Using your Surface

The questions we are asked most often, and what to do about each one.

Common questions

The things people ask us about most

If you are stuck on something that is not here, come and ask. The list changes as we hear from you.

Notes

OneNote

OneNote is your note-taking app now, and it is where your Notability notes were moved to. The two things people ask about most are how to file notes and how to get things into them.

Step-by-step walkthrough being recorded

Handing work in

Getting a photo of your work into Google Classroom

Taking a picture of work you have done on paper and handing it in. This is the single thing we are asked about most.

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Annotating

Writing on PDFs, worksheets and images

What Notability used to do. The part most people miss: when you put a worksheet into OneNote, choose Insert → File Printout, not File Attachment. A printout lets you write and draw straight over the page with your pen; an attachment does not. There is no tape tool, but you can draw over anything you want to cover and rub the pen strokes out when you want it back.

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Your timetable

Putting your timetable on your screen

A lot of people have asked about this, and the answer is no. We are not setting timetables as lock screens or desktop backgrounds. Keep a printed timetable instead — your Surface should not be out in the corridors so you can check what lesson is next.

The pen

The pen, and what its button does

How the pen attaches, and what the button on it is for. If the top of your screen does not respond to the pen at all, that is not something you can fix by changing a setting. Bring it to the IT Office.

Ends with A pen you know the shortcuts for, on a Surface set up your way

Flashcards

Quizlet

Quizlet runs in Google Chrome rather than as an app. Your Surface has a touchscreen, so it works in much the same way. You cannot swipe a card across, but you can tap the arrow underneath it. All of your flashcards are on your account and you can reach them from any device.

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Your notes

Notability, and where your notes went

Notability is an iPad app. It is not available on a Surface, so OneNote takes its place.

If you backed your notes up to OneDrive, the IT team have already moved them into your OneNote for you. That was done centrally. You do not need to import anything yourself.

If you cannot find them

  • Open OneNote on your Surface and look there first, before assuming they are lost.
  • If they are not there, come to a drop-in session or raise a ticket. Do not spend an evening importing files by hand.

Nothing is wiped from the iPad you hand in until October half term, so there is still time to check that you have everything you need.

Signing in

You do not need Authenticator on your Surface

Your Surface is already covered for multi-factor sign-in. When you use it for school email, files or websites, there is nothing extra to set up and no code to approve.

You only need the Microsoft Authenticator app if you want to reach your school account from a device that is not your Surface, such as your own phone or a computer at home.

Email

Your school email is in Outlook

Your school email has always been Microsoft. On the iPad you reached it through the Mail app.

On your Surface it lives in Outlook. Open the Outlook app, or go to outlook.office.com in Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge.

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Looking after it

Keeping your Surface working properly

A Surface needs updates, just as your iPad did. The IT team install them for you, but some of them need the Surface to be restarted before they finish.

Restarting regularly is the single most useful thing you can do. You can also check for updates yourself.

Setting up

Worth doing once, properly

None of this is urgent. Work through it when you have a spare ten minutes.

1

Sync your Surface with the school

Ends with A sync that finishes, and anything new from school appearing

2

Install the apps you need

Ends with An app you chose, on your Start menu

3

Make things bigger on your screen

Ends with Text you can read without leaning in

4

Keep the pages you use on your bookmarks bar

Ends with The page one click away, every time you open the browser

5

Open a Word file in Google Docs

Ends with A Word file editing in Google Docs

6

Use two screens

Ends with Your desktop across both screens, the way you chose

7

Connect to the classroom screen with Vivi

Ends with Vivi open and ready to connect to a classroom screen

If something is not working

Drop-in sessions

Lunchtime sessions run 21 to 25 September, every lunchtime between 1.30pm and 2.00pm, in C3 in the Brooke building.

Visit IT Support

You are welcome to come and see the IT team in the IT Office, opposite C3 in the Brooke building, between 7am and 5pm, Monday to Friday.

Raise a ticket

You can create an IT ticket at any time by emailing ICTHelp@godolphinandlatymer.com, and a member of the team will get back to you.

You do not need to have tried everything first.