To ensure a successful Echo launch and implementation, please review this document to ensure that your users are able to fully utilize the online tools employed by New Tech Network schools. Note that these requirements and recommendations may change over time and NTN may require the assistance of your organization’s IT staff in the future to ensure that staff and students enjoy continued access to products and services available for NTN schools.
Echo's data protection and security overview
Echo provides a robust data protection and security. Please see the attached document or review this link for more information.
Echo Privacy Policy
New Tech Network is committed to maintaining your personal privacy. Please review this link for more information.
Accessibility and Echo
Agilix is dedicated to making Echo accessible.
Echo's HTML editor
Echo uses Froala Editor for HTML and rich text editors. In order for it to work properly your browser needs to:
- Allow sites to save and read cookie data.
- Enable local storage of cookie data.
In Chrome, you can do this by visiting: chrome://settings/content/cookies and enabling the following settings:
- Allow sites to save and read cookie data.
- Keep local data only until you quit your browser.

Audio/Video specifications
Echo maintains a 50MB upload limit per file. We recommend uploading files that are no longer than three minutes in length regardless of the file size.
Audio recording works with the following browsers:
- Google Chrome (latest 2 versions)
- Recording in Chrome is only supported when using a secure protocol; make sure your URL uses "https://" and not "http://".
- Google Chrome for iOS (latest version)
- iOS requires you to use the file upload option, and the OS manages the recording.
- Google Chrome for Android (latest version)
- Mozilla Firefox (latest 2 versions)
- Microsoft Edge (latest 2 versions)
- Recording in Edge is only supported when using a secure protocol; make sure your URL uses "https://" and not "http://".
- Apple Safari for iOS (latest version)
- iOS requires you to use the file upload option, and the OS manages the recording.
Supported audio upload formats: .mp3 (mpeg) , .mp3 (mpeg3), .oga (ogg), .wav (wav)
- Uploading formats other than those specified may work, but only the formats listed above are supported by the Echo team.
Audio records in mono.
Video recording works with the following browsers:
- Google Chrome (latest 2 versions)
- Recording in Chrome is only supported when using a secure protocol; make sure your URL uses "https://" and not "http://".
- Google Chrome for iOS (latest version)
- iOS requires you to use the file upload option, and the OS manages the recording.
- Google Chrome for Android (latest version)
- Mozilla Firefox (latest 2 versions)
- Apple Safari for iOS (latest version)
- iOS requires you to use the file upload option, and the OS manages the recording.
Supported video upload formats: .mp4 (mp4), .mpg (mpg), .ogv (ogg), .mov (quicktime), .webm (webm), .flv (x-flv), .m4v (x-m4v), .avi (x-msvideo)
- Uploading formats other than those specified may work, but only the formats listed above are supported by the Echo team.
Video records with 320P resolution and a frame rate of 10 frames per second.
Customizable icons in Echo (Font Awesome Pro)
In some places, Echo allows you to customize your icons using options from Font Awesome Pro. When setting up custom icons, prefix Font Awesome icon names with `fa-` and one of the following styles:
- 'fas' for solid style (e.g., `fas fa-ambulance`).
- 'far' for regular style (e.g.,`far fa-ambulance`).
- 'fal' for the light style (e.g., `fal fa-ambulance`).
- 'fab' for all brand icons (e.g., `fab fa-aws`).
Data limits
Experimental features
Experimental features in Echo let our users try out some of our new, innovative tools before we officially release them.
As we develop new features, user feedback is invaluable in helping us understand how well those features work for their intended purpose. When we can gather and implement this feedback early in the process, the features are far more likely to delight our users when they’re officially released.
Using experimental features does not constitute a license to use any of them in perpetuity. Experimental features are subject to change or to be removed from the platform. Some experimental features may not be free-to-use when generally released. Every attempt will be made to give sufficient notice of major changes, unless an experimental feature is found to be disruptive to the user base as a whole or negatively impacting critical systems. If you have specific questions regarding any experimental features, please contact Echo support.
We value and appreciate our active community of Echo users, and thank those of you who are willing to participate in these experiments and help influence the future of learning.
Echo Staff Training Guidelines
When transitioning to a new Learning Management System, it is important that schools adequately train and support users and implement a plan that insures this occurs.
Considerations when developing your training and support plan:
- Each school should have 2-4 staff members designated to be able to quickly answer questions and provide support to others on their campus. It is recommended that these staff members get additional training in the Echo Admin Tool.
- Each school should continue to seek training for the Echo 101 and Echo 201 courses for teachers. This allows schools to implement a self-paced virtual introduction to Echo and have some guided support throughout the first semester.
- The Echo Help Desk is available for all staff to search for answers as they explore Echo. It includes step by step documentation. There is also an NTN Echo YouTube playlist that can be subscribed to.
Echo Administrator Responsibilities
Each New Tech school is required to have a user that is accessible to their staff during normal business hours who is trained in Echo troubleshooting and maintenance. Echo staff provides training for administrators during the New Tech Annual Conference (NTAC) each year. For new schools, it is imperative that an Echo Administrator be hired and/or identified before this conference and be available to attend the training.
Echo Administrator Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
- User account management (Imports/Exports for account creation, inactivation, cleanup, password resets)
- Course Creation and management
- Course Enrollment and management
- Google Apps Administration (Optional)
- Integrations with SIS
- Providing user support for Echo and handling incoming staff, student and parent help requests (This ensures timely responses to your staff to have trained on-site support)
- Generating reports for Echo grade data (when requested by on-site staff)
- Interfacing with Echo support for issues requiring further attention
Echo Administrators are preferred to have prior experience with computer troubleshooting and support. To ensure Echo runs optimally, the Technology support staff (IT) must maintain a commitment to delivering maximum up-time and proper functioning of the school LAN, district/organization WAN, and related technologies. This includes providing responsive desktop support for staff and students and verifying that all segments of the network between the classroom and the Internet connection are performing optimally.
District/Organization Network Requirements
Service Description | IP Address | Hostname | TCP Port & Protocol |
---|---|---|---|
Echo | N/A (multiple) | *echo-ntn.org | 443 / 80 (TCP) |
http://s3.amazonaws.com, *.agilixbuzz.com, *.httponly.brainhoney.com, *.brainhoney.com, *.google.com (WRT Google Docs) | |||
Echo (ftp) | ftp.agilixbuzz.com | 21 (TCP) |
|
Google Apps | N/A (multiple) | mail.google.com*, google.com/calendar*, docs.google.com*, drive.google.com*, sites.google.com* | 80 (TCP) & 443 (TCP) |
Google Talk | N/A | talk.google.com* | 443 (TCP) & 5552 (TCP) |
Skype | N/A | Outbound-only | 443 (TCP) |
Zoom | N/A (multiple) | *.zoom.us, *.cloudfront.net | 80, 443 |
Zendesk Echo Help Center | N/A | guide.zendesk.com |
The table includes configuration information needed to ensure the proper functioning of sites and software typically used by NTN. Please verify that the IP addresses and hostnames listed are unrestricted by any network security devices on your LAN/WAN. All ports listed are outbound only.
The following websites are required to run the Echo application. If you have firewall restrictions, these websites should be whitelisted.
- Echo LMS (e.g., *.agilixbuzz.com or custom URL)
- Echo API (e.g., api.agilixbuzz.com or API URL for a self-hosted environment)
- MathJax (cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/mathjax; if you want MathJax to be used in course content)
**note - Google Talk, Skype, and Zoom are used by New Tech coaches to communicate with school staff and are only necessary for teachers/staff users only (not students).
Site Infrastructure Requirements
- Ensure that you have sufficient bandwidth to support all current applications in addition to the NTN Echo platform. NTN recommends that your bandwidth usage not currently exceed 75% of capacity during peak hours. A general minimum guideline is 3Mbps bandwidth per 100 users.
- Modify any configurations in district networking hardware/software (firewalls, proxies, content filters, etc.) to ensure the services listed in the above table are available for users at your school.
Device Requirements
Echo relies on browser compatibility more so than the operating system used. However it is highly recommended that both device and browsers are current to today's manufacture requirements to run any application.
While Echo can be accessed by iPads, tablets, Touchpads, etc. we recommend that students, (especially middle and high schoolers) have access to a keyboard for extended typing. Schools should invest in keyboards.
PC (Windows) |
Apple (Mac) |
Chromebook (ChromeOS) |
Apple iPad Devices (minimum 1024px width using Safari or Chrome) |
Netbooks and Tablets (minimum 1024px width using Chrome or Edge) |
Browser Requirements and Configurations
Browser Requirements
Echo supports the following browsers please ensure all browsers are running the most recent updates. For the best Echo experience, keep your browser updated. Although your browser should prompt you to install updates as they arise, you can ensure you're using the most current version by downloading and installing the most recent release.
- Google Chrome (latest 2 versions)
- Mozilla Firefox (latest 2 versions)
- Apple Safari (latest 2 versions)
- Microsoft Edge (latest 2 versions)
Screensize: Minimum width of 1024 px
Browser Configurations:
- Enable Cookies: Echo relies on cookies to store the user's security token
- Enable Popups: Echo makes use of popups to inform users of certain actions.
Echo's Security Model
Echo is constantly being improved based on the feedback from users and we strive to keep our documentation up to date. If this document doesn't match what you are seeing in Echo, please let us know.
Comments
0 comments
Please sign in to leave a comment.