21Things4Students is Project-Based Curriculum for Grades 5-9, supports MiTECS competencies

The Regional Educational Media Center Association (REMC) of Michigan promotes the transformative use of technology and provides Michigan schools with access to educational resources to help teachers increase student success. They’ve just released their October Connect newsletter with info on the 21Things4Students project-based curriculum (https://remc.org/21things4students), fall learning opportunities, upcoming free virtual courses, and more.

Here’s a link to their October Connect newsletter.

Here’s a link to an archived list of their most recent Connect newsletters.

And finally, a link should you want to subscribe to either (or both) of their once monthly electronic mailings of the Connect Newsletter AND/OR on upcoming and available free virtual courses!

The Read&Write for Google WEB Toolbar can be used to access web pages in the Chrome browser. Students and staff can use supports like text to speech, word prediction, talking and picture dictionaries, study skills highlighters and more.

RW4G@PCCS website: WEB Toolbar https://sites.google.com/pccsk12.com/rw4g-pccs/toolbars/web-toolbar?authuser=0 RW4G

@PCCS website: Tools Demo https://sites.google.com/pccsk12.com/rw4g-pccs/toolbars/tools-demo

Read&Write for Google WEB Tip Sheet https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wEOXhwyAh45PgjfsOUZhXEo6hXmPHbj6JmRtxh-KuIk/view

UPDATE: If the original solution does not help you regain access to Google Mail (Gmail), see if the following helps:

On the mail page that doesn’t load, depress both the control key (ctrl) and the F5 key at the same time. The page should refresh and mail should load.

————————————

Should the above not work, another temporary solution is:

STEP 1) Navigate to: chrome://settings/cookies/detail?site=mail.google.com
(you may need to copy and paste the link in your browser)

STEP 2) Find the below entry and click on the X:

STEP 3) Reload your Gmail or visit http://mail.google.com

If this does not resolve your issue, please submit a service request.

Original Post

If you ran into the issue with Gmail this week, you know who you are. From time to time, Google’s Sync technology that allows your browser to save your bookmarks, passwords, form data, etc., seems to get a bit glitchy. This week, it appears to have kept some of you from being able to access your Gmail.

Fortunately the fix is easy and can get someone back up and running in a snap. So, if you have an issue with one or more Google apps and you hear the suggestion that it might have something to do with your profile (or you just want to try this and see if it helps), here’s what to do:

Remove your “profile” and then add it back to the browser. After doing so, you will want to choose “Link Data” when you are adding your profile back so that it syncs important things like bookmarks, passwords, form data, etc. See elaboration on these steps below:

Remove a person or profile

After you remove someone from Chrome, their bookmarks, history, passwords, and other settings are erased from the computer.

1. On your computer, open Chrome.
2. At the top right, click Profile .

1. Click Manage people.
2. 
3. Point to the person you want to remove. For this exercise you want to remove yourself.
4. 
5. At the top right of the person (aka you), click More   Remove this person.
6. Confirm by clicking Remove this person.

Once you have removed yourself, you can add yourself back as well and re-sync or link your data again. See below for the steps to add yourself back to the Chrome browser.

Add a person or profile

1. On your computer, open Chrome.
2. At the top right, click Profile .
3. Click Manage people.
4. Click Add person.
5. Choose a name and a photo.
6. Click Save. A new window will open and ask you to turn on sync.
7. (Optional) Turn sync on in Chrome with a Google Account for the new profile. Their bookmarks, history, passwords, and other settings will automatically sync.

Using a Chromebook? You can share your Chromebook with other people by adding them to your Chromebook.

Do you want to learn more about the Texthelp suite of tools for teachers & students?  Below are some supportive resources Texthelp touts.

The tools include:

• Read&Write : A UDL tool for literacy
• EquatIO: Make math digital
• WriQ: Instantly access student writing & level
• Fluency Tutor: Increase student fluency & track progress

Welcome to the Texthelp Training Portal!

Technology can be the spark for wonderful things, but its real value comes from empowering users – in the workplace, at school or at home. To get the most out of the Texthelp products, we offer three main areas of support.

Courses – From learning the basics to integrating into instruction, Texthelp short courses bring together strategies and best practice. Each course has simple instructions, videos, and great examples to help you become experts in Texthelp software. You can gain achievements along the way!

Certification – Here is a chance to show what you know with two levels of certification: Level 1 Certified User requiring passing an assessment and Level 2 Role-Specific Practitioner requiring passing and a project.  Earners receive badges and certificates.

Resources – Why recreate the wheel? We have plenty of checklists, lesson plans, strategies, help/tip sheets, presentations, and ideas to get you started and keep you going.  Many are contributed by educators just like you.

Go to: https://training.texthelp.com/course/index.php

R4WG@PCCS website: bit.ly/RW4GinPCCS

Every 90 days, your P-CCS network password is set to expire, and you are automatically prompted to create a new password. [Each time, we urge you make it a “strong” one. See here for guidance.] While this may seem frustrating at times, it keeps our network AND your data safe. There are some specific ramifications that occur when this process happens. Once you reset your new password on your P-CCS ProBook, desktop, or other district-provided laptop, it is important to IMMEDIATELY also reset your password on any personal devices connected to the Staff WiFi network. The illustration below highlights the systems and devices that are affected when changing your password:

If you DO NOT change your password, your other devices, such as an iPhone or Android might well continue to “knock on the network door” with your OLD PASSWORD multiple times, thus locking you out of your account and causing frustration. When dealing with iPads, iPhones, or Androids, it’s a good idea to also tap “Forget Network” first before entering your new password for the network WiFi. See the links below for further assistance in this regard.

How to forget a Wi-Fi network on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Mac

Android 101: How to ‘forget’ a Wifi network

As always, if you experience a lock-out, you will have to have someone else submit a service request on your behalf.

Due to a continuing concern around the impact on security and functionality of a constantly changing set of available apps, extensions, and browser themes in the Chrome Web Store, P-CCS students will only be permitted to download and install VETTED and approved Chrome apps/extensions/browser themes. Staff will still be able to add apps/extensions/browser themes via the Chrome Web Store just as they have done in the past.

On the following dates Chrome apps, extensions and browser themes that have not been vetted/approved will be uninstalled/removed from student accounts AND students will no longer be able to add apps, extensions, and browser themes, apart from those that are district-approved:

• September 12, K-5 Elementary School students
• September 12, 6-8 Middle School students
• October 1, 9-12 High School students

We realize that this may pose an inconvenience for some teachers and support staff, as well as frustrate some students, but this policy change is designed to keep our network safe, eliminate extension conflicts otherwise on the rise for our Chromebook users and reduce the myriad of distractions for our learning community being added to the Web Store daily. Seriously, we know how much everyone is going to miss Ncage, the extension that turns every picture on any website into a picture of Nicholas Cage.

But we digress. Moving forward please note that there are now about 80 approved extensions/apps that are available for both staff and students to explore and install via the P-CCS landing page of the Chrome Web Store: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/category/for_your_domain

When logged into a Chrome browser, both students and staff will be taken to the P-CCS landing page where you will see the list of approved extensions and apps.

We also recognize that new and amazing educationally sound apps will be developed and in some cases already exist, so the process for requesting approval for Chrome apps and extensions mirrors the process we have in place for iPad apps.

Please use this form to request a Google Chrome App, Extension or browser theme that isn’t otherwise already available for your students . You may wish to bookmark it for future reference: https://forms.gle/tQdYz7icMhmqRmo36

A review of the requested app, extension, browser theme will go through our core departments (technology/technology integration, curriculum, ELL, and specialized student services). If approved the app, extension, or theme will be available for download in the Chrome Web Store by the last Friday of the following month. While we will try and expedite the first wave of requests to be available much sooner, in general this process cannot be rushed, so please plan accordingly when submitting your item for review. Please also note at this time we will not be accepting requests for any paid apps or extensions, only those that are free.

As always, if you have any questions regarding tech integration, you can email tis@pccsk12.com or in case you need technical or integration help, you can submit a service request.

With over 2,000 staff members and over 15,000+ devices to support, it’s important to have a system to track issues, document trends, and assign support to the appropriate technicians or tech integration specialists. If you are needing assistance with anything technology related, we ask that you use the Service Request ticketing system. There are a couple of ways of accessing the system.

Go to links.pccsk12.com/helpdesk

Once there you will use your GMAIL Email address for your “Username”.

For “Password” you will then use your network password (not necessarily your Google password) – Your network password is the password you would use when you might log onto any district desktop computer

Then you fill out form that best describes your situation.

Alternatively,

1. You can also go to the PCCS Website: http://www.pccsk12.com
2. Hover over Staff
3. Click on Technology Service Request

Once on the site, consider bookmarking the Service Request url by clicking the Star on the right side of the address bar, so that it is easy to return to the page if needed.

The Find-Me printing choice continues to be our best and most popular option for timely releasing and roaming print jobs. Please review the following diagram to understand how to set up “Find Me Printing” after which, when you select it, you may then walk up to one of our new multi-function printers and upon logging in, be presented with the choice of which jobs to print. This guidance and other helpful tips for staff laptops can be found at https://tech.pccsk12.com/devices-hardware/hp-probook-g5-handbook/

Please also remember to choose “Black and White” in the drop-down menu.

The district-purchased BrainPOP subscription for elementary and middle school students and staff is to be accessed through the portal Clever. Creative resources such as Make-A-Map and Make-A-Movie as well as assignments, quizzes, and projects await. Staff planning to use BrainPOP should check out this 30 minutes BrainPOP101 course to get an overview of all the neat resources and tools available to you!

The following items below are links to resources that will help you use BrainPOP in your classroom as well as help you access Clever, our Single Sign On (SSO) solution for the district. [As a reminder, Clever provides students and staff a single portal with one click access to district provided (and sometimes rostered) apps.]

Like staff, students will also login to BrainPOP and some other rostered apps via the Clever link. Included in the documentation below is a letter that can be shared with families that also contains directions about how students access BrainPOP and other apps via Clever. Middle and High School Students have landing pages that automatically load on their Chromebooks when logged into the district Google Account.

Teachers/Staff please consider bookmarking the applicable startup page for your building’s students when they log into a Chromebook.

Middle School Landing Pages:

• District Student Tech Site: https://sites.google.com/pccsk12.com/techstudent/home
• Pioneer: https://sites.google.com/pccsk12.com/pioneer/home
• East: https://sites.google.com/pccsk12.com/east/home
• West: https://sites.google.com/pccsk12.com/westmiddle/home
• Discovery: https://sites.google.com/pccsk12.com/discovery/home
• Liberty: https://sites.google.com/pccsk12.com/liberty/home

High School Landing Pages:

Starkweather: https://sites.google.com/pccsk12.com/starkweather/home

P-CEP: https://sites.google.com/pccsk12.com/pceplaunch/home

Teachers, staff, and students who have rostered access to Clever and other associated apps will use the following link either via one of the pages above for secondary, or Symbaloo pages at the Elementary level. (Media specialists are adding a Clever link to Symbaloo) Teachers, you may wish to bookmark THIS LINK for your convenience: clever.com/in/pccs

Once you or your students click on the Clever icon/link, they will be presented with the following dialogue box. Then click the Log in with Google button! Just that simple and you are in!

As always, if you need help with technology integration, please submit a service request via the same system you use for technical help, and the appropriate technician or integration specialist will be happy to help you!

CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE FOLDER CONTAINING THE RESOURCES BELOW OR INDIVIDUAL LINKS BELOW

·       BrainPOP Effectiveness Study –  A study which assessed student performance by comparing BrainPOP subscribers to nonsubscribers- the results found that students in schools using BrainPOP showed a greater increase in standardized test scores

·       BrainPOP Program Guide–  Overview of our different BrainPOP resources (BrainPOP, BrainPOP Jr., ELL) and tools available to efficiently and effectively “Run your classroom on BrainPOP”

·       BrainPOP ELL– In this brochure, you will find information on the various (90) lessons, placement tests, topics, levels, ideas on how to use them with students, standards, etc.

·       Creative Coding– Creative Coding was developed in partnership with Scratch and Vidcode, and offers access to both block- and text-based projects that are tied to the curriculum

·      BrainPOP Families Letter Home– Use this letter or a modified version of it (Make a Copy) to send home to your families to help students access Brainpop easily from a home device or their district provided Chromebook.

Published Link to send home to your families digitally

This video will show you how teachers are currently using Creative Coding and here you will see examples of tutorials for Vidcode projects and for Scratch coding projects  

Here you will see samples of Creative Coding student projects

·       BrainPOP PD-  There is no better way to really get the most BrainPOP learning and for teachers to continue getting the wheels turning on how to use BrainPOP’s resources in their classroom than a BrainPOP PD workshop. Our PD workshops are led by our Educator, Robert Miller, who caters each workshop to the needs of your district. Our workshops are engaging, extremely informative, and fun.

You will also see two intro letters in the folder link above, one is for families and the second for teachers, please feel free to edit and change to fit your needs.