TCS Tech Core Notes
April 2019
End of Year Technology Checklist for Teachers
Inspired by ISTE
TCS will hold a 2-day ed technology conference simultaneously with the International Society for Technology Education (ISTE) conference, bringing some of the ISTE learning and inspiration to TCS. The conference is free and lunch will be provided both days.
June 25 and 26, 2019
Central High School, Tuscaloosa
Target Audience: instructional staff, instructional coaches, and administrators
Daily Schedule: sign-in 8:00-8:20, conference sessions/events 8:30-3:30, 1 hr lunch
Lunch will be provided both days.
Complete this form to register for the conference!
Submit a Proposal to Present
We have two categories of presentation - Workshop and Show and Tell. Presentations will be 1 hour in length. Proposals are due by noon on May 17. These links take you to the proposal application forms.
Student Information System Transition (It's More Than Just iNOW!)
In August of 2020, Alabama is moving every district from iNOW to a new student information system. The new system, commonly called by the company name, PowerSchool, will include multiple, integrated components including:
Student Information System (student database that includes attendance and grades)
Special Programs (this will replace SETS and will be the home for special education and other individual learning plans)
Professional Development (this will replace Chalkable PD)
Learning Management System (called Unified Classroom)
TCS currently uses Canvas as our Learning Management System. We will transition from Canvas to Unified Classroom. The transition is not likely to take place before August 2020. We are awaiting details from the state in order to draft a transition timeline and are committed to providing plenty of time and support.
School Year 2019-2020:
Continue to use iNOW, SETS, Chalkable PD, and Canvas for everything except to schedule for 2020-2021
Spring 2020: Schools will do the scheduling for 2020-2021 in PowerSchool
School Year 2020-2021:
Summer of 2020 final conversion from iNOW to PowerSchool
Use PowerSchool for SIS & Special Programs.
Transition to PowerSchool Professional Learning and Unified Classroom.
Training & Supports
Anticipate training plans from PowerSchool and ALSDE that should use a train-the-trainer model, requiring turnaround at the district and school levels.
TCS will provide additional training as needed to support the new products.
Employees should also be prepared to reference training materials to support their individual needs.
YouTube
Teacher Access to Video Content
All employee accounts have access to YouTube.
That access is filtered by our firewall and additional filtering.
All user accounts, employee and student, have Restricted Mode activated in YouTube.
Restricted Mode filters for content including drugs and alcohol, sexual situations, violence, mature subjects, profane and mature language, and incendiary and demeaning content.
Click for detailed information from Google about Restricted Mode.
Student Access to Video Content
- All students have limited access to YouTube content.
- That access is filtered by our firewall and additional filtering.
- TCS provides student access to YouTube channels that provide high quality resources.
- Additional channels must be reviewed and approved before they can be made available to students. Teachers can request review of a channel by completing this form. These requests will be reviewed quarterly or more often when possible.
This and That
Visit the Instructional Technology web page for resource collections, guidance documents on a variety of topics, and much, much more.
Turn off projectors when not in use! The new Epson projectors start quickly, and you can ensure a long, happy life for their bulbs by only having them on when they are needed.
Be ever vigilant about email phishing attempts. The bad guys have gotten very good, and we will all be tempted. Even if a message appears to come from someone you know, reread the message carefully and hover over (don’t click) the link to see where it goes. When in doubt, reach out to the sender first for confirmation.
Collection of 1:1 devices in grades 6-9 starts May 8. See your tech coach for details and plan accordingly!
Students entering grade 6 next year will join the 1:1 program after the start of the fiscal year Oct 1. Parents must attend an orientation session. Dates are July 15 and 24, and details are linked and on the district web page.
- Seniors (and students leaving TCS) must secure the content of their Google Drive before the end of May. Directions are linked and available on the district web page.