Some Google for Education newsletter highlights

Google Arts and Culture

Stay Connected Over Summer Break with Applied Digital Skills
Our Stay Connected Over Summer Break Collection features engaging lessons that include creating a digital scrapbook, a vision board and much more. While on summer break, this collection helps students learn valuable digital skills while having fun!

Arts & Culture: Portland
Explore the history and culture of Portland in an extensive new resource launched in collaboration with 16 local cultural organizations.

Arts & Culture: Musical Canvas
Encouraging creativity through drawing and music: Musical Canvas is a new experiment by Google Arts & Culture which will generate a soundtrack to your drawing with the help of Google AI.

Arts & Culture: America’s Chinatowns
Discover a new cultural hub celebrating the heritage and impact of Chinatowns with the National Trust for Historic Preservation and 14 cultural organizations , on Google Arts & Culture.

Generative AI for Educators is Now Available

In collaboration with MIT RAISE (Responsible AI for Social Empowerment and Education), Grow with Google created the Generative AI for Educators course to help teachers save time and enhance student learning with generative AI tools. Learn more.

Explore AI with Applied Digital Skills

We’ve refreshed our Discover AI in our Daily Life lesson by integrating new generative AI concepts throughout the lesson to enhance student engagement! Additionally, we made the popular Verse by Verse extension a core video in the lesson, allowing students to flex their creativity and compose an AI-generated poem.

Arts & Culture: Freshwater, Our Most Precious Resource

Discover startling facts about freshwater, explore an interactive experiment created with data from NASA, and learn how our shared heritage is affected. Understand how we can use water more wisely and how to help protect the planet’s life sustaining ecosystems.

Arts & Culture: Kelp, The Invisible Forest

Discover the underwater ecosystem, home to endangered Giant Kelp forests filled with an array of unique species and wildlife. Expert stories, scientific research, stunning photographs, videos and a lesson plan, makes this an underwater journey for the whole class to explore.

Arts & Culture: Food of Egypt

Explore Egyptian culture and history through its culinary heritage with this new immersive digital experience for those hungry for a taste of Egypt, featuring high-resolution photographs, dozens of expert stories and videos.

Arts & Culture: Rewild the World

Learn about wildlife conservation with Rewild the World, an interactive game developed with the World Wildlife Fund and bringing focus to four threatened species and their habitats: tigers, gorillas, polar bears, and sea turtles.

Black Culture and the Performing Arts

Explore Google Arts & Culture’s new Performing Arts hub, which celebrates Black excellence in the performing arts, from dance to music to theater.

Arts & Culture: Embark on an art-filled quest in The Forever Labyrinth

This new immersive experience invites learners and players to explore and learn about art up-close and to discover unexpected cross cultural connections within an interactive world.

See past issues or sign up for the Google Education Newsletter.

Free REMC courses in June

June REMC

June is a great time to fast-track your learning and accelerate your skill development!

Are you looking to enhance your classroom engagement and equip yourself with valuable tech skills? Take advantage of a FREE REMC course designed to empower educators like you with innovative tools and strategies to boost student success and foster an interactive learning environment. All June courses offer 10 FREE SCECHs and can be taken from the convenience of your home and when the time is right for you.

Registration deadline is Thursday, May 30th, each course begins on Monday, June 3rd. Thanks to the generous support of REMC SAVE’s vendor partners, all courses are FREE and there are no SCECH fees. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to expand your skill set and revitalize your classroom!

Check out June 2024 courses here:

Register by Thursday, May 30th. You will receive a welcome email with the course information prior to the course start date. If you have questions or need further assistance with your course registration, please click here.

Access to Microsoft Office 365 desktop apps ending in August

A1 Plus retirement

Earlier this month, Microsoft notified our district that they would be ending our access to Microsoft Office 365 desktops apps when they retire our licensing program (Office 365 A1 Plus) on August 1, 2024. Their announcement impacts all school districts with the same licensing. While we shared with them our frustration for the short notice, they aren’t changing the retirement date. After August 1st, staff that have downloaded and installed Office 365 versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint will find those programs no longer work. You can identify if you have an impacted program by launching one of those programs and looking in the top right corner for your name and initials. If you see your name and are signed in, you have a program that will stop working in August. See this pic for a sense of where to look in Word.

where to locate name in Office

Some options post August 1st for those impacted.

  1. Use the Google Workspace for Apps (Recommended). As a Google Workshop for Education district, it is strongly recommended that staff use Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, etc. All of these apps (and more) are available through Google Drive.
  2. You can still use Microsoft Office 365 online since that licensing remains. Browse to portal.office.com and sign in using your email address and network (not Google) password.
  3. Use a free office suite alternative, such as Libre Office, which is available in the Company Portal for those that want to download and have installed a desktop office suite. Libre Office is highly compatible with Microsoft Office documents. It can open and edit all of the Microsoft Office file formats, as well as save in those same file formats. See this video guidance for how to set it up to natively load and save in Office formats.
  4. Departments/schools interested in purchasing licensing for Office 2021 for one or more of their staff can submit a service request so our department can work with the requester on their purchase and our installation. Current REMC pricing for Office Standard runs through June. The new purchase price will be updated in July (see here for July and beyond pricing). 

 

FREE Summer PD from Teq

Teq free PD

Make your summer learning fun and convenient with Teq’s free, virtual PD! Check out their great lineup of courses for everything from brushing up on basics to exploring cutting-edge edtech. Free to register/attend and space is limited, so snag your spot early!

Sign up for any course, a series, or join them for all! Topics include:
• Google: Transitioning away from Jamboard; Gemini AI tool; and getting started or learning advanced skills with Google for Education apps like Docs, Classroom, and Slides.

• Lumio: Get started with SMART’s online lesson delivery platform or take your skills to the next level.

• Blended Learning: Brush up your blended learning skills and learn some new tools with either our beginner course or the advanced course.

• Administrator: Start your school year off right before it begins with administrator-focused PD.

• Minecraft EDU: Learn how to implement Minecraft EDU in your class or school and how to content it across content areas.

• Getting Started with CSDF: Learn how best to align to the new Computer Science and Digitial Fluency standards.

• Microsoft for PBL: Discover how to use Microsoft tools to deliver memorable PBL.

• Tinkercad: Learn how to use Tinkercad to help students create amazing 3D designs and prints.

 

 

Heads up Google users, Google is changing the look of the sign-in page:

Google's new sign in page

What’s the same

  • The steps to sign in haven’t changed. You enter the same information you usually do, like your email address and password.
  • You use your account to sign in securely to the same Google services as before.

Why the page changed

The new sign-in page has a better layout for all screen types, which includes large and wide screens. The sign-in page adjusts to your screen’s size.

Where the change happened

The new sign-in page shows up on:

  • Computers
  • Phones
  • Tablets

You can find it when you sign in to a Google app or a Google service on a browser, like Chrome.

If you use an older version of a browser, you may still find the old sign-in page.

How to help keep your account secure

To take extra steps to strengthen your account’s security:

  • Do a Security Checkup to review security settings and activity.
  • Visit the Safety Center to find out about online security and privacy tools.

If you sign in on a device that’s not yours, learn how to browse in private to help protect your account.

If you are prompted to update Zoom…

A new Zoom update has been recently released. For staff who might be using Zoom, especially to host meetings with students, please practice launching and hosting a Zoom meeting on your district laptop prior to video conferencing with students. If you have trouble with Zoom stating you need to update it, please do the following:

  • Go to the Company Portal and install Clean Zoom (This will remove all old versions of Zoom)

  • Wait until Clean Zoom has been installed

  • Go to https://zoom.us/support/download and download and install Zoom (This will install the latest version of Zoom)

Additionally, for those who don’t usually have Zoom meetings with students, that will in April, we suggest that you have students test joining your Zoom meetings prior to using them for class. Doing so will ensure that there are no issues with your Zoom meeting settings and that Zoom works correctly on student devices. Students can also test using Zoom by going to zoom.us/test.

MORE DETAILED GUIDANCE

Follow the steps below to complete the update. 

  1. Click on the Windows Start button on the bottom left of your taskbar start menu
  2.  In the search bar, search for Company Portal and open it
    1. When the Portal opens, search for Clean Zoom and install it; wait for it to be fully installed
    2. Copy and paste http://zoom.us/support/download into your browser to download the new version of Zoom 
    3. The download should appear on the top right of your Chrome browser bar; click on the arrow and then click on the download where download is
    4. It should start downloading and indicate that it was updated successfully
    5. You can confirm you are set by browsing to zoom.us/test.

Network Wi-Fi changes beginning February 6, 2024

Network changes coming

In an effort to provide a more consistent and responsive network experience for staff and students, starting February 6, the current throttled PCCSK12-Guest network will be decommissioned. It will be replaced by 4 new networks: PCCSK12-Visitor, PCCSK12-Guest-BOE, PCCSK12-Guest-ESC, and an unthrottled PCCSK12-Guest network. The availability of these networks will vary by time, day, and location.

  • PCCSK12-Visitor will be available for legitimate visitors in school buildings weekdays, between 7 am and 2:30 pm. Account passwords for this network will be changed daily and will be made available to each building’s front office staff through the same method used to share daily sub account information.
  • Unthrottled PCCSK12-Guest will be available for guests in school buildings weekdays, after 2:30 pm and until 7 am the following day, as well as all day on weekends. No credentials will be required; only acceptance of the acceptable use policy.
  • PCCSK12-Guest-BOE will be available 24/7 for guests at the E. J. McCLendon Center. No credentials will be required; only acceptance of the acceptable use policy.
  • PCCSK12-Guest-ESC will be available 24/7 for guests at the Educational Support Center. No credentials will be required; only acceptance of the acceptable use policy.

Students and staff who have hitherto used the PCCSK12-Guest network for personal devices will need to join their respective PCCSK12-Student or PCCSK12-Staff network prior to February 6 to avoid interrupted access. In January, everyone is strongly encouraged to check their personal devices to confirm they are connected to the appropriate network and make adjustments as needed. If students have trouble adding their personal devices to the PCCSK12-Students network, please ask them to contact their school’s technology support team. If staff have trouble adding their personal devices to the PCCSK12-Staff network, please ask them to submit a service ticket.

Please also note, concurrently connected personal devices’ policy change for the PCCSK12-Staff and PCCSK12-Student network is in process:

We are migrating to a network policy where concurrently connected devices using the same network credentials at physically different building locations (for example, PCEP and an elementary or middle school) will trigger curtailed access, due to security concerns. In other words, if someone else is using your district credentials on their device to connect to our network and they are in a different building, your network account will be disabled from continuing to connect personal devices to our network. As a reminder, please only use your credentials on your very own personal devices. Credentials should never be shared. Students with personal devices should never be connected to the PCCSK12-Staff network; if they want to have their personal device on our network, they should connect it to the PCCSK12-Student network. Conversely, staff should not be connecting to the PCCSK12-Student network.

We will also be monitoring how many devices in the same building are concurrently connected to our network using the same network credentials. Presently we reason there should be no more than three (3) concurrent connections in the same building, presuming a staffer may have as many as three devices (eg a watch, a cell phone and a personal computer), all of which they hope to connect to our network. Having more than three devices connected in the same building location may trigger curtailed access, following our review of the use case.

MISTAR-Q: Monarch Registration – Jan 22

Monarch training program

Registration is open for Monarch: Jan 22 through May 13, 2024

Teachers are invited to transform their use of MISTAR by participating in Monarch, an asynchronous free online learning experience. Monarch is especially beneficial for teachers new to MISTAR.

Complete activities designed to increase your skill and knowledge of MISTAR teacher apps including Class Attendance, Grade Book, Seating Chart, generating reports, and more.

Working online at your pace, you will progress through four levels of activities. SCECHs are available: complete levels 1-2 to earn 7 hours, levels 1-3 to earn 11 hours, or levels 1-4 to earn 13 hours.

This course is free. Please register only if you fully intend to participate as there is high demand for this course.

Register here  – After registering, watch for emails with details on how to get started.

Network Wi-Fi changes beginning February 6, 2024

Network changes coming

In an effort to provide a more consistent and responsive network experience for staff and students, starting February 6, the current throttled PCCSK12-Guest network will be decommissioned. It will be replaced by 4 new networks: PCCSK12-Visitor, PCCSK12-Guest-BOE, PCCSK12-Guest-ESC, and an unthrottled PCCSK12-Guest network. The availability of these networks will vary by time, day, and location.

  • PCCSK12-Visitor will be available for legitimate visitors in school buildings weekdays, between 7 am and 2:30 pm. Account passwords for this network will be changed daily and will be made available to each building’s front office staff through the same method used to share daily sub account information.
  • Unthrottled PCCSK12-Guest will be available for guests in school buildings weekdays, after 2:30 pm and until 7 am the following day, as well as all day on weekends. No credentials will be required; only acceptance of the acceptable use policy.
  • PCCSK12-Guest-BOE will be available 24/7 for guests at the E. J. McCLendon Center. No credentials will be required; only acceptance of the acceptable use policy.
  • PCCSK12-Guest-ESC will be available 24/7 for guests at the Educational Support Center. No credentials will be required; only acceptance of the acceptable use policy.

Students and staff who have hitherto used the PCCSK12-Guest network for personal devices will need to join their respective PCCSK12-Student or PCCSK12-Staff network prior to February 6 to avoid interrupted access. In January, everyone is strongly encouraged to check their personal devices to confirm they are connected to the appropriate network and make adjustments as needed. If students have trouble adding their personal devices to the PCCSK12-Students network, please ask them to contact their school’s technology support team. If staff have trouble adding their personal devices to the PCCSK12-Staff network, please ask them to submit a service ticket.

Secure and close down technology for break

Tech break checklist

On FRIDAY before you leave for a well-deserved break…

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

Further, 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