I.T.S. a Tech Update
March 2021
Welcome to Spring 2021!
Hello Lads and Ladies,
Welcome to Spring 2021! It has been a year since we hunkered down for the Coronavirus Pandemic. Bears have finished their hibernation and it seems that we are just barely waking up. We hope that all of you are keeping safe, inside and outside of class and we pray that this may be over soon.
Like all of our newsletters, this one is packed with information. Some old and some new to make sure you are up-to-date with everything that is happening in EPISD's technology world.
As always, if you have any questions, contact your Instructional Technology Specialist.
Getting to Know your Owl and Jabra Devices
Head on over to https://episd.schoology.com/course/4686982417/materials to view the course and it's materials.
This course has been made public so be sure to save this link to your favorites. If you wish to be added to the course, or require virtual, live training, please contact your Instructional Technology Specialist.
Zoom Updates
These changes were important to stop the Zoom bombing and the inappropriate student chats. A few things had to happen before these changes could take place.
- Teachers had to make sure that they had converted their accounts to EPISD Zoom. This meant signing in to https://episd-org.zoom.us and confirming your account if this was the first time you visited this site. Believe us when we say many teachers have yet to do this.
- After you converted to the EPISD Zoom account, you needed to sign out of the Zoom app, go to Self-Service and update the Zoom app, and sign in via the SSO button. The app is OPTIONAL, but it is an easy way to access your meetings.
- All students must sign out of the Zoom app if they are using it to join your meetings and they will need to go to Self-Service and run the Zoom Update. Once students sign out, they will no longer be able to sign-in with their EPISD accounts, and this should prevent third-party chats from happening while you are trying to teach. If students are still chatting after you have made the changes on your side it is because they did not sign out. Make sure all your students are signed out.
- Finally, you needed to make sure you update the Zoom meeting link and information in Schoology, and wherever else you shared this information with your students.
***CAUTION - NEVER, EVER, EVER, SHARE YOUR ZOOM INFORMATION ON SOCIAL MEDIA.***
We do not recommend that you use your Personal Zoom Meeting as your class Zoom meeting. We recommend that you make a separate, recurring meeting, with no fixed time for your class using the security enhancements that were shared in the video. This is just a recommendation.
If you have yet to do any of this, please checkout the video that Tim Holt shared with the entire district. This video was created in Microsoft Stream, so it may require you to sign in to your Microsoft account with your EPISD email and password.
Click this link to view the Zoom update video - https://web.microsoftstream.com/video/828d7a52-6bfa-400f-869f-51d24275fe52
You can also view a Zoom FAQ list by clicking on this link - https://bit.ly/3sN78BG
As always, if you have any questions about Zoom, please be sure to contact your Instructional Technology Specialist.
30 Time-Saving iPad Tips for Teachers from the Apple Learning Center
How Students Connect to EPISD-SECURE on Their Devices
👀 Take a look at the attached document to follow the steps for logging student devices into WIFI.
👉🏼 Remember that ALL student devices (iPads and MacBooks) should be logged into the EPISD-SECURE network.
📱K-2nd grade iPads
Step 1 - Click on the Settings app/icon.
Step 2 - Click on the WIFI icon on the left.
Step 3 - Choose the EPISD-SECURE network.
Step 4 - Type in the student’s EPISD Schoology/ClassLink Username and Password.
***Tada! They are now using the EPISD-SECURE network.***
💻 3rd-5th grade MacBooks
Step 1 - follow the directions on the attached document. Log into the EPISD SECURE network using the student district username and password.
Username -Schoology/ClassLink username without @episd.org.
Password is the birthday combination of 4 digits for the year, 2 digits for the month, and 2 digits for the day. Example 20210405).
Step 2 - ⚠️- If asked to authenticate or approve this action by typing in the computer username and password, use the computer login credentials. The computer username is the Schoology/ClassLink username without @episd.org, and the password is the student ID.
Promethean Support Tutorials
As always, you can contact your Instructional Technology Specialist if you have any questions.
- 7th Bronze Cohort Coaching Conversation - March 29-April 1st
- Spring Holiday - April 2nd
Owl and Jabra Schoology Resources
Click on this link to view the resources - https://episd.schoology.com/course/4686982417/materials
If you have any questions about your video-conferencing device, please be sure to contact your Instructional Technology Specialist.
Active Learning Monthly Newsletter
Apple Professional Learning Virtual Conferences - Online
Explore helpful resources, practice new skills, and reflect on ways Apple technology can support great learning and teaching. Hosted by Apple Professional Learning Specialists, these hands-on sessions run for approximately 60 minutes and are offered twice daily, Monday through Thursday. Click on the image to register.
*iPad is used for all sessions unless indicated otherwise.
*Please note the time zone when registering.
EPISD@Home iPad Tips
EPISD@Home MacBook Tips
Three-Minute Quaranteaching Tips
*NEW* Create Focused and Interactive Lesson Using Nearpod
Nearpod helps educators make any lesson interactive whether live in the classroom or virtually. The concept is simple. A teacher can create interactive presentations that can contain Quizzes, Polls, Videos, Collaborative Boards, and more. You can access thousands of pre-built K-12 standards-aligned lessons or upload your existing lessons and make them interactive.
The students can access a teacher’s presentation through a code and the teacher then moves the class through the presentation and lets students interact with the media as they go. Teachers can also opt for Student-Paced mode, where the student controls the flow of the lesson. This mode is perfect for sub days, weather days, homework assignments, or virtual independent work. The program is web-based and works on any device with an internet connection.
Click on the link to access the course - https://episd.schoology.com/course/4771768066/materials
EPISD Schoology 101: Professional Development
Course Code - ZMB94-7NCS4
Macsimizing Your Mac - EPISD Teachers and Staff
Course Title: AL201: Macsimizing Your Mac Online Course - Spring 2021
Course #: 202747
Course Section #: 19524
3.0-Hours of CPE Credit
This course will guide teachers in using features and settings that will assist them every day in completing tasks on their new MacBook Air laptops. Most importantly though, it will assist them in creating great resources to use in their lessons and delivery to differentiate the learning which will allow students to achieve mastery in many different ways.
If you are in need of a district-issued MacBook Air laptop, upon completion of the course, you will download your certificate at EPISD University, and schedule an appointment via the Zendesk, or by calling Technology Services at 915-230-2601to schedule an appointment to receive your device.
Click here to register for the course.
Macsimizing You Mac - Student Edition
Please share the course code with students in grades 3-12th only - 3P9R-88K7-7CQB4
Contact Us
We are Instructional Technology Specialists that serve all campuses in EPISD. We spend most of our time sharing ideas and teaching best practices for integrating technology as a seamless part of learning in the classroom. Please contact us if you are looking for a technology integrated session that would best meet the needs of the students in your classroom.