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.

_______________________________

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:

_______________________________________________________________

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.

 

3-D Printing with a purpose

 

Our students have access to many great tools for learning in the district.   This includes access to 3-D printers.   These printers have been in every building for demonstrations and student-designed projects.  They are also used for very practical applications that support the district in unique ways.

Here are some recent projects:

On the left is an Apple TV ceiling mount.  An Apple TV box will allow any teacher or student to wirelessly project  their iPad or laptop screen to a classroom projector or  TV.   In most classroom, these were set on top of the projector.  This design easily clips onto the rails of the suspended ceiling in the classroom, providing better connectivity and cutting the clutter on the projectors.   They have been installed in all middle school classrooms and will soon be installed in other buildings.   The printer materials cost for each is about $1.  A less durable version sells on Amazon for about $10.

In the middle is an important key that our custodial staff use.  It unlocks the toilet paper dispensers in the bathrooms.  The original keys have been known to either break or disappear easily, and is not something that can be found easily at the local hardware store.   These are a quick and durable replacement.

On the right is an iPad stand.  Our student iPad cases have integrated stands that hold the iPads nicely in a landscape, or wide, orientation.  There are some applications, such as the Osmo applications used in grades K-2, that only work in a  portrait, or tall, orientation.  These 3D printed stands are mounted on scrap wood which was cut out in the high school wood shop with the cnc router. 

Above is a replacement knob for a hot plate in the high school science lab, a perfect fit for the original, which disappeared many years ago.  This was designed by 9th grade student Ian Hammond. 

The 3D printers run most days for different types of projects.  One of them, a PRUSA purchased in 2019, has had more than 8 miles of filament run through it.  A roll of filament is relatively inexpensive, costing just over $20, and includes about 1000 feet of material.