windows Media Player
Some lessons make use of movie clips in either mpeg or wmv formats. We recommend Media Player 10 or higher is installed so that students can access them easily. This is available via Microsoft Updates if it is not on the computer already.
Some other media players may try to change the properties of the Windows Media Player which can cause problems with playback of our video clips. If you go into the options in Media Player you should see a File Types tabs. You should ensure the “Windows Media Audio File (wma)” and “Windows Media Video File (wmv)” are ticked.
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14. Screen Resolution
Some lessons will involve looking at software running the teacher’s computer. In order to be able to view this properly we recommend that the screen resolution is set to 1024 x 768 as a minimum for a standard screen 1280 x 800 for standard widescreen systems while 1344 x 768 is the minimum for 16:9 widescreens. A general guide is that the number of vertical pixels should be at least 768.
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15. Shortcut/Favourite
Some students find it easier to access lessons if they can use either a desktop shortcut or a link in their browser favourites list. Currently the best address to use for the shortcut is http://www.insonoweb.co.uk/.
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16. Testing the Classroom
If you are setting up a computer or network to be able to access Accipio Learning we can provide a test login for use on a specific day. Please call us on 0800 587 6064 where we’ll be able to give you a login immediately. This login can be used to test Live or Library access, but please do let us know what you are setting up for so we can talk you
through exactly what you are looking for.
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17. Getting to know the Classroom
We have a series of Induction Recordings available for students and mentors to use to become familiar with the way the online classroom works. They cover live lessons, archive lessons, challenges, trouble shooting and classroom guidelines. All students have access to the recordings that are relevant to them through their login to the Library.
To access these recordings go to http://www.insonoweb.co.uk/. When the login box appears type your username and password into the relevant boxes. Click on the drop-down arrow beside the word Live and select Library.
From time to time we change the look of our login page, but the labels by the boxes and on the buttons will always stay the same. |
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When you login you should see the drop down menu asking you to select a subject. You need to select Induction from the list that appears. |
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A drop down menu will now ask you to pick a course. Student logins will only show one of the courses, but our setup and test logins have access to both. Pick the course that matches what you want to look at. |
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A drop down menu will now appear underneath asking you to select a module. There is only one module available to you and this will be called Induction |
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A final drop down menu will ask you to select the topic. Pick Induction Recordings. |
The list of Induction Recordings will now appear below the menus.
Pick the recording you want to look at and click on the Lesson button for that recording.
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When this pop-up appears click on the underlined text. Ten seconds after you have clicked on the link this pop-up will close. |
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The File Download will open when you click on the previous link. Just click on the Open button and the recording will load. |
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If you have any difficulty in setting up your computer please call the Education Support Team on 0800 587 6064 or e‑mail them on education.support@accipio-learning.com. They are available during normal office hours Monday to Friday.
Copyright © Accipio Learning 2005-2010
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