Computer Chronicles
Version 5.3 , December 2015
Distinguish yourself as an educator
The Google for Education team manages 3 different certification programs to meet the professional development needs of our school community:
Google Certified Educator: Designed for educators and classroom teachers who wish to demonstrate proficiency in using Google for Education tools. The Level 1 status indicates that an educator is able to successfully implement Google Apps for Education into their teaching practice in order to enhance teaching and learning. The Level 2 status indicates that an educator is able to successfully integrate a wider range of Google for Education tools and other technologies in order to transform their teaching practice.
Google for Education Certified Trainer: Designed for individuals who deliver training or professional development to other educators. You may be a professional trainer at a partner organization; tech integrator or coach at a school or district; or maybe an independent consultant. This program requires you to have experience delivering training on Google for Education tools.
Google for Education Certified Innovator: Designed for education thought-leaders who create new and innovative projects using Google for Education tools.
Interested?: https://edutrainingcenter.withgoogle.com/certification
Don’t Hijack a Closed Thread to Start a New Conversation
A.K.A., Don’t Hijack a Closed Thread to Start a New Conversation Because You Are Too Lazy to Create a New Message and Add the Proper Contacts.
Email threads have a way of spiraling out of control all on their own—even when everyone sticks to the email subject. (You know those subject lines that start with “Re: Re: Re: Re:” Ugh.) It’s even worse when an email thread just won’t die because we keep them alive, using an old email thread to send a message on a completely different subject.
I have to admit this is a pet peeve of mine and I’ve seen the savviest of tech savvy people do it. Using an old email thread for a different subject makes it much harder for the recipients to organize and make sense of their emails (e.g., the subject line is Good Morning but now everyone’s being Cc:ed on the same thread about a class trip).
Please don’t do this. Start a new email for every distinct subject and use the ES and MHS mailing lists.
Internet Security Training
Did you know that 91% of successful data breaches started with a spear-phishing attack??
Of the 150+ Million phishing emails being sent every single day, over 10% are making it through SPAM filters. Of those, over 8 million are opened, and over 800,000 users are clicking on phishing links. An average of 80,000 users a day are phished and actually provide sensitive information to cyber-criminals or cause ransomware infections because they believe the email or web link to be legitimate. Are you among the 80,000 daily victims?
Please consider taking the Internet Security Training I mentioned at the faculty meeting.
Learn how to avoid Phishing Emails that could expose yourself and the district to harmful malware, identity theft and worse.
Don't be the weakest link in our defense.
https://training.knowbe4.com/login?domain=sapublicschools.com
Ways to Use Google Forms in the Classroom
Collect parent information - emails, contact numbers or volunteer availability. The info goes right into a Google Spreadsheet for easy access.
Gather student information - Have your students fill out a “getting to know you” Google Form.
Parent-Contact Log - Use Google Forms to track your parent meetings.
Assess reading comprehension - Use Google Forms as an assessment tool for reading comprehension. Embed a YouTube video story for your students to watch, and then have them answer comprehension questions.
Collect Data for Math Lesson - Poll your students on a particular topic and then have them create a graph based on the data you collected.
Student evaluations & quizzes - Get feedback on your lessons.
Michael Elson
Email: melson@sapublicschools.com
Website: https://sites.google.com/a/sapublicschools.com/tech-t-days/home
Phone: 732.387.3559
Twitter: @mjelson