CONNECTING EDUCATORS

Back to School 2023

CYBERSECURITY

Resetting Passwords

Effective immediately, the Service Desk can reset consortium members passwords under the following guidelines:

  1. In person with District ID that includes photo, name, and district logo.
  2. Remotely via a video conference session (Zoom) where:
  • Consortium member has video on and can show district ID that includes photo, name, and district logo.
  • Only the technician and client are on the video call (not to be done in an active environment where others may overhear the temporary password reset).
  • Technician can validate the use account is active (this will not be used to reactivate disabled accounts).

    Scams for Students to be Aware of

    Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel wants to educate recent high school graduates on how to spot scams so that their path to adulthood does not include becoming the victim of a scam. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

    As students step into the next phase of life, like many graduates, they may begin your job search. While immersing themselves in that process, they need to look out for job-related scams whether the job offered is in an office or allows them to work from home; before purchasing a used vehicle, it’s a good idea to have it inspected by an independent mechanic who has no relation to the seller and check the vehicle’s history for a small fee through Experian's Auto Check; Phishing scams where a criminal poses as a trusted person/organization to trick potential victims into sharing sensitive data or sending money.

    Social Media Hacked?! Now What Do I Do?

    It can be scary when you find someone uninvited has gained access to your account, be it social media, email, financial, or other. All is not lost, but as with most incidents, speed is key in taking action to minimize any damage criminal hackers may cause.


    This guide will walk you through what to do when you find your social media account has been hacked.


    Read more: Social Media Hacked?! Now What Do I Do?

    GOOGLE UPDATES

    Google Third-Party App Changes

    Stay up to date on the latest changes happening this fall regarding approvals for Google Third-Party Apps. Get the details and information you need here:


    https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-3rCvjrxYg9BeWoD_Awz986J3uGJlyZKYKVuhO-Vdpg/edit?usp=sharing

    Google Classroom: Add rich text formatting to comments

    Rich text formatting is now available for class and private comments in Google Classroom, enabling teachers and students to customize and add emphasis to their content. This highly requested feature includes bolding, underlining, italicizing, and bulleted lists. | Learn more about bold, italicize, and underline text.


    Click the gif to watch it in action. ⬆

    Google Docs: Make your document or presentation more accessible

    When you create a document or presentation, follow the tips below to make it more readable by everyone, including people with disabilities.


    1. Select an image, drawing, or graphic.
    2. Use one of the following options:
      1. Right click and select Alt text.
      2. For Mac: Press ⌘ + Option + y.
      3. For all other platforms: Press Ctrl + Alt + y.
    3. Enter a title and description
    4. Click Ok.


    Read more:

    Make your document or presentation more accessible

    Google Docs: Improving table placements


    Google introduced improved table positioning options for documents set in pages format. These features add more flexibility and control over the layout of text with tables in Docs, allowing you to:


    • Drag tables in a document and place them directly where you want
    • Wrap content around a table on a page. The wrap direction (left, right, both sides) and margin from the surrounding text can be specified
    • Set a fixed position for a table on a page
    • Provide quick layouts to instantly move a table to a preset position on a page


    Additionally, they've improved the import/export of Microsoft Word documents with tables so your documents remain consistent.

    πŸ“šπŸ“˜πŸ“šπŸ“˜πŸ“šπŸ“˜πŸ“šπŸ“˜πŸ“šπŸ“˜πŸ“šπŸ“˜πŸ“šπŸ“˜πŸ“šπŸ“˜πŸ“šπŸ“˜πŸ“š

    TECH TOOLS & RESOURCES

    Mac Users (JPS, Western & ISD managed only) - Updates

    Mac users, Nudge will start popping up fullscreen more frequently now for devices that still need to be updated. If it asks for admin credentials, an alternative solution to update is in Self-Service, called "Update Your Mac".

    Big Ideas Math Update

    Bid Ideas Math has removed the "Login to Clever" button that was on their homepage. If a district previously used this button, they will now need to sign into Clever, then click on the "Big Ideas Math" icon.

    Curious about AI (Artificial Intelligence)?

    If you want to learn more about AI, head to our resource page. REMEMBER to Check your school district's policies on AI before using any tools.


    https://sites.google.com/jcisd.org/edtech/digital-learning/ai-artificial-intelligence-resources

    ChatGPT-Proof Your Assignments

    Challenge Students with Higher Level Thinking

    Strategy 1: Emphasize Personal Reflection and Experience

    Strategy 2: Foster Creativity and Opinion

    Strategy 3: Incorporate Class Discussions


    Find all the details of these strategies here: MagicSchool.AI Blog Post

    Adobe: Discontinuation of Creative Cloud Synced files

    Creative Cloud: Adobe is modernizing the Creative Cloud storage experience and will begin discontinuing Creative Cloud Synced files for business customers under Creative Cloud for Teams and Creative Cloud for Enterprise plans.


    Starting February 1, 2024 - Users will no longer be able to share files or folders from Creative Cloud Synced files with new users outside of your organization, sharing will continue to work within your organization until October 1st.

    Starting October 1, 2024 - Adobe will begin discontinuing the Creative Cloud content synchronization process as well as synced file and folder sharing, and permanently remove the cloud-based copies of files for users. Assets in the local Creative Cloud Files folder on user devices will no longer be synchronized with Creative Cloud storage. User files will remain in their local Creative Cloud Files folder. Folders and assets previously shared from Creative Cloud Synced files will no longer be accessible to others including inside your organization as well as externally.

    Common Sense Media Back to School Resources

    Visit the back-to-school hub to find all of our free, brand-new lesson plans, videos, and other resources to help you and your students have a healthy start to the school year.


    Common Sense Media Back to School Hub

    PD OPPORTUNITIES

    REMC: VIRTUAL COURSES & Webinars

    Registration deadline is Thursday, September 7th, each course begins on Monday, September 11th. Through the support of REMC SAVE’s vendor partners, all courses are FREE and there are no SCECH fees. Don’t miss out on this great summer learning opportunity!


    Check out September 2023 courses here:



    Register by Thursday, September 7th. You will receive a welcome email with the course information prior to the course start date. If you have questions or need further assistance with your course registration, please click here.

    SAVE THE DATE!!

    CSforMichigan will be hosting two days of focused learning, networking and in person tinkering on all things Computer Science. In-depth CS Workshops and the CS Leadership Summit on 11/2 with a focus on policy and implementation opportunities or on 11/3 for our CS Education Day with a focus on exploring, learning from peers and sessions to expand your CS knowledge.

    https://sites.google.com/macul.org/cs-for-michigan/home

    SUBMIT A MACUL SESSION PROPOSAL TODAY!

    The 48th MACUL Conference Call for Speakers is now open and we need you to make it the greatest conference yet! Submit a proposal today to share the amazing things happening in your classroom, school, district or organization.


    More Info: https://macul.org/events/2024-call-for-speakers/

    Submit Proposal Here: https://ww6.aievolution.com/cul2401/

    πŸ“šπŸ“˜πŸ“šπŸ“˜πŸ“šπŸ“˜πŸ“šπŸ“˜πŸ“šπŸ“˜πŸ“šπŸ“˜πŸ“šπŸ“˜πŸ“šπŸ“˜πŸ“šπŸ“˜πŸ“š

    JCISD Assistive Tech Weebly

    Keep up with the latest ideas from our Assistive Technology Coordinator, Elisabeth Mills.

    TECH SUPPORT

    Need help? Did your printer stop working? Can't login? The Internet broke? πŸ˜‰ Contact the tech department by putting in a ticket here: Tech Support!

    CONNECT WITH US!

    Want to try something you see here or have questions? Please feel free to connect with our team anytime!