I.T.S. a Tech Update
November 04, 2020
On Behalf of the Active Learning Department...
On behalf of the Active Learning Department and the EPISD Mock Elections Team, we would like to thank each and every one of you for taking part in the EPISD 2020 Mock Presidential Election. We have about 31,000 students vote yesterday which is well over 50% of our student population. Many of the races were close, with only a handful of votes deciding who won. You are probably wondering, what do we do now that it is done? We say, continue the conversation. Look at the numbers and the graphs. Build lessons around why some areas of town voted the way they did by researching the demographics of each of our communities. These results are definitely something students can write about in journals, essays, and reports, not to mention all of the math activities that you can create with all the data.
We have also linked a survey here so that you can let us know what we can do to better this process. The more input we get the better this event will be for our students. Our wheels are already spinning thinking of other ways we can invite our students to be a part of the special broadcasts.
Finally, we want to say thanks in a very special way. Please click on the image will send you to a very special page within the EPISD Election Central website created just for you and your students.
Sincerely,
~Your EPISD Mock Elections Team
Introducing Flipgrid Shorts by Laura Salazar
One of our favorites is Flipgrid Shorts. Teachers can use Shorts to record any type of video using all the fun features of Flipgrid: filters, whiteboard, text, emojis, graph paper, frames, stickers, screen recording...the possibilities are practically endless.
Here is the best part: once you have recorded your video, it will automatically be saved in your Flipgrid account under the Shorts tab, and you will be provided with a link, QR code, and embed code for your creation. This makes it easy to place your Shorts videos directly into Schoology, Seesaw, or even a Remind or ClassDojo message, without the extra step of uploading them to another site first.
Check out the tutorial video created by Flipgrid by clicking on the image above to learn all about Flipgrid Shorts, and as always, reach out to your I.T.S. for further assistance.
Laura Salazar
Instructional Technology Specialist, EPISD
Active Learning Department
Infused Classroom shared by Melissa Aguilar
Sherita's Tech Byte - Adding Character to Folders on the Mac
Make your desktop folder icons easier to distinguish (and just more fun) by turning each folder into the bitmoji/emoji of your choice.
Here's how to do it:
1. Collect the bitmojis/emojis you want (e.g. "smiley emoji" or "personal
bitmoji") and save them on your computer.
2. Create and name a new folder on your desktop by using the secondary-click (right-click) on your computer's trackpad or mouse.
3. Double-click the image of your bitmoji/emoji to open it in Preview.
4. To make the bitmoji/emoji background transparent, press the markup icon and then select the Instant Alpha tool (it looks like a magic wand), click the background of the image so that a moving outline appears around it, and click Delete or Edit > Cut.
5. Click the markup icon again to turn it off. Then click and drag a box around the bitmoji/emoji.
6. Click edit > select all > copy or press, Command + C.
7. Go back to the original folder you created on your desktop and do a secondary click on it.
8. Click, Get Info.
9. On the screen that pops up, click the blue folder icon and press Command+V to paste the image. You should now see your bitmoji/emoji appear.
Click on the image in this article to see the tutorial video.
Sherita Martin
Instructional Technology Specialist
Active Learning Department
iPad Markup Tools for PDF and Images
The iPad comes with built-in tools that make it possible to mark up or digitally write on a photo or PDF document. From doodling to labeling a real photo to completing an assignment downloaded from Schoology, mark-up can come in handy. Check out two videos created by our team to learn more about this.
Download and Mark Up a PDF on an iPad
*FYI- Sometimes, marked-up PDFs appear blank in the Schoology PDF Viewer, once submitted to the teacher. Teachers can download the PDF to view the additions by students. Students can take a screen capture of the marked-up PDF to submit if it will need to be visible for the teacher in the Schoology Viewer.
Using Markup Tools on a PDF or Image using a Mac - by Laura Salazar
Check out the video by clicking on the 3-Minute Quaranteaching Tips image on the top-right. As always, if you have any questions, contact your Instructional Technology Specialist.
Laura Salazar
Instructional Technology Specialist
Active Learning Department
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
EPISD Online Courses
EPISD Schoology 101: Professional Development
Course Code - ZMB94-7NCS4
Macsimizing Your Mac - EPISD Teachers and Staff
3.0-Hours of CPE Credit
Course #: 202747
Course Title: AL201: Macsimizing Your Mac Online Course for Teachers and Staff
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 915-230-2601. Once you have received your appointment you will pick up your device at 2300 Murchison St.
Macsimizing You Mac - Student Edition
Please share the course code with students in grades 3-12th only - 3P9R-88K7-7CQB4
- Apple Vanguard Academy - Pages ePUB or Clips Project due November 07
- Veteran's Day Holiday - November 11
- Fall Break - November 23-27
- Bronze Cohort 3rd Coaching Session - November 30 - December 04
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.