With so many of us working from home and spending even more time online than ever before, it’s important to recognize the red flags of potential attacks on the security of our data and other information. Please review the following documents to understand how you can protect yourself and your data.
Scams unfortunately are widespread as are malware viruses. Apart from malware infecting online coronavirus maps (see this story as well as the third bullet item below), here are some items just noted by Forbes magazine to give you pause as you conduct yourself online.
Jiri Kropac, a researcher at cybersecurity firm ESET, saw a spike of 2,500 infections from two malware strains spread by coronavirus-themed emails on Monday, according to a Forbes report, with another company, Proofpoint, saying the number of attacks so far have perhaps been the largest its ever seen set around a single theme.
As reported by Forbes, a slew of coronavirus-based domain names have been registered that could be used to infect users with malware—addresses like coronavirus-map[.]com, coronavirus[.]app and vaccine-coronavirus[.]com.
In particular, there have been a number of scams involving coronavirus maps that mimic the legitimate Johns Hopkins’ resource, with the program’s designer Esri commenting on the confusion saying “Whomever posted the malicious downloadable app is attempting to take advantage of the strong public interest concerning the coronavirus, but it requires the user to either download the app executable or it could be distributed by email for the user to then install onto their local Windows system.”
Additionally, users should be mindful of phishing emails that disguise themselves as coming from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization, with the latter noting that WHO emails are addressed “.int” and that “WHO does not send email from addresses ending in ‘@who[.]com’ ,‘@who[.]org’ or ‘@who-safety[.]org’.”
This is a friendly reminder that you and your students have single sign-on (SSO) into many important district resources in your personalized Clever Portal. Over time, P-CCS will continue to Log in at https://clever.com/in/pccs – make sure to bookmark this – and start saving time.
Aside from SSO for you and your students, and as the district moves forward using Clever for easy access to all of our digital resources, you will find additional benefits from using Clever with your students. Resources include now in clever: Brainpop and Brainpop Jr. IXL, Code.org, and many more. Also, remember that you can create your own bookmarks for your students similar to Symbaloo in Clever.
As always, if you have any questions, please put in a tech request or email tis@pccsk12.com
The following resources will help you connect with your students using video. Please look for an email from the Tech Integration Team with more about how to connect with students at home. These resources will get you started.
Create Videos, Go Live, or send links to videos through already established communication platforms like Gmail or Google Chat, or Meet.
NOTE: Unless you create a channel, you won’t have a public presence on YouTube. Your activity is fully private. If you’d like to upload your own videos, comment on videos, or create playlists, you can create a YouTube Channel at any time.
Communicate and collaborate with a group of people through video. Can send links through already established communication platforms (Email, etc.) *Here are some examples of how Flipgrid can be used.*(Can be accessed when free account has been created)
This app allows you to upload video to Google Drive, distribute the link via email or other established platform. The free version of Screencastify has a 5 minute limit, autosaves to Google Drive to be easily shared there or it can be easily uploaded to YouTube. Due to COVID-19, Screencastify premium is free for all users. Use this doc to set up premium account. One of the notable features of the premium service is no time limit for recordings. But please keep best practices in mind and try to limit videos to 10-13 minutes at a max.
Teaching from home is going to require a different approach in these unprecedented times. The good news is that these tech skills are not just for a pandemic, but will actually be really valuable in and out of our classrooms for our students, and can help support learning even when our classroom routine returns to a normal school day. Please be sure to follow this link for an amazing resource Google has built to help us through these challenging times: https://teachfromhome.google/intl/en/
Google offers a number of Computer Science Summer Institute (CSSI) opportunities for graduating high school seniors in Summer 2020! Details on two are pasted below this general information. High school seniors are encouraged to apply by Friday, February 28th at 11:59 pm. The Detroit session will take place July 7th – July 27th at the Google Detroit office. They have other Institutes in other states for which they cover airfare, room and board.
CSSI aims to provide students with an interest in computer science an opportunity to learn what their future careers may hold and inspire them to complete their work toward a technical degree. The Institute encourages students to develop their technical skills, while also building important personal networks and friendships with a diverse group of students who share their passion!
Students can expect:
a specially-designed, project-based curriculum to help prepare for their CS studies
daily development sessions to help them prepare for future job opportunities
interaction directly with Google Engineers
exposure and insight into Google’s internship programs and technical career opportunities
To apply, students will need to do the following:
Complete the general application, found on their website. This will include a high school transcript and answers to two
essay questions.
Participate in Google’s Online Challenge after the general application closes. Students
will receive further instructions after the general application closes.
Computer Science Summer Institute (CSSI) for Historically Black Colleges and Universities’ (HBCUs) mission is to promote equitable representation in tech by connecting incoming HBCU students with like-minded peers, Google engineers, CS professors, HBCU alum in CS, and Black technologists in the local tech ecosystem.
Our goal is to increase the retention rate of students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities graduating with computer science degrees. At CSSI-HBCU, students cultivate an unparalleled community to support them in their journey to and through university, internships, and full-time opportunities at Google and in tech.
During the program, cohorts of students from geographically-similar HBCUs participate in a three-week dorm program based in Raleigh, NC or Huntsville, AL, where they’ll be taught an introduction to computer science by Google engineers. Through an engaging and hands-on curriculum, students develop a solid foundation of computational thinking, which prepares them for their future studies in CS. The program finishes with a capstone project where students develop an application, so they have the tangible proof of what they’re able to achieve.
Program includes:
A specially designed, project-based Python curriculum to best prepare students for their first year of college in CS
Daily developmental sessions to help prepare students for CS studies and future job opportunities
Robust opportunities to learn and interact with Google engineers
10:1 student-to-teach ratio to provide a personal learning experience
Exposure and insight into Google’s internship programs and technical career opportunities
Eligibility and application
Students must:
Be a current high school senior
Considering an HBCU as one of their top two college or university choices
Intend to be enrolled as a full-time student in a 4-year BA/BS program in the US (excluding territories) or Canada in Fall 2020
Intend to be enrolled at an HBCU in a computer science, computer engineering, software engineering, or a related department for the 2020-2021 academic year
Be able to demonstrate an interest in studying computer science
Be able to attend every day of CSSI
The program is open to all qualified high school seniors who meet the above criteria.
We especially encourage applications from students underrepresented in the engineering and tech industry, including Women, Black, Latinx, Hispanic, Native American, Veterans, and students with disabilities.
Application materials
Please complete the online application, which will include:
The general application
A current unofficial or official high school transcript (PDF required)
Responses to multiple short answer questions. Each response should be under 200 words (PDF required)
Participate in Google’s Online Challenge after the general application closes. You will receive further instructions after the application closes.
If any items are missing from your application, you will not be considered for the program
Program locations and dates
2020 Program locations:
Alabama A&M University: July 5, 2020 – July 25, 2020
North Carolina Central University: July 12, 2020 – August 1, 2020
FAQ
What’s the design of the program? CSSI-HBCU is a three-week dorm program taking place in Huntsville, AL and Durham, NC.
What level of computer science experience is required? As long as you demonstrate an interest and enthusiasm for computer science, no technical background is necessary. We accept and encourage applications from students of all technical levels for CSSI as long as you meet all other eligibility requirements.
How do I apply? Please select the “apply” button on this page. Applications will only be considered if all materials are included. For tips on technical resume writing, please visit our Virtual Career Fair or our “Applying to Google” article.
What if I am taking a gap year? Am I still eligible for the program? Students who are currently on a gap year and will be attending college in Fall 2020 are eligible to apply to the program. If you are going to take a gap year for the 2020-2021 school year, please wait to apply the following year.
What if I’m enrolling in a two-year college or community college in the Fall of 2020? If you plan to enroll in a four-year college after your two-year or community college career, you are eligible for SCCI-HBCU. Please note that students who will only be studying for their associates degree are not eligible at this time.
When will I be notified if I’m accepted? Applicants who are accepted will be notified in mid-May.
What costs does Google cover? Google will cover the cost of the students’ round-trip flight within the US and Canada. Google will also be providing on-site housing and food for students who are selected to attend the program.
What are the dates of the program? We are currently working on our 2020 dates and will post them as soon as we can!
Where will the students be staying? The students will be staying in dorm style housing in Huntsville, AL or Durham, NC. Details on housing, logistics, and daily transportation to Google’s offices will be shared with accepted attendees.
Why have we selected these two locations? The program will take place in Huntsville, AL and Durham, NC. We’ve selected these two locations as they’re near HBCUs we partner with. These cities are also close to Google offices and local partners which ensures we’re able to include more Google volunteers in the program.
Can I choose my roommate for the program? If you know another attendee and wish to share a room with them, we can try to accommodate your request. However, we hope students will network, make new friends, and room with someone they haven’t met yet.
What if I have a conflict that requires me to miss part of CSSI? All students selected for CSSI must be able to attend every day of the program. We are unable to make any exceptions. Please make every effort to be available each day (for example, working with your university to attend an orientation session that fits with your schedule). If a schedule conflict arises, notify the CSSI team immediately, so they’ll be able to find another student to attend the program in your place.
Who are the HBCUs selected to participate in CSSI-HBCU? All HBCUs are invited to participate in CSS-HBCU. Our aim is to create a consistent, strong pathway from HBCUs to internship and full-time opportunities at Google.
Do I need to send an official copy of my transcripts and SAT/ACT scores? Unofficial or official transcripts will be accepted. You do not need an SAT or ACT report — just type in your score in the application. If you will be attending a university that does not require SAT or ACT scores and did not take either of these exams, simply leave this section of the application blank.
I will not be a first-year university student in Fall 2020, may I still apply? No. CSSI is only open to qualified high school seniors entering their first year of university study in Fall 2020. Younger students may visit our Google in Education site to explore our K-12 opportunities. Current university students may visit our technical opportunities pages for full-time and internship opportunities.
Are international students eligible? International students are eligible to apply as long as they intend to be enrolled at an HBCU in the US or Canada in Fall 2020. Please note that if selected, Google will only provide round-trip airfare within the US and Canada or cover a portion of your flight.
Is there an age requirement for CSSI? No, there is currently not an age requirement to attend CSSI. Please note if you are under the age of 18 at the time of application, a parent or guardian will need to sign all forms on your behalf.
I got into CSSI, does this mean I received a scholarship as well? If I don’t get into CSSI, do I still have a chance to receive the scholarship? Acceptance into CSSI does not automatically grant you a scholarship. You must apply separately to the Generation Google scholarship to be considered. Please see our Scholarship+ page for more information about our scholarship offerings.
I live in a U.S. territory/I will be attending school in a US territory, am I eligible? If you will be attending school in a US territory in Fall 2020, you will not be eligible to apply. However, if you live in a US territory but plan to attend school in one of the 50 states, you can apply as long as you meet all other requirements. Note that Google will only provide round-trip airfare within the US (excluding territories) and Canada.
What if I want to withdraw my application? We are sorry you want to withdraw your application for CSSI. Please send a note to cssi-hbcu@google.com and your application will be deleted from our system, along with your opted-in information, within two days (48 hours) of receipt of your note.
What is Google’s Online Challenge?? Google’s Online Challenge is a 30-minute online challenge that will ask about your general cognitive ability to problem solve questions. You will receive an email after the general application closes giving you the time and date the challenge will open. You must complete the challenge in one sitting. Think of this as a way to demonstrate your amazing problem solving skills!
If you have questions that aren’t answered in our FAQ, please email cssi-hbcu@google.com. We’re happy to address any questions directly related to the CSSI Program, but are unable to respond to other inquiries. We will not respond to spam, barraging messages, or messages that are primarily inflammatory or exploitative in nature.
CSSI at Google overview
Computer Science Summer Institute (CSSI)’s mission is to provide a space for young, aspiring computer scientists to succeed by connecting incoming freshmen with like-minded peers and Google engineers in this three-week program. At CSSI, students will learn programming fundamentals directly from Google engineers, get an inside look at some of Google’s most exciting technologies, and even design and develop their very own application with fellow participants that will be showcased to Googlers. Students attend the program at one of our Google offices and experience firsthand Google’s unique and innovative office culture.
Program includes:
A specially designed project-based curriculum that includes HTML/CSS, JavaScript, Python and Google App Engine to help prepare students for their first year of college CS
Daily developmental sessions to help you prepare for your CS studies and future job opportunities
Opportunities to interact directly with Google engineers
10:1 student-to-teacher ratio to provide a personal learning experience
Commuter students will receive a travel stipend (this will usually cover all or almost all of your travel expenses) and will be provided lunch. Dorm students will have their housing, transportation, and meals covered for the duration of the program
Two weekend activities planned at no extra cost
Exposure and insight into Google’s internship programs and technical career opportunities
Eligibility and application
Students must:
Be a current high school senior
Intend to be enrolled as a full-time student in a 4-year BA/BS program in the US (excluding territories) or Canada in Fall 2020
Intend to be enrolled at a university in a computer science, computer engineering, software engineering or related area department for the 2020-2021 academic year
Be able to demonstrate an interest in and motivation for studying computer science.
Be able to attend every day of CSSI
The program is open to qualified high school seniors who meet the above criteria.
We especially encourage applications from students underrepresented in the engineering and tech industry, including Women, Black, Latinx, Hispanic, Native American, Veterans, and students with disabilities.
Application materials
Please complete the online application, which will include:
The general application
A current unofficial or official high school transcript (PDF required)
Responses to multiple short answer questions. Each response should be under 200 words (PDF required)
Participate in Google’s Online Challenge after the general application closes. You will receive further instructions after the application closes.
If any items are missing from your application, you will not be considered for the program
Program locations and dates
We have two different types of programs. If you live near one of our Commuter offices, you will travel into the Google office each day. If you don’t live near a participating Google office, you will be considered for our Dorm program, where you will stay in dorms on site for the duration of the program. Our 2020 program locations and dates are still being determined, please check back soon.
Atlanta, GA: July 7th – July 27th
Cambridge, MA: July 13th – July 31st
Chicago, IL – July 8th – July 24th
Detroit, MI – July 7th – July 27th
Washington D.C. – July 7th – July 27th
Los Angeles, CA: July 13th – July 31st
Mountain View, CA: July 13th – July 31st
New York City, NY: July 7th – July 27th
Pittsburgh, PA: July 13th – July 31st
Seattle, WA July 13th – July 31st
Waterloo, ON July 6th – July 24th
Please note: students will only be considered for one site (either dorm or commuter) based on their home location and cannot request to attend another site. We will confirm which site you are being considered for shortly after the application deadline.
FAQs
How do I apply? As soon as we begin accepting applications, please select the “apply” button on this page. Keep your eyes peeled in January, and remember to review the list of required application materials. Applications will only be considered if all materials are included. For tips on technical resume writing, please visit our Virtual Career Fair or our “Applying to Google” article.
Do I need to send an official copy of my transcripts and SAT/ACT scores? Unofficial or official transcripts will be accepted. You do not need to have your current year grades on the transcript, but it must include prior years of high school. We do not require SAT or ACT scores on the application.
Who is eligible to apply? The program is open to all qualified high school seniors who are entering their first year of university study in Fall 2020. We are committed to addressing diversity in the technology industry. Students who are a member of a group that is historically underrepresented in the technology industry are encouraged to apply.
I will not be a first-year university student in Fall 2020, may I still apply? No. CSSI is only open to qualified high school seniors entering their first year of university study in Fall 2020. Younger students may visit our Google for Education site to explore our K-12 opportunities. Current university students may visit our technical opportunities pages for full-time and internship opportunities.
What if I am taking a gap year? Am I still eligible for the program? Students who are currently on a gap year and will be attending college in Fall 2020 are eligible to apply to the program. If you are going to take a gap year for the 2020-2021 school year, please wait to apply the following year.
What if I’m enrolling in a two-year college or community college in the Fall of 2020? Students who are not enrolling in a four-year university in Fall 2020 are not eligible to apply. If you plan to enroll in a four-year college after your two-year or community college career, please note you may be eligible for one or more of our Google scholarships.
Are international students eligible? International students are eligible to apply as long as they intend to be enrolled at a university in the US or Canada in Fall 2020. Please note that if selected for a residential site, Google will only provide round-trip airfare within the US and Canada.
Is there an age requirement for CSSI? No, there is currently not an age requirement to attend CSSI. Please note if you are under the age of 18, a parent or guardian will need to sign all forms on your behalf.
I got into CSSI, does this mean I received a scholarship as well? Acceptance into CSSI does not automatically grant you a scholarship. You must apply separately to the Generation Google scholarship to be considered. Please see our Scholarships+ page for more information about our scholarship offerings.
When will I be notified if I’m accepted? Applicants who are accepted will be notified in early-mid May.
What level of computer science experience is required? As long as you demonstrate an interest and enthusiasm for computer science, no technical background is necessary. We accept and encourage applications from students of all technical levels for CSSI as long as you meet all other eligibility requirements.
I live in a U.S. territory/I will be attending school in a US territory, am I eligible? If you will be attending school in a US territory in Fall 2020, you will not be eligible to apply. However, if you live in a US territory but plan to attend school in one of the 50 states, you can apply as long as you meet all other requirements. Note that Google will only provide round-trip airfare within the US (excluding territories) and Canada.
What will Google pay for? For the dorm programs, Google will provide round-trip transportation within the US and Canada, and housing (including room fees and taxes). Most meals will be provided either at the dorm or at Google. For the day camps, students will be provided with a travel stipend and expected to commute into the respective Google offices for each day of CSSI. Students at commuter sites will receive lunch at no cost each day.
What will the housing be like for the dorm program? Students will live in dorm-style housing during CSSI 2020. Details on housing, logistics, and daily transportation to Google’s offices will be shared with accepted attendees.
Can I choose my roommate for the dorm program? If you know another attendee and wish to share a room with them, we can try to accommodate your request, but it is not guaranteed. However, we hope students will network, make new friends and room with someone they haven’t met yet.
What will be provided at the Google offices? The Google office is where classroom instruction will take place. Students will be provided with food at the Google offices during their stay.
How much will the travel stipend be for the day camp? This information will be shared with the participants, but will be sufficient to cover your cost to get to and from Google for the duration of the program.
What if I have a conflict that requires me to miss part of CSSI? All students selected for CSSI must be able to attend every day of the program. We are unable to make any exceptions. Please make every effort to be available each day (for example, working with your university to attend an orientation session that fits with your schedule). If a schedule conflict arises, notify the CSSI team immediately, so they’ll be able to find another student to attend the program in your place.
What if I want to withdraw my application? We are sorry you want to withdraw your application for CSSI! Please send a note to cssi@google.com and your application will be deleted from our system, along with your opted-in information, within two days (48 hours) of receipt of your note.
What is Google’s Online Challenge?? Google’s Online Challenge is a 30-minute online challenge that will ask about your general cognitive ability to problem solve questions. You will receive an email after the general application closes giving you the time and date the challenge will open. You must complete the challenge in one sitting. Think of this as a way to demonstrate your amazing problem solving skills!
If you have questions that aren’t answered in our FAQ, please email cssi@google.com. We’re happy to address any questions directly related to the CSSI Program, but are unable to respond to other inquiries. We will not respond to spam, barraging messages, or messages that are primarily inflammatory or exploitative in nature.
Earlier this year elementary students’ Google for Education accounts were also assigned access to the YouTube app and consequently they are logged into YouTube when visiting the site on a district Chromebook. We made this setting change to enable a YouTube filter available in our Google admin console.
Instructional staff can approve a video by clicking the “Approve” button in the BLUE BAR at the bottom of the video’s playback window. The approval happens instantly and across the board, so please be sure you have previewed the entire video to make sure it’s appropriate for all students, K-12. See BELOW:
Once the video is approved, a new button that instructional staff will see will appear entitled “Remove,” which allows a staffer to remove access of the video from student view again. Please remember, with great power, comes great responsibility! If you’d like to see a quick video on this, please view: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExecRCz6f8c&disable_polymer=true
Finally, it has come to our attention that at times, there will be a “glitch” where the video will still be “blocked” when the video is being viewed by student via a link from Google Classroom OR Gmail. If that should happen, it’s important to note that the either the video has not been approved by a staff member OR that it simply needs to be opened in a new tab. In order to view the video in a new tab, student must simply click on the “Open” button at the top center of the Gmail or Classroom viewing window. See below:
In a recent New York Times report, schools are being increasingly targeted by hackers. Schools are particularly interesting to hackers since our systems contain vast amounts of private data information. All of us can collectively help our vulnerability by taking 13 minutes to complete the Cybersecurity Training module in SafeSchools.
Simply login to your Safe Schools account the same way as you might have done for Blood-born Pathogen training, scroll to the bottom of the course page and select the Cybersecurity training. Just as G.I. Joe used to say: “…and knowing is half the battle.”
The January newsletter’s focus is on Research & Study Skills using the RW4G WEB TOOLBAR and more! Don’t miss this month’s Teacher Feature! WriQ, a writing assessment tool from Texthelp (the same people that brought us Read&Write for Google). WriQ offers both free and premium features to help you improve student writing outcomes. Click on the link in the newsletter to learn more and check out the extension in the Chrome store!
Adobe Flash has been supporting online games, content, and interactive features since 1996. But due to the changing and evolving of newer technologies other mediums such as HTML5 which are more power-efficient and faster, Flash has become less and less popular. At one point 80% of the content on the internet was Flash-based. Since 2017, that number is down to 17%. Due to this, Adobe has determined an End of Life (EOL) date of December 31st, 2020 for the plugin.
What does this mean?
Many different learning websites including sites such as Starfall and CoolMathGames were entirely Flash-based. When the announcement by Adobe was made to end Flash (plugin player support/updates and distribution), many websites started to convert their content to HTML5 and other delivery mechanisms. However, it is up to websites to make this transition. So, as you are planning different learning activities for students, please ensure that you have vetted the website to see if it relies on Flash. A way to check to see if a site uses Flash, Right-clicking on any part of a website will make a box appear with options you can click on. If you see Zoom in at the top of the box and About Adobe Flash Player at the bottom of the box, then you know that you have Flash on the website.
If the site migrates to open web standards (such as HTML5), you shouldn’t notice much difference except that you’ll no longer see prompts to run Flash on that site. If the site continues to use Flash, and you give the site permission to run Flash, it will only work through the end of 2020.
For more information please check out these articles:
Elementary instructional staff — Please follow these guidelines to clean your SMART Board (interactive flat panel – IFP):
You will probably want to clean your SMART Board about 1x a month (or more often if used regularly). You should clean your SMART Board while the computer is turned OFF.
If you clean your SMART Board while it and your computer are on it is recommended that you lock the screen so you don’t mess up things on your computer. Go to the blue icon with the white circle at the bottom right of your screen, control panel and then lock screen. To unlock the screen you will need to click on the unlock icon using the mouse on your computer.
Details
To clean the writing surface or screen, use Windex glass cleaner. Just spray the cleaner on a soft cloth or paper towel and wipe the screen surface. Avoid spraying the cleaner directly on the screen, since the cleaner may damage components if it runs into the edge of the screen.
Warning
Do not apply isopropyl alcohol, water or acetone to the back surface of the screen. These fluids could damage the diffusion coating, resulting in a permanent deterioration in display quality. If you do smudge this surface, wipe it carefully with an alcohol-free glass cleaner. Do not spray the cleaner directly onto the back of the screen. Spray the cleaner lightly on a cloth, and then gently dab the surface until the marks are removed.
Note
To remove permanent marker ink from the screen, use a cleaner such as Expo Board Doctor. If you have high-odor dry-erase markers (not non-scented markers), you can cover the permanent ink with the ink from a dry-erase marker, and then wipe with a soft cloth or paper towel while the ink is still wet. If any trace of the original permanent ink remains, spray a cloth with Windex glass cleaner or Expo Board cleaner and wipe the area clean.
