Technology Requirements

Students are expected to have a working computer with a webcam, microphone, and high-speed internet access.  In general, any computer (laptop or desktop) that is less than five years old should work fine.  We strongly suggest using a computer, instead of a mobile device, for completing course work.  Specific guidelines include:

Operating System

Windows 7 and newer
Mac OSX 10.10 and newer
Linux – chromeOS

Internet

Minimum of 512kbps speed
Use of the most recent versions of the Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer, Edge, or Chrome browsers.

Computer Speed

Use a computer five years old or newer when possible with at least:
1GB of RAM
2GHz processor

​Course-Specific Requirements

Some courses have additional technical requirements; this is particularly true for computer science courses.  Any additional technology requirements will be listed on the Resources List, distributed before the start of classes.

Technical Support

One Schoolhouse offers limited technical support.  Students who have questions about the computer hardware they plan to use, or are having issues with software required for their classes, should contact the One Schoolhouse office at (202) 618 3637 or help@oneschoolhouse.org for assistance or for advice on what technical support might be needed either at school or at home.  If a student encounters a hardware problem, the student is encouraged to have the issue assessed by either the permanent schools’ technology department or an outside computer support service.

Internet Access

Prior to the start of the class, students should confirm internet accessibility.  This is especially true for students who plan to access the course from outside the United States at any point.  Our Learning Management System (LMS) is user-friendly, but internet signal strength and the reliability of the internet service provider/virtual private network do matter.  One Schoolhouse teachers cannot modify expectations or reformat videos if a students’ internet access does not support streaming, downloading, or uploading to or from our platform.  The LMS times out with a slow internet connection or an intermittent Wi-Fi signal.  If the internet connection drops, unsaved work will be lost, videos will not stream, and images will not load.  It is especially important that students take tests in a place with a strong Wi-Fi signal that is not particularly susceptible to interruptions.  Questions about internet access should be directed to the One Schoolhouse office. 

Responsible Use of Technology

Responsible use of the online system materials, including the access and use of the One Schoolhouse Learning Management System, is vital to the health of the school, and violation of any of the following policies may result in discipline, up to and including, dismissal from the class and/or ban from further participation in future One Schoolhouse classes.  In general, users are responsible for:  (1) reporting policy violations promptly to school administrators; (2) cooperating with school staff members when policy violations are suspected or confirmed; and (3) behaving courteously, ethically, and legally.

  • Copyright laws applying to software, papers, reports, and all written materials need to be observed carefully.  Users must cite the source of any text, photo, or video that is not their own.

  • Users shall not intentionally seek or provide information on, obtain copies of, or modify data files, programs, or passwords on the One Schoolhouse systems.

  • Users agree to respect the privacy of other users.  Attempting to gain unauthorized access to private information is a breach of ethical standards.

  • Students must not share their account or password with others and must not attempt to gain access to other users’ accounts.  A username and password may be used only by the person to whom it is assigned, and that individual is responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of that password.  Students are expected to create passwords which are unique and not easily guessed.

  • It is unlawful for users to represent themselves as other users in any form of computing activity, including all forms of electronic communications.  Similarly, users may not engage in anonymous or pseudonymous electronic communications when used by a student to dissociate the student from responsibility for their actions.

  • Communications that would be improper or illegal on any other medium in a school environment are equally so in an electronic format.  Capturing, transmitting, viewing, or publishing electronic content deemed by school administrators to be obscene, offensive, threatening, abusive, harassing, unethical, illegal, or otherwise disruptive to the Schools’ learning environment is prohibited, regardless of the manner in which it is captured or shared.

  • Exercise caution when using social media.  Under no circumstances post or share content that refers negatively to members of the School community by name or inference.  If school administrators determine that a violation of this policy poses a material disruption to the Schools’ learning environment, they may take disciplinary action.

  • In using and accessing the technology, users shall abide by all policies set forth by One Schoolhouse, including, but not limited to, those set forth in this Handbook and any other policies provided to said users as part of their coursework and Orientation, which may be provided from time to time at the sole discretion of One Schoolhouse.