CONNECTING EDUCATORS
Back to School 2023
CYBERSECURITY
Resetting Passwords
Effective immediately, the Service Desk can reset consortium members passwords under the following guidelines:
- In person with District ID that includes photo, name, and district logo.
- 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
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, itβs a good idea to have it inspected by an independent mechanic who has no relation to the seller and check the vehicleβs 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:
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. β¬
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.
- Select an image, drawing, or graphic.
- Use one of the following options:
- Right click and select Alt text.
- For Mac: Press β + Option + y.
- For all other platforms: Press Ctrl + Alt + y.
- Enter a title and description
- Click Ok.
Read more:
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
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TECH TOOLS & RESOURCES
Curious about AI (Artificial Intelligence)?
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
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
PD OPPORTUNITIES
REMC: VIRTUAL COURSES & Webinars
Registration deadline is Thursday, September 7th, each course begins on Monday, September 11th. Through the support of REMC SAVEβs vendor partners, all courses are FREE and there are no SCECH fees. Donβt 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!!
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/
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Keep up with the latest ideas from our Assistive Technology Coordinator, Elisabeth Mills.