Technology Update (February 23, 2021)

Google Meet - NEW: End Meet for All

NEW FEATURE in GOOGLE MEET : "When a host is done with a meeting and wants to leave, they now have two options: Leave meeting: The host will leave the meeting, but the meeting will continue. End meeting for all: Everyone, including people in breakout rooms, will be ejected from the meeting. Participants will be informed that the host has ended the meeting. Once the meeting has been ended, people will not be able to rejoin, unless the host rejoins first. We recommend that, after ending a meeting, if a host wants to meet with a new group of people, that they create a new meeting. This can help prevent previous participants from joining."

Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) 

End a Google Meet video call for everyone at once

 (https://support.google.com/meet/answer/9303164)

macOS Big Sur - To Update? or Not To Update?

• For those of you on Mac computers, TTSD has released the ability to update to macOS "Big Sur" (aka Version 11.x).  Should you?
• There is NO NEED to immediately update to Big Sur before Spring Break.
• HOWEVER: Everyone should ensure their computer is being backed up - TODAY.
• Computer Backup Instructions
• If you want to have the newest operating system on your Mac (always best practice), you'll need to ensure you have enough disk space on your computer and you are backed up.  In many cases of the update, it has failed and the computer must be restored (meaning all is lost on your computer and files will need to be pulled from your last successful backup).  
• Updating to Big Sur 11
• USE "SELF-SERVICE" to update (NOT System Preferences)

Middle School Student iPads using Canvas WebClip

• TTSD began the 2020-21 school year evaluating the Canvas student APP vs a "WebClip" [a Webclip is a shortcut on the iPad home screen that takes the user to a URL using Safari browser, and not an App]
  
• Beginning March 1st, all Middle School Student will have the option to use either the Canvas Student App or the Canvas Student WebClip.  Students may choose to use either or BOTH.
• The benefits of introducing the WebClip to students are the following:
•  Full web browser experience and format, suggested improvements:
• Dashboard - single location to view To Do, Recent Feedback, link to grades
• Calendar - full screen, details of assignments on the calendar date
• Pages/Modules - menu driven and browser-feel
• Ease of turning in Assignments - ie Google Docs, multiple files

Technology Update (February 5, 2021)

 

Publish Your New Quarter 3 Course Cards! Please publish your new courses (MS and HS teachers) Sunday Feb 7th or first thing Feb 8th so students can see their Quarter 3 classes before school begins on Monday.

• Grading Weekend Tips
• Elementary Report Card Tips
• Elementary Quarter 2 Grading/Reporting Guidance
• Canvas Grades → Synergy Report Card (Secondary)

Update Your iPads, Chromebooks & your Chrome Browser. Keeping your device up to date will help your device perform at its best.  Please encourage students to update their iPads and Chromebooks this next week. And, please update YOUR Chrome browser this weekend. 

• Download the new installer from https://www.google.com/chrome/update/
• The latest version is Version 88.x

Technology Update (Jan 24, 2021)

Staff Technical Support?

The IT Department and TTSD technicians want to provide both students/families with accurate and efficient technical support.  Please help communicate the following options to others (staff/students) for the best way to receive efficient, consistent and reliable support:

1. Tech Request 
2. Call x4051 (Family & School Help Desk Line)
1. Help Desk techs can answer quick questions (passwords, system status update, etc.)
2. If Help Desk cannot answer your question, they can try to connect you directly with your school technician or can enter a tech request for you.
3. If families call the main school office for technical support, please forward their calls to x4051.
1. MS/HS [only] can forward to school techs, if previously arranged.  
2. ES offices, please forward the calls to x4051 IT Help Desk and not your school media assistant.
4. Emails are not the most efficient way to receive technical support - as they are often lost amongst other emails and may not receive the necessary follow up.  Technicians will create a tech request if emailed. 

👏 ❤😀

** Thank you to all of our 2020-21 “adopted” Help Desk Specialists who have volunteered a few hours a week to help answer IT Help Desk calls. We could NOT provide this support without you! 

Quarter 3 Canvas Course Cards

Timeline for new Quarter 3 course cards (middle and high school teachers):

• Feb 1, 2021 - New Course cards for QT3 will load for TEACHERS
• Twality teachers will receive new QT3 cards on Feb 3, 2021 (additional time needed for scheduling)
• When preparing your Quarter 3 course cards, please reference the following Knowledgebase (KB) articles to help you copy content from other courses
• Canvas: Transition to a New Quarter
• Importing Individual FLVS Content from The Commons
• Combining Canvas Course Cards
• Feb 7, 2021 - New Quarter 3 courses are available to STUDENTS if you publish your class before Feb 8th.
• Feb 8, 2021 - 
• 1st day of Quarter 3
• (Teachers) Last day to post Quarter 2 grades for report card

CANVAS TRAINING - Beyond the Basics

January 13, 2021 provided a variety of professional development opportunities for teachers.  One of the resources made available by the high school instructional coaches and T&L Dept was a “Beyond the Basics” Canvas training by our vendor (Instructure).  The session was recorded and all the notes and guides made available during this training can all be found HERE:

👉👉🏾 CANVAS TRAINING - Beyond the Basics 👈🏼👈🏿

Technology Update (January 8, 2021)

Rich Content Editor (RCE) for Canvas:

• Beginning January 16th, the "new" Rich Content Editor (RCE) will be forced ON for all Canvas users.  Canvas has had a new editor out for a few months & has been available in TTSD's Canvas instance. Canvas has decided to turn off the existing interface editing tool.  If you would like to begin using this new "RCE" right away:
• Click on Settings in the navigation menu.
• Click on the Feature Options tab.
• Find "RCE Enhancements" in the list and click on the toggle. The toggle will turn green, indicating that the new editor is enabled in your course.
• See overview video: Rich Content Editor: New Rich Content Editor Enforcement...

Tech Night for Elementary and Middle School Families:

• "How iPads Make Learning Easier"
  
  
  Tuesday, January 19, 2021
  6:00-7:00 English
  7:00-8:00 Bilingual (English & Spanish)
  
  
  *Come learn with an expert trainer from Apple and one of our instructional coaches on how the settings on the iPad can make learning easier for your elementary and/or middle school student. 
  
  
  **Please join us with your student and their iPad
  
  
  You will learn how your iPad can:
  • Read to you
  • Type for you
  • Change English into another language for you 
  • Make the size of words bigger
  • Spell words for you
  • Create shortcuts to do things in less time
  
  
   

NEW NAME for PK-12 Teacher Resource Site: http://TeachHub.ttsdschools.org

• HERE you will find CDL instructional resources for teachers in all grades:
• PK-5 TeachHub
• 6-8 TeachHub
• Learning Currents

Technology Update (Week of November 30th)

THIS Weekend = Maintenance: We reserve the first weekend of each month to perform system and network maintenance to ensure the heath and security of our computer systems.

• Please anticipate possible interruptions in service on Sunday, December 8th (email, Synergy access, Google Drive login, etc.)
• Communication will be sent to families/students as well.

Monday, Dec 7th, we will be placing a new security feature when you login to the Employee Portal.  Beginning Monday, login to the Employee Portal will now require two-factor authentication for your security and you will be prompted for a code that will be emailed to you.

• Please review the KB article for step-by-step instruction.

  https://kb.ttsd.k12.or.us/articles/view/859

   

Status Update for Common Apps: Canvas, Meet/Google, Synergy, TTSD WebFilter: As we continue to maintain all systems related to Comprehensive Distance Learning, there are times when systems or services fail or are slow to respond.  

• Please visit the TTSD Knowlegdgebase website (http://kb.ttsd.k12.or.us) for status updates on these popular, widely used apps:
  
  
  
  
  

Technology Update (Sunday, November 22, 2020)

1. MORNING EMAIL SENT TO ALL STUDENTS, grades 5-12: Over this past weekend, all K-12 TTSD student Google account profile pictures were changed to student school photos.  During a time when teachers cannot physically meet in a classroom with you, it's more challenging for them to get to know all of their students. By making your student account profile picture your student photo, it makes it that much easier for teachers to connect with students -- and for them to recognize faces with names.
   
   
   
2. REPORT CARDS (QT1):
• ACCESSING REPORT CARDS IN PARENTVUE:
• Log into ParentVUE (http://pvue.ttsd.k12.or.us), click "Documents" and find your child's "Quarter 1 report card."  (Directions: http://familyhelp.ttsdschools.org/articles/view/855)
• PARENTVUE ACCOUNT HELP:
• Forgot your password?  CLICK HERE
• Or if you don't know if you have a ParentVUE account under the email you provided the school? Instructions: http://familyhelp.ttsdschools.org/articles/view/707
• Further assistance? Call your child's school office.
• Elementary Academic Feedback Forms:
• Teachers: ES Quarter 1 Academic Feedback Form Process
• Parents: Student Access to Quarter 1 Academic Feedback Form
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
3. Reopening 2020 - Digital Resources for Quarter 2

• Mastered the "Foundational Digital Resources for Comprehensive Distance Learning" (Google Meet, Canvas, curriculum?)  -- both you and your students?
• Take a look at the additional tools you may want to begin introducing to your students for: engagement, assessment, instant feedback, etc. Digital Resources to Support Reopening 2020
• And... DON'T FORGET about the amazing TTSD Teacher Resources for Digital Learning website. 

Technology Update (Sunday November 15, 2020)

1. IPad Battery Life - iPads are not capable of live streaming a video conference (like Google Meet) for 4 hours straight without being charged or plugged in during the day.... 
1. The IT department is getting increased calls from concerned parents regarding their iPads not staying charged all day while staying connected to Google Meet during classroom “breaks” or work time.
2. Battery hardware issues? = iPads that cannot hold a charge for an hour. Troubleshooting - look for the charging battery icon on the iPad, close unused Safari tabs/windows (we’ve seen some students with 100s of tabs open), try a different outlet or cable, try using the iPad while plugged in during class.  
3. When students are not actively participating in a live class, students should DISCONNECT from Google Meet.  Keeping Google Meet active for hours at a time requires a LOT of bandwidth and battery life, which may require iPads be plugged in. 
2. November 16th: Quarter 2 = NEW TERM!
1. Check out the KB articles to help you set up your new course cards (MS & HS teachers):
1. https://kb.ttsd.k12.or.us/articles/view/846
2. Elementary Teachers: Look for new grading period (Quarter 2) to help “Reduce the clutter” in your Canvas grade book, beginning November 19th!
3. Fine Tuning your Online Classroom:
1. Google Meet:
1. Breakout rooms = small group work and discussions to build opportunities for student=talk
2. Troubleshooting?  Update Chrome browser, close extra tabs and applications, minimize the number of “extra” applications you may have open/running (AirServer, Jabber, etc.)
1. TIP: try connecting to Google Meet off your iPad/Chromebook and share your screen using this 2nd device...
2. Canvas Features/Tips:
   
1. To Do list details
2. Notifications = where to easily find Teacher Comments
3. “New Analytics“:
1. Guide for teachers : View course grade and participation analytics, Send a message to all students based on specific course grade or participation criteria
2. Guide for Students: Student-specific overall grade, online participation, communication
   
   
   
3. Digital Resources that use Clever:
1. Looking for a direct link to digital tools that use Clever?  (RazKids, Adelante, iReady, Naviance, etc. ) Complete this form to have the resource added to your Canvas Course menu(s): Canvas Menu Link Request