Technology Update - End of September 2021

Middle and High School Teachers: Canvas "Grade Passback" is READY.  Students can begin seeing their overall grades through StudentVUE by next week:

Knowledgebase Articles: 

1. "Syncing Assignments & Scores To Synergy ("Grade Passback")
2. "Canvas Grade Passback - Advanced Features & "Need to Knows""

October is cyber security month

• Watch for more information about online, self-paced TTSD staff security training!

Multi-factor Authentication for Staff Email:

Coming Soon...2-Step Verification for Google Suite. Required by November 1st 2021.

To clarify a few details:

• With all the cyber crime, ransomware attacks and phishing attempts directed to K-12 institutions, we need to step up our security to protect our data and our students' data!
• You may set this up now or WAIT until after school begins and set up 2-Step verification in October.  But Beginning November 1, 2021, it will be required for all TTSD staff Google accounts.
• We are indeed enforcing 2-factor for the Google suite on November 1st - This means all staff will need to set it up within the next two months in order to access email and drive, etc. (all google things). This will also effect any 3rd party app that uses google to authenticate (Slack, Trello, Freshservice, etc).
• The primary method we are suggesting is for people to use their cell phone to receive a text or phone call. If you do not want to use a personal device they can use their desk phone or Jabber to receive a phone call, or if you are comfortable you can use any other device to receive other google methods of 2nd factor authentication (google prompt, google authenticator, etc.)
• Action Item: Detailed instructions for setting up the service can be found at TTSD Google Workspace - Two Factor Authentication (2FA). It only takes a few minutes - just do it now and get it over with! 

Change coming to TTSD Staff iPad's Mail Setup: 

• On Oct 4th, we will be updating our configuration for TTSD email on TTSD staff iPads in order to accommodate for the 2 factor authentication requirement on TTSD staff email of November 1, 2021.  On Oct 4th, you will notice that your TTSD account will be removed from your iPad.  
• You will need to FOLLOW the instructions in this KB article

 Week of September 20

Help Ticket Best Practices

Thank you for your patience these first few weeks while we juggle all of the beginning-of-year tech setups and hiccups!

We are finding our groove within our new help ticket request system, and have put together a list of best practices that will help ensure that tickets get to the correct person and resolved as quickly as possible.

1. Please include a screenshot of the problem, if applicable.

2. Please include the asset tag number for any devices that the ticket pertains to - it is the number on the red barcode sticker that is on your device.

3. RESOLVED Tickets:

• If the solution has NOT worked, please reply within the original ticket to re-open it.
• If the solution HAS worked, please do not reply to the ticket. As much as we appreciate a "thank you!", the unfortunate thing is that those messages both re-open the ticket and send the technician not one but two new emails, thus clogging both their email and the ticket system, which slows everything down. 
• If you have a separate issue, however, please DO submit a new ticket. For example, if you have an issue with your document camera, and your technician resolves it, but then you have an issue getting in to iReady, that would be a new issue requiring a new ticket - this way it gets to the correct technician faster!

A few things that do NOT fall under the Tech Support umbrella:

• "My badge isn't working to let me into the building" - Please contact Lisa Beebe in Operations at 4019
  
• "My last name has changed so I need my TTSD email to be changed" - Please contact Tara Baumann in HR at 4175
• "I tried to do XX in Aesop and it isn't working" - Please contact Bobbie Franklin in HR at 4030
• "I need to set up my email/employee portal/Synergy/Canvas on my personal phone/computer" - unfortunately, we can only provide support on devices that belong to the district, so sorry!

Thank you again for your collaboration, 

and for all the work you do for our TTSD students!

Secondary Teachers Canvas UPDATE

2021-2022 Week 2 - September 13

Congratulations on making it through the first week! Here are this week's updates:

Canvas >> Synergy Grade Passback

Hopefully you have by now heard that we implemented a new integration this summer that allows teachers to sync Canvas assignments and quizzes (along with their scores) to the Synergy Gradebook.  

~*~ This is a ONE WAY sync (Canvas > Synergy) ~*~

Hopefully you have also heard that teachers should only create assignments/quizzes in CANVAS and not Synergy to avoid potential duplicates down the road. 

IT will be testing the integration this next week with a small pilot group of teachers. We anticipate being able to send a follow up email the week of September 20 with detailed instructions for all teachers to implement this new feature.

STUDENTS & PARENTS can access INDIVIDUAL assignment grades in Canvas; 

the overall grade for the course will no longer be available here.

Once we complete the setup for the Canvas > Synergy sync, teachers will have the option to sync assignment grades to Synergy where both individual assignment grades & the OVERALL grade will be available to students & parents in StudentVUE/ParentVUE.

======

Cross-listing Courses and Course Card Name Changes

With the "new" way Canvas is initially displaying each period as an individual course card and the important step to Cross-list your classes so you end up with one course card per subject that you teach (Combining ("Cross Listing") Course Cards), it's important that you rename the remaining course card to REMOVE the period in the name.

ACTION ITEM: Here are the instructions for how to remove the period from the remaining course card so students don't' see a (potentially incorrect) period:

Removing the Period From Your Canvas Course Name (AFTER cross-listing)

 ...Susan

PS - The option to make a Canvas course card name changes will be open through Friday, September 17th.  

Technology Update - September 1, 2021

 Welcome back!

Your TTSD Technology department looks forward to serving you and helping to make your 2021-2022 school year successful and connected!

As you prepare your classrooms for the upcoming year, please keep in mind the following:

Lightspeed - New Filter Software

If you haven't already, you will need to install the Lightspeed filter onto your district device(s)

This filter will give you internet access as s staff member on your device(s).

Action Item: Install Lightspeed filter manually:

Mac:

1. Open the Self Service app
2. Find the Lightspeed Relay macOS Agent under the Common Applications category
3. Click Install

NOTE: This will restart your computer. Please save all your works before proceeding.

Windows: 

• Please go to this website to find your IP address
• Put in a help ticket with the IP address and we can install the program remotely for you

 

Coming Soon...2-Step Verification for Google Suite. Required by November 1st 2021.

To clarify a few details:

• With all the cyber crime, ransomware attacks and phishing attempts directed to K-12 institutions, we need to step up our security to protect our data and our students' data!
• You may set this up now or WAIT until after school begins and set up 2-Step verification in October.  But Beginning November 1, 2021, it will be required for all TTSD staff Google accounts.
• We are indeed enforcing 2-factor for the Google suite on November 1st - This means all staff will need to set it up within the next two months in order to access email and drive, etc. (all google things). This will also effect any 3rd party app that uses google to authenticate (Slack, Trello, Freshservice, etc).
• The primary method we are suggesting is for people to use their cell phone to receive a text or phone call. If you do not want to use a personal device they can use their desk phone or Jabber to receive a phone call, or if you are comfortable you can use any other device to receive other google methods of 2nd factor authentication (google prompt, google authenticator, etc.)
• Action Item: Detailed instructions for setting up the service can be found at TTSD Google Workspace - Two Factor Authentication (2FA). It only takes a few minutes - just do it now and get it over with!