Secure Your Logitech Crayon in the iPad Case

Now that we have finalized our iPad swaps at all buildings, a few users have noted that, depending on how the Logitech Crayon is placed in the compartment in the case, it can have the tendency to fall out.

However, there is an easy way to store the Logitech Crayon so it remains secure at all times:

• Place the Logitech Crayon button-side down.
• Point the tip of the Logitech Crayon toward the volume buttons.
• Slide it all the way to end so the tip is as close to the buttons as possible.

In case your students have not yet discovered this "secret," please download and post this PDF and hang it in a location it will be seen by students.

Give Students Safe, Interactive YouTube Access with Edpuzzle

YouTube is full of amazing learning videos—but letting students roam unconstrained can lead to distraction or off-topic content. Our Social Media Awareness and Digital Citizenship Guidelines now require the use of Edpuzzle for teachers to assign specific YouTube videos to students.

Edpuzzle provides a simple process: you choose the video, embed checks for understanding, and let students safely explore via Student Projects. Here’s how to do it.

Install and use the Edpuzzle Chrome Extension to make sharing links super easy:

1. In Chrome, go to the Chrome Web Store and install the Edpuzzle extension.
2. Navigate to any YouTube video you wish to use. Click the Edpuzzle icon under the video.
3. Save the video. It’s now in your Edpuzzle library. You can share the link with students.

Use Student Projects for Safe YouTube Search for Students

1. In Edpuzzle, go to Add New in the top left-hand corner and then select New Student Project.
2. Create the project and Save and assign to give students access. You can share the link with students.

You can find more support for using Edpuzzle on Barrington 220's Digital Learning Hub for staff under the Edpuzzle heading.

New App Replacing Co:Writer and Snap & Read Coming Soon

Key's Quick Tips are brought to you by Kelly Key, Barrington 220's Assistive Technology Coordinator

Apple's New Operating Systems

Get ready for the newest operating systems for your iPhone, iPad, and Mac! Apple has released iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS Tahoe 26, bringing a big redesign and powerful new tools to your devices. The biggest change you'll notice right away is the new look, called Liquid Glass. This new design makes icons, menus, and controls look translucent and fluid—like actual glass—giving your screen a fresh, modern, and consistent feel across all your Apple products. Whether you're working on a school project on your Mac or studying on your iPad, the experience feels more connected than ever before.

You might be wondering why the names jumped from versions to iOS 26. Apple made this change to simplify and bring consistency to their entire family of operating systems. Before, each product's software had a different version number (like iOS 18, macOS 15, and watchOS 12), which could be confusing. By switching to a year-based naming system (the last two digits of the year 2026), it's now much easier to know which software is the most current and to understand that all devices—iPhone, iPad, Mac, and more—are getting a yearly update at the same time. This new naming makes tracking the latest tech updates easier.

Initial testing by some Barrington 220 users has confirmed that macOS 26 is running smoothly with no noticeable conflicts. We will soon be making macOS 26 available for everyone and encourage you to upgrade as soon as possible. If you're still on macOS 15 and don't have access to macOS 26 yet, please update to the latest version of macOS 15 necessary to ensure you have the latest security updates. 

Finally, since Apple has removed access to older versions of iOS and iPadOS, we strongly encourage you to update your iPads and any work or personal iPhone—upgrading is the only way to take advantage of the latest features and essential security protection.

B Here. B Now. B Engaged.

B Here, B Now, B Engaged is Barrington 220's initiative to minimize non-academic device use during class time, promoting engagement, learning, and well-being.

These guidelines were generated by the Social Media & Digital Citizenship (SMADC) Advisory Committee, which represents a cross-functional group of stakeholders in the Barrington 220 community. These guidelines represent a full year of research, community engagement, focus group data analysis, and district and building administrator feedback. With lawmakers in Springfield considering a ban on cellphone usage in classrooms across Illinois, Barrington 220 is ahead of the curve in enacting these guidelines now ahead of the 2025-2026 school year.

Expectations across District 220:

• Personal devices brought to school must remain powered off and out of sight.
• Elementary schools: This applies to the entire day.
• Middle schools: This applies to all instructional periods. There will be an opportunity to use devices at lunch.
• High school: During instructional time, devices must be powered off and stored out of sight in designated phone storage locations/lockers in all academic and support settings as directed by classroom teachers. They can be used during non-class time (e.g., before school, lunch, passing periods, after school).
• Devices are not to be used in restrooms or locker/changing rooms. 

School Day Expectations (this includes recess, lunch, school buses, and other school environments).

Discover Magazines in Sora!

This article was contributed by guest newsletter author Pam Meiser, Teacher Librarian at Rose Elementary School.

Notebook LM - IYKYK...

Notebook LM. It's a digital notebook that leverages AI to support student learning in transformational ways. Imagine a notebook that doesn’t just store your files and notes, it reads them, makes sense of them, allows you to ask deeper questions. In addition, it produces podcasts, mind maps, study guides, and video summaries, flashcards, quizzes too! Maybe best of all, it only uses content added to the notebook.

Using the example that we're preparing for AP US History, we can upload PDFs, Google Docs, Google Slideshows, links, Edpuzzle videos, and more into our notebook.

Using this notebook, we can ask questions and have them answered with links to the source materials! We can create Audio Overviews, podcast-style reviews with AI-generated voices talking like it's a real podcast to review the materials added to the course. We can study using Mind Maps (interactive visualizations of the information), Study Guides, Flash cards, and Quizzes. We can even create videos summarizing the information. And, these materials are customizable for length, tone, language, format, and accept prompting.

You can even create the notebooks and share them with students.

Please let me know if you're using this amazing tool with students. Email me at jjrobinson@barrington220.org.

Let's Try It! Help Us Build a Spatial Video Library for Apple Vision Pro

Barrington 220 is exploring the power of Apple's Apple Vision Pro device (AVP) to transform teaching and learning. The Apple Vision Pro is Apple’s new spatial computer that blends digital content with the physical world. Unlike traditional screens, it allows users to interact with apps, media, and experiences in a fully immersive, three-dimensional environment.

As part of our Apple Vision Pro investigation, a program officially sponsored by Apple, we’re working to identify educational experiences that are amplified by the use of this technology. One key focus is building a repository of spatial videos that transport learners into historically and culturally significant places.

Here's how you can help! 

We’re asking our community to capture spatial video at locations of historical or cultural importance. Imagine students stepping inside places like:

• Salem, Massachusetts to provide background for students reading "The Crucible"
• Civil rights landmarks in the South for students learning about civil rights
• Art museums abroad for students in our art classes
• Scenes while traveling to provide cultural perspective for social studies and world language classes

These immersive videos will allow students to experience places they may never physically visit, creating powerful opportunities for authentic learning.

If you are visiting an interesting place that potentially connects with the Barrington 220 curriculum, and if you have an iPhone that can capture Spatial Video, please contact jjrobinson@barrington220.org

iPhones that can capture Spatial video:

• iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max
• iPhone 16 and 16 Plus
• iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max

Attention BHS Teachers! 

We’re also looking for BHS teachers who would like to try an Apple Vision Pro demo firsthand. Experiencing the device is the best way to understand its potential for instruction and student engagement.

If you’re interested in scheduling a demo, please reach out to Joe Robinson, Director of Innovation. jjrobinson@barrington220.org