Newsletter Archive – Page 22

A random handful of websites that might be helpful

In no particular order, here are a few websites that instructional staff might find have a use case…

Wheel of Names is a free, easy-to-use, and highly customizable website that you can use to pick a random item from a list. Enter names, and spin the wheel to pick a random winner (full screen avoids the side ads). You can customize the look and feel, and save and share your wheels with others. https://wheelofnames.com/

CocoMaterial Icons

Discover CocoMaterial, the Open Source hand-drawn illustration library with 2300+ images. Simply customize & download, or just download them as they are. The illustrations in Cocomaterian are under CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication license so no credit is required.

cocomaterial.com

Match My School

MatchMySchool gives you direct access to teachers like you who are looking for classes to twin with! It’s a safe, easy, and free way for teachers to connect and cooperate with each other across borders. Teach your students how to communicate and collaborate with others using Match My School.

www.matchmyschool.net

Ribbet.ai | AI photo editing

Ribbet.ai brings together a lot of those AI photo imaging tools in one place. It lets you remove backgrounds, remove objects, and apply a variety of stylized filters.

ribbet.ai

Audio Editor, Converter and Tools – Online & Free

Edit and convert audio files with unprecedented ease. You can cut, trim, compress, merge and apply audio effects like reverb, pitch, echo, and more. All tools for processing music are collected on one site for your convenience.

audiotoolset.com

Radiooooo

Radiooooo – The Musical Time Machine. This interesting tool lets you listen to music from different periods of time from countries all over the world. It’s a really interesting cultural experience.

radiooooo.com

Tiny Wow: Free Online Tools

This has all kinds of actions that you can perform on a file of your choice. Convert, compress, annotate, split, rotate, and more. A great one-stop-shop for things you do to digital files.

tinywow.com

Text Chat Animator

Create realistic text chat animations that simulate messaging apps! Export them for free in video or GIF format to create stories, commercials, and memes. Imagine having conversations between historical figures. What would they say? How would they react to each other? You decide!

chat-animator.com

Looking for the Google Waffle?

Google is often updating and changing their platform and many people have noticed that when they are at www.google.com, the “waffle” doesn’t display all the P-CCS apps. Rest assured, there are still 2 easy ways to access it.

Go to https://workspace.google.com/dashboard and bookmark the page.
If you are in a Google app like Gmail, Drive, or Calendar the waffle is in the upper-right corner and will contain all of our P-CCS apps.

We are working on a good solution for students to access the dashboard in September, in addition to the methods listed above.

Want Free Custom Poster Printing?

From 3 am EST on August 26 to 3 am EST on August 27, the first 300 eligible K-12 Canva for Education teachers in each school district in the U.S. can access a US$25 poster print voucher to print classroom posters, while supplies last. All info here: https://www.canva.com/newsroom/news/back-to-school-print-day/

Their $25 credit can cover up to three custom posters, depending on size and paper type. See also this blog post on more details of your Canva for Education account – all instructional staff have such an account.

Google Doc edit notifications

In Google Docs, starting later this month, you will be able to choose to receive email notifications for document changes (comments and/or edits) on a per file basis. Edit notification emails will detail what changes were made, when the changes were made, and who made them. (Google Sheets already has this notification feature.)

You will be able to configure these notifications in multiple places:

Gmail
In Docs via the Notification settings drop down (bell icon) or Tools > Notification settings.

Why you’d use it

Staying on top of relevant changes and comments across multiple documents can be difficult. By giving you the option to specify which comments and changes to be notified about, you can more easily stay on top of what needs your attention most and keep track of collaboration. You will be able to configure these settings from Gmail using the new “Notification settings” drop down:

They will also be accessible within Docs in the “Notification settings” drop down (bell icon). This will open a dialogue box with the notification settings options, which you can adjust as needed. Please note that edit notifications will be off by default and can be enabled on a per-document basis. When enabled, you will be notified when anyone adds or removes content from the document.

You can also access these settings in Tools > Notification settings.

Edit notifications will be OFF by default and can be enabled on a per document basis. Visit the Help Center to learn more about turning edit notifications on or off for your account.

Action Required: Enroll in Google Two-Factor Authentication

New Requirement – Two-Factor Authentication – Coming to All Staff P-CCS Google Accounts.

Starting August 15, 2022, each time staff initially log into their district Google, they will see the prompt above to enroll in 2-factor authentication until they do so.

It’s simple!

Just follow the prompts to either use the Google (Gmail) app you might already have installed on your cell phone, or enter a phone number to get a text or phone call with your code.

Follow THIS TUTORIAL for guidance

(Interested in written step-by-step directions: click here).

Please note, if you do not enroll in two factor authentication by September 30, 2022, you will be locked out of your account starting October 1, 2022.

“I didn’t see the prompt, but I don’t want to get locked out.”

**“I clicked ‘Do this later‘, now what?”**

Easy! Just follow the steps in THIS TUTORIAL to turn on your

Two-Factor authentication now!

(Interested in written step-by-step directions? Click HERE.)

THE WHAT

P-CCS staff already use Two-Factor Authentication when logging into MISTAR and Wayne Resa’s eEmployee portal SMART (where P-CCS staff access payroll information). Two factor authentication is an added layer of security to an online account. It can prevent 98% of hackers from accessing your account information. Two factor authentication is a system which after you login with your username and password you receive a code to verify it really is you trying to enter your account. Upon entering that code, you will then be able to access your account. And by October 1, 2022, all Faculty/Staff P-CCS Google accounts will be required to use two-factor authentication.

THE WHY

2-factor authentication drastically reduces the chances of having the personal information in your Google account stolen by someone else. If interested, this video shows more information about how Two-Factor Authentication keeps your account more secure. And though an extra step to log in may feel frustrating, it’s less frustrating than dealing with the repercussions of a compromised account. Additionally, school districts purchase cyber insurance which requires a regular review of security-related best practices/continuous improvement, and requiring an additional authentication method for account access is the next big push for districts to be compliant with cybersecurity risks/best practice.

THE WHEN

Beginning Monday August 15 All PCCS staff will be prompted to turn on 2-factor authentication. When you log in, the image above will prompt you to enroll. Staff must turn on two-factor authentication by September 30, 2022.

It is important to note the following

If you do not enroll in two-factor authentication prior to October 1, 2022, you will be locked out of your account, on or after that date.
You will not have to log in to Google with 2-factor authentication every day when using the same device if you opt to “remember” the device..
Once you authenticate and complete the 2-step verification process and make sure to “remember this device” (their verbiage is Don’t ask again on this computer), Google will not require 2-step verification every time you log in. From that point on, Google will not prompt you to perform 2-Step verification on that device unless you clear your browser’s cache, change your password, it’s been around 30 days since your last verification and/or if Google suspects that your account has been breached.
This two factor authentication will not be required for students and will not change how students log in to their P-CCS accounts.
If you prefer to not use a phone, or when it might not be available, consider retrieving backup codes for access. See this support article
for details.

This prior blog post also offers some news of this upcoming requirement.

Questions? Need help? Submit a help desk ticket!

Gmail has a new integrated view

Google announced last January that a new integrated view for Gmail was coming and while it had been delayed, starting this month, users who have not opted-in will begin seeing the new experience by default, but can revert to classic Gmail via Quick settings (gear in top right). Within the next two months, this will become the default experience with no option to revert back.

See this support article for more background – https://support.google.com/mail/answer/11555490

Panda Pros, Free Canvas Coaching and Support

Canvas is bringing back Panda Pros! Throughout this August and until September 18, Canvas representatives will be available for one-on-one, 45 minute coaching sessions. Panda Pros are available to meet from 9 AM to 6 PM MDT Monday-Sunday! The weekend slots filled up quickly last year. Need some ideas on topics you might address?

Module Organization
Using Speedgrader
Mastering the Rich Content Editor
Chatting about how best to use Canvas in your grade level/content area
Discuss how well your course meets Instructional Design and Accessibility standards

Get more information here.

You can go to https://www.instructure.com/panda-pros to schedule your appointment (note that times offered are in Mountain Time).

Of course, your Tech Integration Specialists are also happy to meet with you on any of these topics and more. Submit a ticket and we will get back to you!

Mega update and new name for FlipGrid…now FLIP!

FlipGrid, I mean Flip, is cranking out some new features in the coming weeks that Flipgrid users are bound to really like! Just a few: Custom Group Links, Edit Captions, Group Templates, Sign Language Lens (Sounds awesome!), Camera upgrades and lots more. Here’s their latest blog with all the updates.

To see some of the new features, check out the video below.

Edit PDFs with Canva

Canva is a great design tool for student and teacher use. It is free for education account and integrates with Canvas. If you haven’t taken the “Use Canva in Canvas” course you should add it to your list!

Did you know you can upload an existing PDF to Canva to redesign and update it? See the short video below.

If you are interested in learning more about how to use Canva in your classroom, you might consider attending their back to school webinar on July 19 at 3 PM. Sign up here. Or you can always catch the recording and catch up on past ones.

Canva

Looking for your Canvas Course?

If you have logged into Canvas recently, you may have had a moment of panic to see that your 21-22 courses are not on your dashboard. Rest assured, they are still there. If you navigate to https://pccsk12.instructure.com/courses and scroll to the bottom of the page, you’ll see it the courses under “Past Enrollments.” You can also access these through the Global Navigation Menu:

The courses are currently in read-only format and you’ll be able to import your content into your new course shells in the fall (we’ll publish directions as it gets closer). If you would like to make some edits and updates to you your course. Click on the course under Past Enrollments, go to Settings on the Course Navigation Menu and you’ll see the “Copy this Course” button.

You can use this Canvas guide for the steps that follow. Once completed, you’ll have a version of your course on your dashboard that you can update and edit and them import that content in the fall.

If you have any questions, please submit a tech ticket.

Canvas