Category: Blog

ACTION REQUIRED: Turn on Google 2-Factor Authentication by this FRIDAY

ALL P-CCS Staff must turn on two-factor authentication by this Friday, September 30, 2022 for their district Google account.
If you do not turn on two-factor authentication by Friday September 30, you will no longer be able to log in to your P-CCS’s Google workspace (Gmail, Google Drive, Google Calendar, etc.) beginning October 1, 2022.

Directions on how to manually turn on two factor authentication

[If you aren’t sure if it is set up, log out of your district Google account and log back in. If you don’t see the notice to enroll, you’re all set. Alternatively, go to your profile and click on manage google account. From there, on the left hand side click on security. Scroll down to where it says signing into google and it will tell you whether 2-FA is either on or off.]

Staff don’t need to use their cell phones and personal phone numbers, although that’s certainly a choice. A telephone alternative, backup codes, can be used if someone prefers to not use a phone, or when one might not be available. Backup codes come in sets of ten you can generate at any time when you are already logged in to your account, which can then be printed or saved in a secure place. For how to obtain and use backup codes check out this support article.

You can establish multiple verification methods (for example, set up two or more phone numbers that can be called back as well as have the option to use backup codes). Staff can choose to use one or more district telephone numbers they have access to at work AND backup codes so that when they are in their classrooms and offices, they can opt to be called on those district lines (instead of a text, they’d click to have a phone call provide their code) and when they’re not able to answer their district phone, such as when they are away, they can opt to use a backup code (you need to have downloaded them ahead of time) if they are asked to authenticate.

Please refer to this previous blog post for even more information regarding two factor authentication.

Podcasts in the Classroom

Podcasts are a popular medium. Perhaps you have been thinking about using podcasts in the classroom to help encourage active listening. They are useful for incorporating mindfulness, current events, and course content. Check out the collection of resources below to help you get started.

ACTION REQUIRED: Turn on Google 2-Factor Authentication

ALL P-CCS Staff must turn on two-factor authentication by September 30, 2022 for their district Google account.
If you do not turn on two-factor authentication by September 30, you will no longer be able to log in to your P-CCS’s Google workspace (Gmail, Google Drive, Google Calendar, etc.) beginning October 1, 2022.

Directions on how to manually turn on two factor authentication

Staff don’t need to use their cell phones and personal phone numbers, although that’s certainly a choice. In the last blog post we called out a telephone alternative, backup codes, that can be used if someone prefers to not use a phone, or when one might not be available. Backup codes come in sets of ten you can generate at any time when you are already logged in to your account, which can then be printed or saved in a secure place. For how to obtain and use backup codes check out this support article.

Please refer to this previous blog post for even more information regarding two factor authentication.

Tips for Cross-listed Courses

Whether you are new to crosslisting or have done it for awhile, review this list to help run it as efficiently as possible. Crosslisting should only be done at the beginning of a term (prior to any student submissions so to avoid their loss).

Be Sure To:

Keep “People” hidden on the Course Navigation Menu to protect student privacy
Change the course name so students don’t get confused if their scheduled section meets at a different time
If you want to use discussions, set it up as a group discussion so students are only interacting with people in their section

Streamline Your Workflow:

You can assign things (especially quizzes) per section to customize availability times and due dates
You can sort Speedgrader submissions by section
You can sort the Gradebook by section

Canvas Crosslisting Tips by Kaelyn Bullock

Please submit a tech ticket if you have additional questions.

Canvas

REMC’s latest free offerings from their Sept newsletter

REMC Power Up

New Classroom Resource: Power Up Teaching and Learning

The REMC Association is excited to introduce a new educator resource: Power Up Teaching and Learning. Power Up Teaching and Learning is created to help professionals “power up” their common teaching practices using educational technology and includes guiding questions, learning activities, ideas and resources.

REMC student centered learning

REMC to bring blended, self-paced, mastery-based learning experiences to your classroom with Student-Centered Learning Across Michigan

Do you want to meet the needs of EVERY student in your classroom while making it manageable for you? The REMC Association is partnering with the Modern Classrooms Project to bring you the Student-Centered Learning Across Michigan (SLAM) project. This project will support teachers, in any subject area, grade level or school, as they implement three core, research-based practices that have been proven to impact student and teacher outcomes.

Do you know the PCCS technology Essentials?

Check out all of the essential websites, know who to get help from, and know what credentials to use when using this handy cheat sheet!

Reminder to be vigilant when online

As some of you may be aware, the Los Angeles Unified School district was recently the victim of a cyber security attack which left several of their systems unusable for an extended period of time. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident in the education sector. The FBI and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) have been issuing warnings that several ransomware organizations are specifically targeting the educational sector due to the vast amount of personally identifiable information (PII) available in the EDU space and the fact that the EDU space typically is the ‘lowest hanging fruit’ in the cyber world. Indeed, in 2021, U.S. schools lost $3.56 billion to ransomware attacks, and saw two educational institutions “shut down for good,” said Aaron Sandeen, CEO at Cyber Security Works (CSW).

While the Technology department does our best to reduce our “attack surface” and mitigate against attacks, it is also imperative that staff remain vigilant. Cyber criminals will attempt to compromise staff credentials to get “a foot in the door”. The most common method of obtaining credentials is through phishing attacks. As a reminder, phishing is when a malicious actor attempts to trick you, the user, to divulge personal information, such as passwords or financial information. Unfortunately phishing campaigns are becoming more and more convincing as time goes on. Malicious actors are becoming quite efficient at perfectly replicating emails to look like they are coming from legitimate sources such as Amazon, Netflix, Apple, etc.

Pictured below are some tips to identify phishing emails. Feel free to save or even print and hang it in your room/office as a daily reminder for you and our students on how to stay vigilant against someone out to take advantage of you:

Another method malicious actors use is pop-up messages while you are browsing the web. They will typically tell you that your computer is compromised and that you NEED to contact them for remediation. Please remember that NOBODY – not P-CCS Technology, Microsoft, Apple, etc. will ever display a pop-up on your computer asking for you to contact them. These are ALWAYS a scam. Here is an example of such a scam:

If you believe you have been the victim of a phishing attack, please submit a service ticket as soon as possible. We will not pass judgment as everybody makes mistakes. Our priority is to safeguard student/staff data and secure district resources such as the impacted technology equipment. Without knowledge, we cannot take the necessary steps to protect student and staff data from being exfiltrated and sold on the dark web.

As stated previously, we are continuously monitoring for malicious behavior and working towards improving our cyber security posture. If you have any questions or concerns, please submit a service ticket. And remember: Think before you click.

Below are some additional resources to help protect yourself from cyber criminals:

PayPal – Learn About Fake Messages

CISA – 4 steps for online safety

Ready.gov – Prepare yourself for cybersecurity attacks

Thank you for doing your part,

P-CCS Technology Department

Help Close the Digital Divide – please let families know about the Affordable Connectivity Program

The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) was established by Congress to help lower-income families afford reliable, high-speed internet. It’s part of the Federal Communications Commission’s mission to ensure that all people, regardless of their income, can access the internet services and computer technology that are essential to our modern world.

The ACP used to be a temporary program called the Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB). In 2022, Congress made it permanent and renamed it the Affordable Connectivity Program. It provides eligible households with a discount on internet services and devices.

Please consider sharing www.GetMyInternet.org with families at your school so they can learn more and apply if interested. (Anyone who’s eligible for free and reduced-price lunch qualifies.)

A random handful of websites that might be helpful

In no particular order, here is another smattering of websites that instructional staff might find have a use case…

qrtoon.com

If you want to add a little pizazz to your QR codes, simply check out this site, use the Web App, and upload a photo! Four+ artsy styles to choose from.

Help Students Visualize Concepts and Content with Icons
Icons are more than just simple graphics. They help us understand things about the world around us, but without words. Think of common warning and caution signs. Our brains can decipher these symbols in a more meaningful way. The Noun Project just released some awesome FREE teacher templates….as well as helpful collections. Free accounts can download high quality transparent PNGs with attribution.

https://time.is/

You can mostly find this information with a quick Google search, but this is a fun site to bookmark. It gives you the exact time wherever you are in the world. You can also see and search for world cities.

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ClipDrop: Create professional product visuals

ClipDrop will allow you to take a picture of something, remove the background around that object, and then paste it into the app you are working with on your laptop. Watch the video to see it in action!

clipdrop.co

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Toy Theater Teacher Tools

These interactive teaching tools and virtual manipulatives are ideal for interactive displays or touch screen devices. There are dozens to choose from and they are all free.

toytheater.com

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Insanely Useful Websites

The internet is a weird and wonderful place, and most of us are only scratching the surface or what is out there. Visit this site to discover ‘insanely useful’ websites you didn’t even know existed.

www.insanelyusefulwebsites.com

Zoom resources

For those using Zoom, you might want to check out some of their curated resources for ideas and more.

Their Zoom Teaching Tools site reviews a series of Zoom tools combined with pedagogical strategies for you to incorporate into your existing lesson plans. These are designed to work at any graded level. Lesson plan templates can also be found there.

Their Educator’s Guide to Using Zoom in the Classroom covers how to get started with Zoom and find tips and resources for engaging parents and students. It’s worth at least a skimming even if you think you are familiar with Zoom as they concisely provide an overview of some of their newest features.

Their Parent & Student’s Guide to Using Zoom for Learning is just that. Some families and students might appreciate being shared this helpful guide.

Zoom’s Learning Center for Education offers recorded training sessions on some of their features (see screenshot below).