There is a new Acceptable Use Policy in the District. It is posted on the Technology Page.
This summer CSDNR will be moving from Novell to Active Directory. Please make sure you back up your files before the summer.
Screencastify Submit is now available for students. Check out this video on how to use it.
Starting May 1st, every time you login to a district device, you will be prompted to acknowledge that you agree to the terms in the Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) that includes an Acceptable Use Regulation. When you turn on your computer, you will click Control/Alt/Delete and you must agree to the terms prior to your login screen engaging. Check out this short Google Slide Deck from Dawn Huston on the steps to follow.
The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) is providing free resources to teachers. Take a look at the Eco-Documentary, Kiss the Ground. It is available for download or you can order your free DVD. The NSTA is also partnering with this organization to provide free lessons and resources to educators. They are partnering to offer lessons on environmental and agricultural education that are free to teachers.
The NSTA also puts out other free resources for teachers. One resource is the "Daily Do." Daily Dos are sense-making tasks that begin with phenomena. Teachers use these activities to engage their students in authentic, relevant science learning. Students actively try to figure out how the world works or how to design solutions to problems using the science and engineering practices. By engaging in these practices, students become part of a learning community and are able to share and evaluate ideas, problem-solve and think critically.
The District will be moving from Novell to Active Directory this summer. Active Directory provides the methods for storing directory data and making this data available to network users and administrators. The Tech Team is recommending that you back up your network drive. There are many ways to back up your data. You can use a flash drive or an external hard drive to back up and store your files. Another way to back up your stored data is to upload it to your Google Drive. It is very simple and you have unlimited storage in the Google Cloud. Here is a short video on how to move folders into your Google Drive.
Nearpod has a new video component. Teachers can now add Youtube links to their videos and no longer have to search for the title. Just copy the link that you want to use and paste it into the Youtube URL Box. Then your video will appear. From there, you can add questions and create formative assessments easily.
Nearpod can also be used to support appropriate online behavior in their lesson settings. They offer a variety of features to help with management when using Nearpod lessons. There are also lessons available that directly address concepts of Digital Citizenship. Make sure you browse the Nearpod Library for curated lessons and videos.
Don't forget Nearpod has added over 5000 videos to its Library. They come with questions already embedded in each video. These videos address a myriad of content areas. You can do a search and easily locate videos to support your teaching.
Each month Newsela updates its site. These latest additions include new text sets, new virtual field trips and science topics in the news. There are also self-paced training sessions offered, as well as live webinars. Newsela is always adding new current events to its site, as well as video and other visual text. They even offer political cartoons.
Screencastify has added a new toolbar to its application. Check out the new features. They include: stickers, shapes and special effects. You still have access to the spotlight tool, which allows you to make important information visually distinct. They have now added fireworks to the list of effects. The new toolbar is more functional and can be moved anywhere on the screen. It is no longer stuck at the bottom of your screen. You can even adjust the size of the toolbar. For more information, take a look at this short video.
Another new feature in Screencastify is the ability to add Title Clips in your recordings. This can be done with the editing tool in Screencastify. Here is an informational page on how to add Title Clips. They have also added the Blur Tool. This new tool allows users to blur out sensitive information, such as PII and student faces from videos created. Check out the instructions on how to use this new Blur Tool. For more information on how to use the editing tool, here is a video from Screencastify.
SMART is always adding new features to its platform. It does so practically every month. April's new additions include the Mute feature, which allows teachers to mute anything with sound while in SMART. They have also added Word Search Puzzles to their vast collection of interactive activities. In February, they added public content that contains standards-aligned lessons created by other educators that you can use for your class. You can select a resource to see more details about it, such as a description of the lesson, the intended grade level, the subject matter, and so on. To keep up to date on what is new, take a look at their website that contains all of their latest features.
The Instructional Technology Team provides ongoing professional learning. Using this new form Request for Professional Learning Form, teachers can ask for training on a variety of applications. Just fill out the form and be sure to include details about specific goals you would like addressed in the training. We will do our best to accommodate your professional learning goals.
Specific applications are listed, but there is also an "Other" category as well. If we cannot provide training, we may be able to contact the vendor to provide professional learning for teachers.
Education Law 2-D provides extra protections for student data and personally identifiable information (PII). Ed Law 2-D calls on educational institutions to limit the amount of PII being utilized and transmitted, especially in unprotected ways. Take a look at this short video on protecting student data.
It is also important to limit the amount of student PII being shared in emails and sending sensitive information via an email is not always secure. There are some ways to send student information that is more secure. Gmail has two security features built into it. One allows the sender to identify a time when that email will expire and no longer be accessible to the recipient. The other is to utilize an SMS passcode generated to a cell phone in order to open the email. Here is a brief video on how to use these Gmail security features.
Teachers can also send a password protected MS Excel file or a password protected MS Word file. This is very simple to do. Take a look at this short video on how to password protect your MS Excel files. Here is a video on how to password protect your MS Word files.
The listing of District applications can be found at this link and includes signed Parent Bill of Rights by vendors as well as other information about the application.
We have also created a guide for current applications that address their uses and similarities to other software titles. Here is Google Slide Deck that provides details on the various CSDNR Applications. In this document, you will get information on how to login, the kind of subscription we have, similar software and resources on how to use the application.
The Instructional Technology Website is always being updated. Recently, the site was overhauled to feature the professional learning resources that are available to all CSDNR faculty and staff. Last spring, the Team began vetting and creating resources to help educators learn how to use software applications. The resources include step-by-step videos as well as Google Slide Decks. There are also Google Docs and PDFs. Over the last year, we have added many resources to this collection.
