This is a friendly reminder for those that use a non-district computer running Windows 7, you may be interested to learn more about what its EOL means by reading this support article from Microsoft. It’s possible you may be able to upgrade the computer to Windows 10 via this page after researching the computer’s specifications and licensing. It’s also possible you may want to consider replacing the computer with one that can more readily handle a newer and more secure operation system. Bottom line, the Windows 7 computer will continue to run, but with each passing month it will be more susceptible to compromise since no further support updates will be provided after January.
Educator and technologist Richard Byrne shared his 2019 picks of potentially useful Web 2.0 websites that are accessible, free, classroom appropriate and browser-based at his blog. Interested educators may want to consider skimming his posting to learn a bit more about sites such as VidReader (create transcripts of YouTube videos), Canva (online presentation, brochure, infographic creator — teachers can get all of the pro features of Canva for free as well as Pro licensing for one class of 30 students — see this posting for more ideas), and Glide (easily turns any Google sheet into a mobile app).
Elementary teachers with a classroom SMART interactive flat panel (IFP) board are also licensed to use the online SMART Learning Suite as well as the SMART Exchange. To log into your SMART Learning Suite account, browse to https://suite.smarttech.com/login and click SIGN IN. Use your district Google account to sign in.
You can also access it via the “Waffle” via Google Apps:
You can also use the NEW AND IMPROVED SMART Exchange to search for online and Notebook lessons, learning games and activities. Browse to https://exchange.smarttech.com and search for topics by various filters. To add what you find to your SMART Learning Suite and be able to push it out to students on their ipads or Chromebooks, you will want to sign in (and to do so, will use your district Google account). An overview video is below.
One of the linked videos (video embedded below) reviews how to have students connect their devices to your class within the SMART Learning Suite after browsing to hellosmart.com
If you are an elementary teacher with a classroom SMART board (IFP) and are having trouble logging into your account or have other questions, please submit a help desk service ticket for assistance.
Monarch, the online teacher training program for MISTAR has its first pilot run from January 13 through March 13, 2020. Learners will work online at their own time and pace and from any device to gain mastery of MISTAR teacher applications.
Each activity features a short introduction, a video or resource and a quick feedback exercise that are typically completed in 15 minutes or less. Players can choose which activities best fit their learning needs. Some may spend more time in the Grade Book activities, while others may do many things with other teacher tools. It’s up to the learner!
Cannot remember your (Personal Identification Code) PIC number? Contact our HR Office or see the steps to perform a lookup online here.
Starting in January G Suite users will be able to attach emails to other emails in Gmail without downloading them first. For some situations attaching emails might make more sense than forwarding separate emails, like wanting to forward multiple messages related to a single topic. With this new functionality, you can do exactly that. Sending emails as attachments allows you to write a summary email message to your recipients, and attach the set of supporting emails that recipients can directly open in their mail client.
To insert emails in a new thread, drag and drop them into the draft window.
Another way to insert emails in a new thread is to select the emails and then from the overflow (three-dot) menu select “Forward as attachment”.To reply to an existing thread, you can pop-out the compose window and then drag and drop emails to it.
You’ll know this feature is available to you sometime in January when you see the “Forward as attachment” option in the three-dot More menu.
Also available starting sometime in January, you will be able to propose a new meeting time or add a note to Calendar invites directly from Gmail. When you open a Google Calendar invite in Gmail, you’ll see a new “More Options” dropdown menu, allowing you to propose a new time for the meeting or add a note to your RSVP. Selecting either option will open the respective event section in calendar.google.com, where you can make those updates directly.
Note that this feature will only initially be available for Gmail on the web.
Ah, there’s nothing like phishing on Black Friday. The sun breaking over the horizon, the water gently lapping.
Oops. Phishing, not fishing. Phishing is bad.
This is an example of a phishing email. The scammers have used the Amazon logo. They have included “deals” that seem reasonable. However:
The sender’s email does not match with Amazon
Hovering your cursor over the link in the actual email will display a link to a site other than Amazon
There is some odd wording
Please be aware of phishing attempts and scams.
A few things to remember:
Just because it has a logo, doesn’t mean it comes from the company. It is easy to copy and paste the Amazon logo, the Apple logo, etc.
Watch out for things that are “time-sensitive”
Do NOT use the link within an email to log in and fix an issue. Type the URL you know into the URL bar yourself
Watch out for “tracking numbers” that claim to come from UPS, FedEx, etc.
Be wary of promised Gift Cards for completing a survey (almost all of these are fraudulent).
Also:
Reputable companies won’t ask for your Social Security Number/Bank Account Number/Credit card to prove who you are
Remember that phishers are trying to get information (either log in information, credit card numbers, or personal information)
You can click on the 3 dots (More) to get a menu of choices for the email and are encouraged to select Report phishing if you determine it is a phishing email to help train the system and help others avoid the trap (and if instead it is spam and didn’t go into your spam folder, consider doing likewise to help train the system). You can also click “Show Original” to see the actual header and often it clues you in that something didn’t come from whom it purports to.
Reprinted and adapted from this Dearborn Public Schools’ blog posting.
Working on the go, or need to document something quickly? Use Google Docs Voice feature to do the work for you. Type using your voice in Google Docs!
Google voice features are everywhere. We use them every day across a range of our devices whether it be Google voice on our phones, Google Homes or even asking Google questions such as directions hands-free. But did you know, you can even use the voice feature in Google Docs too? Whether you’re working on the go, or just need to jot something down quickly whilst it’s fresh in your mind, Docs has got you covered.
Note: This feature only works on a Chrome browser. Make sure before you begin that your device has a built-microphone to be able to use this feature.
Using Voice to Type
In Docs:
Click > Tools > Voice Typing (Ctrl+Shift+S)
You’ll be asked to Allow or Block this feature > click > Allow
You’ll see a grey microphone appear on the left hand-side of your Google Doc
Select your chosen language from the drop-down
Once you click the icon > it will change to an orange microphone icon
Click > then start talking as normal, making sure to speak at a good volume and as clearly as possible
Google Docs should then begin to type your spoken words
SYNC DATA FROM ONE SPREADSHEET TO ANOTHER
Save time by importing existing data into a new spreadsheet without having to copy it all again.
We often find we need to copy important data into more than one spreadsheet, but it can be tricky if the data is large and complex. Use this handy formula to important your data in minutes.
To start, open up the spreadsheet or tab you want to copy to the new Sheet > copy the sheet’s URL
Make a note of the cells you want to import
Open the new sheet where you want the data to appear
In the cell begin to type > =IMPORTRANGE (you’ll see the code as you begin to type)
Type > quotation “ (very important) then paste the URL from the sheet and add another quotation mark at the end of the URL
Then add a comma , > quotation mark again “ > then type the exact name of the specific tab you want to copy followed by an exclamation mark !
Finally, type the range of cells you want to import eg: A1:A19 followed by “ quotation marks
Press > Enter and your data will now appear in your new Sheet
If you browse to ClassroomScreen.com you can find a set of possibly useful widgets that can be displayed.
Currently, there are twelve widgets you can use on ClassroomScreen. You can display multiple widgets at once.
Language – Choose to display text in a large range of languages
Background – Customise your background with one of the images or GIFs provided. Or, you can upload or record your own background.
Random Name/Dice – Enter the names of students and choose one at random. Or, roll one or more dice.
Sound Level – Monitor classroom noise levels using the microphone on your device.
QR Code – Enter a link and a QR code is automatically generated. Great when students have devices like iPads — they can come up to the board, scan the code and go straight to a site.
Drawing – There are two sizes available where you can free draw. The larger sized canvas can replace the background if you wish.
Text – A simple tool to write instructions, reminders, learning goals and so on.
Work Symbols – Display one of four options: work together, ask a neighbor, whisper, and silence.
Traffic Light – Display a red, amber, or green light to provide a visual reminder of when to move around, begin a task, pack up etc.
Timer – Count up or count down, record “laps”, and more. You can customize the tone that rings when the time is up.
Clock – Shows the time as a 12 or 24 hour clock. Also shows a calendar.
Additional Feature: ExitPoll
ClassroomScreen’s ExitPoll tool lets you get feedback from students.
You can ask students what they thought about the lesson or check for understanding by asking them a question about the lesson content.
Students simply walk past the interactive whiteboard, tablet, or computer at the end of the lesson and cast their vote.
Check out EduPaths which now has 300+ FREE Professional Development courses (& FREE SCECHs) for educators.
EduPaths is a FREE professional development portal for ALL Michigan Educators. EduPaths courses are designed to expand understanding on a wide variety of topics and help educators share best practices. Courses are available online and are completely self-paced and intended to help educators personalize their own learning plan anytime and anywhere.
It is FREE to register for an account, and once registered you will be able to access an ever expanding set of FREE courses. Click the link to their November newsletter.
