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Instructional Tech Weekly

January 29, 2021

InstructionalTech WeeklyJanuary 29, 2021

Tech News

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Savvas Realize

We will be offering a workshop on the Savvas Realize and Google integration on February 3rd at 10:00 am. If you are interested in attending, contact your Instructional Technology Facilitator. We can have a maximum of 30 participants.
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Stemscopes

Stemscopes is an online science program aligned to the New York States Science Learning Standards. If you want to take a look at Stemscopes, use this URL to access the application. The UserID is: PoweTimo7 and the Password is: science.

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Applications

Take a look at the updated listing of District Applications. This resource will identify the current listing of instructional software that is allowed for use that we have access to in CSDNR.

Progress Monitoring in STAR

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Use this Google Slide Deck by Dawn Huston as a resource for using STAR for progress monitoring.
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To learn about the three ways to use STAR for progress monitoring, check out this video by Dawn Huston.
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The video and slide deck will show teachers how to set goals for progress monitoring.

Tips for Protecting Your Data

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Protect Valuable Personal info

Your purchase history, IP address, location, etc., has value – just like money. Make informed decisions about sharing your data with companies. Consider the amount of personal information you are giving up and weigh it against the benefits. Use resources provided by the National CyberSecurity Alliance to update your privacy settings on devices and online services.

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Keep Tabs on Your Apps

Many apps ask for access to personal information like geographic location, contacts list or a photo album, before you can use their services. Be wary of apps that require access to information that is not required or relevant for the services they are offering. Use these tips from the Data Detox Kit to keep your apps up to date, and delete unused apps on your devices.

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Manage Your Privacy Settings

Check the privacy and security settings on web services and apps that you use. Set them to your comfort level for sharing. Each device, application or browser you use will have different ways to control how you share your data and information with them. For guidance, take a look at Manage Your Privacy Settings from the National CyberSecurity Alliance.

Edulastic

Edulastic is an assessment creation tool. We have access to it until June 2021. It is easy to use and contains a vetted question bank as well as pre-made assessments. Teachers can also create their own tests or upload tests in order to administer them as online assignments via Google Classroom.
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Sync with Classroom

Edulastic syncs with your Google Classrooms and rosters your students. Assessments can be assigned through your Google Classrooms.
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Standards Reporting

Edulastic offers a variety of reports. Questions from their bank aligns to state standards. You can create assessments by searching for specific standards.
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Support

Edulastic has a site devoted to professional learning. The resources include articles and videos. There are also live webinars offered.
myON is a collection of online books through the Renaissance site. Embedded into the STAR site, myON is a comprehensive library of books for students. They now offer a Teacher's College Collection. Take a look to see the additional books in the library.
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Journal Entries

Check out this short video on how to take notes and use the journal feature in myON from a TC Staff Developer.
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TCRWP Collection

myON now has a TC Collection of books in their library. Here is how teachers can access the collection.
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Assigning Books

Teachers can assign specific books to students from the TC Collection or any library in the application. Here are directions.
Kami is a tool that allows teachers to upload a variety of documents such as pdfs, Google Slides and Docs to be used with students. Kami integrates with Google Classroom and teachers can assign Kami activities through the Classroom. Students get a copy of the assignment and can take notes, highlight text, make audio, video and written comments on the Kami assignment. In Kami, students can use the immersive reader feature to have the text read aloud. Take a look at this short video on how to get started in Kami.
Have you thought about using Zoom Registration for your classes? Here is a short video on how to utilize this feature in Zoom. It is easy to use and you can even ask students questions prior to your class meeting. You can always get a report on who attended your class whether you use the registration feature or not.
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You can create polls before launching a meeting. This video will show you how to do this
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You can create polls during a meeting. This video will demonstration how to do this.
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After a meeting that contains polls, you can access the data from those polls. This video will provide information on how to do this.

Software Compliance with Ed Law 2-D

All new software must be compliant with Ed Law 2-D. This law requires software vendors to have more stringent privacy policies to protect student privacy and data. If you are looking for a new software title, check out the privacy policy. Use EducationFramework.com to see how the software is rated. Everyone in the District has access to Education Framework by using your Google Credentials.


There are also ways that teachers can protect student data during virtual and classroom settings.

Ways to protect student data include:

  • Make sure during screen shares that student data is not shown.
  • Do not use software applications that require student logins that have not been vetted by the district.
  • Do not share student login information, especially if their username includes student IDs
  • Take a look at this short video on protecting student data

If you are looking to procure new software, you need to fill out the Software Recommendation Form. To speed up the process, remember to take a look at EducationFramework.com for compliance with Ed Law 2-D.

Don't forget about all the resources on the Instructional Tech Website.

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From your Instructional Technology Team