11-5-2024 Tuesday Tech Tips

  

In today's edition, read all about updates on the AI tools available to GCSD staff and students, how to safely clean your Interactive Panel, searching the Web Help Desk FAQ section to get quick answers to your tech support questions, using Chrome's Reading Mode to cut down on visual distractions, and more! ➡️ ➡️➡️

💡 Quick Tip 💡 Are you tired of constantly entering two-factor authentication codes in Google Chrome? We've learned that some of our users are doing this A LOT.  As in, multiple times a day.  If you find yourself repeatedly signing in to your account, there’s a simple solution. In the address bar in Chrome, type: chrome://settings/content/siteData Make sure the option "Allow sites to save data on your device" is selected. Close Chrome and then reopen it. You should only need to sign in once more with two-factor authentication.

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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All staff have access to two fabulous AI tools for GCSD when signing in with your GCSD Google account. First, GCSD staff have access to MagicSchool (also found in ClassLink).

Visit our MagicSchool page on our ITT site for more information. MagicSchool is a great tool to increase your productivity and for various daily tasks for instruction and beyond! Be sure to refer to this poster of Best Practices for Using AI. 

Grades 3-12 teachers who have used MagicSchool may want to pilot MagicSchool for Students (MagicStudent) by visiting our MagicSchool page on our ITT site and contacting their ITT.

Secondly, Gemini by Google is a chatbot similar to ChatGPT. Watch the intro video here.

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The approved cleaning solution for ViewSonic and BoxLight Interactive Panels is the Ready-To-Use Non-Ammoniated Glass Cleaner, which can be obtained by contacting the custodian for your building.

Cleaning solutions should be sprayed onto a soft lint free cloth and then wiped on to the surface of the device to be cleaned. Cleaning solutions should NOT be sprayed directly on to computer devices, to avoid the potential of drenching the device with liquid which can damage the device.

This information can be found in the FAQ section of Web Help Desk. You can search the FAQ by going HERE and searching by category or even just keyword. What a great self-help resource!

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You can customize your reading experience on Chrome with Reading mode. This feature is conveniently located in the side panel and helps you:

• Focus more easily on text.
• Reduce distractions from images and videos on screen.
• Select alternate typeface and font size.
• Adjust letter and sentence spacing.
• Choose background color.

If you’re using a Chromebook, you can even hear the text on the page with Read aloud.

Reading Mode works on many, but not all, websites.  (Spoiler: it doesn't work on the Tuesday Tech Tips).  You can find all the details about Reading Mode HERE.

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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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