tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88267745380329743372024-03-12T20:26:44.442-07:00NCS EdTech NewsJoe Woodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11423295826145464705noreply@blogger.comBlogger107125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8826774538032974337.post-69791280452314715462016-10-12T06:36:00.000-07:002016-10-12T06:36:04.729-07:00Weekly Tech Tip #6 - Schoology & PowerSchool GradebooksNow that the school year is off and running it is a great time to make sure your Schoology and PowerSchool gradebooks are all lined up. Please remember that while Schoology displays the grade parents and students see, what shows up in PowerSchool is the "official" record. Grades, progress reports, and transcripts are printed from PowerSchool, not Schoology. Therefore, it is very important to make sure your Schoology and PowerSchool grades match, especially at any reporting period.<br />
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Fortunately, setting things up is very easy but it does require some close attention to detail, especially if you use weighting.<br />
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<b>Step 1 - Schoology Categories</b><br />
You can establish your categories by going to Gradebook -> Grade SetUp in each Schoology course. If your sections are linked you will only need to do this once, but if your sections are not linked you need to do this for each class. Once you have created a category you can determine whether or not you want to weight the category. The biggest item when creating Categories is to make sure you have chosen Total Points rather than Percentage. <a href="https://support.schoology.com/hc/en-us/articles/201120293-What-is-the-difference-between-a-grading-category-calculated-by-Total-Pts-and-a-grading-category-calculated-by-Percent-">This Schoology article explains the difference.</a><br />
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<b>Step 2 - PowerSchool Categories</b><br />
After you have set your Schoology categories launch the PowerTeacher Gradebook and login using your NCS PowerSchool account. For each course/section you will need to create categories and weights (if needed) to match what you have set up in Schoology using the following steps<br />
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<ol>
<li>Click Grade Set Up</li>
<li>Click on the Reporting Term (ex: S1, S2)</li>
<li>Category Weights or Total Points</li>
<li>Add your Categories/Weights</li>
<li>Click File -> Refresh Class Info</li>
</ol>
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The final step tells Schoology what categories you have for the next part of the process.</div>
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<b>Step 3 - Mapping Schoology to PowerSchool Categories</b><br />
Navigate back to Schoology and look for the PowerSchool tab on the left side of the page in your course. Click on it. A new screen will open. Look for the word Configuration and click on it. Here you need to tell Schoology how your categories match up to PowerSchool. If you did all of Step 2 you just have to match them up (ex Participation in Schoology matches Participation in PowerSchool). Please note that this must be completed for each section by using the little drop down menu that shows you the section number.<br />
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<b>Step 4 - Syncing and Checking</b><br />
Syncing between the systems is fully automatic. However, since you have just set up your categories click on the Sync All button. You find this under the same PowerSchool tab where you completed Step 3. Give the sync some time to process and then check any errors that pop up. If you don't have any in your PowerSchool Gradebook click on File -> Refresh Class Info.<br />
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<b>How Often Should I Do This?</b><br />
Great news! Steps 1-3 only need to be done once each semester. Step 4 is something you should be doing weekly. Please do not wait until the night before grades are do to check things. If you have an error that you cannot correct Christine, Matt, Amanda, and I need some time to help you. If you're checking on things regularly we can better help you out.<br />
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<b>Panic Button </b><br />
Help! My grades are due to Christine in 30 minutes and things aren't quite lining up. What do I do? In PowerSchool you can double-click on the student's final grade and manually adjust it. This is your ultimate fail safe, but if you are regularly checking the sync throughout the grading period you won't have to do this.<br />
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If you have any questions please let me know. We are here for you!<br />
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JoeJoe Woodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11423295826145464705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8826774538032974337.post-32887392271444976992016-10-03T06:30:00.000-07:002016-10-03T09:22:10.298-07:00Weekly Tech Tip #5 - Running Updates<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYhw57kXcsGtZ6eTrkTzUF7WIzWDEYgYigkNxLcMcBfKj0fDSRW-cdElD3RLz0Etc6YhTNEBIJQVVLZe4sM9CjpojybkOdA_MhAzi0lNh0qcySeL7Gq1NQwAx0j9nTdSZrV_8pMq5EtuLG/s1600/Mac-App-Store-icon.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYhw57kXcsGtZ6eTrkTzUF7WIzWDEYgYigkNxLcMcBfKj0fDSRW-cdElD3RLz0Etc6YhTNEBIJQVVLZe4sM9CjpojybkOdA_MhAzi0lNh0qcySeL7Gq1NQwAx0j9nTdSZrV_8pMq5EtuLG/s200/Mac-App-Store-icon.png" width="200" /></a>At NCS we use an "empowered user" model for all teacher and staff Macbooks. This means you have admin rights and one of the easiest ways to keep your computer running like a champ is to make sure you are always running your updates. Periodically you may see an email from the IT department that asks you to avoid a particular update, but for the most part regularly running updates is an excellent practice. The ones that we do ask you to avoid are large operating system changes, such as an update from 10.11 (El Capitan) to 10.12 (Sierra).<br />
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Updates fall into three main categories<br />
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<b>Mac Updates</b><br />
All updates for the Apple operating system or any Apple programs can be found in the Mac App Store. When you launch this application you should be asked whether or not you want to run the updates right now. Occasionally you might be asked for the store@natomascharter.org password. If this happens you can find that password on this<a href="https://docs.google.com/a/natomascharter.org/document/d/1nd9XOqoe1BVIlpaiVuOjeS-b2lRXOevniAEMJXTMi_o/edit?usp=sharing"> Google Doc</a> (NCS Staff only).<br />
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<b>Microsoft Office Updates</b><br />
Word or Excel acting wonky? Try running Microsoft Office updates. When you launch Word or Excel the autoupdate feature should launch for you. If it does not you can always trigger it by clicking Help in any MS Office application.<br />
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<b>Google Chrome Update</b><br />
Have you ever noticed that your Google Chrome has three red or orange lines at the right side of the toolbar? That means it needs an update. You can complete this task by going to the Chrome Help Menu (<a href="chrome://help/">chrome://help/</a>). Sometimes, if you have waited too long Chrome may not update for you. If this happens, navigate to the <a href="https://www.google.com/chrome/">Chrome website</a>, download an updated version, and install the program.<br />
<br />Joe Woodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11423295826145464705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8826774538032974337.post-36852073710176326152016-09-26T06:30:00.000-07:002016-09-26T06:30:09.593-07:00Weekly Tech Tip #4 - Taming Your InboxContrary to most users I do not save or organize emails. Just let that sink in for a second. Yes, emails come into my inbox, I open them and either star, archive, or delete them. Additionally, I am almost often at inbox zero or at least under 100. How do I make this magic happen? Two tools - Filters and Gmail Search.<br />
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1. Filters </h2>
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I make judicious use of filters. I don't know how I would function without them. Like most of you I receive a certain number (read - dozens) of emails each day that are important, but not something I need right in my face. These usually include the latest post from a blog, listserv, or online journal. Using filters these emails never touch my inbox and instead travel to a folder called "Daily News" and once each afternoon I give the messages a skim and scan. If you need help setting up filters check out <a href="https://support.google.com/mail/answer/6579">this Google Support Page</a>.</div>
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2. Gmail Search</h2>
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I used to spend hours organizing my email so that I could find it later. I had everything neatly color-coded and filed. Sound familiar? Then someone introduced me to Gmail Search and I regained literally years worth of productivity. </div>
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Right at the top of your inbox is a search field that looks just like Google and it uses a set of terms that allow you to search your entire mailbox (inbox, archive, trash, drafts, etc.). </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm4JtzmKVpeos-aW-Lg5OMnnMgXBC3YKdR0NyVPQV4QArQjH5lMKsAx4Jy9ibscUgAOyAL8P6BUL_YqjVZaU6K_u0NB-kY1kkM0HAjWPh3perwj-v1O37DT3DnVykGO1ZBzk8PfPy3aXi2/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-10-10+at+3.42.20+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="39" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm4JtzmKVpeos-aW-Lg5OMnnMgXBC3YKdR0NyVPQV4QArQjH5lMKsAx4Jy9ibscUgAOyAL8P6BUL_YqjVZaU6K_u0NB-kY1kkM0HAjWPh3perwj-v1O37DT3DnVykGO1ZBzk8PfPy3aXi2/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-10-10+at+3.42.20+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Let's say for example I'm looking for that email Jennifer Kloczko sent me about Minecraft over the summer and it had a flyer attached to it. I might type in the following information into the search box</div>
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from:jkloczko@natomascharter.org Minecraft before:2016/09/01 has:attachment </blockquote>
This search phrase will automatically pull up any email from Jennifer with the word Minecraft anywhere in the message sent before September 1st that also has an attachment. It could be an email she sent directly to me or one in which I was just cc'ed. You can use search terms OR you can use the menu in the dropdown attached to the small triangle next to the search button<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim3Yq9pIFpxKJ7hnoPiHJ-lTrvpfD2wxo1cP-_gnNnl3rvoYj-H94yFLmLxLLsOOGoEFI2gk-PqTeeAhJgONQt7sRuFQLifdGcjewsHAqHi1XERm3ThuBdUiahonUzJTiTwnNipXO9Sl_J/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-10-20+at+12.19.19+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim3Yq9pIFpxKJ7hnoPiHJ-lTrvpfD2wxo1cP-_gnNnl3rvoYj-H94yFLmLxLLsOOGoEFI2gk-PqTeeAhJgONQt7sRuFQLifdGcjewsHAqHi1XERm3ThuBdUiahonUzJTiTwnNipXO9Sl_J/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-10-20+at+12.19.19+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Google has a complete list of search terms on this <a href="https://support.google.com/mail/answer/7190?hl=en">support page</a>. However, I have the following <a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B_flfTGZ15dhMU05Y0RKc1E0RVU/edit">poster</a> from <a href="https://twitter.com/alicekeeler">Alice Keeler</a> hanging above my desk and it has been a lifesaver. I suggest printing out your own copy.<br />
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<a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B_flfTGZ15dhMU05Y0RKc1E0RVU/edit"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj6CWblfmG1uxZisPecT49Gc2tQ2MqQIXgc2Xij6aOhL9TBEfch4nEVHlOMPTo_DikNyIWGYGNL6TtWZN7K4LXXyY3f4sPLvk89dz5TJAyKGXiFXKq1T3fvA6PaRqaVA4u4qpncYKjZPUh/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-10-10+at+3.10.48+PM.png" width="247" /></a></div>
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Search is my also my secret for getting to Inbox Zero. On the last day of each month I head up to the search field and type before: and the first day of the month (before:2016/09/01), select everything, and hit Archive. It is a liberating feeling to no longer see those messages hanging out in my Inbox. If I find that I need one I know that I can quickly find it again using Gmail search terms.<br />
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Bonus Tool - Gmail Mobile App</h2>
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Do you regularly use an iPhone or iPad to access your email? Consider giving <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/gmail-email-from-google/id422689480?mt=8">Gmail for iOS</a> a whirl. This mobile app works a bit more efficiently than the native Mail client and allows you to use all of the same features described above.</div>
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If you have any questions about Gmail filters or search please let me know. I'd be happy to help you get your own system in place for managing email efficiently.<br />
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JoeJoe Woodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11423295826145464705noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8826774538032974337.post-76714072536201512782016-09-12T11:37:00.001-07:002016-09-12T11:37:35.319-07:00Weekly Tech Tip #3 - Options for Backing Up Data<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim6x5u551Hn1LH38LQWBcA7zofgEqvK3W9RLKV66QvQjX8iBak1ISmNosQM2ge_361793qwePZJC89MeLCPkP8E4VQ4k_BCWwKfHZ3ak_CwHfG0YuL12NlwSIXLKAE8vhrH2hWhgN5C45z/s1600/5472536812_c2dd4e93f6_m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim6x5u551Hn1LH38LQWBcA7zofgEqvK3W9RLKV66QvQjX8iBak1ISmNosQM2ge_361793qwePZJC89MeLCPkP8E4VQ4k_BCWwKfHZ3ak_CwHfG0YuL12NlwSIXLKAE8vhrH2hWhgN5C45z/s1600/5472536812_c2dd4e93f6_m.jpg" /></a></div>
Back Up! Back Up! Back Up! No, I'm not referring to putting your car into reverse, I'm talking about saving your data <strike>incase</strike> when your hard drive fails. <b>All</b> hard drives fail, eventually. Unfortunately, sometimes they fail when you least expected it, your data isn't backed up, and you find yourself recreating files or hoping you have a paper version some place you can scan.<br />
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Here are some tips for making sure this does not happen to you.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Teachers & Macbook Users</span></h3>
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<b>Google Drive Sync Folder</b></h4>
Google provides every single one of our users unlimited storage and anything you make in the web-based version of Google Drive (Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, etc.) does not count towards that quota. Believe it or not, this is actually more storage than we were able to provide users on our own server for many years. The best part is that if you install and run the <a href="https://tools.google.com/dlpage/drive/?hl=en">Google Drive application</a> on your computer saving to Google Drive is as simple as saving to the Google Drive folder on your computer. The application automatically syncs anything you store there to the Google servers. Should your computer suddenly die all you will need to do is run the Google Drive program on your new computer and within a few minutes all of your files will be restored. If you are a desktop user the Google Drive folder will also allow you to easily access your files from home through the Google Drive website (drive.google.com) or by installing the application on your home computer. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzPXUUBCRsA">This video will show you how to use the Google Drive folder on your computer. </a><br />
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<b>Photos, Videos, Music - External Hard Drive</b></h4>
But what about my iTunes and iPhoto libraries? Many of us sync our phones with our computers or download content from iTunes to use in class. More than likely these file are way too large to save to Google Drive. If you have a ton of photos, videos, or music then you really need to periodically back these up to an external hard drive.<a href="https://youtu.be/70ODqoWn4Kw"> This video will show you how. </a>It is really easy to do.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Business Office, Front Office, and Clerical Staff</span></h3>
<h4>
<b>Network Storage</b></h4>
If you are part of our Business Office, Front Office, or Clerical Staff teams then more than likely you are working with data which would not be appropriate for saving to individual Google Drive folders. Please make sure that you are always saving to the correct folder in the NCS server. This data is regularly backed up and should a computer or hard drive failure occur the IT Team can easily recover your files for later use.<br />
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If you have any questions or concerns about backing up your data or just need a helping hand please let the IT Department know.<br />
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Joe<br />
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<i>Photo: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/walkn/5472536812/">Hard Drive by Walknboston on Flickr</a></i><br />
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<br />Joe Woodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11423295826145464705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8826774538032974337.post-89822572288360016712016-09-06T06:33:00.000-07:002016-09-06T06:33:00.233-07:00Weekly Tech Tip #2 - Student & Staff Accounts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirwk0wbfSM3e3dmSw1hUQxn1gNQpvzvMqynfh9tk0zXZHDmHlvbz1zERpoyR_CMbmGRAU6CJ_6nbq9e2y8_dG79RThv1ymQXcSXAx8waZ2XbIVkN9oZU2nKSYahoT_h99ELi32lZMPK3z_/s1600/photo1+(4).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirwk0wbfSM3e3dmSw1hUQxn1gNQpvzvMqynfh9tk0zXZHDmHlvbz1zERpoyR_CMbmGRAU6CJ_6nbq9e2y8_dG79RThv1ymQXcSXAx8waZ2XbIVkN9oZU2nKSYahoT_h99ELi32lZMPK3z_/s1600/photo1+(4).jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
In the IT department we're often asked about computer logins. Part of the confusion is that in the past we have maintained a series of generic logins (charterle, charterpfaa, etc), but now everyone has their very own unique username and password for logging into the computers on campus. We made the switch to individual accounts because it reinforces positive digital citizenship skills by teaching students how to manage their own accounts and provides some ability for students and staff to customize their desktops on computers they regularly use.<br />
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<b>Staff Logins</b></div>
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Every single staff member has their own login. These work on any computer on campus and Chromebooks. Users with laptops have logins that are configured to even work from home. Your login is meant to be used by you only, so please don't share it with others. There is a slight difference between computer and Chromebook logins for the Name field which is demonstrated below.</div>
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Computers: jsmith<br />
Chromebooks: jsmith@natomascharter.org</blockquote>
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<b>Student Logins</b></div>
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In Leading Edge, PFAA, and VLA every student has their own unique login, along with Star Academy and PACT students starting in 1st grade. The structure of these logins is legal first name, first letter of legal last name, followed by the student's graduation year from high school. Similar to staff logins, these should only be used by the student to whom the account is assigned and there is a slight difference between computer and Chromebook logins.</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Computers: JohnS2020<br />
Chromebooks: JohnS2020@natomascharter.org</blockquote>
PACT and Star Academy have special generic logins which are meant to only be used by younger students who do not have their own accounts.<br />
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<b>Special Events</b><br />
We do have a few generic logins which are used for special events. For example, the Area 3 Writing Project workshops have a login for outside guests to use our computers. We turn these logins on for the event and turn them off afterwards. If you have a special event where you will need to use the computers simply let us know through the Activities Request Form or <a href="http://www.natomascharter.org/helpdesk">Help Desk</a> and we will make sure a login is set up.<br />
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<b>New Students & Forgotten Passwords</b><br />
When students are enrolled Google, computer, and Schoology accounts are automatically created for them. For 6th-12th grade students the default password is always "ncsyear" followed by the school year (ex: ncsyear1617). Students need to login for hte first time from any campus computer (LMC, computer lab, etc.). They cannot login for the first time on a Chromebook. The process of logging into the computer allows the student to set a password for both computer and Google/Schoology access. For 1st-5th graders we set the password and add it to a grade-level spreadsheet that has been shared with the teacher and coordinator for that program.<br />
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If you have any trouble helping a student access their account or if a student has forgotten their password please let any of us know in the IT department by submitting a <a href="http://www.natomascharter.org/helpdesk">Help Desk ticket</a>.<br />
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Hopefully, this post clears up some of the confusion around computer logins. If you have any questions please let me know.<br />
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Joe<br />
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Joe Woodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11423295826145464705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8826774538032974337.post-17961043987742933592016-08-29T06:45:00.000-07:002017-01-02T12:57:44.207-08:00Weekly Tech Tip #1 - NCS Wireless Networks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJDN6qxylNSCVIc_av_T4-OePGYxC2MjbWgaOy8h6zc_A2KIbCSEi0WC_I7VckfmGX6wa0UoBpoOeEVgn6hT3M6BEonZCCWwBED0pDyWnWroJmXhphw1UYt6NzlZaLgWFBZN-jg7v-qzte/s1600/7309654004_cfb2fa6b4d_m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJDN6qxylNSCVIc_av_T4-OePGYxC2MjbWgaOy8h6zc_A2KIbCSEi0WC_I7VckfmGX6wa0UoBpoOeEVgn6hT3M6BEonZCCWwBED0pDyWnWroJmXhphw1UYt6NzlZaLgWFBZN-jg7v-qzte/s1600/7309654004_cfb2fa6b4d_m.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Today we're starting a new series of posts for the school year- Weekly Tech Tips. These will be quick and easy reminders for using technology resources at Natomas Charter School.<br />
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This week our focus is wireless networks. At Natomas Charter School we maintain multiple wireless networks. We maintain separate networks because our devices need to be filtered at different levels and we need to ensure that our internal network resources are safe from malware and viruses. While useful, the separate networks can be a bit confusing, so here is a listing of each network and its intended use by campus.<br />
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<h3>
<b>Main Campus</b></h3>
Here we maintain four networks - two for devices owned by the school and two for devices owned by students and staff<br />
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<b>NCS-Staff</b><br />
This network is used by wireless devices owned by Natomas Charter School, primarily teacher and staff laptops. All of these devices have antivirus and malware protection software and since the devices are used by staff the filtering is fairly open. Only the IT department has access to this password and we add it to all devices when they are set up.<br />
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<b>NCS-Student</b> </div>
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This network is almost identical to NCS-Staff with more restrictive filtering. It is used to support our school-owned Chromebooks and iPads. Similar to NCS-Staff this password is maintained by the IT department. </div>
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<b>NCS-StaffGuest</b> </div>
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Bringing your own iPad, iPhone, or laptop to school? No problem. You can use NCS-StaffGuest to connect to the network. It is filtered at the same level as NCS-Guest, but does not allow users to access internal network resources (servers, networked printers, etc.) and instead routes users directly to the Internet. We do this because personal devices may not have adequate antivirus/malware protection software. All NCS staff members have access to this password. I am not posting it here since this is a public site, but feel free to contact the IT department or check your email if you do not know the password. <i><b>Please do not provide it to students</b></i>. A few years this happened and everyone ended up having to reset their devices.</div>
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<b>NCS-Guest</b><br />
This network is available for all students (at teacher-direction) and guests who are not NCS employees. It is filtered like NCS-Student, but similar to NCS-Staff Guest does not allow access to internal network resources. When using NCS-Guest it is important to launch a web-browser after connecting, accept the security certificate, and enter your email address. The password is ncsguest.<br />
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<h3>
<b>PACT & Star</b></h3>
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These two campuses have different wireless hardware than the main campus, so their system is slightly different as well.<br />
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<b>NCS-Staff</b><br />
Identical to NCS-Staff at the Main Campus<br />
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<b>NCS-Student</b><br />
Identical to NCS-Student at the Main Campus<br />
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<b>Star Guest or PACT Guest</b><br />
Very similar to NCS-Guest at the Main Campus and meant for use by student, staff, or outside guest personal devices. This network has two account settings<br />
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<ul>
<li>For Students and Guests - Use the password ncsguest. This is filtered at the student level.</li>
<li>For Staff Members - We have a the ability to provide you individualized accounts on these networks filtered at the staff level. If you would like your own account or can't your remember the password please submit a help ticket.</li>
</ul>
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<div>
Hopefully, this post clears up some confusion about our wireless networks. We are constantly working on improving the system, so you may hear of updates as well in the future. Please let us know if you have any questions. Should you ever come across a site you or your students need simply put in a <a href="http://www.natomascharter.org/helpdesk">Help Ticket</a> (or email if it is an emergency) and we will take care of it.</div>
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Joe</div>
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<i>Photo: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/61423903@N06/7309654004/">Wireless LAN by FutUndBeidl on Flickr</a></i></div>
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Joe Woodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11423295826145464705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8826774538032974337.post-10807715320860049512015-09-17T13:05:00.002-07:002015-09-17T13:05:41.863-07:00Updates for YouTube Safe SearchAs I shared in a post late last year about <a href="http://ncsedtechnews.blogspot.com/2014/12/navigating-youtube-safe-search.html">Navigating YouTube Safe Search</a> sometimes completely perfect educational videos can be blocked by the restricted browsing options we have enabled for student accounts. Often this occurs with teacher-created video content, such as screencasts. When a video is blocked students will see a screen like the one below when they are logged in with their NCS account at school or at home.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoU-bYPoPIQ4qaNg2ae3OmWwX1jT2APJD5qEph6Bi4sz0ya3azAp9wD3hr_bC1-rfGMJi8W5aRfyjWeK7gCOwDFSEVrLv73PcHhFNaJZf5ok51fKQfxG7up6YLiNn9UDqP6yIGfMbypfNz/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-09-17+at+12.47.10+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoU-bYPoPIQ4qaNg2ae3OmWwX1jT2APJD5qEph6Bi4sz0ya3azAp9wD3hr_bC1-rfGMJi8W5aRfyjWeK7gCOwDFSEVrLv73PcHhFNaJZf5ok51fKQfxG7up6YLiNn9UDqP6yIGfMbypfNz/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-09-17+at+12.47.10+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
Google recently released a few new features to help combat this problem including the ability to provide teachers a content approval role. We turned this feature on earlier this week and are now piloting the ability for all NCS teachers and staff to approve videos that are accidentally blocked. When you are viewing YouTube videos you will see a new blue bar across the bottom of the viewing window (if you don't see the blue bar, check Chrome to make sure you have all of your YouTube-related extensions turned off). Towards the right side of the blue bar is an approve button.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv0ovPKS95rSM_ZB03e2VIMdKP4U0koi7dwaxhtomwAhst5I3dc4JoE8YG0PNQDaE47dU9gVahTvAbSob0FwtHEBDYsj0dhMfwyvf6vbXyVP0GPQ7zfi8Z7ghcni3lk1_53UBW_7ZMkf_R/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-09-17+at+12.47.32+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv0ovPKS95rSM_ZB03e2VIMdKP4U0koi7dwaxhtomwAhst5I3dc4JoE8YG0PNQDaE47dU9gVahTvAbSob0FwtHEBDYsj0dhMfwyvf6vbXyVP0GPQ7zfi8Z7ghcni3lk1_53UBW_7ZMkf_R/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-09-17+at+12.47.32+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<b>With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility...</b><br />
Should you choose to approve a video, please realize that it can be seen by <i>all</i> NCS students. If you accidentally approve something that should not be approved please let one of the IT staff know. We can find your record in the logs and remove the video from the whitelist.<br />
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Since we are still piloting this feature please let the IT staff know how it is performing for you and your students. Hopefully, it will make your ability to create and share high-quality instructional content that much easier.<br />
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JoeJoe Woodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11423295826145464705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8826774538032974337.post-48988296990615461862015-09-08T11:31:00.003-07:002015-09-17T15:20:53.324-07:00 Understanding CAASPP Results<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZGdVYcmosJvHvOB7eVho7kIabEBup-maCbFlSL9OsnSIwkwU3KboydXWZHlmbQvmUvN1Spf5H3KCdNa-b-4Iv040AgLlmv1-u2IPnyVUUd_XRVYvQMoil0Zwv68eh2sNlcv3nJOgxBnld/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-09-08+at+11.24.23+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZGdVYcmosJvHvOB7eVho7kIabEBup-maCbFlSL9OsnSIwkwU3KboydXWZHlmbQvmUvN1Spf5H3KCdNa-b-4Iv040AgLlmv1-u2IPnyVUUd_XRVYvQMoil0Zwv68eh2sNlcv3nJOgxBnld/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-09-08+at+11.24.23+AM.png" width="247" /></a></div>
This spring all of our 3rd-8th, 10th and 11th graders participated in annual statewide testing. The results of our new testing program, CAASPP are starting to arrive and this post is an attempt to start demystifying some of the new terminology and data you will be hearing about.<br />
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<b>Establishing a New Baseline</b><br />
First off you might be wondering, "How did we do?" Overall, our preliminary results look great and share common patterns with school wide data across the region. However, it is important to remember that this year is really about establishing a new baseline. The Common Core standards and the Smarter Balanced assessments are very different than anything we have done previously. Tomorrow (September 9th) is the public release of all state, district, and school wide data. You can see the results <a href="http://caaspp.cde.ca.gov/sb2015/Search">on this website</a> starting at 11am. We also have some preliminary extracts of student-level data we will be analyzing via future staff and cadre meetings. Later this month we will start receiving individual student reports to be mailed home.<br />
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<b>New Test...New Results...New Terminology</b><br />
With a new set of scores we have a new set of terminology to start learning as educators. To me one of the best places to start understanding this terminology is the <a href="http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/ca/documents/caaspp15scorerpt.pdf">Student Score Report</a>. This is the document families will receive next month.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><i>Overall Achievement Levels (Front Side)</i></li>
<ul>
<li>On the front side of the score report you will see an overall achievement level for both Math and English Language Arts. The overall achievement level really consists of three pieces of data </li>
<ul>
<li>Overall Score - A numerical value between 2000-3000</li>
<li>Achievement Level - The numerical score falls into one of four achievement levels - Standard Not Met, Standard Nearly Met, Standard Met, Standard Exceeded</li>
<li>Range of Possible Scores - A small black bar around the overall score which shows approximately where the student might score if they took the exam again.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<li><i>Claim Achievement Levels (Back Side)</i></li>
<ul>
<li>The overall achievement level for each content area is broken into area or claims on the back of the score report. For each claim area students can store Below Standard, At Standard, or Above Standard.</li>
<li>For students who were in grades 5, 8, and 10 you will also see a CST science score at the bottom of the back side of the score report.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<div>
CDE has also put together <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQi4qlOCrmk">this short video</a> for students and families explaining the score report and you might find it useful as well.</div>
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<div>
<b>Data to Inform Instruction</b></div>
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As you start delving into your own student data in the next few weeks you might begin to search for resources to assist in your own instructional practices. I predict that this will be an on-going conversation for all of us throughout this school year. :-) However, some places I would suggest you start are listed below</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>SBAC Blueprints - These documents provide a nice overview of how claims were tested on the assessment. There is <a href="http://www.smarterbalanced.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Mathematics_Blueprint.pdf">one for Math</a> and <a href="http://www.smarterbalanced.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/ELA_Blueprint.pdf">one for ELA</a>.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/ca/elaclaimdescript.asp">Claim Achievement Level Descriptors</a> - More in-depth descriptions of each claim level.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/sa/diglib.asp">Smarter Balanced Digital Library</a> - The digital library contains lesson materials, assessments, and other tools for teachers to use. </li>
</ul>
<div>
Joe</div>
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Joe Woodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11423295826145464705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8826774538032974337.post-17831827233699289712015-09-04T13:59:00.001-07:002015-09-04T13:59:21.864-07:00Tech Tip #1 - Updates are Your Friends<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYhw57kXcsGtZ6eTrkTzUF7WIzWDEYgYigkNxLcMcBfKj0fDSRW-cdElD3RLz0Etc6YhTNEBIJQVVLZe4sM9CjpojybkOdA_MhAzi0lNh0qcySeL7Gq1NQwAx0j9nTdSZrV_8pMq5EtuLG/s1600/Mac-App-Store-icon.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYhw57kXcsGtZ6eTrkTzUF7WIzWDEYgYigkNxLcMcBfKj0fDSRW-cdElD3RLz0Etc6YhTNEBIJQVVLZe4sM9CjpojybkOdA_MhAzi0lNh0qcySeL7Gq1NQwAx0j9nTdSZrV_8pMq5EtuLG/s200/Mac-App-Store-icon.png" width="200" /></a>At NCS we use an "empowered user" model for all teacher and staff Macbooks. This means you have admin rights and one of the easiest ways to keep your computer running like a champ is to make sure you are always running your updates. Periodically you may see an email from the IT department that asks you to avoid a particular update, but for the most part regularly running updates is an excellent practice. The ones that we might ask you to avoid are large operating system changes, such as an update from 10.10 (Yosemite) to 10.11 (El Capitan) which will occur later this fall.<br />
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Updates fall into three main categories<br />
<br />
<b>Mac Updates</b><br />
All updates for the Apple operating system or any Apple programs can be found in the Mac App Store. When you launch this application you should be asked whether or not you want to run the updates right now. Occasionally you might be asked for the store@natomascharter.org password. If this happens you can find that password on this<a href="https://docs.google.com/a/natomascharter.org/document/d/1nd9XOqoe1BVIlpaiVuOjeS-b2lRXOevniAEMJXTMi_o/edit?usp=sharing"> Google Doc</a> (NCS Staff only).<br />
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<b>Microsoft Office Updates</b><br />
Word or Excel acting wonky? Try running Microsoft Office updates. When you launch Word or Excel the autoupdate feature should launch for you. If it does not you can always trigger it by clicking Help in any MS Office application.<br />
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<b>Google Chrome Update</b><br />
Have you ever noticed that your Google Chrome has three red or orange lines at the right side of the toolbar? That means it needs an update. You can complete this task by going to the Chrome Help Menu (<a href="chrome://help/">chrome://help/</a>). Sometimes, if you have waited too long Chrome may not update for you. If this happens, navigate to the <a href="https://www.google.com/chrome/">Chrome website</a>, download an updated version, and install the program.<br />
<br />Joe Woodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11423295826145464705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8826774538032974337.post-66033271706267923932015-08-26T16:13:00.000-07:002015-08-27T09:59:07.843-07:00Helping Students Research More Efficiently<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="228" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/qSc10Uj-Ld7hv5J-K2iCzXTn8EY2Kyc6GKpUG-88XMW77l4vv3A1euhptg77-BJZUtuh1tr9IIXNTyJasD5nZghf_fhslt3ocuwZJBsgK87beKRvOCz-UiPnmz0a5n7tpygwjMY" style="border: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="background-color: #f2f2f2; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-align: start; text-indent: -28px;">Whaddya Mean All My Facts Are Wrong?!?</i><span style="background-color: #f2f2f2; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-align: start; text-indent: -28px;"> Digital image. </span><i style="background-color: #f2f2f2; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-align: start; text-indent: -28px;">Techie Teacher 5280</i><span style="background-color: #f2f2f2; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-align: start; text-indent: -28px;">. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://techieteacher5280.blogspot.com/2011/12/evaluating-websites.html></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Students know that Googling is a very imperfect way to do research, and yet they keep doing. It is understandable: Google is a part of our daily lives, and students are growing up in a world where we expect to get the one, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">right</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> answer to any question within seconds. </span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But we all know that this premise is not true, especially in an educational setting where getting the right answer (if there is even one!) is important, but most important is to help students develop their critical thinking skills. Evaluating websites for credibility is crucial, and we do need to teach our students that skill; but we also need to teach them how to use research databases, as they, along with print resources, will be the only resources accepted in college. </span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sacramento County Office of Education was not able to bring CaliforniaLearns, a portal through which we had access to EBSCO, back this school year. Joe Wood and I are looking to potentially get our own access to a database, and I have set up several free trials to see which one you and your students prefer. Your feedback </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">will be primordial in deciding what we get.</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://docs.google.com/a/natomascharter.org/document/d/1lfLU3yKkB2Z2PnQZlyEytQikfgNomFe-WyLA1J7RhRU/edit?usp=sharing" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You will see here the list of 4 databases and the links to the free trials</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. I cannot post this information online as it would be broadcasting free access to those databases to people outside of NCS; but please take a look at them and <a href="https://docs.google.com/a/natomascharter.org/forms/d/19exil8bHjEwqVK5bo8n58Q16cmwPMrhv_78oMl7d3v0/viewform?usp=send_form" target="_blank">let me know what you think</a>. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><u>The trials end mid-September.</u></span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We also would like our students’ feedback! </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you are giving students a research project in the next 3-4 weeks, I would suggest that you give different databases to different students to use, or use different databases for smaller projects, and </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ask students for their feedback as part of the assignment</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Just forward me or Joe their comments.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finally, to make this a little more fun: the first person (faculty or staff) to email me an article they found on ANY database on the topic of their choice, will get to pick one book from my pile of awesome books (some of which are not yet even published!), yours to keep!</span></span>Elsa Prettolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09515237554881584981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8826774538032974337.post-73622297348731530102015-08-24T11:29:00.000-07:002015-08-24T13:53:35.561-07:00Fancy Reading Logs & FormulasAt Star Academy 2nd grade students have an annual book reading challenge. This year it is 70 books by the end of the year with at least 10 being chapter books. Historically, Julie and Maria have asked their students to keep track of their books by completing a Google Form-based reading log. Periodically, they would sort the data by student name and create reports for each student. It was a Sunday night data-sorting and printing nightmare. This year we simplified the process using a few spreadsheet formulas and now each student has their very own live tab were they (or their parents) can easily track reading progress. Interested in doing something similar? Heres how...with screencasts!<br />
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<b>Part 1 - Setting Up Separate Tabs</b><br />
Basically you create a Google Form and create one entry for each student. From there you create a template on the Response spreadsheet using Data Validation and two basic formulas - Query and Count If. Once your template is set you clone a sheet for each student. Scared of the Query formula? No sweat! You can copy/paste the one from the screencast's description area.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/PFOxejRzbLU/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PFOxejRzbLU?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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<b>Part 2 - Sharing Tabs with Individual Students</b><br />
Unfortunately, Google does not (yet) have the ability to easily share individual tabs. However you can you can create a new sheet and use the ImportRange formula to provide a live view for each student. Its even easier than Part 1.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/pUEBkmzuUvM/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pUEBkmzuUvM?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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The process might sound complicated, but it is actually pretty simple. You might just need a quiet space and about 30-45 minutes to set it up for your entire class, but then you should be set for the year. Shout out to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozBa3IZx3TE">Ted Juch</a> and <a href="http://www.thegooru.com/share-individual-tabs-in-google-sheets/">Google Gooru</a> for inspiring the idea for these reading logs.<br />
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JoeJoe Woodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11423295826145464705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8826774538032974337.post-27118555405935527202015-08-21T13:07:00.001-07:002015-08-21T13:10:04.304-07:00Schoology Tips & Tricks - Update #3 - Educator CommunitiesCommunities are at the heart of Schoology, whether the community is your school, classroom, or after school group. Users who have teacher or admin roles also have the opportunity to join larger Schoology communities tailored to a topic, content area, or instructional practice. Many educators using Schoology are classroom teachers using it by themselves, in non-enterprise environments, so groups are one way these teachers connect and collaborate.<br />
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Joining a group is as simple as clicking on Groups, followed by Find Public Groups. Once you are there you will find a listing of suggested and publicly available groups. You can click on the group title to peek into the group and determine whether or not you would like to join.<br />
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After joining a group their updates will appear in your Home feed, but you can also post questions or ideas to these groups and likely find very helpful responses from teachers all over the world in teaching positions like yours. A few groups I would highly recommend joining are <a href="https://natomascharter.schoology.com/group/13100889">Schoology Educators</a>, <a href="https://natomascharter.schoology.com/group/19070055">Blended Learning</a>, and <a href="https://natomascharter.schoology.com/group/19069943">Flipped Classroom</a>.<br />
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Thank you to <a href="https://natomascharter.schoology.com/user/7410113/info">Nicole</a> for turning me on to these!<br />
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Joe<br />
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<br />Joe Woodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11423295826145464705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8826774538032974337.post-62151751088071725702015-08-17T15:01:00.001-07:002015-08-17T15:02:14.934-07:00Schoology Tips & Tricks - Update #2 - NotificationsAre you finding inbox overwhelmed by Schoology notifications? No sweat! You can easily adjust your notification settings using two different tools. This applies to both students and staff, so feel free to pass this information along to your students. It is also a great opportunity to talk to students about tools for keeping track of their assignments and staying on top of their workload including Notifications and the Calendar.<br />
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<b>Overall Schoology Notifications</b><br />
The main notification settings window can be found by clicking on the small triangle icon next to your name in Schoology. Here you can select which conditions will trigger a notification and whether you want these to appear via email or as a notification pop up on your phone or tablet device using the Schoology mobile app.<br />
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<b>Course-Specific Notifications</b><br />
Sometimes you need to modify notifications for just one course. This can be accomplished by clicking on the Notifications button within the course. There you will find a series of checkboxes that determine which course actions will send information via your overall Schoology notification settings (email or mobile app). <br />
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If you have any trouble with these or need additional information just let me know.</div>
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Joe Woodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11423295826145464705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8826774538032974337.post-18664990812905363852015-08-14T15:09:00.002-07:002015-08-17T15:01:49.541-07:00Schoology Tips & Tricks - Update #1 - Gradebook, Student View, and MoreHappy Friday!<br />
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I hope all of you enjoyed you first week of school. This year as we roll out Schoology I plan on sending out weekly Top 5 lists based on emails, feedback, and help tickets. Below are the 5 Schoology Items You Need to Know for the of August 17, 2015.<br />
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<b>1. Configuring Schoology Gradebook</b><br />
One of the very first things you need to do is configure your Schoology gradebook with categories and weights (if you use them). All gradebook configuration is done by clicking on Gradebook followed by Grade Set Up. Amanda also created this handy screencast that will walk you through the steps.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/-zA305-C_dw/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-zA305-C_dw?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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<b>2. Adding Items to the Gradebook</b><br />
Once you have your gradebook all set up you can start inputting grades for assignments. Any Assignments, Quizzes, and Discussions will automatically appear in your gradebook from when you created them in your course materials page. If you have items you would like to add that don't necessarily have a digital component just choose "Add Grade Column" from the dropdown menu in the gradebook. Additionally, check out the <a href="https://support.schoology.com/hc/en-us/articles/201002143-Courses-Gradebook">Gradebook portion of the Schoology Instructor Guide</a>. You will find it quite helpful.<br />
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<b>3. Setting Up Online Discussions</b><br />
A few of you have asked me how to set up online discussions. These are great tools for facilitating online conversations, have students preview and discuss a video or article, and even as a forum for submitting work and getting feedback from peers. The <a href="https://support.schoology.com/hc/en-us/articles/205530658-Course-Materials-Discussions">Discussion section of the Instructor Guide</a> has lots of step-by-steps for setting up discussions including how to enable them so that a student must post before viewing any one else's content.<br />
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<b>4. Tools for Viewing as a Student</b><br />
Often it is handy to see what things look like from a student view. You have two options for making this happen depending on your instructional goal.<br />
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<li><i><b>View Course As </b></i>- Just below the course icon photo there is a Course Options dropdown menu. Here you will see "View Course As" and you will be automatically taken to a menu where you can select one of your students and view the class as if you were that person.</li>
<li><i><b>Demo Accounts</b></i> - Each academy has their very own demo account. You can use these for creating screencasts, tutorials, or other helpful resources where you really need to "embody" a student account. The login information for these was sent in an email on August 13th. It should still be in your inbox.</li>
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<b>5. Customizing Your Schoology Profile</b><br />
Schoology profiles are a wonderful tool for modeling positive digital footprints for all of our students. I know that many of you have started exploring the <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TlhAsLzbd07U5z8iW2fyceJ9urqgmb5IgNvI0HF9JBw/edit">NCS Schoology Profile Guidelines</a> and <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aSQ0WzIi0Bw_W9TgkSK_bPSqOqtdWYHOCIvmYQqBxjM/edit">Launch Guide</a>, but take a few minutes to build out your own profile. Include a professional photo, biography, and description of why you are passionate about teaching. Amanda even created <a href="https://youtu.be/oSCNajZ6yo0">a handy screencast</a> for doing this!<br />
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<b>Bonus Item! Advisees</b><br />
Did you know that you can easily see how an individual student is doing in all of their classes? Click on Advisees on the left side of the screen (just above App Center), type in a student's name and click through the tabs across the menu (Current, Calendar, Grades). This is available to all teachers and administrators.<br />
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<br />Joe Woodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11423295826145464705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8826774538032974337.post-42588476384919506292015-08-07T10:20:00.000-07:002015-08-07T10:20:27.919-07:00Top 6 Tech Things to Know for 2015-2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Welcome back to the start of another amazing school year! With school beginning on Monday here is a list of the Top 6 Things to Know for 2015-2016 from the Technology Department.<div>
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<b>1. New NCS PowerSchool Information</b></div>
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This year we have our own, fully independent version of PowerSchool. As a result, all related web addresses and login information have changed. Please make sure you check your email for a message from me regarding your username and password. Additionally, please update any bookmarks or website links you may have used in the past. I have also added the new student and parent URL, but those accounts will not be in use until mid-September.</div>
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<li>PowerTeacher - <a href="http://natomascharter.powerschool.com/teachers">http://natomascharter.powerschool.com/teachers</a></li>
<li>PowerSchool Admin - <a href="http://natomascharter.powerschool.com/admin">http://natomascharter.powerschool.com/admin</a></li>
<li>PowerSchool Public (for Parents & Students) - <a href="http://natomascharter.powerschool.com/public">http://natomascharter.powerschool.com/public</a></li>
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<b>2. Schoology</b></div>
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This year teachers in Leading Edge, PFAA, VLA, and Project X at PACT will be using Schoology as learning management system for all of their courses. Schoology is a tool similar to Blackboard, Moodle, or WebCT that allows teachers to seamlessly connect in-school and at-home academic activities using a blended learning model. Students will be able to submit assignments digitally, engage in online discussion forums, and complete web-based assessments. All students and teachers login to Schoology (<a href="http://natomascharter.schoology.com/">http://natomascharter.schoology.com</a>) using their NCS Google Accounts. </div>
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<b>3. Student Account Information</b></div>
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In the IT department we make every attempt to ensure all incoming students have their accounts set ahead of time and provide small sheets of paper with login directions to either homeroom, technology, or ELA teachers depending on the academy and grade level. All student account usernames have the same format - first name, last initial, graduation year (ex: JohnS2022). Email addresses are identical to usernames with the addition of @natomascharter.org. Students set their own passwords beginning in 6th grade, but new students will have the temporary password ncsyear1516. Below is an example of the full set of information for a student.</div>
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<li>Username: JohnS2022</li>
<li>Email: JohnS2022@natomascharter.org</li>
<li>Temporary Password: ncsyear1516</li>
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<b>4. Help Desk</b></div>
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If you need any technology support this year please always submit a Help Desk ticket. The system allows us to prioritize and track support as a team. Please save emails and phone calls for an immediate technology emergency. </div>
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<li>Help Desk Website - http://www.natomascharter.org/helpdesk</li>
<li>Email Address - Your email address (staff only)</li>
<li>Password - A password you set</li>
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<b>5. NCS Professional Development Portal and Year-Long Support</b></div>
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The NCS Professional Development Portal contains a plethora of information for instructional technology support. On this site you will find resource pages for a variety of topics from <a href="https://sites.google.com/a/natomascharter.org/ncs-professional-development-portal/learning-modules/schoology">Schoology</a> to <a href="https://sites.google.com/a/natomascharter.org/ncs-professional-development-portal/learning-modules/minecraft-edu">Minecraft</a> and <a href="https://sites.google.com/a/natomascharter.org/ncs-professional-development-portal/learning-modules/google-drive">Google Drive</a>. If you are new to our school this year you will also find the <a href="https://sites.google.com/a/natomascharter.org/ncs-professional-development-portal/all-staff-pd-days/2015-2016/new-staff-tech-workshop">resource page for our New Staff Tech Orientation</a>. During the school year weekly technology professional development time will continue at the following dates and times. For the first few weeks of school I will also host open labs at these times. Keep an eye out for my weekly emails.</div>
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<li>PFAA & LE - Tech Tuesdays 3:30-4:30pm in G-4</li>
<li>VLA - Wednesdays 9:30-10:45am in D-1</li>
<li>PACT - Bring a Challenge/Solve a Challenge Thursdays 8:00-8:45am</li>
<li>Star - STEAM Thursdays 3:15-4:15pm</li>
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<b>6. Laptop Insurance</b></div>
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Have you signed up for laptop insurance this year? If not check out the <a href="https://my.worthavegroup.com/natomascharterca">Worth Avenue Group NCS page.</a> We had an employee who ended up needing it this summer after she spilled water on her laptop. The process for repairing her laptop was quick, easy, and painless and only cost her the price of the deductible. You can also use the Worth Avenue site to insure personal devices, such as iPads, smartphones, and laptops.</div>
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Have a great year and a great first day of school on Monday!</div>
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Joe</div>
Joe Woodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11423295826145464705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8826774538032974337.post-53197649523327636942015-02-10T12:21:00.002-08:002015-02-10T12:21:28.284-08:00Tuesday Tech Tip #17 - SnagIt for Chrome<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
When it comes to "showing what you know", one of the most powerful tools available for both teachers and students are screencasts. All of Apple computers come equipped with QuickTime Player with a built-in screencasting tool. However, a great resource that works on any computer using Chrome (Macs, Windows, or Chromebooks) is Snagit for Chrome.</div>
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<a href="http://www.techsmith.com/snagit-google-chrome.html">Snagit for Google Chrome</a> is a free screen capture and recording app that works on Chromebooks or in the Chrome browser. Using Snagit for Google Chrome can help you provide better feedback, encourage teamwork, and create images, videos, and animated GIFs that explain exactly what you mean.</div>
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Now you might be thinking, animated GIF? What the heck is that?!? An animated GIF is basically a very short, looping video (20 seconds or less) that you can pop into a Google Doc, blog post, or other digital resource that will walk students or staff through a series of steps. Below is an example of one demonstrating how to change your font in a Google Doc. They are perfect for showing users how to complete a simple, technical task. I know of educators who use these to remind students the steps for using a tool or submitting an assignment. </div>
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Snagit for Chrome will allow you and your students to not only create animated GIFs, but also annotated screenshots and videos. If you would like to get started with Snagit for Chrome check out this <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDA1QtIYmyA">instructional video</a>. </div>
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<br />Joe Woodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11423295826145464705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8826774538032974337.post-77761765775027297812014-12-11T13:46:00.000-08:002014-12-11T15:01:19.538-08:00Navigating YouTube Safe Search<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Over the past week a few of you have contacted the IT department about YouTube's Safety Mode. This tool is automatically enabled for all of our Google accounts and helps ensure that students are accessing appropriate content on YouTube. It works by analyzing the metadata that is part of an uploaded video and compares it with a banned list of words. Metadata can include the video's title and description, category, tags, and even an automatic transcription of any narration or spoken word. The service is completely automatic and relies on sophisticated computer algorithms that analyze content as it is uploaded at posted to YouTube. Kind of amazing, huh?<br />
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Like all filtering technology, Safety Mode should never be thought of as a replacement for a teacher (or parent at home) monitoring the classroom by walking around the room and utilizing engaging lesson plans. Additionally, sometimes perfectly good content gets blocked by the Safety Mode settings. If you are using a Mac or Windows device, you can work around this problem by <a href="https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/174084?hl=en">temporarily disabling Safety Mode</a>. However, this cannot be done on a Chromebook since YouTube Safety Mode is part of a Safe Search protocol we enforce through our Google Apps domain.<br />
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All of the messages and tickets we have received regarding Safety Mode have been related to teacher-created content being deemed "unsafe." YouTube's exact Safety Mode algorithms are a bit unintuitive and seem to be undergoing constant tweaking, but <a href="https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/youtube/32tHQqeTsIk%5B1-25-false%5D">this discussion forum</a> which includes YouTube staff members and power-user experts was quite handy for understanding how the process works. If you are having challenges with your content being blocked by Safety Mode here are some things to consider.<br />
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<li><b>Titles, Descriptions, and Tags </b>- Make sure your video's title, descriptions, or tags are not using any word that might seem inappropriate when taken out of context. For instance, Nic Russo has a video with the title "Scavenger Hunt Instructions" that is blocked by Safety Mode. The video is perfectly fine, but the word "hunt" may be tripping up the filters. Realize, that the title, description, and tags are also how advertising and related videos are posted around your content, so taking the time to enter accurate information is very valuable.</li>
<li><b>Education Category </b>- When posting a video always make sure your chosen category is "Education." Some programs, like QuickTime will put your video in the "How To" category and you will quickly find your video surrounded by lessons for styling hair.</li>
<li><b>Songs & Narration</b> - YouTube automatically transcribes your video for closed-captioning purposes. Make sure that any narrations are as clearly enunciated as possible. If there is music playing in the background turn it off, especially if it has any vocals. Hope Kloczko has a perfectly appropriate video on her website that is blocked by Safety Mode and I am pretty sure it has something to do with the Taylor Swift song, Shake It Off, that you can hear in the background.</li>
<li><b>Upload to Drive</b> - When all else fails and YouTube just keeps blocking your video, try uploading content to Google Drive and adjust the Share settings to Anyone with Link so that students and parents can view the content. It might not be be as pretty as YouTube, but it works and you now have unlimited storage in Google Drive.</li>
</ol>
<div>
As I mentioned earlier in the post, Safety Mode seems to be work in progress. Many of us have complained to YouTube about the lack of precision utilized by the algorithms. If you use Twitter or Google+ feel free to let them know as well by tagging YouTube (@youtube or +youtube) in your post. Hopefully, the service will become so precise that all of these problems will disappear. In the meantime give these strategies a whirl and let us know if you discover any of your own tricks with posting content to YouTube.</div>
<div>
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<div>
Joe </div>
Joe Woodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11423295826145464705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8826774538032974337.post-76343583447888165252014-12-09T08:35:00.000-08:002014-12-09T14:23:02.645-08:00Tuesday Tech Tip #16 - Gmail App for iPhone<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I know that many of you have personal iPhones or iPads you use to check your work email. How do I know this? Well, there is always a dead give away - the name on your email when you send it from your iOS device.<br />
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Often iPhone users name their email accounts phrases that make sense to them including "NCS Email," "Star Academy," and "Work." I used to do this too. Unfortunately, when you send email using the mail app built into the iPhone the phrase you used when configuring your mailbox also becomes your sender name. In other words your email will display something like NCS Email <jwood@natomascharter.org> when you send it from your iPhone and it can be confusing when your recipient first opens the email.<br />
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You could easily fix this by adjusting your mailbox settings...OR...you could install the free <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/gmail-email-from-google/id422689480?mt=8">Gmail app</a>. But do I really need a different tool to manage my email? Yes, you do. Here are five reasons to give the app a whirl.<br />
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<b>1. Search Your WHOLE Inbox</b><br />
Let's start with the #1 reason I use the Gmail app. You can search your WHOLE inbox, not just the 50 most recent messages. This has saved me numerous times and is why I will always use the Gmail app over the native built in iOS Mailbox program. If you need an email on your phone from three months ago you can find it immediately!<br />
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<b>2. Archive Button & More</b><br />
Similar to the desktop inbox you have an Archive button on the mobile app, but you can also move messages to a folder, mark as unread, star, and report as spam. All of the buttons you are used to seeing on the desktop client are there and your workflow does not have to change simply because you are on another device.<br />
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<b>3. Search Terms</b><br />
If you are familiar with Gmail search terms they work perfectly in the Gmail app. Not sure what I am talking about? Take a moment to read <a href="http://ncsedtechnews.blogspot.com/2014/10/tuesday-tech-tip-14-gmail-search-tips.html">this blog post</a> and print out the cheat-sheet. It will save you tons of time.<br />
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<b>4. Mobile Signature</b><br />
All of us use standard signatures on our work emails including name, title, and contact information. When you send email from the Gmail app those signatures are automatically applied. However, you can also set up a mobile signature so that your recipients recognize that your short email or inevitable typos are simply due to emailing from a small screen.<br />
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<b>5. Vacation Responder</b><br />
Let's say you're headed to the airport and think, "Man! I forgot to set my out of office reply." No sweat, the Gmail app lets you set the away message from your phone. No need to find a computer to login to the Google Apps website.<br />
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<b>What about Multiple Email Accounts?</b><br />
This might be the only downside to the Gmail app. It only works with other Gmail accounts, so if you have Hotmail, iCloud, or something else you may also need to use the Mailbox app too. However, if like most people you have multiple Gmail accounts you can set them all up within this one application and easily switch back and forth.<br />
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Take a few minutes, download and install the <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/gmail-email-from-google/id422689480?mt=8">Gmail app</a>. You will be glad that you did.<br />
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JoeJoe Woodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11423295826145464705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8826774538032974337.post-59548889076806298672014-11-12T15:24:00.000-08:002014-12-02T11:58:27.328-08:00What Would We Purchase? Considering a Device for Your Child<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK8lP370rud1AViirFlW47jQhbWAR1Hf2_xn5iR9T6UMBBD1zj6uOK2wxFSrefoxcuvTwQMFKvqeSVTBKe7nblXKB-514zw5Nbl2xRIAQuOCc8hyphenhyphenSBtR31f3Ja2bzRHB4SIuNfExrKFe6V/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-04+at+1.59.06+PM+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK8lP370rud1AViirFlW47jQhbWAR1Hf2_xn5iR9T6UMBBD1zj6uOK2wxFSrefoxcuvTwQMFKvqeSVTBKe7nblXKB-514zw5Nbl2xRIAQuOCc8hyphenhyphenSBtR31f3Ja2bzRHB4SIuNfExrKFe6V/s320/Screen+Shot+2014-04-04+at+1.59.06+PM+2.png" width="320" /></a></div>
Similar to pumpkin spiced lattes, the red cups at Starbucks, and Black Friday ads on TV, part of the holiday season in the IT office is fielding questions from staff members and families about recommended technology purchases for students. These conversations are one of the reasons I love this time of the year. It is a perfect opportunity to connect with families about how their children are using technology at home. As I drafted an email response to a parent this morning, I thought, "Hey! This would make a great blog post."<br />
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All of our students have access to technology at school through Chromebooks, iPads, and multiple computer labs and home access is not required. However, if you are looking supplement these tools with the purchase a digital device for your child at home below are some recommendations from all of us in the IT Department. We tend to be a very pragmatic group, so our thoughts on the perfect device are largely based on these five criteria.<br />
<ul>
<li>Ease of use</li>
<li>Instructional connections</li>
<li>Maintenance and durability</li>
<li>Lifespan</li>
<li>Overall cost </li>
</ul>
I'd also encourage you to check out the <a href="http://www.natomascharter.org/digitalcitizenship">Digital Citizenship page</a> on the NCS website. Any of these devices are great opportunities to start (or continue) the conversation about online behavior and responsibility. The Digital Citizenship page has useful resources for parents and families from Common Sense Media. Finally, regardless of what items you are purchasing this holiday season, consider using Amazon Smile by <a href="http://smile.amazon.com/ch/68-0452992">clicking on this link</a>. Amazon will donate 0.5% of qualifying purchases to Natomas Charter School.<br />
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<b>Early Elementary (TK-2)</b><br />
Honestly, our first question for students in this range is "Do they really need their own device?" I've observed in my own home the gravity-level pull an app can have on a young child. A family computer that the child can access with a parent's assistance might be the best option for many households. However, if you have a child who is motivated by technology and has some ability to self-regulate (maybe with an adult's assistance) I find that tablet devices, especially the <a href="http://www.apple.com/ipad/">iPad or iPod</a> Touch seem to work really well. They can be handy devices for developing some basic technology skills, such as trouble-shooting and navigating the web with a very simple user interface. Through the use of the built-in camera they can also be useful for exploring the world, taking pictures, and creating short videos. We do have a tendency to recommend Apple over Android devices mainly due to the simple process for <a href="http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201304">setting up restrictions</a> that act like parental controls and a pretty clean, intuitive App Store with quite a few <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewGenre?id=6017&ls=1&mt=8">educational apps</a>.<br />
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<b>Intermediate Elementary (3-5)</b><br />
By fourth grade every child needs to be able to type "a single page in a single setting" according to the Common Core State Standards. This equates to approximately 20 words per minute. Additionally, at Natomas Charter School we provide <a href="https://www.google.com/edu/products/productivity-tools/">Google Apps for Education</a> accounts starting in 1st grade. Since children need practice typing on a physical keyboard and already have school provided Google accounts, an inexpensive <a href="http://www.google.com/chrome/devices/">Chromebook</a> might make sense for this age range. The devices tend to run somewhere in the neighborhood of $250-400 and do not require any additional software or maintenance. If you have an internet connection you are good to go. The low price point also means that should it be dropped, splashed with milk, or stepped on by a heavy dog (all true personal stories) the device could be more easily replaced. Plan on a Chromebook lasting 2-3 years.<br />
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<b>Middle School (6-8)</b><br />
The perfect device for middle and high school really depends on multiple factors including family budget, student interest in creating multimedia (video, audio), and additional computer interests (gaming, programming, etc). A <a href="http://www.google.com/chrome/devices/">Chromebook</a> is a perfect device for most middle school students. Students can easily access Schoology, Google Apps for Education, and other online tools. However, if you have a child who is into video production, Minecraft, or creating audio files then you are probably going to need more of a full-featured laptop (see below). This can be off set by having a shared family computer for special projects.<br />
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<b>High School (9-12)</b><br />
Similar to middle school, choosing the best device for your high schooler can involve multiple considerations. A laptop is probably the best choice as it will allow the student to access any online content, as well as create media files. However, if your family budget is limited, the <a href="http://www.google.com/chrome/devices/">Chromebook</a> is a great place to start. Mac vs. Windows is largely a personal preference, although all of us in the IT department would probably chose an Apple product for two reasons - <a href="http://support.apple.com/kb/PH18571">easy-to-use parental controls</a> and minimal maintenance. Families (or ideally kids) with little IT experience can easily update the operating system, add hardware if needed, and keep the device running it's best. These computers tend to be a bit more expensive, but from our experience last longer and have fewer headaches. If I had a middle or high school student in my home I'd be looking at the 11" or 13" <a href="http://www.apple.com/macbook-air/">Macbook Air</a>. They are portable, fairly robust, and have a long battery life. Sometimes you can save a bit more money by checking out <a href="http://store.apple.com/us/browse/campaigns/education_pricing">education</a> or <a href="http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals">refurbished pricing</a>. Refurbished Apple products have the same warranty and honestly what I have been purchasing in my home for the past 6 or 7 years without any problems. If you are replacing a device with a new Apple purchase you might also be able to <a href="http://www.apple.com/recycling/gift-card/">trade it in for some money</a>.<br />
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If you have any questions after reading this post please let us know. We're always happy to help staff members and families find the perfect device for home use.<br />
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JoeJoe Woodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11423295826145464705noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8826774538032974337.post-70779792667914779812014-11-05T11:59:00.000-08:002014-11-05T14:53:42.062-08:00Do you Gooru the SBAC with Graphite? CCSS ResourcesIt's November, one of the busiest times of the school year. Between holidays, field trips, and parent-teacher conferences I always found this was the time of the year I was most likely to fall behind on lesson planning when I was a classroom teacher. Where can I find a video that will really engage my kids? I wonder if any one has a lesson already created for this topic? And...I have about 10 spare minutes to find it. Sound familiar? If you are in a similar boat check out these three websites for finding high-quality, Common Core (and content area standard) aligned resources. I promise you'll find them handy and useful.<br />
<br />
Joe<br />
<h3>
Gooru Learning</h3>
I first heard about this site over the summer, but Rob reminded me about it from the iNACOL conference this week. <a href="http://www.goorulearning.org/">Gooru</a> is an awesome community of educators who are sharing resources and collections online. Resources are individual tools or websites searchable by topic that can then be narrowed down by grade level, content standard, or media type. Collections are multiple resources aligned to a topic that have been curated and shared by a teacher. Through Gooru you can find resources and collections, as well as create your own collections. Some districts and educational institutions are evening using the site to share curated and vetted material in the Libraries section. To get started all you need to do is create a free account.<br />
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<a href="http://www.goorulearning.org/"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH8q9SZK7cNncuHmwnZBC2EXlMt9Hv6AaOvRR85_TzxnRVDuKx10vd2-AMcVc4-K8XEEhDFoGPgG-YFvNfohA3r6EPvOqzFrgvz-JFN8V9SS05zzsD4w9OIhlQ9wVrSdcOYgt2wtropauY/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-11-05+at+11.55.56+AM.png" height="224" title="" width="320" /></a></div>
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<h3>
Graphite</h3>
<a href="https://www.graphite.org/">Graphite</a> is a tool that was released by Common Sense Media in summer 2013 and is being used by teachers all over our school. The site has a <a href="https://www.graphite.org/reviews">Ratings & Review</a> section where you can search for resources by grade level, content standard, or type of tool. You can also use the <a href="https://www.graphite.org/standards/common-core/">Common Core Explorer</a> to drill down by a particular standard. However, my favorite area is the <a href="https://www.graphite.org/app-flows">App Flows</a> section which contains frameworks created by teachers linking together multiple digital tools through a strong pedagogical framework. Some of our colleagues including <a href="https://www.graphite.org/users/alicia-carter">Alicia Carter</a>, <a href="https://www.graphite.org/users/caryzierenberg">Cary Zierenberg</a>, and <a href="https://www.graphite.org/users/petraluhrsen">Petra Luhrsen</a> have been part of the team creating these through the National Writing Project. Simply navigate to <a href="https://www.graphite.org/">Graphite</a>, create a free account and you will be ready to go.<br />
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<a href="http://www.graphite.org/"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheeqxwECGFkrmKCoYotxAT3E9Fy7VkktADCP5hIdRChbtLlPqeOSLvGyuh4auY7sZ3ZgOCmHXn2uNl-N0DjNTuYektbQFNm-64-FpkznCxNTGom27LF0yEX3xU0cG8c6U3CZ0QQCVF96cX/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-11-05+at+11.32.05+AM.png" height="235" width="320" /></a></div>
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<h3>
<b>Smarter Balanced Digital Library</b></h3>
As part of our transition to Common Core, the California Department of Education is providing access to the <a href="http://smarterbalancedlibrary.org/">Smarter Balanced Digital Library</a> for all credentialed teachers and administrators in California. This site contains a plethora of instructional and professional development resources for teaching these new standards. Resources might include complete lessons to specific tools and websites to use with your students. All of them are searchable by standard, grade level, and many other attributes including media type and intended student population. Waaaayyyy back in July or August you received an email from the email address Smarter-DoNotReply@opentestsystem.org with information regarding how to login to the SBAC Digital Library. Your login credentials should be your school email address and natomas1 if you have not already changed your password. If you have trouble logging in please let me know and I can work with NUSD to get your account fixed.<br />
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<a href="http://www.smarterbalancedlibrary.org/"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2isFjpnxeHMRmvslBmqs4a85fjxzbFMc0edDe720PavY70iOtrEk7vGhEwXwBHQeLk08J6UIdKI_uK9mahyphenhyphenS43d-W4cZADiWJ6sop7Woowin9IRfXd_-KOoWwkTw_o-3DRGwuUeGe3b1A/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-11-05+at+11.38.13+AM.png" height="243" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />Joe Woodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11423295826145464705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8826774538032974337.post-23467438755528502182014-11-03T14:50:00.000-08:002014-11-03T14:53:33.550-08:00Tuesday Tech Tip #15 - Getting to Inbox Zero<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxOYKr1oz0napq7tmSR8hLpb68UKkc94RT2XlXTTA1g9vSFzhjvzj5PCoGsX2Rk_LD6wco3H8lP0q_3yERrqYebb7FCj4sbM42GGUci1TUv8FOF5BMZ9g9yRzZg32lSLpxN-ZGRQSiu-19/s1600/Inbox+Zero.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxOYKr1oz0napq7tmSR8hLpb68UKkc94RT2XlXTTA1g9vSFzhjvzj5PCoGsX2Rk_LD6wco3H8lP0q_3yERrqYebb7FCj4sbM42GGUci1TUv8FOF5BMZ9g9yRzZg32lSLpxN-ZGRQSiu-19/s1600/Inbox+Zero.png" height="215" width="320" /></a></div>
In <a href="http://ncsedtechnews.blogspot.com/2014/10/tuesday-tech-tip-14-gmail-search-tips.html">last week's Gmail post</a> I mentioned the phrase "inbox zero" and a few of you have asked me about it. The idea behind inbox zero is that you can have an empty (or nearly empty) inbox by customizing your layout, employing some strategy, and adding a few tools. I find that it also makes responding to email much more efficient and timely.<br />
<h3>
<b>Layout</b></h3>
To make the task of managing email a little easier, start by making these <a href="https://support.google.com/mail/answer/186534?hl=en">settings adjustments to your inbox</a>.<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Unread First </b>- Set up your inbox so that unread messages show up first. I make use of Priority Inbox so that I can have the starred just below unread.</li>
<li><b>Conversation View</b> - In Gmail settings under the General tab toggle on Conversation View. This will automatically group emails into a threaded conversation based upon the subject line. This helps tremendously with viewing a conversation that has occurred over multiple emails.</li>
<li><b>Send & Archive</b> - Add the Send & Archive button to your replies in Gmail Settings just below the Conversation View option. This is a quick way to reply to conversations and have them fall away from your inbox.</li>
</ul>
<h3>
Strategy</h3>
Once you have your inbox customized, it is time to start thinking about strategy. However, it is also important to ensure you don't get sucked into an email black hole. Very few of us have "responding to email" as a job duty or annual goal, so set a time limit for yourself and remember that while email is an important communication tool, it does not drive our daily agendas. A friend in the Central Valley, <a href="https://twitter.com/jcorippo">Jon Corippo</a>, shared this strategy and I find it works quite well.<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Archive - </b>You don't need to keep all of your email in your inbox or shift it over to a folder. Simply click the Archive button. The message will be moved out of your inbox, but still available to easily fine with Gmail search.</li>
<li><b>Delegate - </b>Maybe you are the wrong person to answer the email? Pass it along to the correct person with a request that they cc you with the response. Once sent Archive the conversation.</li>
<li><b>Respond - </b>Take a minute or two and respond to the message, but make it short and sweet. No one wants to read a really long email. Once sent Archive the conversation. If the person responds the message thread will reappear in your inbox.</li>
<li><b>Defer - </b>Perhaps you need to do some research and come back to the message later. Star the message and come back to it later.</li>
<li><b>Do - </b>Complete the activity and hit reply to let the sender know it is finished. Once done click the archive button incase you need the message for later. If it is related to a project you need to complete click More and add it to your Tasks.</li>
</ul>
<h3>
Additional Tools</h3>
After configuring your inbox and applying some strategy consider using a few of these additional tools to make your email time more efficient.<br />
<ul>
<li><b><a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Use-Canned-Responses-in-Gmail">Canned Response</a></b> - Find yourself writing the same (or nearly identical) email over and over again? Set up a canned response that can be fully customized. You can find this feature in Settings -> Labs </li>
<li><b><a href="https://support.google.com/mail/answer/6579?hl=en">Filters</a></b> - Some emails don't need to be read right away. Set up a filter to have them skip your inbox all together and end up in a folder. I do this for daily news emails from vendors or blogs I subscribe to via email. The land in a folder called "Daily News" I skim and scan a few times each week.</li>
<li><b><a href="https://support.google.com/mail/answer/6593?hl=en">Gmail Search</a> </b>- As I <a href="http://ncsedtechnews.blogspot.com/2014/10/tuesday-tech-tip-14-gmail-search-tips.html">wrote last week</a>, I love Gmail Search. It provides me the confidence to know I will find an email should I chose to Archive it.</li>
</ul>
Give these tools and strategies a whirl and let me know how inbox zero is working for you. <a href="http://sparkleonjen.blogspot.com/2014/11/zero-zip-nada-inboxproblems-dirtylaundry.html">Jennifer tried it out last week</a> and was amazed at how quickly she was able to dig out.<br />
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JoeJoe Woodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11423295826145464705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8826774538032974337.post-84484627164748340582014-10-23T08:06:00.000-07:002014-10-23T11:07:41.081-07:00Common Sense Media - Digital Citizenship Resources for Families<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhylSTxiud3ETYWeEvuXEPKedPF9Cy5bm99H8P7PfKtZSmgaHRYwOSUPiq2O6n4h-slI1gPNGUVAZV3UM4oSmlxyjc7RwnGVlwhx0IaxjpQOlOvCZQmPeo8miIYnMWIwXUahfoMhi3sW5p/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-10-22+at+3.41.48+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhylSTxiud3ETYWeEvuXEPKedPF9Cy5bm99H8P7PfKtZSmgaHRYwOSUPiq2O6n4h-slI1gPNGUVAZV3UM4oSmlxyjc7RwnGVlwhx0IaxjpQOlOvCZQmPeo8miIYnMWIwXUahfoMhi3sW5p/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-10-22+at+3.41.48+PM.png" height="223" title="" width="320" /></a></div>
Have you ever received a frantic phone call from a family asking for digital citizenship resources? Perhaps you have wondered if there might be a tool that could help you pick out a movie, book, or video game for your own children? Or maybe you just weren't quite sure how to start that conversation about sexting with your teenager? <a href="http://www.commonsense.org/">Common Sense Media</a> is the site for you.<br />
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Now you might be thinking, "Wait...Common Sense Media? Isn't that our digital citizenship curriculum?" YES! It is, but Common Sense Media is also an amazing resource for parents. Earlier this week I shared the resources below with PFAA families at the P4A meeting to help them start conversations with their children about appropriate online behavior. Take a look at them for yourself. I am sure you will find each one handy.<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.commonsensemedia.org/reviews">Reviews</a> - Not sure if your child should read a particular book or curious what conversations to expect after watching the latest video? Check out the Common Sense Media Review section. You will find reviews for books, movies, TV shows, music, and video games. There are also useful Top Lists (Best Movies, Best Books, Best Apps, etc.) just to the right of the Reviews tab.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.commonsensemedia.org/parent-concerns">Parent Concerns</a> - A section of the site containing a variety of resources (videos, articles, blog posts) for topics parents often ask about regarding technology (ex: screentime, cyberbullying, social media, etc.).</li>
<li><a href="https://www.commonsensemedia.org/blog">Parent Blog</a> - Regularly updated blog posts for parents and educators on helping students use technology effectively. Topics can range from whether or not you should let your kid see a particular movie to great books for Christmas or apps that help with mathematical reasoning. You can subscribe to the blog via email or get regular posts by liking <a href="https://www.facebook.com/commonsensemedia">Common Sense Media's Facebook page.</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/connecting-families/">Connecting Families</a> - These pages are technically buried in the Educator section, but have phenomenal resources for families. Two powerful sections to check out are <a href="https://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/connecting-families/discuss">Discuss</a> and <a href="https://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/connecting-families/share">Share</a>. The Discuss section contains short articles and vignettes parents can use with their children to discuss how to handle situations like cyberbullying or multitasking and time management. The Share area has an amazing Family Tool kit with resources like customizable technology contracts and family media agreements.</li>
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But Wait...There is More!</h2>
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All of these resources, plus a few more (I'll let them be a surprise) can be found on our new <a href="http://www.natomascharter.org/digitalcitizenship">NCS Digital Citizenship page</a>. Take a minute or two to give it a read and let me know if you think there is any content I should add and feel free to pass this link along to all of your families and friends.</div>
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Joe</div>
Joe Woodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11423295826145464705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8826774538032974337.post-17774116017862516802014-10-21T08:30:00.000-07:002014-10-21T16:22:17.867-07:00Tuesday Tech Tip #14 - Gmail Search TipsContrary to most users I do not save or organize emails. Just let that sink in for a second. Yes, emails come into my inbox, I open them and either star, archive, or delete them. Additionally, I am almost often at inbox zero or at least under 100. How do I make this magic happen? Two tools - Filters and Gmail Search.<br />
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1. Filters </h2>
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I make judicious use of filters. I don't know how I would function without them. Like most of you I receive a certain number (read - dozens) of emails each day that are important, but not something I need right in my face. These usually include the latest post from a blog, listserv, or online journal. Using filters these emails never touch my inbox and instead travel to a folder called "Daily News" and once each afternoon I give the messages a skim and scan. If you need help setting up filters check out <a href="https://support.google.com/mail/answer/6579">this Google Support Page</a>.</div>
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2. Gmail Search</h2>
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I used to spend hours organizing my email so that I could find it later. I had everything neatly color-coded and filed. Sound familiar? Then someone introduced me to Gmail Search and I regained literally years worth of productivity. </div>
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Right at the top of your inbox is a search field that looks just like Google and it uses a set of terms that allow you to search your entire mailbox (inbox, archive, trash, drafts, etc.). </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm4JtzmKVpeos-aW-Lg5OMnnMgXBC3YKdR0NyVPQV4QArQjH5lMKsAx4Jy9ibscUgAOyAL8P6BUL_YqjVZaU6K_u0NB-kY1kkM0HAjWPh3perwj-v1O37DT3DnVykGO1ZBzk8PfPy3aXi2/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-10-10+at+3.42.20+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm4JtzmKVpeos-aW-Lg5OMnnMgXBC3YKdR0NyVPQV4QArQjH5lMKsAx4Jy9ibscUgAOyAL8P6BUL_YqjVZaU6K_u0NB-kY1kkM0HAjWPh3perwj-v1O37DT3DnVykGO1ZBzk8PfPy3aXi2/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-10-10+at+3.42.20+PM.png" height="39" width="320" /></a></div>
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Let's say for example I'm looking for that email Jennifer Kloczko sent me about Minecraft over the summer and it had a flyer attached to it. I might type in the following information into the search box</div>
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from:jkloczko@natomascharter.org Minecraft before:2014/09/01 has:attachment </blockquote>
This search phrase will automatically pull up any email from Jennifer with the word Minecraft anywhere in the message sent before September 1st that also has an attachment. It could be an email she sent directly to me or one in which I was just cc'ed. You can use search terms OR you can use the menu in the dropdown attached to the small triangle next to the search button<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim3Yq9pIFpxKJ7hnoPiHJ-lTrvpfD2wxo1cP-_gnNnl3rvoYj-H94yFLmLxLLsOOGoEFI2gk-PqTeeAhJgONQt7sRuFQLifdGcjewsHAqHi1XERm3ThuBdUiahonUzJTiTwnNipXO9Sl_J/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-10-20+at+12.19.19+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim3Yq9pIFpxKJ7hnoPiHJ-lTrvpfD2wxo1cP-_gnNnl3rvoYj-H94yFLmLxLLsOOGoEFI2gk-PqTeeAhJgONQt7sRuFQLifdGcjewsHAqHi1XERm3ThuBdUiahonUzJTiTwnNipXO9Sl_J/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-10-20+at+12.19.19+PM.png" height="256" width="320" /></a></div>
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Google has a complete list of search terms on this <a href="https://support.google.com/mail/answer/7190?hl=en">support page</a>. However, I have the following <a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B_flfTGZ15dhMU05Y0RKc1E0RVU/edit">poster</a> from <a href="https://twitter.com/alicekeeler">Alice Keeler</a> hanging above my desk and it has been a lifesaver. I suggest printing out your own copy.<br />
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<a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B_flfTGZ15dhMU05Y0RKc1E0RVU/edit"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj6CWblfmG1uxZisPecT49Gc2tQ2MqQIXgc2Xij6aOhL9TBEfch4nEVHlOMPTo_DikNyIWGYGNL6TtWZN7K4LXXyY3f4sPLvk89dz5TJAyKGXiFXKq1T3fvA6PaRqaVA4u4qpncYKjZPUh/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-10-10+at+3.10.48+PM.png" height="320" width="247" /></a></div>
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Search is my also my secret for getting to Inbox Zero. On the last day of each month I head up to the search field and type before: and the first day of the month (before:2014/10/01), select everything, and hit Archive. It is a liberating feeling to no longer see those messages hanging out in my Inbox. If I find that I need one I know that I can quickly find it again using Gmail search terms.<br />
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If you have any questions about Gmail filters or search please let me know. I'd be happy to help you get your own system in place for managing email efficiently.<br />
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JoeJoe Woodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11423295826145464705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8826774538032974337.post-90165453681892525222014-10-10T14:03:00.001-07:002014-10-10T14:03:42.230-07:00Schoology - Your Classroom's Digital Hub<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidOnRwNjhiQVKiPetEIyssmZABFawO0sNIKWaOHmwjx2dWDYDC9abwrPSKhqy061G87gOv1YzHq9zSRtPD9t_GZGlL0FuXbbc6dOWgWsqTaB_RehKPIVtXBHv-S6ljmTuKPulIrjD3EpNA/s1600/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidOnRwNjhiQVKiPetEIyssmZABFawO0sNIKWaOHmwjx2dWDYDC9abwrPSKhqy061G87gOv1YzHq9zSRtPD9t_GZGlL0FuXbbc6dOWgWsqTaB_RehKPIVtXBHv-S6ljmTuKPulIrjD3EpNA/s1600/photo.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
Earlier this year we launched Schoology, a learning management system that is sort of a marriage between your traditional teacher website and Facebook. Schoology it is extremely flexible, making it a powerful digital learning hub regardless of which academy you call home. It is also a great tool for connecting in-class and at-home learning using <a href="https://docs.google.com/a/natomascharter.org/document/d/1JwYusZ3AvRFEEzIPRrFOktakUwdMFADKcoLiYJQz69M/edit#">blended learning principles</a>.<br />
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While we officially launched Schoology this year it is a resource many teachers have been using for the past three years. The company provides a free version for teachers that is very similar in terms of features to the enterprise version. Currently, Schoology is being used by Leading Edge, VLA, and PACT's Project X program along with teachers in PFAA. In working with these staff members and students here are five reasons I've noticed that might entice you to make the switch to Schoology as well.<br />
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1. One Stop Shopping for Students</h2>
Schoology makes an excellent learning hub for your classes. Have a Google presentation or screencast you want to share with kids? Post it in your Schoology course. Need a digital dropbox for students to submit work electronically or a place for them to discuss a topic? Schoology provides those features as well. Through a Schoology course you are able to provide a single point of entry for all student learning materials.<br />
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2. Parent & Advisor Access</h2>
In Schoology every student account is linked to a parent code families can use to keep track of student progress. These parent accounts basically shadow a student, allowing a parent or guardian to view past and upcoming assignments, grades that were posted in Schoology, and any messages that were sent by the teacher to the class. Schoology also provides an Advisor feature that is available to teachers and administrators. Using the Advisees tab teachers can look up students and see their progress across multiple classes.<br />
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3. Workload Planner</h2>
One of the reasons we switched to the enterprise version of Schoology is the Workload Planner. This tool allows teachers to see how many assignments students in their class have already been assigned in other classes. This feature allows teachers to plan out assignments that correspond with student calendars and it is built right into the system.<br />
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4. Sharing Curriculum Resources</h2>
Let's say you and another teacher both teach a class - 8th grade Physical Science. In Schoology you can create curriculum resources together through a shared Resource collection. This tool will actually let you build out an entire class together and then with a few clicks copy all of the content to your own individual classes.<br />
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5. Preparing Students for Educational Life Beyond NCS</h2>
As we have all heard from many of our graduates, online learning is a foundational component of education after high school. Some students enroll in completely online programs while others take classes that make some use blended learning through a learning management system. Using Schoology allows students to build effective online learning skills while they are still in middle and high school. These are skills that they can turn around and immediately use in college or career training programs.<br />
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If you are interested in getting started with Schoology I am currently leading workshops every Tuesday from 3:15-5:15pm on the Main Campus or would be happy to schedule a 1:1 appointment with you. Additionally, I have posted a host of resources on the <a href="https://sites.google.com/a/natomascharter.org/ncs-professional-development-portal/learning-modules/schoology">NCS PD Portal Schoology page</a> including this <a href="https://docs.google.com/a/natomascharter.org/document/d/1fJqRVyBV27UM_03Fr34aa_X1dzuSTueo1_A1y6if-R0/edit#">Getting Started Guide</a> and <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aSQ0WzIi0Bw_W9TgkSK_bPSqOqtdWYHOCIvmYQqBxjM/edit?usp=sharing">Tips & Tricks for Launching Schoology with Students.</a><br />
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JoeJoe Woodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11423295826145464705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8826774538032974337.post-74139023724491238282014-10-07T15:10:00.000-07:002014-10-10T11:26:57.527-07:00Tuesday Tech Tip #13 - The Omnibar, Way More Than URLs Right up there at the top of Google Chrome is a small white box that we used to simply call "the address bar" in the early days of the web. However, it's 2014 and the Internet has been around for more than two decades. The address bar can do so much more. In Google Chrome terminology the address bar is called the "omnibar" because similar to the definition of the prefix <i>omni</i> it allows you to combine many tasks into one. Below are just two ways you can use Chrome's Omnibar to make you more efficient.<br />
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Use the Omnibar to Search the Web</h2>
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While you certainly can use the omnibar to type in a web address you can also use it to search the web. Many of us have found this accidentally by leaving off a ".com" as part of typing in an address. By default Chrome uses Google to search from the omnibar, but you can change search engines in the <a href="chrome://settings/">Chrome Settings</a> (Chrome -> Preferences -> Settings).<br />
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Use the Omnibar to Tailor Your Search </h2>
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While many people might know that you can use the omnibar for a general web search you can also set it up to conduct custom searches. Let's say for example that I want to search just Google Drive for a document, I have my Chrome set up so that I can type "gdrive" followed by the tab button and the keyword for which I am searching. You can set this up for any website you regularly search. I have my Chrome set up to search Amazon, Flickr (for blogging photos), Sacbee, and Twitter. Take a look at the video below. It will show you how to add these search engines to Chrome. It'll also make you feel like a Chrome expert once you have it all dialed in. :-)<br />
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Joe<br />
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<br />Joe Woodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11423295826145464705noreply@blogger.com0