6-20-2023 Tuesday Tech Tips

   

A quick reminder to request all equipment moves from techhelp@greececsd.org or complete a ticket at webhelpdesk.greececsd.org;   Non tech staff may NOT move PCs, printers, etc on their own.  Such moved equipment will be returned to the original location.

Staff not returning in the fall are asked to return all personally assigned mobile devices (laptop, Chromebook, iPad, etc) to their direct supervisor.

In today's Tuesday Tech Alerts, read more about Chat GPT and AI, plus how to organize your digital data with Wakelet, an exceptional way to spend the end of Summer Vacation, & more!➡️ ➡️➡️

💡 Quick Tip 💡 Have you ever wanted to remove the background from a photograph or other image, but didn't know how? Check out the linked video below, and you'll learn how to do it quicky and easily.

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Shutterstock

What's the DL on AI?

Whether you've seen on the news that you might be replaced by a robot, or you read on Instagram that you can use Chat GPT to create a recipe for you with whatever you have in your icebox, or if you fastidiously devour every installment of these Tech Alerts, you've probably heard about Artificial Intelligence, or "AI."

To help you navigate this Brave New World, we've curated a wealth of resources about Chat GPT and AI in general in this highly informative Wakelet linked HERE. We invite you to check it out!

PS- If you're interested in what Chat GPT produced when I supplied the prompt "write a short paragraph telling my readers to visit our Wakelet to read about AI," here's what it wrote:

Attention, readers! Are you eager to explore the fascinating realm of Artificial Intelligence? Look no further! I invite you to embark on an enlightening journey by visiting my Wakelet profile. There, you will discover a treasure trove of captivating articles, insightful discussions, and cutting-edge insights on AI. From its groundbreaking applications in various industries to its profound impact on society, my curated collection will satisfy your curiosity and expand your understanding of this rapidly evolving field. So, join me on this intellectual expedition and dive into the boundless possibilities of Artificial Intelligence. Your adventure awaits at my Wakelet page!

That's not bad...hmmm, maybe the person who writes the Tech Alerts is the one who should be worried about being replaced by a robot! 😟😯😧

 

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Wakelet Up, Before You Go-Go (on Summer Vacation)

After checking out the Wakelet in the section above, you're probably wondering, "What exactly is Wakelet, and how can I make my own?"

Imagine Pinterest, but instead of just images, Wakelet allows you to capture, organize, and save any kind of content that you find online. We're talking videos, social media posts, blogs, websites- anything with a web address. And of course, any content that you create yourself.

Have a look at this short video below, which is also linked HERE, to learn more about Wakelet directly from their own experts.

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We know August is a long ways away, and maybe not exactly what you want to think about here in the last week of the school year. But come late summer, you might just be ready for some time away from your kids/parents/significant other/neighbors, etc., and what better excuse than to spend some quality time, from one hour up to a few days, with your ITT Team learning about instructional technology?

So give yourself something to look forward to all summer, and sign up for some Tech Camp sessions! With 19 sessions offered and over 15 hours of possible PL, there are plenty of choices for leveling up your instructional technology use next school year. There's something at Tech Camp for everyone, and it's open to all GCSD employees.

Register for one session or many, and learn about all of the offerings, by visiting the schedule HERE.

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Well friends, that about does it for the Tuesday Tech Alerts for the 2022-2023 school year. We hope these have been a valuable source of information for you, and thank you for taking the time to read them. Assuming that whole AI takeover thing doesn't happen in the next twelve or so weeks, you'll start hearing from us every other Tuesday starting again in September! Until then...

6-13-2023 Special Edition Tuesday Tech Alerts: Summer Tech Camp for PL

 Special Edition Tuesday Tech Alerts: Summer Tech Camp 2023 

In this Special Edition, and penultimate Tech Alerts for the school year before our summer hiatus, we are pleased to announce the Summer Tech Camp 2023 schedule (available HERE) for professional learning. With 19 sessions offered, including a Tech-Focused Unconference, and over 15 hours of possible PL, there are plenty of choices for leveling up your instructional technology use next school year.  

Visit https://bit.ly/SummerTechCamp2023 to view the schedule and to get the Frontline registration links today!  Each offering is an individual session- come to as few or as many as you want.  There may even be prizes, so register soon- we can’t wait to see you there!

6-6-2023 Tuesday Tech Tips

 

In today's Tuesday Tech Alerts, read all about some new guidelines related to student Chromebooks, a troubleshooting technique that may save you lots of time if a website isn't working as expected, news on some recent phishing campaigns directed at GCSD, PL opportunities for all staff, & more!➡️ ➡️➡️

💡 Quick Tips 💡 Have you ever wanted to postpone an email and temporarily remove it from your inbox until you need it?  Or schedule an email you've written to send at a later day or time? 📧📧     &    📧📧

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New Guidelines for Student Chromebooks

Stickers should NO LONGER be put directly on Chromebooks or cases. Removing stickers requires a lot of effort and chemicals when repairs and swaps are made. Instead, students can position a decorated half sheet of paper under the transparent cover on the top lid. Masking tape is the only other acceptable option for labeling Chromebooks. Thank you for adhering to this (pardon the pun) going forward.

And remember, Chromebooks at K-5 should not move with students from year to year.

You can read more details about these guidelines HERE.

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You can solve problems twice as fast as Hollywood
legend Nicholas Cage when you know about this

Your Website Problems Could be Gone in 30 Seconds

Is something not working for in Chrome for just you or a few users? Do THIS as your first line of defense. Just follow the steps shown in this quick video on the site that you're having an issue with. You just may be able to fix it that quickly.

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You're Doing a Great Job Tackling Phishing Emails, GCSD!

In the last few weeks, we've seen an increase in the number of Phishing emails being sent to our users. In the wake of our first Phishing Drill campaign, we're seeing users doing an outstanding job marking them as spam or phishing, which has helped TSS remove many Phishing emails from users' inboxes before they even saw them. Teamwork really does make the Dream work!

Remember, there's no need to forward a suspected phishing email to TSS. Please continue to help proactively thwart phishing by using the "Report spam" and "Report phishing" functions in Gmail, and following the suggestions found HERE.

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Bonus Entry!

Repeat from our last issue...On the off chance that you want, or perhaps need, to get some PL hours in by the end of the school year

Please check out our curated PL offering from our partner vendors HERE. More has just been added!

Make sure you scroll down on that page to see the links to sites to get certifications directly from companies such as Nearpod, Book Creator, and Kami.

The Book Creator certification HERE is very good. Plus, the vendor has promised to send us some swag if we get more of our teachers, by percentage, to get certified than their current leader, those know-it-all's in Kansas City Public Schools. It's a recently updated, media-heavy PL that will teach you all you need to know about this outstanding resource in less than two hours.

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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.

5-23-2023 Tuesday Tech Tips

  

In today's Tuesday Tech Alerts, read all about the current status of our Interactive Panel Rollout, how to keep your students' emails from going to your Spam folder, PL opportunities for all staff, & more!➡️ ➡️➡️

💡 Quick Tip 💡 Need to speedily switch between programs or swiftly go between tabs in Chrome? With one of our favorite keyboard shortcuts, you can do either of these in an instant, on both PC's and Chromebooks. Alt + Tab is a keyboard shortcut to switch between open programs on the device.  To switch between open tabs in Chrome, use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Tab.

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Updates on the Status of Our Interactive Panel Rollout

Planned for 2023-24 school year:

• Classrooms at Arcadia and Odyssey will receive ViewSonic Interactive Panels, with Athena and Olympia happening the following school year. (We will be consulting with Phoenix Academy on a plan that works for them.)

• Secondary teachers can get started now with the myViewBoard software without having the panels.

• On a Windows device, it's the desktop icon that looks like this: 

• If you don't already have it, you can go to the Software Center in Windows and install it yourself.  

• There's also a "lite" version of the software for Chromebooks.  To install it, go to the Play Store and click on the icon there.

• SMART Notebook is being retired by the vendor.  We'll continue to make the software available, but eventually it will no longer work.

• If you still have SMART Notebook files, then there's good news: They will open in and convert to myViewBoard.

• Elementary classroom teachers can continue to go through Principals to request removal of SMART Boards if desired, but either way, the projectors will stay mounted. This will allow teachers to continue to project in one place, while also using the panel as an instructional display space.

• Please visit our help page on Interactive Panels and the accompanying myViewBoard software HERE.

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Have You Been Missing Emails from Your Students?

We've seen a significant uptick in the number of emails from GCSD students to GCSD staff members ending up in the staff member's Spam folder. We're working with Google to resolve this. We highly recommend that all staff members, especially teachers, check their Spam folders now to see if there are any student emails in there. If there are, you can mark the email as Not Spam, which will send it to your inbox and keep future emails from that sender from going to spam.

We always encourage all users to regularly monitor your Spam folders to check for emails that you might want but were marked as Spam.

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Self-Paced, Instructional Technology PL, Anyone?

If you're in a position where you'd like to (or maybe need to) get some PL hours in before the end of the school year, or you're just a go-getter and want to learn something new, please check out our curated PL offering from our partner vendors HERE.

Make sure you scroll down on that page to see the links to sites to get certifications directly from companies such as Nearpod, Book Creator, and Kami.

The Book Creator certification HERE is very good. Plus, the vendor has promised to send us some swag if we get more of our teachers, by percentage, to get certified than their current leader, those know-it-all's in Kansas City Public Schools. It's a recently updated, media-heavy PL that will teach you all you need to know about this outstanding resource in less than two hours.

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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.

5-2-2023 Special Edition Tuesday Tech Tips: Don't Get Phished!

 Special Edition Tuesday Tech Alerts: Don't Get Phished! 

About 90% of the Time, Cyberattacks Are Successful Due to Human Error

Cyberattacks, such as phishing emails, are a real and serious concern for school districts. School districts are prime targets for cybercriminals, as we manage a wide range of personal data and have limited resources for cyber protection. Based on state regulations and recommendations from our external auditors, we've identified and prioritized our need to increase our users' capacity to recognize phishing emails. This is a critical skill- click HERE to read about how phishing emails have resulted in some school districts being effectively incapacitated.  March 2023 saw the highest ransomware victim count in two years, up 60% according to our insurance carrier.

As part of our ongoing efforts to protect staff and student data, the Office of Technology recently partnered with Knowbe4, a Phishing Drill Software System. Knowbe4 will help us:

• provide feedback to users on how to avoid being a victim of phishing
• run small-scale drills through 2023-2024, and
• increase engagement with staff regarding how to recognize and respond appropriately to phishing.

In March, we worked with Knowbe4 to obtain baseline data by conducting a district-wide drill consisting of a spoof phishing email to all of our staff members. This email asked users to click on a link and supply their Google password for a verification check. 2,909 users across all bargaining units read the email. Their responses to it are shown in the graph below. As you can see, we have room for improvement.

The point of the drill was NOT a "gotcha." It was to see how we're doing, and to help us plan with Knowbe4 on how to improve. 

Our goal is to empower and educate our users--there is nothing punitive about this undertaking.

In the coming weeks, the poster pictured below will be shared with school staff members either at a staff meeting, and/or as a flyer in your mailbox. Please take a few moments to review it to see how to recognize and avoid phishing emails. These skills don't only apply to your GCSD email- your personal email is likely a target of phishing, too!

Going forward, our plan is to run several small-scale drills through 2023-2024. Just like fire drills and lockdown drills are important and necessary to protect our staff and students, these drills are part of our plan to protect our staff and student data. The results from these drills will help us target where more training is needed.  Plus, users may get digital feedback from Knowbe4 if they did something wrong, such as clicking on a suspicious link, and this feedback includes teaching these users how they can avoid making a mistake again.

Thank you for your efforts to protect our staff and student data!

Image used courtesy of the Dept. of Agriculture

4-25-2023 Tuesday Tech Tips

 

🚒📽📚 In today's Tuesday Tech Alerts, read all about avoiding "Reply to all" fiascos by using Bcc, creating GIF's with WeVideo, a classroom virtual author visit, & more!➡️ ➡️➡️

💡 Quick Tip 💡 We’ve all been there: you find the perfect website for your research project on marine biology, but in a sea of sources you accidentally close the tab. If only there was a way to get to back! Well, now there is...

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I say let's not even give them the opportunity

We Bcc You Clicking "Reply to All"

It's happened to all of us: you send an email to multiple recipients, and someone replies to all with "thanks!" Someone else replies to all "Got it!" Then a third someone, painfully unaware of the irony, replies to all with "Everyone please stop replying to all." It's not a good look. But with one little adjustment, this will never happen to an email of yours again.

When sending a group email that you don't want anyone to respond to with reply to all, don't use the "To" field or the "Cc" field for the email addresses. Use "Bcc," or Blind Carbon Copy. Recipients can't reply to all if it's sent with Bcc. If you were emailed these Tuesday Tech Tips from Tech Director Tom Mariano today, look at how the email was sent: it was sent using Bcc. You can't even reply to all if you wanted to!

Another added benefit of Bcc is that your recipients don't see each other's email addresses. If you send an email to your students' parents and don't use Bcc, then they all see each other's email addresses, which some people don't appreciate.

Did you know you can use WeVideo to make GIF's like this?
Contact your ITT to learn more.

To use Bcc, you can click "Bcc" like in the GIF above (click HERE to learn how to create GIF's with WeVideo), or using the Control + Shift + B keyboard shortcut in Gmail also brings up the Bcc field. Let's all work together to make our future "Inappropriate-Reply-to-All"-Free.

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Classroom Virtual Author Opportunity! Meet the Creator of Kid President

In this Flip Live Event on Thursday, May 4 at 10:00 AM ET, learners from around the world will be inspired and encouraged to share ideas and to be deeply imaginative. Join NYT bestselling author Brad Montague for a conversation as he discusses his new book, The Fantastic Bureau of Imagination, and gives a top-secret, behind-the-scenes peek at the official agency that keeps the world's creativity flowing!

Your students will have the opportunity to ask questions and find encouragement to share their dreams, songs, and stories

with the world. Recommended for elementary school, ages 5-10.

Register 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.