Microsoft Stream for your streaming video

 It has been a while since I wrote about some of the different options we have for video streaming.  Click here if you want to take a look.  There have been some nice recent updates with one of the resources, Microsoft Stream.

Microsoft Stream is a video streaming service that we can upload our original content to.  Unlike YouTube, it is not a social media platform.  Videos may be uploaded and made available to our students or families.  They can even be downloaded.  Video access can also be personalized in the same way we are used to with YouTube.  They can also be embedded in websites and other applications.

This service is a part of our Microsoft Sharepoint Suite that our District subscribes to.  Every staff member has a Microsoft account, which uses the same login credentials as our Apple and Google accounts.  Many, but not all, of our staff have access to Microsoft applications such as Word, Powerpoint, and Excel.  For a number of reasons, they are not used nearly as often as our Google and Apple counterparts.

You check out Microsoft Stream by logging in at office.com on laptop or through the app on iPad, which may be found in Self Service.  The application has many similarities to the Clips app, which is often used on our iPads for video recording and editing.  A fundamental difference is in how videos are save to a cloud-based service called Sharepoint

Below is a quick infographic on how to create a streamed video.  
You may also upload one that has already been built.

Please reach out as you have more questions about Microsoft Stream - I can add answers to this post.

I look forward to learning about how you are trying it out, too.

Roster Server Classes for 23-24

 

Our Roster Server is now connected to Infinite Campus for the 23-24 school year.
I have classes built and synced daily for the resources below.

Please log in to your different teacher accounts and check to make see that these classes appear for you. 

If not, please submit a tech ticket and I will get them added right away.

(updated 08/21/23)

So, what does this mean?

You have a teacher account for many online resources to use with your classes and your students.  For some of them, with just a couple clicks I can build your classes and have the rosters updated daily to match Infinite Campus.  This tool is called our Roster Server.

As an example, I just got Google Classroom set up this past spring.  Feedback has been all thumbs up so far.  Your classes will be named whatever Infinite Campus shows, but you can change it to whatever you want without 'breaking" it.  You can also import assignments from a past year as you likely have already been doing.

How are Courses different than Classes?

In Infinite Campus Math 6 is the name of a Course.  Each section then is a Class.  

Let's say I add Math 6 to Google Classroom.  Then all 4 sections will show up on the teacher's portal and every student will automatically be enrolled in the class. 

What other questions do you have?  I will post more details here as I get questions.

Again, please let me know if your 2023-2024 classes to not appear.  I should be able to get them added right away.

Can more resources be added to our Roster Server?

 Yes! 

News-O-Matic is a new online non-fiction literacy resource intended mostly for upper elementary and middle school students that can easily integrate in ELA lessons.  It is free to our district since it was purchased by the AEA and it includes many remarkable built-in accessibility tools.  I have classes built already for most K-8 reading classes already and it is available for students already via ClassLink.  Try it out at this link using your school Google credentials. 

Google Classroom is a widely used Learning Management System used mostly by our middle and high school classrooms. If this is a part of your routine, I can build all of your classes with just a few clicks and save you some very valuable classroom time. Just let me know what classroom you would like built.  I have more details about this setup on another blog post at this link.

XtraMath is set up and ready to go for all students in grades K-4.  From ClassLink, students will not need to type in a password to log in.  They just tap and go.

This, however, is not true for some widely used items, such as Prodigy or EPIC... for now anyway.  I can't use Roster Server for these, but I may be able to save you some valuable time.  Please reach out if this fits you.

And more notes:

-I can set up  quick logins, called single sign-ons, for many online resources either through our students' ClassLink portal or Google panel.  Let's visit if you have a resource that may be a good fit.

-Quickcards for student ClassLink account logins are available via each teacher's portal.  These are widely used by our younger students for easy sign-on to online accounts.  Teachers:  Click here to log into your ClassLink account using your Google credentials.  Click on the Class Quickcards icon to find your class.  Print out on heavy cardstock, and maybe even laminate them. 

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Please reach out as you have questions or notice something out of place.  
I can have a nice overhead view of our account data, but can't always see what you see.

-BG

 

ShortCut: Create a QR Code

iPad, iPhone, and laptop all have a built-in versatile resource called Shortcuts that may be an easier option for you.   I will highlight some of the useful quick-wins of this app, beginning with Creating a QR Code.

Using Shortcuts to Make a QR Code:

Steps:
1. Open the Shortcuts application.  

2. Tap on All Shortcuts

Even if you have never opened the app, there are some 'starter' shortcuts, including Make QR Code

3. Tap on Make QR Code

4. Select which task you would like to accomplish.  Most of the time I use 'Open Website'.

4. Paste in the web address.

5. Now Save/Send your new qr code to wherever works for your application.  

I most often send mine to Photos, where it is saved as an image.

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You can select from a Gallery of other shortcuts in the upper left corner.  

Tap the "+" icon to add to your list. 

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BONUS nugget on information:

Did you know that you can 'scan' a qr code without using the Camera?

Try it out with this link:

Scenario - you open a print publication, such as a pdf document that includes a QR  Code.  If you tap and hold on the image a menu will pop up which includes opening the link in Safari.

Check out the Gallery for other Shortcuts that may be useful for you.

Please give me a heads-up about what you find.  I would like to know what works for you.

Google Classroom Rostering now available

 

Do you use Google Classroom as your Learning Management System?

If so, you can now have your classes automatically built, rostered, and also synced daily with Infinite Campus.  Your classes will appear as they do now, but filled already with students who are automatically enrolled.  This may save you some valuable preparation time during the school year.  

In Google Classroom:

- If a student leaves, you may may still manually remove them

-You may still manually add additional co-teachers as needed

-The class name will match what is in Infinite Campus.  You may change it as desired.

-You may import assignments from previous Google Classroom classes as you likely already do.

-You may still Archive classes once finished to get them off your Classroom dashboard. 

     

I just need a request from you to 'turn on' your classes.  They will  show up in your teacher management portal.  Please let me know if you would like a sneak preview of what this could look like for you this fall.

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Other notes:

- There is no district management of your classes.  It's still all in your hands.  

-Sorry, grades are not synced.  This would be true if we were using Canvas or Schoology.  

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You can import assignments from a previous Google Classroom using the following steps:

Select a single assignment or the entire previous course.  

Keep them in "Draft" form until you are ready to assign.

Please let me know as you have questions.

Classroom Audio Systems

 We continue to extend our widespread use of audio amplification systems in our classrooms. 
There are more than 40 classrooms across our District using a product sold by Lightspeed.

There are two styles of microphones in use, worn on a lanyard by the presenter.  Each of them uses rechargeable batteries that are rated for 8 hours on a full charge.  Like all rechargeable batteries, they only last so long before needing a replacement.   Please submit a Tech Help Ticket at this link if your charged microphone does not last for the entire school day.  Our older systems will likely need an update.  The replacement batteries are inexpensive, but do need to be ordered.  Please indicate which type of microphone you have.

There are 2 types of speakers available in our classrooms that the microphones connect to.  One is a portable "Redcat" system.  These are often mounted on a wall or sitting on a shelf in the classroom.  The other is installed in the ceiling, the "Topcat" system.   Where possible, they replace the old 'spaceship' speaker hanging from the ceiling.

These classroom units have been an integral part of many teachers' daily routine.  They provide a universal accessibility for all students by adding 'round' sound to the room, balancing a normal tone throughout the room and reducing the need for more volume... and the stress that goes with it.  This stress is two-fold:  the physical stress and fatigue on the teacher working to extend their voice in the room and the student stress of having a teacher using a loud voice much of the day.  It is a benefit for every student, including those who have learning barriers, both diagnosed and undiagnosed.

The audio systems in our district are manufactured by Lightspeed.  Click here to learn more.

Please reach out to me as you or your team would like to learn more.

iPadOS Update to 16.3 or higher

 If you have not updated your iPad to version 16.3 or 16.4, here are some changes to expect:

	This update is now available for all staff and student iPads. All GMS students should install the update right away.  16.3 (or higher) is needed before the upcoming ISASP testing window.
	Air Drop settings will look different.  Accepting drops from 'Everyone' will only be available for 10 minutes. This setting may be found by swiping down from the upper right corner of the screen. This change does not affect Apple Classroom functions.  As a teacher, you may have your staff email added to your students' Contacts.
	Keynote, Pages, and Numbers apps will now have a menu facelift that will look much more like what you see on the laptop version. There is no more "+" menu in the upper right corner to add features.  The categories are now at the top middle of your screen.
	Freeform, a new digital whiteboarding application, will be automatically included.  It includes a canvas that works well for visual collaboration and includes familiar features already found in Keynote, Pages, and Numbers.  These 'Boards' may be a nice alternative to the Notes app, especially where a thought process is not linear, such as a mind map.  All Boards may be exported as pdf files. Freeform is also available on laptop for those at version 13.1 (Ventura) or higher.

I use these applications daily and have enjoyed the ease of use from the update.  Please reach out as you or your team would like to learn more.  I would be happy to help.

Upgrading to MacOS Monterey

This summer, 2022,  Mindy, our tech director, would like to ask all of you to update your laptops to macOS Monterey 12.4.   (New teachers will receive their devices already updated and can disregard.)

Before running the update:

Verify that you are backing up to iCloud: 1. Open System Preferences 2. Click on Apple ID 3. Click on 'Password and Security'     (this will have you verify your password) 4. Click on 'iCloud'  5. Click on 'Options' (to the right of iCloud Drive)  6. Make sure the box next to 'Desktop and Documents' is checked.  The Downloads folder is not backed up, so if you want to save items from this folder drag them onto the Desktop or into your Documents folder.  Once verified, wait 24 hours with your device connected to wifi to make sure all files are backed up to iCloud.

Procedure for Updating to Monterey:

1. Open Finder 2. Click on Applications Folder 3. Find macOS Monterey Installer - double-click to launch. 4. Follow all the prompts to get the installer started such as clicking "Agree," "Continue," "Enter Admin password (again your computer password)" 5. Device may ask you to restart it or it may do it on its own.  6. When the device restarts it will be on the black screen with the Apple and progress bar for up to 45mins and this is normal. 7. You will know it is complete when it is back on the login screen and the background is purple and pink.   8. In order to print you will need to reinstall printers. The district will be installing new copiers this summer so if you are not planning to print for a while you can wait on reinstalling the copiers until the new ones arrive.

Reinstalling printers from Self Service: 1. Log into your device 2. Open Self Service application 3. Find the copier for your building and click install, wait while it installs. 4. If you want to get rid of the old printers go to System Preferences -> Printers-> click on the 'old' printer -> click on the ' - ' sign at the bottom right.  This will simplify the choices when you go to print.

Clearing History and Website Data on iPad

From Mindy Kostow, Director of Technology: 

As many teachers have expressed frustration in applications, including Prodigy, not loading on student iPads, Bill and I dug deeper into why this was happening. We eliminated it being a network issue on our end and we eliminated it being a ClassLink issue. We hope students continue to use ClassLink to access Prodigy as it stores the username and password for students. If you see that ClassLink has the student's previous login information, students can update their password locker. If you or your students need help, please email Bill and he is happy to help.

Solution: On the Prodigy support page I have found that Prodigy has made some changes on their end that have caused some known issues with their page loading.

Here is the fix:

Clear browsing History and Website data in Safari:

1. Double tap the home button and swipe out of Safari

2. Tap on Settings (gear icon)

3. On the left scroll down and tap on Safari

4. On the right side, scroll down and tap on Clear History and Website Data  

5. Restart the iPad by holding the power button until you see the message "Slide to power off" 

6. Tap the power button to turn it back on.
(or select 'Restart' if you have Assistive Touch already turned on) 

** DAVIS Teachers - please know that after these steps are completed, when students tap on Safari, they will have to log back into Gmail by typing their whole email address and password. They will also lose all of their open tabs.

Apple Translate

 With the most recent iPad update, there is an awesome new application, called Apple Translate. 
It is built-in, so you don't need to download or install anything special.

Apple Translate may be used to translate and speak:
    -a verbal conversation between speakers of different languages
    -a passage from a book or paper taken with the Camera app
    -text that is selected on a website or document on the iPad

Spoken passages with this app are more natural than any other speech-to-text reader I have seen.   
It's not perfect, but this may help you or your students overcome communication barriers in a quick and efficient way.

	While not perfect, Apple Translate can be used in a conversation between two speakers.  I have a simple conversation here with myself.  A simple tap on the microphone will let the iPad 'listen' to what is said and then repeat it  back in the desired language. Any part of the conversation may be played back by tapping on the text. Here, I posted a non-perfect conversation to show a more realistic version of how this may look for you.
	Extended text may be pasted or spoken with the Translation function. This text may also be spoken.  The built-in text-to-speech feature automatically uses the voice in that given language.  Here, it means that you will not hear Spanish language with an English voice.
	Apple Translate may also be used to scan text from a book, translate it to a desired language, and even have that text spoken in that language. To the left is a short video to show how this scanning feature works.   I have included screenshots below **This feature only works with 8th Generation and newer iPads or our iPad Pros.  Our current student devices are 7th Generation.**

Here are screenshots that you can use as a reference for using that scan/translate feature with a book:

This same Translate feature may be actually be used with any highlighted text on iPad,  such as a website or a document.

Click here to read more about using Apple Translate.

Click here for a review outlining some of the differences between Apple Translate and Google Translate.  

But wait, there's more:  To add accessibility for any reader - for any student that would benefit from text-to-speech for scanned, you can use the Translate application and set both languages to English.  A student can then listen/read a passage in a fairly natural text-to-speech language, rather than the robotic voice we have been used to.  

All of our student's are English Language Learners, no matter what their first language is.  Good use of resources like this can developmentally help all of our learners.   

Let me know if you would like to learn more about Apple Translate or would like to see a demonstration.

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Here is what the Translate feature looks like on your Mac laptop in Safari (if you have the latest operating system update)  You will get the nice conversational text-to-speech audio found above on iPad. 

If you select Speech -> Start Speaking, you will get the familiar robotic voice.

You can listen to selected text in English or another selected language:

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AND ... here is what the scan-to-text feature looks like within Google Translate:
(The text shown here is from a catalog)

  

Seesaw Blogging

 Any class in Seesaw can have a public class blog for students.  

This may be turned on in the teacher's class settings.

Click here to view a sample blog I created.  

-You will see that I added a simple password.  

- I also set it up so that student posts need to be teacher-approved before they can be added.

-Only items in this class may be posted  to the blog.  

	This is what a student sees when they have an  item to post to their blog.  It may be text, audio, video, or any combination.
	This is what it looks like when a student requests to post an item to their blog.  The teacher may approve or decline the request. Posted items may come from a studnent's Journal or Activities.  Activities are a part of the class lessons which are built by the teacher.
	Once approved by the teacher, here is what the student blog looks like.