Technology Essentials: Streamline Your Workflow

As your new Educational Technology Manager, I am thrilled to dive in and support our incredible district team. Whether you are stepping into a P-CCS building for day one or year twenty, technology should streamline your workflow, not complicate it. While our P-CCS Technology Essentials guide is often shared during new hire onboarding, it serves as a valuable annual cheat sheet for every staff member to keep systems running smoothly.

Chrome Navigation Reminders

  • Make sure you are signed into the Chrome browser with your P-CCS Google ID
    1. On your computer, open Chrome.
    2. At the top right, select Profile Profile and then Add Chrome profile .
    3. If you choose to sign in to Chrome with your Google Account, your profile name will automatically be your Account name.
    4. Choose a name, photo, and color scheme.

If you choose to sign in to Chrome with your Google Account in this new profile, you’ll be able to save your bookmarks, passwords, and other settings in your account and access them on your other devices where you’re signed in.

  • P-CCS Bookmarks appear on the Bookmark Bar when logged into Chrome with your P-CCS Google ID.
  • The Google Waffle is visible when on google websites (gmail, drive, docs, ect.). It can also be found in the P-CCS Bookmarks folder under Google Workspace.

SMARTboard Updates & Tips

Check out the Smart Learning Academy to level up your knowledge of your SMARTboard and Lumio. The Academy is filled with short self-paced courses that walk you through using various tools and let you interact with a SMARTboard simulation from anywhere.

Tips

  1. Use the Lock Canvas button when using the Whiteboard Lock Canvas Button. This makes it so the background won’t automatically get moved when content and annotations are added.
  2. Want to write with 2 different colors? Enable finger inking while using the Whiteboard. Select 1 color for the pen and 1 for finger inking. Finger Inking Icon

Technology Support

How do I get help?

  • Submit a work order to get support with malfunctioning or broken technology and get questions answered on how to use district resources. 
  • Master Library is the work order system for technology, facilities, & operations. Access it via the P-CCS bookmarks folder.  Sign in with your District Google ID.

K-5 Teachers: Welcome to Lumio!

Lumio is coming to P-CCS!

We are so excited to share that all Elementary Teachers will be getting Lumio accounts beginning on Monday August 7! P-CCS has partnered with SMART to bring new SMARTboards to every elementary classroom over the next three years. There are so many new amazing features that help make these Smartboards the best walk up and teach interactive technology and Lumio is the online component that leverages the Smartboard hardware! But even if you are teaching in an elementary building that didn’t get the new Smartboards this year, you will still have access to Lumio for use with your current SmartBoard and in the future when that board is replaced with a new one!

So what is Lumio?

Lumio is the online component of the SMART technologies resources that include lesson resources, interactive activities, games, collaborative workspaces, and so much more! (If you remember Smart notebook and Smart Exchange from years ago, this is the newer, better, online version!) Lumio is the digital learning tool for transforming lessons into active, collaborative learning experiences that engage students on their own devices. Transform lessons in seconds, then deliver them to student devices in a browser, or via Google. You can even combine different file types (PDFs, Google Slides, PowerPoint and Notebook files) into a single Lumio lesson! Import the lessons you already use, combine existing resources and enhance them with customizable components including games, collaborative workspaces and much more. Then deliver them to student devices quickly and easily, all from a browser or Google Drive.

How do I get started?

Starting Monday August 7, check your P-CCS email for information on how to access your account. Then keep an eye in your inbox for weekly emails from Lumio that will give you step by step training to use ready made resources in Lumio, create your own and how to share with students! If you ever need support, put in a tech request for Technology Integration at helpdesk.pccsk12.com.