Ready or not, the new school year is coming! Technology has long been an integral part of the Overlake experience and every year we find new and creative ways to better live the school's mission through the lens of technology. The Technology Program mission and vision have never been more important. Here are some important factors to consider for the new school year.

Review Device Requirements and Assess Home Internet

Since 2015, Overlake has required students to "Bring Your Own Device" (BYOD) for their work at Overlake. These devices are critical learning tools on campus and off. If you are purchasing a new computer for your student, please review our device recommendations and requirements. If you plan to buy a new device we recommend you not delay your purchase given global supply chain constraints. Please also assess your home internet connection - is it reliable? Does it allow you to accomplish what you need to do? This is particularly important in the event classes are remote for any portion of the school year as a result of COVID closures. A reliable home internet connection is critical to a positive learning experience.

Owl Technology Setup 

Every August the Overlake Technology team provides training and resources to new and returning students to orient students to the technology resources available to them, as well as the expectations for how to use them. 

All new students and ALL 9^th grade students are required to work through our New Owl Technology Canvas Course by August 24th, new 9th grade students should complete it before they attend ROOST orientation on August 15th or 22nd. New students can browse this course before they have Owl IDs, but must revisit the course once they receive their Owl ID to complete the required elements of the course. Returning Owls can also refresh their knowledge of Overlake's recommended technology setup should join and complete the same course. In this course, you can review setting up your Canvas notifications, installing Microsoft Office, running updates on your laptop, getting tech support, and more! Finding Success with Overlake Technology also gives a good overview of how students use a variety of technology tools.

Download Microsoft Teams App

In addition to the basic requirements of our device program, please ensure that students have also downloaded and installed Microsoft Teams on their laptops. Upper School students should also download Teams on their smartphones. Overlake employees will communicate with students using both Teams and Canvas messages as per our Online Learning Expectations. 

IMPORTANT - RUN UPDATES: If you already have Teams downloaded, please be sure you are running the latest version.

Technology Use Policy and Online Learning Expectations

The powerful technology tools that we expect our students to use come with great responsibility. To that end, our Technology Use Policy and Overlake Online Learning Expectations are meant to give students an understanding of how to use technology in a way that upholds the mission of The Overlake School.