Media Tech Updates - week of October 26

Mrs. Trowell's Tech Help Office Hours

I will no longer be available full time to assist with technology. Please note my Tech Help Office Hours: 

8:00am - 8:50am Tuesday - Thursday             10:00am - 10:50am Monday - Friday

I will be using these times to respond to tech related emails, texts, and heat tickets. The best way to get help with a device or internet issue is to submit a heat ticket (icon found on Rapid Identity). I will be checking these during Tech Office Hours and passing those I cannot solve onto tech services.  

Please direct parents to contact the help desk if they are having issues -  https://www.wcpss.net/GuidesToTechnology - scroll down to "Contact the Help Desk." Again, I will see the ticket and solve what I can and pass the others onto tech services.

If you are having a tech issue, this blog is a great starting place to quickly find information. You can either search topics or click on a label.  

I ask for your patience as I adjust to a new teaching schedule while continuing my responsibilities as tech contact.

Chromebooks for Plan B Students while in school

• Only students who are on the device list will have a Chromebook assigned for the week. 
• Borrowed Chromebooks and chargers stay at school.
• We will not be giving out Chromebooks at the last minute (ie. xxxx forgot his device today.) 
• Email me if there is student who needs a device at school. 
• Chromebooks for students who have requested a device while at school will be distributed on Monday between 8:30-9:00. 
• Borrowed Chromebooks need to placed outside your doors by Friday at 2:30. 
• Chromebooks will have a charger; both the device and charger will be labeled. 

BYOD

• Info for connecting wcpssguest
• Students who bring their own device need BYOD permission. I will be taking care of this.
• REMINDER: Only the student is allowed to touch his/her device. Staff members are not to touch students' personal devices. 

Smartboards

If your laptop is not connecting to your Smartboard, please let me know. We are ordering new HDMI cords.

Google Meet and Classroom features

https://bit.ly/31OidaL  Includes separate videos for student view and for teacher view.

I have not heard officially from WCPSS about using the new features (remember that they were pushed out to us from Google earlier than planned). Just know that they may still have bugs and are not yet fully reliable.

This and that from WCPSS (week of Aug. 17)

WCPSS Guide to Technology for students and families

https://bit.ly/WCPSStechguide

This can't be said too many times or loud enough- this guide has SO MUCH HELPFUL INFORMATION for your students and families! If you have not already, take a peek at the tabs - Getting Started and Digital Resources - to see step by step instructions you can share with families. This resource will save you a ton of time when assisting your students with their technology questions. 

Zscaler message 

If your student is receiving a message about signing into a security service, please share the info below with him/her.

Zscaler fix

What is Zscaler?

Trouble Logging onto Classroom or Meet

Is your student on a laptop or personal Chromebook and can sign in to Wake ID, but can’t get into Google Classroom, Google Meet or Google Drive?  Your student most likely needs to add another user to Chrome. Here's how - https://bit.ly/320caio

Family Link on personal Chromebooks

If you have a student with his/her own Chromebook and they are having difficulty accessing WCPSS applications, the parents have most likely set up the Chromebook using Family Link. Please share this information with them - Add a School Account for a Family Link user

Google updates (including Breakout Rooms)

Updates are coming!  I promise to share information as soon as I get it. How GSuites for Education works

Google Classroom tips

Underwood is using Google Classroom as our digital learning platform. Fortunately, most of our staff and students are familiar with this tool. Yea, teachers, for being ahead of the learning curve! 

If you are in the process of setting up and organizing your Classroom for the 2020-2021 school year, here video that may be helpful - 

How to Organize Google Classroom | Easy Tutorial  **If you are not familiar with Pocketful of Primary, she is a 4th grade teacher with excellent tutorials on YouTube. 

Some of my favorite tidbits...

• Archive old Classrooms. This will clean up yours and your students' dashboards. 
• Add students using their WCPSS email. This is a gamechanger...no more dealing with codes!
• Manage Stream - Allow or not allow students to create posts and/or comments. Hide or show assignment notifications. Adjusting these settings will keep the Stream less cluttered.
• Posting Classroom meetings as assignments. This will add Meets to students' To Do list and to their calendar. 

What are your favorite Classroom tips? Please share in the comments below. 

Google Meet for Underwood staff and students

Google Meet has become our new communication life line! Who had experience with this tool prior to March 13, 2020?  Not me! I had tried it out a couple times, but certainly not to the extent that we are using it now. 

At Underwood, staff members should be setting up their Meets (with students) through their Google Classroom and Meets (with staff members) through their Google Calendar. This will keep things simple for all of us, especially for students and families. Think about when it's time for specials and electives - to enter their special or elective, students will go to the teacher's Classroom and click on the Meet link. For example, I am going to my dance special. Where, do I go for dance? To Ms. Frasier's Dance Classroom.*

Here's a tutorial you can share with students and families - Joining a Google Meet through Google Classroom. Or, you could use this tutorial which is Underwood specific - Joining a Meet for a Special or Elective

Underwood's PRIDE matrix outlines expectations during Meets. WCPSS DLCs have also created Best Practice information. Keep in mind, this information is provided for all WCPSS; Underwood info may be slightly different so you will need to adapt the information to our school needs.

Google Meet Best Practices for teachers (This one offers multiple ways to join Meet. Underwood students will be joining meet through their Classroom.)

Meet Etiquette for Students

Best Practices for Teachers and Students

*Note - specialists will be adding all students to their Classrooms. When students go to their Google Classroom dashboard via Rapid Identity, they will see each special/elective, with an invitation to join the Classroom.