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Montana Digital Academy Technical Requirements

Updated 08/6/2020

This page only specifies the minimum technical requirements for MTDA courses.  Some courses do require access to additional materials.  Please see the course catalog for details.

It is important that students have access to needed hardware and software upon beginning the course as assignment deadlines are firm.

The minimum requirements for hardware and software are as follows:

Windows PCs

Hardware: Please see the minimum hardware requirements for supported operating systems. Student experience will be substantially enhanced when the hardware is modern and equipped to support media-intense web pages and assets.

Software: Windows 8/8.1 (32 bit or 64 bit) or Windows 10 (32 bit or 64 bit).

** Windows 7 support ended on January 14, 2020.  MTDA longer supports Windows 7, as it no longer supported by either Microsoft or our vendors.

Browsers: Firefox (latest stable version), Chrome (latest stable version), Internet Explorer (version 11 only; earlier versions are no longer supported by Microsoft), and Edge (latest stable version).  Plugins: Java (latest version).

Mac PCs

Hardware: Please see the minimum hardware requirements for supported operating systems. Student experience will be substantially enhanced when the hardware is modern and equipment to support media-intense webpages and assets.

Software: Mac OSX version 10.9.5 or greater.

Browsers: Firefox (latest stable version), Chrome (latest stable version), and Safari (latest stable version). Plugins: Java (latest version).

Tablets and Smartphones

Due to the lack of multimedia and file handling support on mobile platforms, MTDA does not support any tablet or smartphone OS platform, including iPhones, iPads, Android Phone or Tablets or Windows RT devices. Some students report successfully completing classes in these devices, however, support and assistance are not available from MTDA for these devices.

Chromebooks/Chromeboxes

MTDA broadly supports ChromeOS devices for delivery of our online courses, however, districts utilizing this platform should note: First, please support your local students on completing common digital tasks on the platform, including utilizing Google Docs, Sheets and Slides to open, modify and then export documents in common formats (like RTF, .doc, .docx, .xlsx, .pptx, etc.)  We are not in a position to train your students on how to use their Chromebooks.  Second, please be sure that students feel empowered to access both technical staff and our help desk if they run into issues.

Exceptions: There are some courses that require Microsoft Office (for example, the Microsoft Office course or Introduction to Statistics).  The web-based Office 365 product is not functional enough to meet the Office requirements.  There are also some curriculum assets in math and science classes that require Java that is not supported on Chromebooks.  Coding and computer science courses also do not support Chromebooks.

General Software Requirements

In addition to a web browser (see above), students also need access to word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation software that is compatible with Microsoft Office.  Google Docs/GSuite for Education, iWork, and all forms of Microsoft Office should be sufficient.  Students need to be able to share their documents in DOC/DOCX/PDF format.

Individual Course Requirements

Due to the diversity of program offerings, many MTDA courses have unique hardware and software needs beyond the minimum standards. Those needs for specific courses are released with the updated catalog each August.

World Language Classes

All world and classical language programs do have specific hardware requirements to facilitate the necessary oral language components in the courses.  All students must have a computer and equipment that allow the student to listen to and record audio files.  Additional software may be required to record MP3 or WAV files.

Site Whitelisting

Districts should configure local filtering software to unblock sites on our public whitelist document (link).