Remain vigilant against online scams and phishing attempts

Just a little reminder, ’tis the season for on-line shopping…which also means ’tis the season for on-line scams.

Remember – Stay Vigilant:

1. If it looks too good to be true…it probably is.

2. Never type in your email address and password (or any other information) unless you are 100% sure it’s ok. If in doubt, stop, and ask questions.

3. Be careful downloading applications that promise awesome savings/gift cards or other such silly stuff…..(see #1).

4. Amazon doesn’t give away $500 gift cards just because they like you, or for filling out a survey (same with Walmart… see #1 ).

5. If there is ANY doubt in your head……submit a tech service ticket. We’d much rather spend 30 seconds answering your ticket than reimaging your laptop and seeing you upset and/or taken advantage of.

6. Don’t click on FedEx / UPS / USPS links in emails that come out of the blue …..  and if you do follow a link…remember # 2
(FedEx / UPS don’t need your Credit Card number or your Social Security number to verify your identity and shipping address.
Some of the emails the scammers send are *pretty* convincing, and they make them seem urgent, so pay attention and be EXTRA aware when dealing with any email about packages).

7. READ and LOOK at emails before you do anything…is the grammar just a little “off” ? Is the graphic kind of cheesy looking ? Who is the email from (does the address match who the person says they are)?

8. Some of the scammers have started setting up web sites that look very real / legit…but they are selling items at 1/4 the going rate…… do some shopping…is anyone else in the world selling the item that cheap ?….(see #1 )

9. Microsoft (or other computer companies) will NOT call you if your computer is having issues. They also do not have random Internet pages pop up telling you that your computer needs work.

10. If you have even the slightest doubt…. you can always just copy the text of the email into a google search. If it’s a scam, you’ll usually get lots of hits.

Happy holidays. Let’s be careful out there.

Beware of Phishing

REMC December free PD opportunities

REMC December courses

Give yourself the gift of learning during the holiday season with a REMC course

Treat yourself to a REMC December course!  Our professional learning is the best way to beat the winter blues and enhance your classroom learning in the new year. This month, our courses include tips to help struggling readers, ways to improve critical thinking through coding and how to lead a culture of change in your school …just to name a few.

Registration deadline is Thursday, December 1st, each course begins on Monday, December 5th. Through the support of REMC SAVE’s vendor partners, all courses are FREE and there are no SCECH fees. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to learn, connect, collaborate and grow with REMC courses.

Check out December courses:

Register by Thursday, December 1st. You will receive a welcome email with the course login and other information prior to the course start date. If you have questions or need further assistance with your course registration, please click here.

BrainPop’s December Teacher’s Lounge

BrainPop Dec Lounge

Highlights in the BrainPop’s December Teacher’s Lounge

  • Kick off Computer Science Education Week and Hour of Code on December 5 with movies and learning activities–including coding projects–to inspire students in these essential 21st-century skills.
  • Calling all teachers! Learn ways to integrate Hour of Code into your instructional plans — no coding experience required! Join us for BrainPOP Connect on December 5 for free, live virtual programming to kick off CSEdWeek.
  • Explore wintry topics to help teach your students how different creatures (including humans!) adapt and celebrate the change in season.
  • Live Brainpop

screenshot BP

BP Dec

Computer Science Education Week 2022

CS Week

Computer Science Education Week 2022

This year computer science week is December 5-11, 2022.  Computer Science Education Week week is an annual call to action to inspire k-12 students to learn computer science, advocate for equity and celebrate the contributions of students, teachers and partners to the field. Computer Science Education Week is held annually in recognition of the birthday of computing pioneer Admiral Grace Murray Hopper (December 9, 1906). One way to celebrate Computer Science week in your classroom is by participating in the Hour of Code!

What is the Hour of Code?

The Hour of Code started as a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify “code”, to show that anybody can learn the basics, and to broaden participation in the field of computer science. It has since become a worldwide effort to celebrate computer science, starting with 1-hour coding activities but expanding to all sorts of community efforts. Check out the tutorials and activities. This grassroots campaign is supported by over 400 partners and 200,000 educators worldwide.

Why computer science?

Every student should have the opportunity to learn computer science. It helps nurture problem-solving skills, logic and creativity. By starting early, students will have a foundation for success in any 21st-century career path. See more stats here.

How do I participate in the Hour of Code?

Start planning here by reviewing the how-to guide from hourofcode.org.

View activities on https://hourofcode.com/us/learn

View resources from Code.org: 

  • NASA’s Space Jam: Create a solar system that really rocks! Program planets to make music, creating your own musical solar system, complete with spacey melodies.  Appropriate for grades 2 and up.
  • 3D Space Invaders: Code the classic Space Invaders game in 3D while learning about the basics of game development, including fundamental programming concepts like loops, conditionals, and keyboard events. Appropriate for grades 2 and up.
  • Minecraft Escape Estate: Solve puzzles to escape from Dr. Breakowski’s mysterious mansion in the new Minecraft Hour of Code: Escape Estate. Use coding and computational thinking to unlock secrets, open trap doors, and reveal hidden clues! Appropriate for grades 2 and up.
  • Maps: In this universe, different maps are the backdrop for fun challenges with vehicles that obey your programs. To win, you will have to interpret each map and program not only the movements, but adapt to the unexpected! Appropriate for grades 9 and up.

Check out our blog for featured unplugged activities, lesson plans, virtual field trips, and more!

View Resources from Tynker: 

It’s called Coding Cup. Tynker for Schools’ parent is sponsoring FIFA World Cup 2022, and this gives students a chance to code their own team and engage with students all over the world.  You can join two LIVE learning events around Coding Cup!

*First* – Join the FREE Web PD for Wayne County Teachers 

In this FREE 60-minute webinar, explore Tynker’s brand-new collaborative coding experience that lets students control their own soccer team! In this webinar, educators will create their Tynker classrooms, enhance their own soccer skills with Tynker, compete in matches, and discover more CSEdWeek activities!

Register Here: gotyn.kr/MI_CSEdWeek 

Date: Dec. 1st

Time: 3:00pm ET

Recorded? (for all registrants)

*Second* – Add CodeLab on Tynker LIVE: Coding Cup to Your Calendar 

Like last year’s NASA events, we broadcast LIVE Webcasts called CodeLab: a live learning show for students, hosted by Tynker Teachers, which includes a LIVE walk-through of the Coding Game/Activity during CSEdWeek.

Register Here: evt.to/aiiaheshw 

Date: December 6th

Time: 2pm ET

Recorded? (for all registrants)

View Resources from Google CS First

Now it’s even easier for your students to learn coding. This year, students will find all the instructions to create the project within the activity – so no more switching between a video tab and the code editor. In addition to step by step instructions embedded in Scratch for CS First, they’ll also have access to hints, highlights, and text-to-speech features for help along the way.

They’ll be coding in no time.

Blocked Websites

Lately, we have received a few tickets about blocked websites. Please keep in mind that certain websites may not be blocked for teachers, yet are blocked for students. As far in advance as possible before starting a lesson with students that involves an online activity, please confirm that a student can successfully get to the website and the activities you hope to use with them on the site. If the site/video/activity is blocked you can submit a tech ticket to request that it be unblocked. Keep in mind that we have different access permissions set at our three grade levels – elementary, middle and high – and you should confirm with an account of the same level as your expected lesson audience. So for example, if you teach middle school students, but have an elementary student at home, testing a site on their account may not be an accurate picture of access for your middle schoolers.

Related Notes:

  • Some YouTube videos must be approved before students will be able to view them (see this blog post on how to approve)
  • Google Sites from domains other than P-CCSk12.com are blocked for elementary students. If you submit a ticket well in advance, the tech department may be able to get a copy of the site to place in our own domain, provided it is not a Google site of a personal Gmail account.

PCCSK12-Staff wireless network change to occur December 5th

change coming

In the advent of increased cybersecurity threats to educational institutions and at the insistence of our firewall support team, the P-CCS Technology Department will be adjusting access permissions for devices connected to the PCCSK12-Staff wireless network. This network was established so that staff could connect their personally-owned devices to our district network. P-CCS does not own or manage these devices, therefore, we have limited ability to monitor or protect them from digital and online threats. By restricting the access of personally-owned devices to internal network resources, we can significantly reduce the chances of potential equipment and data compromise.

Starting December 5, 2022, devices connected to the PCCSK12-Staff network will only be able to access the internet; access to internal network resources, such as network drives and printers, will no longer be permitted. Network drives and printers will only be accessible to district-owned devices on the PCCSK12-Devices or PCCSK12-Secure networks. We recognize that this may be an inconvenience for some, but it is a necessary step to help secure our district network equipment and data.

If you are impacted by this change and need assistance with accessing internal network resources, such as network drives and printers, from your district-owned device, please submit a service ticket.

Happy Thanksgiving and a Housekeeping Request

Happy Thanksgiving

We hope you enjoy your Thanksgiving break! Before you leave Tuesday afternoon…

WOULD YOU PLEASE SECURE ALL VALUABLES in the classrooms and office spaces you inhabit. This includes laptops, document cameras, Apple TVs, remotes, and interactive pens.

Further, if it is equipment you handle, would you please make sure all iPads and Chromebooks are in their carts and those CARTS ARE LOCKED and plugged in before leaving.

Finally, would you please also POWER OFF any of the following equipment, if it is equipment you handle:

  • projectors
  • sound amps
  • SmartBoards
  • desktop computers
  • monitors
  • printers

THANK YOU for your cooperation.

Tech break checklist

Highlights from the November Google for Education newsletter

Google for Edu November 2022

Check out Google for Edu’s latest monthly newsletter HERE. Some highlights are noted below.

 

National Disability Awareness Month
October is National Disability Awareness Month, a time for us to highlight helpful innovation for and with people with disabilities. We’re highlighting updates to features that are built into ChromeOS and Workspace to help students learn in the way that works for them, and helpful apps and extensions from Texthelp and SnapType.

More accessible

Give Thanks with Applied Digital Skills
Teachers – celebrate Thanksgiving with the Applied Digital Skills lesson Show Appreciation with Google Slides. In this lesson, students express appreciation for someone by creating a digital card using Google Slides.

Give Thanks

Arts & Culture: South African Creativity
“I Am Because You Are” is a celebration of South African creativity, community and craft. Learn about customs and rituals, take virtual tours of museums, discover early art and explore decorative crafts.

I am because you are

Learn with Google Arts & Culture
The learning pages on Google Arts & Culture have had a refresh, with new content, menus for each subject page and a new lesson plans / resources page. For inspiration and some cool, expert content check out Learn with GA&C now.

Arts and Culture

Looking for past issues of the Google for Education newsletter? Find them below, and sign up to hear from Google for Education.

2022 Newsletters

2021 Newsletters

Need Canvas Help?

image of Canvas help menu

Canvas is an important learning tool in our district. We hope that you continue to find it a valuable teaching and communication tool. If you are new to the district or have questions come up about it, we want you to be aware of several resources that are available to you.

First, click the “Help” icon on the Global Navigation Menu. For general and common questions try searching the Canvas guides. If your problem or question is unique and specific to your situation you can chat online or call the Canvas Support hotline. You can be connected with a support agent that can help you almost immediately.

image of Canvas help menu

If you would like to slowly browse resources, please check out our resources at the P-CCS Tech website, https://tech.pccsk12.com/canvas-lms/

If you are instructional staff working on meeting your PD expectations, please note we have a number of courses including the following listed below (all of them are 3 hours) that can help increase your understanding of how to use Canvas effectively available for you in the Catalog. https://catalog.pccsk12.com/

  • Canvas 1.0 (new)
  • Canvas 2.0
  • Canvas 3.0
  • Canvas in the Face to Face Classroom
  • Simplify and Streamline your Elementary Classroom with Canvas (new)

As always, please submit a tech ticket if you have any questions. https://links.pccsk12.com/helpdesk