Google Meet Grid View, Updated = REMOVE Meet Grid View Extension

Google Meet now has the capacity to host a grid as large as 7x7 (49 "tiles") in the Chrome browser on Macs, Windows & Chromebooks.  To access this new feature...

• Click the three dots in the lower right corner while participating in a Meet
• Choose "Change Layout"
• Select "Tiled" 
• Use the slider bar at the bottom to select the # of tiles to display.

See below to uninstall... 

Uninstall an extension

1. Open Chrome.
2. Select More   More tools  Extensions.
3. Next to the extension you want to remove, select Remove.
4. To confirm, select Remove.

Tip: To remove an extension that's a button on the browser toolbar, right-click the button and select Remove from Chrome.

Update, Friday September 25th

 Top Technology Tips for Staff:

• Google Meet: What You Need to Know! - best practices and options for securely hosting Google Meets to minimize unintended guests. 
• Q: How can attendees enter your Google Meet session?
• A: Using Google Meet with Canvas 
• By link with a "knock" to be let in
• By invitation << most secure
• Q: How do you remove someone from your Meet session?
• A: "Remove" G. Meet attendee
• Q: How can students join by phone?
• A: During the Meet, click Add People and enter the student's phone number to call the student/family into the Meet. 

• Keep it Simple
• As we end our 2nd full week of Online School 2020, focus on the basics: community, connection, routine and getting to know the BASE tools: Meet, Canvas, Google Docs.
• Review the Digital Resources to Support Reopening 2020 list of "intro" apps to build a strong foundation for students/families to get use to their student devices and a TON of new tools.
• In Canvas, keep your assignments simple.  Use one submission type multiple times (JUST use the media submission or JUST use the textbox, etc.). Students need to experience success on submitting their assignments so they can focus on the lesson and not the tool for submission.

Keep up the Great Work!  Some amazing stats this week:

• 1200+ Google Meet sessions hosted THIS WEEK alone
• 11,250 unique users connected to Google Meets THIS WEEK alone (more than TWICE the maximum attendees this past spring)
• Elementary school Canvas activity (since Sept 14, 2020)
• Assignments = 78,358
• Discussion Topics = 1,697

Update from Technology (Week of Sept 21st)

Welcome to the SECOND week of TTSD online school! Here are some updates from last week and tips for this upcoming one:

• K-8 filter capacity issues should be remedied (ie no class-wide dropped G. Meets)
• STAFF can connect directly with Canvas through Chat, phone or email (see Help button from within Canvas)
• STUDENTS & families can call the Technology Help Desk 503-431-4051 for a live response M-F 8am-4pm (voicemail after hours will be returned the next day)
• Technology can support the following apps as we reopen Fall 2020 (limited support for first 4-6 weeks): "Digital Resources to Support Reopening 2020"
• Remind setup instructions for teachers now available. 
• Student and Family Friendly iPad How-To Videos 2020-2021

  
 

K-5 Network Issues (8:35am Friday)

 We are still experiencing network issues with our internet filter.  Today is grades K-5.  We are working quickly to remedy this issue for the rest of the day.  Please try to join your class again after ~5min.  Thank you.

Technology Status Update - 9:34am

As a district, students in grades K-8 continue to see network problems when the majority of our K-8 students simultaneously join a live video session (like Google Meet).  We had this issue again today at 9:04am. Please visit the technology blog website (http://techblog.ttsdschools.org) or subscribe to TTSD_Tech Twitter (https://twitter.com/TTSD_TECH) to watch for continued technology updates.

1st Day of School - Recap

Hope you all had a very good first day of school.  It was certainly filled with new experiences.  We fixed the internet filter issue this afternoon. We will continue to watch it very carefully tomorrow.  Thank you for your patience!  

NOTE:  Please make sure your Google Meet links are active and prominent on your Canvas home page 😆

1st Day of School! 2020-2021

 We are experiencing some capacity issues with our TTSD internet filter for our students in grades K-8 using iPads. We are working to resolve the issues.  The symptoms are student getting kicked out of Google Meets and getting a message that "...could not open the page -- Server stopped responding"

More About Meet Features

 Update sent by Google today, September 3,2020:

A safer, more engaging Meet experience

Earlier this year, we announced new features coming to Google Meet to improve moderation and engagement. Today, we’re sharing more details about these upcoming launches and when they’ll be available. Here are a few highlights:

• In September, we’ll kick off with a larger tiled view of up to 49 people and an integrated Jamboard whiteboard for collaboration. We’ll also release new controls so moderators can choose to always join first, end meetings for all participants, disable in-meeting chat, and much more.

• In October, we’ll launch custom and blurred backgrounds to provide some extra privacy. Breakout rooms and attendance tracking will also be launching for all Google Enterprise for Education customers, allowing for more engaged classes and insights on participation.

• Later this year, we’re rolling out hand raising for all customers and Q&A and polling for G Suite Enterprise for Education customers. Plus, we’ll launch a new temporary recordings feature which will be available to all Education customers for free (premium recordings will still be part of G Suite Enterprise for Education). 

New Features Coming in Google Meet - September & October

Interactivity in Meet 

Opportunities for interactivity are critical for distance learning and we’re sharing new features to increase engagement with your students virtually:

Launching in September

• A larger tiled views with a 7x7 grid so you can see up to 49 students at once 

• A collaborative whiteboard with Jamboard in Meet so you can encourage students to share ideas and try creative approaches to lessons 

Launching in October

• Blur or replace backgrounds so everyone feels more comfortable during distance-learning classes. Note: Admins can disable custom backgrounds as needed.

• Attendance tracking to see and track which students attended virtual class (G Suite Enterprise for Education) 

• Breakout rooms so educators can split classes into simultaneous small group discussions (G Suite Enterprise for Education) 

Launching later this year

• Hand-raising to help you identify students who may need help or have a question 

• Q&A features to provide a way for students to ask questions without disrupting the flow of the class discussion or lesson, and polling to engage students to share their voice (G Suite Enterprise for Education)