Technology Newsletter
Back to School ~ 2022-23
~Technology is the tool, not the lesson~
What is new for 2022-23?
Welcome back! I have a lot of information to share with you as we start the school year! I would suggest you save this link for future reference as needed. As always, you can find a link to our newsletter archives under the Staff Information page on our website and then Tech Resources from the left menu column. Have a great 22-23 school year!
- Student Data Privacy Law
- Digital Resource Request Form
- Flipgrid is now Flip
- What's New in Seesaw
- Schoology Annotation Assignment
- Fifteen New Teams Features
- NEW - Digital Citizenship Curriculum
- What's New in Nearpod
- Windows 11 - what's new/changed
- Seven new Microsoft Form features
- Canva - now district vetted via Clever
- Multifactor authentication explained
- Find & Use Images - the right way
*NEW* Student Data Privacy State Statute
Information about the New Minnesota Student Data Privacy Law; MN Session 2022, ch 69 -- HF 2353
New for the 2022-2023 school year is a Law passed this summer to protect Student Data Privacy. This bill emphasizes tightening existing Minnesota data practices and ensuring that technology providers and educators accessing educational data are respecting and protecting sensitive student information.
What does this mean for your school?
What you need to know
- This law puts the majority of requirements on technology vendors to ensure privacy and security
- Please work with the district Technology Department before sharing ANY student data with resources
- Districts have a responsibility to provide notice of what digital tools are used in their system that contain student data within 30 days of the start of the school year annually
- Only applies to curriculum, testing, or assessment tools
- Districts have a requirement to notify within 72 hours if a students digital device/ information was accessed to “respond to an imminent threat to life or safety”
School District Requirements
- Annual Notice requirement to families of vendor contracts and their ability to inspect contracts for any curriculum, testing, or assessment technology provider contract. (3.28-4.8)
- First, include a statement about the protections in place regarding vendor contracts and how we as schools keep student data safe.
- 72 Hour notice requirement for remote access of a device for imminent threat to life or safety (5.3-5.9).
- School monitoring language (the language is not applicable to anyone receiving e-rate funding or while following The MN Safe and Supportive Schools Act (Bullying legislation) regarding student online interactions impacting the school day). (4.29-5.2).
- Technology vendor agreements are in place and follow all applicable State and Federal laws.
What does this mean for current practice?
- This law allows for the continued use of tools to be in compliance of CIPA
- Schools and libraries subject to CIPA are required to adopt and implement an Internet safety policy addressing:
- Access by minors to inappropriate matter on the Internet;
- The safety and security of minors when using electronic mail, chat rooms and other forms of direct electronic communications;
- Unauthorized access, including so-called “hacking,” and other unlawful activities by minors online;
- Unauthorized disclosure, use, and dissemination of personal information regarding minors; and
- Measures restricting minors' access to materials harmful to them.
- This law allows for the continued use of tools to meet state and federal law, including:
- MN’s Safe and Supportive Schools Act
- FERPA (Federal)
- Students do not have to be allowed to opt out of systems
- Screen sharing tools can continue to be used of non-commercial instruction and technical support
- Teachers can still use tools like Apple Classroom, lan school, GoGuardian Teacher etc.
- Monitoring tools like Bark, Securly, Gaggle can still be used in alignment with CIPA, Safe and supportive school Act, and other applicable laws
- District should, as a best practice, ensure vendors are in compliance with data privacy laws
*Flipgrid is now Flip*
Please check out the announcement here!
*NEW* Annotation Assignment Option in Schoology
Instructors
Instructors can create an assignment that allows students to annotate a file. This feature allows teachers to provide an attachment as part of the assignment without downloading or uploading it multiple times or assigning it individually to students.
This assignment type provides students with the following annotation options:
Add a text box
Add shapes, for example, circle, square, or rectangle
Highlight parts of the attachment
Pen tool for drawing and writing
Note: Type annotations, for example, underline, highlight, and squiggly will only work for text within an uploaded document. Type annotations will not work on images, even if the image is of text.
Creating an Annotations Assignment
From your course, click Add Materials.
Select Add Assignment.
Under Format Options, click Annotations Assignment.
Upload a file from your device.
Fill in the rest of the Create form.
Click Create.
Reviewing or Grading an Annotations Assignment
After a student has submitted their assignment, the instructor can review and grade it from the class assignment.
In the Submissions area, select Needs Grading.
Review the student's responses.
Type a grade into the Grade box.
Add notes for the student in the available text box.
Check whether or not you want the grade and notes to Show to the student.
Click Submit.
Students
Student Annotations offer students a new assignment experience; however, the student display and available options can vary at the elementary and secondary grade levels.
From within the assignment, click:
Elementary: Draw or Type
Secondary: Start Assignment
Annotate the file from the Doc Viewer using the annotation tools available in the editor. Changes are automatically saved.
When you are finished, click the following:
Elementary: I'm Done
Secondary: Submit
Optionally, to clear annotations, click Clear All. Then, click Clear All again to confirm.
To go back without saving, click Back.
Students who have submitted their work can select the assignment again to review their submission.
Students who have not submitted their assignment can resume working where they left off.
Click into the assignment.
Click Edit Draft.
Continue annotating the assignment.
Click Back to exit the assignment
Re-Submit Assignment
A student can return to an assignment if an instructor wants the student to try the assignment again.
Click on the assignment.
Click Re-Submit Assignment.
Continue annotating the assignment. Previous annotations will still display.
*NEW* Digital Citizenship Curriculum
Teachers/Staff:
Because we value education and the safety of our students, we have chosen to partner with a company called Neptune Navigate, a service that teaches students how to be smart and stay safe online. Neptune Navigate is made up of comprehensive, self-paced online modules that are designed to take 20 minutes or less for your students to complete. These monthly online modules are 100% ready to go with no additional work required. Each module contains a 5-10 minute video, interactive knowledge checks, and a quiz. Completion plans (required) will be shared at each building level ~ please watch for more information.
We value your time, understanding that you already go above and beyond for your students. We’ve chosen this service because of its educational value and ease of implementation. You’ll also have access to a “tool kit” with additional resources such as tutorial videos and discussion questions.
Thank you for being a part of this team as we teach our students how to behave responsibly online and keep them safer in a digital world.
Windows 11 - What's New!
All student devices as well as staff laptops have been (or will be on the next Update process) upgraded to Windows 11. If your laptop has not updated yet, please run Windows updates and choose to update/upgrade to Windows 11. While there are minimal changes for the user, I have included a Quick Guide below.
Canva - District Deployment
Your Technology Team
Karen Londgren
Nick Esping
Kent Powell
Email: karen.londgren@marshall.k12.mn.us
Website: https://www.marshall.k12.mn.us/domain/17
Phone: 507.929.2696