Technology Newsletter
February/March 2020
Greetings from the Tech Department!
You can find all of our previous Technology Newsletters archived on the Staff Information Page.
In this issue:
1. STUDENT DATA PRIVACY
2. March 23rd PD Opportunities
3. Online PD Opportunity
4. Understanding the 4C's
5. Create a multilingual Microsoft Form
6. How to protect an e-mail message
7. Inflation Calculator
8. Draw and Tell iPad App
9. Five things to try in Word Online
AND - there is a chance to win a prize! Find the mystery link in this newsletter, click on it and answer the question to be entered into a drawing for a prize!
Did you know?
Student Data Privacy laws are changing, and we want to help you with protecting our student’s information. Failure to comply with these laws and knowingly releasing information that should not have been released could result in monetary fines, job loss and criminal prosecution.
One easy way to protect yourself from this is to involve the IT department whenever dealing with accounts or resources that may collect PII data.
Information that is tied to individual students is referred to as personally identifiable information, or PII.
Various federal and state privacy regulations require that entities protect personally identifiable information (PII). One such law in Minnesota is the “Minnesota Government Data Practices Act” or MGDPA. https://mn.gov/admin/data-practices/data/types/education/
Another federal resource would be “The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act” or FERPA.
https://studentprivacy.ed.gov/audience/school-officials-k-12
These are just a couple of example laws related to this topic. More to come!
Here are some examples of questions to think about when using resources in your classroom:
- Did you have to make an account in order to start using that app? If so, did you have to provide personal information (email, name, age, etc.)?
- Does the app require parental permission? Who has access to that email and other information now that you’ve created that account?
- Does the app developer share your information with others? (It’s in their privacy policy.)
- Does the app collect additional information such as location or contacts?
In working with your IT department (Todd Pickthorn, Karen Londgren, Nicholas Esping, Kent Powell) we can help protect you and your students! We will research what data they collect, their privacy policy and properly vet or approve apps for use in the classroom.
March 23rd PD Opportunities.
Microsoft Teams Online Course - Spring PD Opportunity!
Are you interested in finding out more about Microsoft Teams and how you can potentially use this resource in your classroom? If so, please consider joining me in this online course offering (complete it at your convenience!). Microsoft Teams creates a digital hub for your classroom! Interested? Please read more below and then click on the link provided to apply for this course offering. If you would like additional information about it, please let me know. This offering is geared toward 3rd-12th grade classroom teachers.
Microsoft Teams - Comprehensive Course
Online/Independent Study Course
Teams course introduces teachers to the basics of Teams, readying them for collaboration with others and initiating the conversation about instructional use of the platform. This course includes a module that covers OneNote Class Notebook.
**This course is being offered in an online format via Teams. It is estimated this course will take six hours to complete. There are five modules with an assessment at the end of each module. Assessments must be completed with an 80% or higher. Successful completion will provide you with a training transcript. Upon completion of the course by the due date and submission of training transcripts (proof of successful completion), you will be compensated for six hours of pay according to your contract language. All course completion requirements must be submitted by May 15, 2020. Click here to apply.
Understanding the 4C's ~ Preparing Students For The 21st Century!
All four of these items are essential inside the 21st Century classroom to prepare our students for success in the 21st century world! Please view this brief introductory video describing the 4C's and how it relates to the classroom.
Did you know you can create a Form that is multilingual? Ask me how!
How do I protect an e-mail message?
When you need to protect the privacy of an email message, encrypt it. Encrypting an email message in Outlook means it's converted from readable plain text into scrambled cipher text. Only the recipient who has the private key that matches the public key used to encrypt the message can decipher the message for reading. Any recipient without the corresponding private key, however, sees indecipherable text.
In the Outlook App/Program:
With a recent Office update, email encryption in Outlook is handled via the Encrypt button located on the options tab in the Outlook app. In an email message, choose Options, select Encrypt and pick the encryption that has the restrictions you want to enforce, such as Encrypt-Only or Do Not Forward.
In Outlook on the web (in your browser):
Create a new message
Click once on the Encrypt button in the menu bar - directly above the To: field
Inflation Calculator
The Inflation Calculator lets you enter a dollar amount then select two years to see the change in the value of the original dollar amount over time. Check it out here!
Draw and Tell iPad App
Draw and Tell (by Duck Duck Moose) is an AWESOME app for K-2! Students can either color pictures or draw their own. They can choose their “paper” and then have a variety
of great drawing tools from which to choose - pencils, crayons, paint, stickers, stencils…and then then can easily add voice-overs.
Students can create multiple “pages” and then group them together so that it plays like a slideshow. Transitions are even built in, so that it looks quite professional!
Click here to learn more!
Five things to try in Word Online
MPS Technology Team
Karen Londgren
Nick Esping
Email: karen.londgren@marshall.k12.mn.us
Website: https://www.marshall.k12.mn.us/domain/17
Phone: 507-401-4005