iOS and GMail app

IOS Gmail update

For those that have an iPhone and use the Gmail app — IOS users must upgrade to the latest version for Gmail iOS app versions 6.0.210221 and 6.0.210222 before July 7, 2021 to avoid interruption. Google discovered an issue with two Google Gmail iOS app versions that could result in a disruption of functionality to users’ service. This is a proactive upgrade required to avoid the application from hanging, crashing, and going into unusual application states that may cause an interruption.

What do I need to do?

On July 7, 2021, IOS users will receive a prompt requiring them to upgrade to the latest version if they have the GMAIL app. If they don’t accept the latest version, they’ll experience an interruption in service until the upgrade is performed.

  • Download the latest version of the Gmail iOS app from the Apple App Store before July 7.

Network / MISTAR/ SMART outage July 2-4

Wayne RESA will be conducting disaster recovery systems testing during the Independence Day holiday break from Friday July 2nd (6 PM) through Sunday July 4th. This testing is critical to ensure that RESA will be able to continue to provide our districts with full services should a disaster-level event happen. Districts [including ours] should expect RESA service/system unavailability during this test. This includes SMART, MISTAR (and Parent Connection and Student Connection), Illuminate DnA and PolyPlot. Additionally, NO INTERNET service will be available within the district during this time period

Second Notice: End of the Year Tech Checklist

As you make plans to close up your classroom for the summer (and a well deserved break), please take care of the following items:

  1. Copy your Canvas courses so you don’t lose any content! https://tech.pccsk12.com/second-notice-end-of-the-year-canvas-support-action-required/
  2. Please comply with the directions of your principal and main office to turn in or secure all classroom technology equipment such as document cameras, microphones, interactive pens, and remotes. 
  3. Please also secure or take home all District-assigned devices (laptop, Chromebook, iPad, etc.), as well as all personally-owned devices..
    • If you are leaving the District, complete this form.
  4. Power off projectors/IFPs, sound amps, and desktop computers.
    • You may leave printer and copiers plugged in and powered on
  5. Follow the care suggestions for classroom audio

Virtual Academy Teachers: Please return monitors and other borrowed equipment, such as document cameras to the Board Office. You may drop off during these hours:

  • Through June 11: 1:30-3:00 pm each day
  • Week of June 14: Monday through Thursday, 9:00-11:00 am and 1:00-3:00 pm
  • No drop off availability June 18-July 5

Thanks for your cooperation!

End of the Year Tech Equipment Checklist

As you make plans to close up your classroom for the summer (and a well deserved break), please take care of the following items:

  1. Copy your Canvas courses so you don’t lose any content! https://tech.pccsk12.com/second-notice-end-of-the-year-canvas-support-action-required/
  2. Please comply with the directions of your principal and main office to turn in or secure all classroom technology equipment such as document cameras, microphones, interactive pens, and remotes. 
  3. Please also secure or take home all District-assigned devices (laptop, Chromebook, iPad, etc.), as well as all personally-owned devices..
    • If you are leaving the District, complete this form.
  4. Power off projectors/IFPs, sound amps, and desktop computers.
    • You may leave printer and copiers plugged in and powered on
  5. Follow the care suggestions for classroom audio

Thanks for your cooperation!

Do you or someone you know use Google short links such as links.pccsk12.com/….?

Google recently announced they are ending their Go Links service after 11 years.  See https://killedbygoogle.com/ for more on this and other shuttered services.  Shortened links created at links.pccsk12.com are not expected to resolve to their associated actual URLs after June 15th. Please know the district’s Technology Department is working to migrate most of the links created via this service to another service and will have another posting on our progress later this month.

Second Notice: End of the Year Canvas Support-Action Required

Make a copy of your Canvas course

*PLEASE NOTE: In early August, ALL MISTAR created courses will un-sync and therefore courses will be deleted off of dashboards. Please make sure you follow the directions below to ensure all work (assignments, discussions, videos, etc.) will save correctly.

With Canvas being utilized for the foreseeable future, and with the end of the year approaching, we wanted to pass along some directions on how to ensure that your course(s) and work created this year can be used for next Fall.  The directions below will enable you to copy your course into a “Sandbox” type course, so when you return in the Fall, all you will need to do is import your “Sandbox” course, into your MISTAR rostered course.

Watch the less than 3-minute video below or watch it on YouTube. https://youtu.be/ibyFUeqSurY


Printable PDF directions

Optional, further back up step: For Directions on saving your course to your computer/google drive click here

End of Year Reflective Portfolio Assignment

As we approach the end of the school year, it is a great practice to have students reflect on their work and learning. It also serves as an indicator for you about what lessons and activities had the most impact on students.

John Sowash on his blog, Chromebook Classroom recommends that you use Google Slides for the portfolio and have students insert audio on each slide (or they could record a screencast with Canvas Studio). He suggests three questions:

  • What was your favorite assignment?
  • What’s one thing you learned this year?
  • What is your favorite memory from the school year?

You might also ask a question about how COVID-19 impacted their school year.

To see examples and get more information about how students might create these, visit his blog post or reach out to a Technology Integration Specialist.

Nearly unrelated, but because some might wish to use Google Documents instead for this exercise or down the road, please know that you can or will soon be able to create and import documents that contain images above or behind text in Google Docs — a welcome feature to be sure!

See this announcement for more on this new feature: https://workspaceupdates.googleblog.com/2021/05/images-above-or-behind-text-in-google-docs.html

Websites to check out

Webby Awards

This year’s Webby Awards were announced this week. Some notable websites to check out include:

Mathigon https://mathigon.org/ a cool website filled with neat and unexpected ways to explore math.

A to Z AI https://atozofai.withgoogle.com/intl/en-US/ A-Z guide offers a series of simple, bite-sized explainers to help anyone understand what AI is, how it works and how it’s changing the world around us.

Missing the Code https://missing-code.com/ highlights the contributions of women in some areas of computer coding (note it has a couple of poor word choices)

NASA Bring Space to Students Through Virtual Learning https://www.nasa.gov/stem-at-home-for-students-k-4.html Like the name suggests….

FABRICIUS https://artsexperiments.withgoogle.com/fabricius/en Explore Fabricius, a Google Arts & Culture Lab Experiment that uses machine learning to help translate ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs.

Generator Z https://generator-z.org/ Generator Z is an ideas lab that launched in 2020 for teens and afterschool providers to reimagine the future of afterschool in Southeast Michigan and Western New York.

You might also want to check out the apps they cite for recognition.

 

End of the Year Canvas Support – Action Required

Make a copy of your Canvas course

*PLEASE NOTE: In early August, ALL MISTAR created courses will un-sync and therefore courses will be deleted off of dashboards. Please make sure you follow the directions below to ensure all work (assignments, discussions, videos, etc.) will save correctly.

With Canvas being utilized for the foreseeable future, and with the end of the year approaching, we wanted to pass along some directions on how to ensure that your course(s) and work created this year can be used for next Fall.  The directions below will enable you to copy your course into a “Sandbox” type course, so when you return in the Fall, all you will need to do is import your “Sandbox” course, into your MISTAR rostered course.

Watch the less than 3-minute video below or watch it on YouTube. https://youtu.be/ibyFUeqSurY


Printable PDF directions

Optional, further back up step: For Directions on saving your course to your computer/google drive click here