I.T.S. a Tech Update
May 15, 2021
May 15, 2021 Newsletter
We have so much information to share this month that we have decided to send out a mid-May newsletter.
- Most of you are still in testing mode. Remember that if your students are testing online you will have to assist them in preparing their laptops. You will find all of this information towards the bottom of this newsletter in a section called, Testing Season - Round 2.
- There is a new Zoom update with a fun feature called Immersive View. You can learn more about this in the section below.
- There are some campuses that have started purchasing new ELMO document cameras. These can be a bit tricky to set up. We have dedicated a section to these devices with information and a setup video.
- We want to continue sharing information on saving your Schoology courses to your resources as you wrap up the school year. Remember that courses will be archived soon after school lets out. Check out the information in the section below.
- Most of us are using Zoom to video conference with our students, but we wanted you to be aware of a new feature coming out in the Fall of 2021 inside Microsoft Teams called, Reading Progress. It's still going through the BETA stage, but it is looking pretty awesome. We can't wait for Microsoft to complete the feature and include multiple languages. This feature will be great from elementary to high school. Read all about it in the section below.
- Scratch is starting its annual coding day, but they are doing it for an entire week! May 17-21st. Read all about it in the Scratch Week section.
- We also want to share a great end-of-year awards celebration template that you can use during your end-of-year virtual awards ceremony.
As always, if you have any questions or digital learning needs, please be sure to contact your Instructional Technology Specialist.
Zoom Immersive View
Here is an overview of the new feature:
Immersive View
- Recreate the feel of your class or conference room by placing video participants onto a single virtual background.
- Participants are automatically placed onto provided scenes, but the host can upload their own custom background and adjust the arrangements as needed.
- This requires client version 5.6.3 or higher and works best when using Virtual Background, but not required.
Read their blog at - https://blog.zoom.us/introducing-zoom-immersive-view/
You will need to update the Zoom app first in Self-Service and then you will need to activate it in the Zoom settings at https://episd-org.zoom.us
You can find all of the feature information by clicking here.
To enable the Immersive View feature for your own use:
- Sign in to the Zoom web portal at https://episd-org.zoom.us
- In the navigation menu, click Settings.
- In the Meeting tab under the In Meeting (Advanced) section, find the Immersive View option and verify that the setting is enabled.
Notes:
- If the setting is disabled, click the Status toggle to enable it. If a verification dialog appears, choose Turn On to verify the change.
You can use this view to organize your breakout groups, seating groups, or project groups. You can also use it in a presentation style with only two students showing in the Immersive View window.
Watch the below video below that will show you how this new feature works.
How will you use Immersive View? Tell us all about it at padlet.com
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.
Saving Schoology Courses
The video below will show you how to save your Schoology courses to the My Resources area.
If you have any questions, be sure to contact your Instructional Technology Specialist.
Microsoft Teams Reading Progress (Autumn 2021)
Coming in the Fall of 2021, Microsoft will be releasing a feature in MS Teams called, Reading Progress. If you've never used Microsoft Teams before, this may be the game-changing feature that will hook you into using this program.
With this feature you will be able to assign a class reading passage, or individual passages to differentiate for your class’ many levels. Students will record themselves reading the passages for fluency. The program will have an auto-detect feature that will look for coding errors and can automatically highlight them in the passage. You will also have the opportunity to look at the video recordings later and manually record the coding errors.
We can definitely see this programs successful use for ages K-5 as well as utilization for middle and high school fluency checks, special education and dyslexia support, and for building English skills for non-native speakers, both in English dominant areas and where it’s taught as world language. The sky's the limit!
You can read the blog review by Mike Tholfsen by clicking here, and you can also watch their introductory video below.
We can't wait for this feature to go live!
Scratch Week - May 17-23
This year, we’re transforming Scratch Day into Scratch Week: a global, virtual celebration of Scratch! We invite you to imagine, create, and share along with us in the Scratch online community during the week of May 17–23.
You can download and install Scratch on both the iPad and the MacBook by going to Self-Service. There are plenty of tutorials that students can use to learn and you can even print out the Scratch activity cards, or better yet, display them on your screen for student's to code with you ;)
Contact Julie Rivas at jlrivas@episd.org or Jesus Morales at jmmorale@episd.org if you have any questions.
Click on the following link to learn about Scratch week - https://sip.scratch.mit.edu/scratchweek/
Download a quick start guide below that will show you how to get started with Scratch Jr. and Scratch.
End of Year Virtual Awards Ceremony Template
If you'd like to add some music to your presentation, you can download Creative Commons music (non-copyrighted) from the YouTube Audio Library. You must be signed in to a Google account in order to access the music. Don't worry, your EPISD email and password can be used to sign in to everything Google (except Gmail).
Here's the link to the template - https://slidesmania.com/virtual-graduation-end-of-year-awards-using-google-slides-or-powerpoint/
While your there, check out the plethora of education templates this website has to offer.
Testing Season Round 2 - STAAR/EOC Online Testing Tips
May is a busy month for testing. In elementary we add 3rd and 5th to the mix and we obviously continue with our secondary testing. Below are tips to make this as easy and painless as possible.
We have created a list of tips for those of you whose students will be taking the online STAAR/EOC assessments.
1. All students in 3rd-12th grade taking an online test will need to download the ETS Testing browser app from the Self-Service app. Teachers must make sure their MacBook laptops are on the EPISD-SECURE WiFi network before they begin the installation. By default, many district-managed devices start off on the EPISD-Public-Access. Make sure students switch over to the EPISD-Secure network before starting. Students at home who will be coming to school to take the test must do the same once they arrive at class. Remember that they have never been on the district WiFi, especially on the EPISD-SECURE network. There is information below this section that will guide you in setting up the SECURE network on student devices. The app installation can take from 7-10 minutes depending on the speed of our network. Make sure to plan for it.
2. Guide students through the tutorials weeks before you take the test and have them practice taking the test at least two times for each subject so that they are aware of all the tools they have at their disposal. Practicing will make sure that their scores are based on their content knowledge more than their lack of understanding of the online testing environment. Do not wait until the day before the test to practice. Make that the third time they practice to ensure they are ready.
3. Be sure students charge their computers and shut them down before going to sleep the night before the test. As they shut them down using the Apple Menu, tell your students to uncheck the box that says, "Reopen windows when logging back in" so that the computer does not open any unnecessary programs or apps. The testing browser will not work if there are browsers and apps open like Chrome, Safari, MS Teams, Zoom, and Siri to name a few. You can tell if an app is open if you see a black or white dot under it. The only app that should be open is the Finder.
4. If you have to install the app the morning of testing, restart the computer as soon as you finish to see the testing app in the Launchpad (rocket icon). Make sure that students uncheck the box that says, "Reopen windows when logging back in" and once students log in to their computers, have them click on the WiFi icon at the top and switch to EPISD-SECURE.
5. The testing app will not work with Siri enabled. Go to System Preferences and click on Siri. If it is enabled, have students uncheck the box to disable it before trying to open the online testing app.
6. If the testing app security check comes up with any errors, have the student click on the question mark to see what needs to be done to make the connection secure.
***Remember that if there are any browsers or apps open in the background, students will not be allowed to enter the online testing environment. Check the Dock at the bottom. The only app that should have a black or white dot under them should be the Finder (blue and white face) app and the online testing app. To close an app, Secondary (right) click on the app icon and click on Quit to close the app completely.
Note: Student computers that have not been on campus and connected to the district's EPISD-Secure network might run updates when they restart the device after installing the testing app. These system updates can take up to 30-minutes so make sure you take care of the students in class days before testing so that you can focus on those students that have returned to school for the very first time since the start of the Coronavirus pandemic.
If you have issues with the testing app, or student login credentials for the testing app, be sure to immediately contact your Campus Testing Administrator/Coordinator. The Instructional Technology Specialists have no control over student devices or testing accounts.
MacBook Spring Cleaning
Promethean Support Tutorials
As always, you can contact your Instructional Technology Specialist if you have any questions.
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*** EPISD Digital Learning Resources and Updates Courses Hub
EPISD Schoology 101: Professional Development
Course Code - ZMB94-7NCS4
Macsimizing Your Mac - EPISD Teachers and Staff
Course Title: AL201: Macsimizing Your Mac Online Course - Spring 2021
Course #: 202747
Course Section #: 19524
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.
Macsimizing You 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.