You can use the Web Gradebook on a Mac, a PC (Windows), or even on a Linux computer. You simply need the following:

- A web browser (Firefox, Safari, Opera, Flock, Internet Explorer, etc.)
- Java 1.5 or higher*
- An active Internet connection

*To have Java 1.5 requires that you have:
- A Mac running OS 10.4 (Tiger) or 10.5 (Leopard)
- A PC running Windows XP or Vista
- An up-to-date distribution of Linux

(I have run the Web Gradebook on all three of these operating systems this year.)


So, how do you know if you have a computer that meets these requirements?

On a Mac, go to the Apple symbol in the upper left corner of the screen. Click on it and go to “About this Mac”.



The Operating System is listed in the About this Mac dialog box (see the rectangle in the picture below).




On a PC (Windows), go to “System” under the “Control Panel”.



In the System dialog box, the operating system version is listed right near the top (see the rectangle below).




So, which computers at school can I use?

Each school has a lab that is complete with 30 Mac Minis, which look like those below.



All of our schools have iMacs like those pictured below (though the new iMacs are a glossy aluminum (silver) color.



In addition, in the elementary schools, there are about 10 iBook G4 laptop computers that can be used with the Web Gradebook. In the middle schools, the PCs in the Tech Lab can also be used if the correct version of Java is loaded on to to them (like those below).




So, now you can go access the Web Gradebook!