In Fairfax County, we have a committee that reviews applications. They post the approved applications on our Digital Ecosystem Library.

Many parents worry about the amount of time their children are spending on devices. Time is one consideration, and the content and features of media they’re using are important, too. The steps below will help families discover high-quality media. They will also help parents learn what to look for and discuss with their children before using a new app, game, or service.

Step 1: Make a list of the games, apps, or media your children want to use.

Step 2: Use reviews to learn about the game, app, or media. The following two sites provide information about what is in a game, app, movie, or online service. 

• Common Sense Media Reviews help parents find age-appropriate apps, games, movies, music, and TV shows. They also provide information parents need to know.
• Parents' Ultimate Guides help parents understand the apps and websites their children might be using.
• Entertainment Software Ratings Board Reviews provide a rating and what is in the game or app.
• Terms of Service: Didn't Read has bullet points of Terms of Service (TOS). The full TOS and privacy policy can contain age restrictions and should be skimmed.

Step 3: Consider the following questions to help you make a decision

• Can your child communicate with people they don’t know while using the app, game, or service?
• Is the app, game, media, or service age-appropriate and is there questionable content?
• Does the tool or service use location services?
• Can your child buy additional features, also known as in-app purchases?
• Can they publish text, photos, or videos publicly or is there live streaming?
• What information is collected about your child and who can they share it with? 
• Who owns the content your child posts or shares?
• Does the app, game, media, or service reflect your family’s values?

Step 4: Decide if your child has the maturity and self-regulation skills to use it in a safe, responsible, and ethical manner?

Step 5: Establish expectations and consequences. Tell your child about any parental controls you plan to use. Be consistent about expectations and consequences.

FCPS content filters are applied to all FCPS devices. Parents and families who would like to limit access to individual websites at home should consult with their internet service providers to learn about content filter features on their home/personal networks. 

Our Digital Citizenship team has compiled a collection of links to media reviews, parental controls, and other information to introduce a new device for your child. 

The websites below can be used to learn more about the parental controls offered by the products and services used by your family:

• Comcast / Xfinity
• Cox Communications Parental Controls
• Verizon Smart Family
• Verizon Home Router Parental Controls
• Amazon Kids+
• Apple Families (Macs, iPhones, iPads)
• Google's Family Link - FCPS G Suite accounts can be added to Family Link, however, FCPS cannot provide support for Family Link. For more information, go to the Google Support Site.
• Microsoft Family Group (Windows, Xbox Games and Android Phones) 
• Gaming Systems Parental Controls (PlayStation, Nintendo)

Customizable Device Contract for Families
When your child reaches that important milestone where they get their own personal or school issued computing device, an important step is to talk with your child about expectations for use in your home. Use the suggested guidelines to help make sure that you and your child are on the same page and use the customizable form to outline your agreed-upon expectations.

Family Media Agreement: K-5
When your child begins to use the Internet, it is important to have a conversation about when and how they use it and what they use it for. This Family Media Agreement is one tool you can use to support this conversation.

This FCPS PDF contains advice on how to find a media balance, which can be helpful when writing a device contract with your child.

Arabic

• Device Contract (Arabic)
• Family Media Agreement K-5 (Arabic)
   

Chinese

• Device Contract (Chinese)
• Family Media Agreement K-5 (Chinese)
   

Farsi

• Device Contract (Farsi)
• Family Media Agreement K-5 (Farsi)
   

Korean

• Device Contract (Korean)
• Family Media Agreement K-5 (Korean)
   

Spanish

• Device Contract (Spanish)
• Family Media Agreement K-5 (Spanish)
   

Urdu

• Device Contract (Urdu)
• Family Media Agreement K-5 (Urdu)
   

Vietnamese

• Device Contract (Vietnamese)
• Family Media Agreement K-5 (Vietnamese)

View here.

• Cartoon Network: Stop Bullying. Speak Up videos
• Talk to Your Kids advice from the Feteral Trade Commission
• Kids and Socializing Online advice from the Feteral Trade Commission
• Cyber.org Cyber Safety video series
• Net Cetera: Chatting with Kids About Being Online pamphlet

1. Use your student's ID number as their Username. Each student should know their own password - sometimes teachers keep a list depending on grade level.
2. When the login screen comes up, put in the ID number and password.
   
3. Look for the desktop icon that says "Schoology". It's a white square with a blue circle and a black S inside. Double click to open it. How can I get there without the icon?
4. Log in again using the same username and password that you used in step 2.
   
5. On the top menu, choose "COURSES".
   
6. Click on the course titled "Homeroom".
   
7. On the left hand menu, Zoom should be near the bottom of the list. If you get a message that says "Authorizaiton", click "Approve". Then click the link to join the Zoom session.
   

1. Make sure you have registered for a ParentVUE account. 

2. Parents should call or email Dana Vaughn in the main office (703-714-6400) to request a letter with an activation code be sent home.

3. Then, parents can follow these steps to set up the  ParentVUE account.

4. Visit lms.fcps.edu (or click the Schoology button on the top of this page).
    

5. Then, use the same username and password that you set up for your ParentVUE account. See these directions as a video.

6. Look for your name in the upper right-hand corner. Click the drop-down arrow to see your student name(s). Click on whichever you'd like to see that account - a green checkmark will appear next to the account you are viewing.
   

7. You will know you are viewing your child's account because a light blue bar will appear at the top of your screen. The below picture is parent vs student views.
   

8. On your parent account, you will be able to view the All Parents: Lemon Road course, view student activity, student submissions, and upcoming or overdue assignments.

Parent Account Notifications

To check your parent view settings, ensure you are looking at the “parent view” of your account–click the drop-down arrow to the top-right of the Schoology page and make sure there is a green check mark by your name. Then, from the same menu, click Settings.

Navigate to the Notifications tab, where you will find settings for Academic, Group, School, and Personal sections. These are the "blanket" settings for your parent account and will affect all alerts from any of your associated student accounts. Adjust these to your liking, then press the Save Changes button at the bottom of the page. 

Students will access their Zoom links in their homeroom course and the all-school course. Use the Logging In to Schoology and Zoom (Students) instructions above to access these materials.

Please ensure students are logged into their school Google Workspace accounts before accessing Zoom.

1. Access drive.google.com
2. Check the upper right-hand corner of the screen
   1. If the student is signed in, you should see their avatar or initials in either of these two places
      
   2. If someone else is signed in, click their avatar and either select the student from the list or "add account"
      
   3. When asked for an email address, make sure it's the student ID/[email protected] as pictured above (ex. [email protected])
   4. The password is the student's main password
3. Snow Day procedures review and the direct link to the All School course can be found in each homeroom course in a pink folder labeled Virtual Snow Day
   
4. In the All School course, there are technology help videos for students
   
    

1. Click the Zoom invitation link.
2. Check the box next to “Always allow myfcpsk12.zoom.us to open links of this type in the associated app” and click Open.
   
3. If you do not have Zoom downloaded or do not want to download Zoom, click Join from Your Browser.
   
4. Allow Zoom to access your microphone and camera. You can do this at any time by clicking the Lock in the URL bar.
   
5. Type your name in and click Join. Sometimes a teacher will have already input your name and you will just need to click Join.
6. If you get a pop-up, select Join with Computer Audio.

1. Find either the Breakout Rooms icon (a) or click on “More” and then “Breakout Rooms” (b).
   1. 
   2. 
2. After clicking on Breakout Rooms using either option above, a window will pop up. Find the room you want to join and select the blue Join on the same line.
   
3. You may switch breakout rooms as often as you would like with this same process.