#EMSISDITS Tech Talk

Follow us on emsisdits.blogspot.com to see bi-weekly news, tutorials, & more! We will email out news every other week offering you the latest trending tech topics! :)

The EMS Instructional Technology Team is excited to work with students, teachers, and administrators this year to support and enhance the great things going on in our district this year!

The term digital native refers to a person that has "grown up" with technology and doesn't know a world where the technologies we take for granted do not exist. We often bestow great powers on these digital natives and assume that they are experts in everything digital. All we need to do to is give them access to technology and watch them go to town. We think that technology skills come easy to them and that they are able to master anything and everything digital in a matter of minutes.

The truth, however, is a much different story. It is true that millennials don't know a world without laptop computers and smart phones. They don't know what a pay phone is, and don't ask them to send anything through the United States Postal Service. They expect all of their friends to be two clicks away, and they expect all of their news and entertainment to be instant and on-demand. They are expert button pushers, swipers, and two finger texters. They know how to "like" and "dislike" things, and they can keep their stories updated to the second on Snap Chat and Instagram. Their technology skills, however, don't go much further. Millennials don't know how to properly conduct themselves online. They are unable to type a letter or a paper on a computer and do not know how to collaborate digitally to complete a project or task. This is not their fault ... they were never taught how to do these things.

As 21st century educators, it is our job to ensure that students obtain the skills necessary to be successful in today's workforce. We cannot assume that students already know how to use technology. They must be taught. So how do we do this and cover the multitude of TEKS and standards required by the state? The key is to take your tried and true learning strategies and choose a technology resource that enhances your strategy. Then, contact your friendly neighborhood IT specialist to help you plan a blended learning lesson and you are well on your way to ensuring that your digital natives are truly up to the task of succeeding in today's society.

When electronically signing documents in Eduphoria (like evaluation documents in Strive,) you will be prompted to sign in a second time and answer at least one security question. If you have trouble answer the question correctly or experience any other issue with the electronic signatures, the first and easiest troubleshooting step is to update your Eduphoria Profile and select/answer new security questions.

You can update your profile by clicking the Profile link in the upper right corner of the Eduphoria landing page.

Would you like to learn more about OneNote, but don't know where to start? There's a lot of information online, but it's difficult to decide what information will be most helpful for your specific needs.

Click here to access a comprehensive OneNote tutorial specifically designed for teachers in our district.

The latest update provides some super handy new tools that have brought "ooohs and aaahs" from teachers around the district. The update process is easy - the short video below walks you through the necessary steps.

If you're not sure if you need the update or not, check out the PINK power button. Is it a solid pink? If so, then you will want to update. After the update, the power button is a pink gradient rather than solid color.

Need help? Ask your CTI, Instructional Technologists or turn in a help request in Eduphoria.

Teachers have recently experienced issues when using the YouTube app on the Promethean displays. The Technology Department has deployed a fix for the issue. If you are still getting a message about needing to update Google Services, contact your campus repair tech. They can help!

Click here to check out a comprehensive set of "Learn Promethean" videos. These are the most current video tutorials straight from the company!

Did you know that the Instructional Technology department has a wide variety of technology tools available for check out for student/classroom use? We have everything from iPads to Merge Cubes to Augmented Reality goggles. See our current list of available items here.

When your submission is submitted, the IT team will verify that the devices are available at that time for checkout and will schedule delivery/pickup. You will receive an email with this information within 48 hours. If you don't hear anything after that time period, please email ITs@ems-isd.net to check the status of your request.

We would love to plan with you about how you will be using these devices, or even assist you in the the classroom with your students. How cool is that?!?!?

You have an image file (jpg or png) that contains text with the image, and you would like to copy just the text. The straight copy/paste routine doesn't work here, but you're not out of luck. Add your image to a OneNote notebook. Right click on the image and choose "copy text from picture". You can then paste the image text wherever you want. Nice!

More than likely, you have a team member take notes during your routine PLC meetings. If that team member takes notes in a OneNote notebook, they can email the notes page to everyone with just one click!

• Go to the page you want to email
• In the message tab, find the email page button and click on it
• Your page will automatically be added to an outlook email
• Add your recipients and send

Note: Be sure that your recipients have permission to view the OneNote.

Hot off the presses! Now when you open OneNote (Windows 10 version,) you can press F9 to update/sync all of your Notebooks at once. You no longer have to update Notebooks individually....try it today!

Sign in to sso.ems-isd.net with your district username and password on any computer or mobile device to have quick and easy access to many of our district digital resources.

We want to help you successfully infuse technology into your classroom. We would love to train you on how to create tech infused lessons, co-teach the lessons, or even share our favorite tech tools with you!

Email your IT today to set up an appointment! (Find contact info here.)

Follow the team:@emsisdits

Jeni: @jlo731 | Sallee: @salleeclark | Ricky: @rickygode

Scott: @scottboiles | Bob: @bobeikenberry
Jennifer: @jenniferprince | Cindy: @tuckertech

Tim: @Thuynh912 | Jason: @lumberaggie

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Email: its@ems-isd.net
Website: www.emsisd.com/its
Location: 1200 Old Decatur Road, Saginaw, TX, United States
Phone: 817.232.0880
Facebook: www.facebook.com/emsisdits
Twitter: @emsisdits