Tuesday Tech Tips: March 2024

In today's Tuesday Tech Tips, read all about creating presentations, posters, and more with Canva, an update on GCSD's USB device policy, access to copyright-free music through Soundzabound, and more! ➡️ ➡️➡️

💡 Quick Tip 💡

It's that easy.

Do you have a tip or idea for the Tuesday Tech Tips? Or a request for a topic or question you'd like to know more about? Please let us know! You can email us at joseph.lombardo@greececsd.org with your submission.

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Have you dipped into the Canva Craze yet? Canva is an online graphic design tool you can use to create social media posts, presentations, posters, videos, logos and more. Canva makes it easy to create and share professional-looking designs.

Canva can be accessed through ClassLink and by using the "Sign in with Google" option. You should see that you're in the "Education" version with full access to all the bells and whistles. As always, reach out to your ITT for support and/or to schedule PL for your building or teams. Additionally, teachers may find this Guide HERE helpful to explore. Start creating today!

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USB Media Restrictions

As part of the process outlined in a district-wide email you received on December 18, TSS is restricting the use of USB drives (i.e. thumb drives, flash drives, external hard drives) on district devices. This is the result of a long and deliberate journey initiated by several cybersecurity audits and insurance reviews. Most nearby school districts have either already restricted USB drives, or are in the process of doing so.

This policy has already been fully implemented in our elementary schools, and we expect to have the policy set for all schools and buildings by Thursday, March 28.

We recognize there are some scenarios that require exceptions to allow USB media access for specific district devices or situations. There are two levels of exceptions:

USB UNRESTRICTED APPROVED devices with minimal PII concerns and files that need to be transferred between devices that cannot support encryption
USB ENCRYPTED
read allowed; encrypted for write presentation stations; special visits; approved computer to computer transfers (encryption used)

To request an exception, please submit a ticket via Web Help Desk. Use request type "Online Forms," sub-type "USB Media Access Request." Thank you for helping us keep our district and student data safe.

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Soundzabound is a collection of copyright-free background music and sound effects available to all staff and students in GCSD. They can be used for any type of school project, sports, extracurriculars….basically anything to do with school.

One of the collections is called LO-FI Study Music. This is designed to enhance focus and concentration in various settings such as the cafeteria, library, and classrooms

To access Soundzabound, click HERE. You can also get to it through your school library's webpage. If prompted, use the username grmonroe and password boces2.

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Looking for PL Hours? Be sure to check out the ITT’s page for Recommended PL HERE. You’ll find upcoming webinar and session opportunities, as well as ongoing opportunities for digital tool certifications and self-paced learning. These offerings are updated frequently so bookmark the site and check back often!

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For assistance with these topics, or anything else related to instructional technology, please click HERE to book an appointment with your building's ITT.

In today's Tuesday Tech Tips, read all about keeping your Gmail organized with Snoozing and Google Tasks, checking for signs of cheating with Version History, facilitating difficult classroom conversations with technology, and more! ➡️ ➡️➡️

💡 Quick Tip 💡

Do you find the "new message" window in Gmail to feel a little claustrophobic? Do you want it to default to a larger window?

This short video will show you how to set this to your default view. Then you can enjoy a nice, roomy, email-writing experience!

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Pass by Securly has been added to all district Chromebooks in the Apps section in the lower left when no one is signed into the device. This is the same place we use for apps for state testing. The app is there only for the schools who use Pass, and this will allow staff to make any Chromebook a kiosk for Pass by Securly. Schools that use this will receive a separate communication from their building's ITT with more details.

If you click on any of these Apps accessible on the sign in screen and get "stuck" in them, press the power button on the Chromebook for one second, then click "Sign Out."

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Attention K-2 Teachers: We've been working closely with both Google and ClassLink to solve the issue where students access their Chromebooks via a QuickCard, but can't access Google apps without supplying a password one time.

The issue is resolved. Your K-2 students can now access Drive, Docs, etc. without being prompted for a password. Thanks for your patience while our partner vendors worked through this.

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You Snooze, You Don't Lose

Trying to keep an organized Gmail inbox? Try one of these: snooze 😴 or task ✅ your Gmail messages! Click HERE to learn more about snoozing messages in Gmail and HERE to learn all about Google Tasks.

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Combat Academic Dishonesty with Version History

With the proliferation of AI writing tools, it's easier than ever for students to find written work on the internet to copy and paste into Google Docs and submit as their own.

One tool teachers have to fight this is Version History in Docs. In any Doc, such as one written by a students, go to File --> Version History --> See Version History. If you see that one moment the Doc is blank, and the next an entire page of text appears, that may be a reason to have a conversation with the student to understand how that happened. It's important to remember, there are legitimate reasons that could explain it, but it's probably worth a conversation.

All the edits made to the Doc can be viewed, along with the time they were made, allowing it to be compared with the previous versions. The editor's name also appears next to the specific edit if the document has multiple editors.

For more details on working with Version History in Docs, click HERE.

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Using Tech to Facilitate Difficult Classroom Conversations

Technology can enable middle and high school students to contribute more freely to discussions on challenging topics and events.

This article from Edutopia HERE describes how one teacher used Nearpod, utilizing its ability for students to post anonymously and the teacher to screen and approve posts, to facilitate a challenging discussion in a thoughtful, respectful, and developmentally appropriate manner.

In the end, the teacher "was astounded by how robust and respectful the Nearpod conversations were. Students wrote profound and thoughtful posts, offered multiple responses to each question, and stayed engaged throughout the activity."

Your ITT's have curated resources related to Nearpod HERE. Please reach out to us HERE for more support.

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For assistance with these topics, or anything else related to instructional technology, please click HERE to book an appointment with your building's ITT.

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3-26-2024 Tuesday Tech Tips

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Tuesday Tech Tips

USB UNRESTRICTED	APPROVED devices with minimal PII concerns and files that need to be transferred between devices that cannot support encryption
USB ENCRYPTED read allowed; encrypted for write	presentation stations; special visits; approved computer to computer transfers (encryption used)