Media and Tech Tidbits

Tech Tidbits!

2020-2021

Summer Roll Over

ITS will create and populate new Google Classrooms for all of your sections. This two-part process involves archiving 2020-2021 Google Classrooms—scheduled for Thursday, June 24th—and creating the 2020-21 Classrooms. All newly-created Google Classrooms will be ready for you to access on Tuesday, August 3.

 

Once this process is complete, please review your course listings to ensure they are consistent with your Skyward data. Students (and parent/guardian email addresses) will be added Friday, August 27th and sync nightly as new students are added in Skyward. Once students are loaded into your Classrooms, all dropped students must be manually removed. Since we create Google Classrooms for all sections in Skyward, you may choose to archive/reject unwanted Classrooms. 

 

Please Note: This process will not delete the content within archived Google Classrooms; archived content is accessible and reusable from year to year. Please refer to the following link for directions on accessing these archived posts:  Reuse a Post in Google Classroom. 

 

Additionally, as a part of our summer rollover we will refresh teachers’ access to digital curriculum. These updates align ClassLink content (EM4, TCI, Pearson, etc.) with scheduled courses.  On July 13th,  teachers will have access to the 2021-2022 digital content. If you aren’t seeing the correct information after this date, please submit a help desk ticket.

 

One other item to note: the Skyward Student year-end rollover is scheduled for Monday, July 12. During this time, Skyward Student will not be accessible. We’ll send a reminder email on the rollover date, as well as a confirmation once the process is complete.

Help Desk for Families

 New Google Meet Features 10/1/2020

Computer Updates 3-9-21

Tech Tips and Tricks for Elementary Teachers

New Google Features - 3-1-21

New Skyward Student Login Process (4/7/21)

e have been working to simplify the Skyward login process. We have started with the Skyward Student system. In the Staff Resources folder in ClassLink, you will now see an icon called Skyward Student SSO. Once you click on this icon, ClassLink will launch Skyward Student without you having to do anything further. We will also be configuring this feature for students in the weeks to come. Have a wonderful afternoon!

Take care,

Jen

MAP Practice

Here are some resources if you would like to do a little model/practice/intro of the MAP test with your students. 

Warm up videos

- Grades K–2: 

- Grades 2+

Practice Tests:

1. Start students from either location:

   • Practice Test Website: practice.mapnwea.org

     – or –

   • NWEA secure browser App: Click Try the Practice Test from the log-in page.
2. Complete the generic log-in:
   • Username = grow
   • Password = grow
3. Select the options for grade, subject, language, and test.

Hawk Talk

Thank you for your patience as we work through some of the Youtube/live streaming issues. Ryan and I have outlined some information below that should help provide some clarity regarding next steps. We will also be meeting with media specialists on Wednesday to review this information.

Currently:

Media Staff is using the Live:Air Solo App on the iPad to livestream the daily news to their Youtube channel.  We have heard that everyone would like to continue using this app to allow all the features of the app to make a better news program.

We know of two New Channels (RC and WR) that have had news videos flagged and accounts are no longer able to live stream.  The streams are unavailable for an unknown amount of time.  It could be 90 days or longer.  

What we have found from RC is that since there are no adults on the live stream, that is causing the flags.  WR’s had a video flagged the one day Kim was not on the live stream.  We are also seeing that once a video is flagged, even though they are removed, the entire channel is prevented from streaming.  

Going Forward:  

We are going to test create new “news” accounts for RC and WR so they can live stream again.  We highly suggest an adult be on the broadcast daily, be it a principal or another adult.  This should help stop videos from getting flagged and accounts being blocked from streaming.  You will still be able to use the app as well.

If in the future your account gets flagged again, the only option available to still being able to use the app is to download an upgrade feature in the app ($9.99).  The upgrade allows you to record the broadcast to the device instead of live streaming it. You would then be able to upload the video file to Google Drive and share it out that way.  The best way for this to work, would be to film your news a day ahead, thus allowing you the flexibility if there is an upload issue and teachers would have the link ready to go at the beginning of the day.  We recognize that this may not be ideal and we will do everything we can to maintain your current streaming ability. 

Last Resort Option:

For those wishing to go away from live streaming using the app, the ability to live stream through Google Meet is an option.  This option would be available live and has no option for playback. The livestream via Google Meet lets you use all the Google Meet features without having the students needing to use their camera or microphone.  They will not be able to interact with the Meet itself.  

We want to make sure that your buildings are supported with your daily news programs. Ryan is going to be the point of contact moving forward. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out Ryan or myself.

Take care,

Jen

IT Updates - emails from Jen

IDL TIPS

• We have two help desk systems that are running this fall. One is for students/families and the other is for staff. Both systems allow users to submit tickets from anywhere. The help desk will be the best way for staff members and families to get the support they need. Also, the help document for families has been continuously updated and now has resources that are specific to IDLs.

• As teachers are streaming their Google Meets, it is important that they close other tabs and programs on their laptops. This will definitely help with speed and reduce glitches. 

• Staff members should restart their computers every single day. This will allow updates to run on a regular basis.

• During the simulation, we noticed that the Chrome browser was out of date  on many computers. If staff members are having trouble, they should check to see if Chrome is up to date.

• We have already started to support guest teachers for the fall. Teachers should review the guest teacher information at the bottom of the back to school tech checklist. 

• Teachers should see their IDLs listed on their attendance this morning. This list is updated on a daily basis from Skyward and only includes students who chose IDL. (We did not include students who chose “other”.) If you have any students that change to IDL (even if it’s for a short period of time) it is critical that the Skyward Return to Learn Survey is updated.

Google Meet - Hand Raising

Adding a doc camera

Mystery Science

Good afternoon elementary teachers! We have recently secured a district license for Mystery Science. This license will allow teachers to access the premium content through June of 2021. Please follow the directions below to access your account. Students will not need to make accounts for Mystery Science since teachers will be able to add links directly to Google Classroom.  Additionally, Mystery Science has been added to the instructional resources folder in ClassLink.

Take care,

Jen

Mystery Science is a new NGSS-aligned curriculum for elementary teachers that makes it easier than ever to teach hands-on NGSS science.

Hudson School District has partnered with Mystery Science to offer a free trial to all teachers in the district through June 2021.

Sign up for your free account here: https://mysteryscience.com/start?district_id=80968 using your school email address. If you've already signed up for Mystery Science, clicking the link will associate your account with your district's account. Your feedback on the lessons will be shared with our district as part of the evaluation of the curriculum.

Mystery Science lessons are open-and-go. Simply gather a few common materials and you can start teaching right away. Each Mystery begins with a question that is explored through engaging video and stimulating discussion questions. Through video-guided hands-on investigations, students solve the Mystery.

To see how easy Mystery Science is to use, view this short guided tour https://mysteryscience.com/gettingstarted?wvideo=ozhk8931ui

If you have any questions, please contact Mystery Science at support@mysteryscience.com

Google Classroom Update - June 2020

The majority of the 2020-2021 Google Classrooms were created at the end of last week. As you navigate to your Google Classrooms page, tiles will display short course descriptions from Skyward and the building name. Please feel free to edit the tile details by clicking on the More Options icon (three vertical dots in the upper-right corner) and selecting Edit. Additionally, you can archive any Google Classrooms you do not plan to use. All students will be populated on August 28th.

**Please Note: This process will not delete the content within archived Google Classrooms; archived content is accessible and reusable from year to year. Please refer to the following link for directions on accessing these archived posts:  Reuse a Post in Google Classroom. 

 

Please submit a help desk ticket if you have any issues. Enjoy your summer!

Jen

2019-2020
Hudson School District Web-Based Resource List

Classlink for Families

At conferences you will want to remind parents about our single sign in resource, Classlink. This resource can be found on all of our Raider Portal homepages. For a student to be able to access the resources in Classlink they will need their:

1. Computer Username
2. Computer Password

Here is a link to a video that has some simple directions on how to access the Classlink resource. Please let myself, Laura or Lori know if you have any questions you have.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3LR2-ioVgsVSmdqSk1QNmpQeHM/view?usp=sharing

Summer Opportunity

The Hudson School District will again be hosting the Western Wisconsin Ed Tech Summit at Hudson High School on August 11-12, 2020. This professional learning opportunity is free for all Hudson staff to attend and includes lunch on both days. Each day will offer a keynote, as well as multiple sessions for technology users at any level, focused on engaging all learners.

Session descriptions will be posted in July and there is no need to pre-select your sessions. Registration is currently open and can be accessed at https://newrichmond.ce.eleyo.com/courses/category/101/wwets-registration. If you are interested in presenting at the Western Wisconsin Ed Tech Summit, please complete this form with session details.  If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out! Have a great day!

Hawk Talk App - troubleshooting

After talking with Steve about our tech issues with the morning news, we came up with some things to try.  

1. Do not open the Live Air app and begin setting up the broadcast until you are in the room where you will be recording.

2. Before opening the app, go into settings and turn off wifi for a few seconds and then turn it back on.

3. Be sure it is connected to the "chromecast" network, not "chrome."  And be sure there is a strong connection.

4. Double click the home button to show all open apps, and close the Live Air app.

5. After these things are done, open Live Aiir and set up the broadcast destination the same way we have been doing.

6. When beginning to record, after the "publishing" stage, watch the small circle to the left of the time clock count down in the upper right corner.  It should change color and become red when recording.  If it doesn't, try touching the time clock/go live button again.  

7. There is a volume mute that can accidentally be selected at the bottom.  Be aware of that.

8. I also have started having a chromebook with me open to the youtube watch page while I am recording so that I can monitor that it is working. Just remember that there is about a 12 second delay, so if you don't see your anchors right away, don't get concerned until after about 12 to 15 seconds in.  

9. When done recording, stop the clock and select "complete event" when it appears as one of the choices in the center of the screen. 

Media Resource on Class Link

The media team is excited to add this new resource to the Media Resources folder in ClassLink. We have been using PebbleGo for our beginning readers for several years and can't wait for our more advanced readers to use PebbleGo Next!

Be sure to check out all of PebbleGo Next's features:

• Read-aloud audio and Text Highlighting
• Tabbed Navigation
• Extended Learning including online dictionary, source citation, video, and suggested projects.
• Capstone Community is a free website with a ton of resources to help you make the most of your subscription, including letters for parents and teachers, lesson plans, content maps, and more!

Dear Staff,

Your Google Classrooms have been populated with class rosters as of this morning. If you are missing students you can add them manually to Google Classroom very easily by following the directions below. Important: if students are withdrawn from your classes you will have to remove them manually from your Google Classrooms. After the first day of school, Google Classroom rosters will be updated nightly with newly enrolled students. If you are still missing any Google Classrooms, please complete a Help Desk ticket. Have a great start to the year!

Jen

Google Classroom Updates (2019-20)

The majority of the 2019-20 Google Classrooms were created at the end of last week. As you navigate to your Google Classrooms page, tiles will display short course descriptions (see example below) from Skyward and the building name. Please feel free to edit the tile details by clicking on the More Options icon (three vertical dots in the upper-right corner) and selecting Edit. Additionally, you can archive any Google Classrooms you do not plan to use. All students will be populated on August 30th. Please contact ITS with any questions by calling x8070 or completing a Help Desk Ticket.

Access the Houlton Raider Portal

Technology Updates (Sept. 2019)

As a part of these adjustments, we have implemented a change to the Skyward Student system. 

• Initially, Skyward was set to log a user out of the system after 20 minutes of inactivity. After receiving your feedback, we have increased this time to 55 minutes. 
• The Skyward system will also prompt you to update your password every 90 days. 
• For one-click access to Skyward and other District resources, consider using ClassLink.

It is good practice and extremely important to secure and lock your device any time you step away from it. To do so, you can select the Windows Key  and L on your keyboard. 

As part of our ongoing cyber security plan, we will continue to simulate phishing emails through KnowBe4. If you receive any emails that look harmful or malicious, please click on the fish hook icon in your email. This will send an email to the IT team for review and block it if necessary. If you happen to click on a malicious link through our simulated phishing emails, you will be directed to complete a brief training. 

MAP Instructional Pictorial

Map Troubleshooting Instructions

Smart Compose:

Please check out the Smart Compose feature in Gmail. It's a great time saver! Please see the article below for details. https://gsuiteupdates.googleblog.com/2018/09/gmail-smart-compose-gsuite.html

ISTE Student Standards

Link to Type to Learn   Login Tutorial

Discovery Education - To access Discover Ed, do NOT enter your username and password.  Simply click "login."  Then, click the red "sign in with google."  You and students can find the link on the media database site.  I recommend bookmarking that page for all teachers and students.  This is the same page where the links to Pebble Go, Type to Learn, Brain Pop, etc. can all be found.

MackinVia eBooks - Log in with computer username and password (no star).
 If directed to also log into "Follett" account, it is the same username and password.
                       
Tech Help InfoGraphic

Kelly's calendar

Sending Surveys/Google Forms to Families - tips

Reminder to staff regarding basic formatting and share settings.

1. Include a description of the survey purpose, including who is sending the survey.
2. Include logo so the heading looks like this: branded header

If the survey is to be completed by people outside of the school district, be sure to open up the access. Settings - unclick restrict users.