IT Matters
Fall 2016
Welcome!
MassCUE 2016
Congratulations to Tracy McGarry, Jen Skowronek and Kim Zajac for presenting a session entitled, "SPEDucational Tech." We have many staff members across our District doing great things with tech who should consider presenting at MassCUE next year. Reach out to Tracy, Jen, Kim or Karen for insight regarding being a conference presenter.
One of the major take-aways from the conference is that we need more time to explore resources together. Maybe to try out an online tool or app during a staff meeting. Talk with colleagues about how it could be used to support curriculum. Invite Karen to a department, team or PLC meeting if you want to give it a try!
Below are some resources collected during the conference that you may find valuable.
Github--open source coding community
Google Keep as an organizational tool
Connect Safely--educate yourself, your students and their families
Many of our attendees took notes in Google Docs. Please visit the MassCUE collaborative notes folder that can be accessed and explored by any staff member. Feel free to make a copy of any of the documents in this folder.
Special thanks to everyone for their support of my MassCUE Pathfinder Award. It's an honor to work in Norton and with all of you.

Tech Department Updates
SchoolDude Requests
- I locked myself out of SchoolBrains by entering the wrong password too many times.
- I lost my laptop power cord. I think I left it in my room with the computers that were removed. Did you find one?
- I was transferred to the MS and I need to be connected to the email list.
- Would like help hooking up and setting up my laptop/projector/speakers. There are a lot of cords, lot of hook-ups, and I'm not sure if all of them are necessary. Any that are not necessary, I would like them removed. I would like to be in the room when this is completed.
- Cannot connect projector. Need it for class ASAP
- 3 students need to have passwords reset
- Can't print. I send things to the printer, but they are not there on the printer. On my computer it says they are pending
- The mousepad on my school computer is operating on its own. It is difficult when I am trying to click on commands because I am in a tug of war. I don't know what is wrong with the mousepad but it's making my life miserable.
- The 3rd computer facing the outside wall near the door is saying a disk boot error. We also need to have a new keyboard as the one that is there sticks. It is on the table.
- The screen on our projector flickers. It is Powerlite 470 epson projector.
- Files have been wiped out. Please assist asap.
- When I am on internet and want to send an email to someone directly from internet my outlook opens up instead of google mail.
- My pen for the Bright Link is not working. I replaced the batteries last month too. The green light is lighting up though. It is a pretty old pen that is literally held together with tape.
- I'm unable to down load and then print...my people have looked at it, and we can't figure it out.
- I googled it and fixed it! I'm so proud!!!!
If you are unable to access SchoolDude, visit the District Technology page first for help. There's a video posted to walk you through the process of creating an account. If this doesn't work, check with your building TTL before sending an email to Paul, Nick and Karen.
SchoolBrains
The program continues to evolve as suggestions are made by staff and are passed on to the company. We have submitted 326 support tickets since we first adopted the program last year. There are currently 10 open or pending tickets which include feature requests for the gradebook and community portal.
For High School and Middle School staff, this second year of grading in SB should go smoother than the first. If you have questions, comments, or need support, please reach out to your building TTLs, Chris Gale or Chris Cummings, who are there to help. Special thanks to the guidance staff in both buildings and Melissa Thomson at NHS for their efforts addressing all things SchoolBrains!
This is the first year that the elementary staff is utilizing SchoolBrains for the standards based report cards. Last year, attendance only was taken in SchoolBrains in grades K-5. Pamela Anderson from Jen O'Neill's office was instrumental in getting all of the standards for each grade level in the system. Training was provided at each building and individual support has been provided by Karen and building TTLs. There were a few glitches with printing but overall the first go around was a positive process for staff. Thank you!
Google Apps for Education (GAFE) is Now G-Suite
We created Google Apps to help people everywhere work and innovate together, so organizations can move faster and achieve more. On September 29, 2016, we introduced a new name that better reflects this mission: G Suite. The new name and logo will appear in the Google Admin console, online help, and email notifications. G Suite is still the same all-in-one solution that you use every day, with the same powerful tools like Gmail, Docs, Drive, and Calendar.
It's hard to believe we've only been a Google District for just over a year. We are still learning how to best use the tools to support our work in Norton but based on the following statistics, I think we're well on our way.
Google Training Resources
Online Resources for Staff
A few favorite websites that have a wealth of resources for teachers.
IFTTT Check out If This Then That! IFTTT is a free web-based tool that helps users automate online services by creating connections. The "This" in IFTTT stands for the trigger while the "That" stands for an action. My favorite is "Tweet Your Instagrams as native photos on Twitter." No more Instagram pics as links! Sign up today and check it out! | Edpuzzle Use video to enhance your instruction through Edpuzzle. Trim and take only the part that you need, record your voice to make it more personal or embed questions to hold your students accountable during the video. Great tool that many of our staff are already raving about! | Skype in the Classroom Connect with other students and educators from around the world through Skype in the Classroom. Mystery Skype has taken off at the elementary level. Why not participate in the Skype-a-Thon on November 29th and 30th?! How about connecting with an expert through a virtual guest speaker? Sign up for a Skype account today! |
IFTTT
Edpuzzle
Skype in the Classroom
Tech Pic of the Month!
Real Time Voting Results

Have a Tech Pic to Share?
Upcoming Events
EdCampSEMass-at NMS on Dec. 3rd. Free participant driven PD! Great prizes! Still time to sign up and join educators from across the region!
Holiday Card Exchange-December
Hour of Code -December 5th-11th
Global School Net--Ongoing
Please reach out to your building TTL or Karen if you'd like to participate in any of these events!
Tech Committee Meeting
Wednesday, Dec. 7th, 3:45-4:45pm
64 West Main Street
Norton, MA

































