I.T.S. a Tech Update
October 2021
Welcome to October๐๐๐พ
Another month has gone by and we are getting closer to the holidays. We are now deep into fall and hopefully, your students are into their daily routine and things are flowing a lot better. We also hope that many of your technology issues have been taken care of by Technology Services, or your favorite, neighborhood, I.T.S. ๐
Our wheels got to spinning and we were able to create another edition of our newsletter. We have some great information we'd like to share with you. Here's what you will find in the October edition:
- ๐ป Restart, Update and Clean Your Device
- ๐ Digital Citizenship Week - October 18-22
- ๐ Discovery Education Resources of the Month
- ๐ฌ 2021-2022 EPISD Student Digital Film Festival
- EPISD Robotics Information
- TCEA Robotics Arena and Inventions Information
- ๐ฉ๐ปโ๐ซ Virtual Learning Classroom Opportunities
- โ Enhancing Student Engagement with Choice Boards - Updated Course
Restart and Update Devices
We tend to blame our district network or Technology Services, but most of the time these issues can be taken care of with a restart or a shutdown on a regular basis. If you ask any Instructional Technology Specialist (I.T.S.) as to how often you should shut down, or restart your computer, they will say that you should probably do it daily. Most of us shut down our computer at the end of the day even if we are going to use it at home again.
So why are we telling you this? Because you and your students have returned after a two-week break and may begin having device issues. We recommend that the first thing you do with your and your students' technology is to go ahead and shut it down or restart before you begin using it.
Shut Down MacBook or Power Off the iPad
On a MacBook computer, that means clicking on the Apple and either clicking on Restart or Shutdown. This will allow you and your student to begin using a fresh computer with all of its RAM which will allow all programs to run smoother. On an iPad, you press and hold the power button until you see the screen with the "slide to shutdown" button. Slide to the right and the iPad will shut down. The same will happen if you have an iPhone. Once you have shut down your computer or iPad, wait about 30 seconds before turning them back on to allow all the components time to go into a full shutdown mode. This usually fixes many of the issues you may be having with any apps or programs prior to a shutdown or restart.
Shut Down
Mac Laptop
1. Click the Apple icon2. Select Shut Down
Power Off
iPad
1. Hold down power button2. Slide to power off
iPad Security Updates
Apple has pushed out some important updates to the iPad our elementary students in PreK through 2nd grade are using iPads. Currently, we also have some 3rd-grade students using iPads as they are waiting for replacement MacBook devices. Student iPads should be at least on iPadOS 14.8. If you are running an older update you will definitely want to update those devices. You may have to update to iPadOS 15.0.2, which is the newest security update. Updating to iPadOS 15 is okay. It looks a little different, but not so much that students won't be able to use their devices. These updates take at least 30-45 minutes to run and must be charged higher than 50%. You'll need to let the updated load and then you will click Install after it loads. To find out what version of the operating system an iPad is on, tap on the Settings app, then tap on General, and on the right tap on About. You will see the software version the iPad is currently on.
Settings App
- Step 1. Tap on the Settings app to open settings.
General Tab
- Step 2. Tap on the General tab on the left.
- Step 3. Tap Software Update on the top right.
Install Update
Note: Make sure the iPad is fully charged, or being charged before beginning the software update.
- Step 4. Click on Download and Install button and wait for the update to download to your device (15-20 minutes)
- Step 5 - Once the update has been downloaded you will need to go back into settings and click on Install.
MacBook Security Updates
Note: It is possible that your computer may be running macOS Big Sur if you currently received a new MacBook computer. There are at least 2 security updates you will need to run on those computers as well.
You can check what software update your computer is on by clicking on the Apple Menu icon on the top left and clicking on About This Mac.
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3 & 4
4. Another update is available. "More info" to find security updates
Clean Up and Delete Old Photos and Files
Last, but not least, your computer may be telling you that you have no space on the hard drive. It may be time to clean up your device by deleting files, images, and videos that you no longer need. You can save your files to the cloud, but you may find files that you no longer need. Watch the video below to learn how to remove unwanted files, images, and videos from your MacBook.
Digital Citizenship Week - October 18-22
Below you will find links to the calendar of events for elementary, middle and high school students and parents to help promote and follow good digital citizenship practices.
For more information contact your Parent Engagement Liaison as well as your campus Librarian.
Congratulations to the following campuses for becoming a 2021-2022 Common Sense Certified School.
You can find an updated list at https://episd.schoology.com/course/1699388256/materials?f=522617344
Story Books
Together
Interactives
2021-2022 EPISD Student Digital Film Festival
Teachers,
Head over to http://episddigitalfilmfestival.weebly.com/ to view the Interest form link, film festival information. Important information like deadlines, film festival rules, rubrics, resource links, and much more can be located on the website. The updated site offers a Spanish translation of each section.
If you decide to sponsor a team of students, you will have until January 14th to submit the interest form. Only those sponsors who submit the form will receive follow-up emails from the film festival team.
If you would like a presentation for you and your students as to what the film festival is all about, please contact John Roach at jdroach@episd.org to set up a session with you and the students interested in being a part of this annual event.
As always, if you have any questions, please contact your Instructional Technology Specialist - https://episd.schoology.com/page/4816008284
EPISD Robotics Information
It is important that campus robotics sponsors send the number of students that will be participating in the campus robotics team/club to receive robotics kits as soon as possible. Robotics teams should begin meeting to give students enough time to learn how to use the Lego Spike and/or EV3 Robotic kits.
Sponsors should send this information to Julie Rivas (Elementary) at jlrivas@episd.org or John Roach (secondary) at jdroach@episd.org. DODEA campuses, contact Liza Mendez at lmgonza1@episd.org.
As always, if you have any questions, please contact your Instructional Technology Specialist - https://episd.schoology.com/page/4816008284
TCEA Robotics Arena and Inventions Information
Every year a new game manual is posted for the Arena robotics competition by TCEA. This manual explains the overview, playing field, game elements, robot specifications and software, and tournament play. There will be a special twist for the state championship, so it is crucial to read the Arena robotics game manual from beginning to end, multiple times.
Arena teams build a robot using a LEGO SPIKE Prime, Robot Inventor, EV3, or VEX IQ kit. Teams are allowed a total retail value of $5 to incorporate non-electrical, non-LEGO parts on their robots to enhance functionality or for decoration.
You can find more information on the Arena, download the game manual, and information on purchasing arena mats, game pieces, and EV3 parts poster by going to:
https://tcea.org/robotics/contests/arena/
The Inventions contest is an open-ended contest. Teams of two (2) to four (4) students will create a robotic invention that solves a problem of their choice. Invention Contest teams will showcase their research, robot performance, robot design, marketing, and presentation skills for judges at TCEA Area Contests. Student teams will approach their problem as real engineers would, working together to solve their problem using the Engineering Design Process.
You can find more information on the Inventions contests, such as rules, rubric, Inventions overview video, and more by going to: https://tcea.org/robotics/contests/inventions/
If you have any questions about the TCEA Robotics competition, be sure to contact your TCEA Area 19 Director.
Crystal Fuentes
TCEA Area 19 Director
email: crystal.fuentes@clint.net
Virtual Learning Classroom Opportunities
El Paso Water Utilities -
- The Meandering Rio Grande: An Interactive Virtual Presentation (Grades 4-8) - click to schedule a presentation. For more information, contact April at april.lopez@epwater.org
Flipgrid Live Events - https://blog.flipgrid.com/upcomingflipgridliveevents
Note: All Flipgrid Live Events are free and start at 10 am Pacific/11 am Mountain (El Paso)
- Bringing Real Stories to Life with Chelsea Clinton and โShe Persistedโ members (Recommended Age Range: 6-9, all are welcome) - Tuesday, October 19th
- Exploring Hindu Mythology and characters with Author Roshani Chokshi (Recommended Age Range: 8+) - Friday, October 22nd
- Learn About Polar Bears Around the World (Recommended Age Range: 8-16) - Wednesday, October 27th
- Mexican Folklore "Scary" Stories with Tehlor Kay Mejia (Recommended Age Range: 8+) - Friday, October 29th
- Learn How Change Sings Inside Us All with Amanda Gorman and Loren Long (Recommended Age Range: All ages) - Thursday, November 4th
Connect2Texas - https://www.connect2texas.net/pages/home/events/
Connect2Texas Weekly Update Newsletter - https://www.smore.com/n1vku-connect2texas?ref=email-content#w-8881246910
Note: You will need to register an account before you can register for an event. Not all events are free, but you can filter to only see free events, as well as, events that are still open for registration. Free events fill up fast so be sure to register early!
- Spotlight Session: Black Citizenship in the Age of Jim Crow (Non-Interactive) Bullock Texas State History Museum (Grades 4-12) - Friday, October 22nd from 10:00-11:00 am Central Time/9:00-10:00 am Mountain Time - Deadline 10/19/2021
- ExciteSpace! Super Big Telescope Tour (Grades 7-10) - Friday, October 22nd from 2:00 - 2:45 PM Central Time/1:00 - 1:45 PM Mountain Time
- Animal Encounters: Bats-A-Billion (Non-interactive) Texas Wildlife Association (Grades K-8th) - Friday, October 29th from 9:00-9:45 AM Central Time/8:00-8:45 AM Mountain Time
Enhancing Student Engagement with Choice Boards *New Course Section*
Here is the course description:
In this course, participants will learn how to use choice boards to increase student engagement in a variety of learning situations. They will have the opportunity to choose a technology tool to use in creating their choice board and spend time creating a board that they can put to use in their classroom right away
Be sure to contact, Laura Salazar at ljsalaz1@episd.org if you have any questions on this course.
EPISD Classlink QuickCards (QR Code)
What is needed?
- Make sure to use the correct link to EPISD's Classlink. launchpad.classlink.com/episd
- The teacher should generate the QuickCard for students.
- The student device will need access to a built-in or attached camera.
- Allow access to the camera when selecting, "Sign in with QuickCard."
When should we use Quickcards?
- Notice a student or students are struggling to log into district tools or Classlink.
- Not sure what a student username or password is, use it until it is reset or until the information is shared with the student.
- Students are still learning the letters, numbers, and the location of buttons on their device.
Troubleshooting
1. Make sure the camera has been enabled for the app. Check Settings/System Preferences>Privacy to make sure this has been activated on the iPad or the MacBook.
2. QuickCards will not work if beginning with QR Code Reader. Students must scan their cards in EPISD's Classlink.
Schoology's Elementary Experience
Attention all Early Childhood and Special Education Teachers
Schoology has just released their Elementary Experience for all Schoology Enterprise courses and this has now been activated by the powers-that-be at EPISD, to be enabled in your Schoology course. This simplified view will make it easier for students in PreK-2nd and any students with special needs to navigate your course and complete assignments, discussions, and assessments with little to no difficulty.
You can learn more by viewing our EPISD Connect presentation here.
Inside the presentation, you will find links from Schoology that will introduce you to the Elementary Experience, as well as show you how to create course materials and assignments that will fit well in this unique view.
Be on the lookout for a Schoology course where we will house all training videos and information having to do with the new elementary experience.
New Password Change Procedures
There is a new way that you and your students can change your EPISD password in case you are having any issues login in, or you suspect that someone might be using your account without your permission.
Information Technology/Zendesk has set up a One-Login page that you can use to change your password. You'll need to first log in and set up your One-Login account with your EPISD email and password and then you will be able to change your password as needed. We have included two documents below explaining the One-Login initial setup and a "how to change your password" document.
*Note: All students in 6th-12th grade who were still using their birthdate as their password, had a password change this summer. This information has been shared with principals and PEIMS clerks by Technology Services. Please do not post this new information and password formula on any website, or social media. This information is only to be shared with the students/parents directly via email or face-to-face.*
If you do not remember your current password, or if it does not work on the One-Login page, be sure to contact Zendesk at 915-230-2601.
New Elmo Document Camera Setup
Some campuses are purchasing the new, ELMO L-12W / TT-12W document cameras. It seems that they arrive with the USB to computer feature disabled.
Miracast which is used by most Android and Microsoft devices is enabled by default. This has caused a lot of teachers to become frustrated if they are trying to use the document camera with their Macs and with Zoom.
For those of you that have or are going to be receiving these new document cameras, watch the video below to learn how to set up your document camera to your computer and your digital projector. Also, click on the link below for documentation on how to use it with Zoom, MS Teams, and to view the owner's manual.
Feel free to contact your Instructional Technology Specialist if you have any questions.
Promethean Support Tutorials
As always, you can contact your Instructional Technology Specialist if you have any questions.
- October 16 - Boss's Day
- October 17 - Black Poetry Day
- October 18 - Beginning of 2nd Nine Week Grading Period
- October 18 - Digital Citizenship Week October 18-22
- October 18 - Apple "Unleash" Event on YouTube 11 am
- October 20 - National Day of Writing
- October 24 - United Nations Day
- October 26 - National Pumpkin Day ๐
- October 28 - National First Responders Day
- October 31 - Halloween
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*** Macsimizing Your Mac - EPISD Teachers and Staff
Course Title: AL201: Macsimizing Your Mac Online Course - Fall 2021
Course #: 202747
Course Section #: 21112
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.
EPISD Digital Learning Resources and Updates Courses Hub
EPISD Schoology 101: Professional Development
Course Code - ZMB94-7NCS4
Macsimizing Your 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.