Meet the Department of Technology & Innovation

On behalf of the entire Department of Technology & Innovation, I would like to welcome everyone back to school for the 2017–18 school year.

The district-level members of the Department of Technology & Innovation work throughout the summer and most of us consider the summer months our busiest time of year in terms of implementing, preparing, upgrading, and updating. However, when teachers and students return, we shift our focus to supporting and planning for the many systems we manage in learning, teaching, and operations across the district.

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce the entire Department of Technology & Innovation district-level staff. Below you will find the department listed in text, and the post concludes with an infographic-style image that depicts everyone in our group.

Instructional Technology

Joe Robinson, Director of Instructional Technology
Joann Fullman, Administrative Assistant

Shawndra Shelton, District Technology Assistant

Technology Support

Russ Vander Mey, Systems Administrator

Scott Moore, Network Operations Specialist

Mark Polzin, Technology Support Supervisor

District Technology Support Specialists

     Jason Bryant

     Justin Edge

      Kim Martinez

District Technology Support Technicians

      Josh Beatty

      Derrick Kovell

      Charlie Parkinson

District Technology Support Associates

      Adam Fajnor

      Kaitlyn Pankiewicz

Student Information

June Nilles, Director of Student Information

Saif Ali, Applications Software Administrator

Karen Jasonowicz, Central Registrar

Megan Polzin, Transportation Specialist

Violet Jackson, IC/Business Office Liaison
Andrew Solomon, Data Assistant

Yazmin Aceves, District Translator

Copy Center

Steve Underwood, Coordinator of Document Systems

Charles Wells, Copy Center Assistant

Department Leadership

Matt Fuller, Assistant Superintendent for Technology & Innovation

Hector Ontiveros, Technology & Innovation Department Coordinator

Infographic

Five Elements of a Perfect Tweet

The Barrington 220 response to using Twitter as a professional learning network (PLN) has exploded this school year!

Several schools have highlighted teachers using Twitter by adding posters or signs showing Twitter accounts outside of classrooms. Since more and more teachers are beginning to use Twitter regularly, I thought this would be a good time to review five elements of what makes the "perfect" tweet.

The perfect Twitter post has five key parts: the message, a hashtag, a tag, a link, and a photo or video.

The Message

Twitter is currently reviewing the number of characters allowed in a single tweet, but as of right now, you are allotted 140 characters per tweet. Therefore, word choice is a very important aspect of creating a tweet. Of the five elements, the most important aspect of a perfect tweet is the message.

The Hashtag

Hashtags serve as labels for tweets. Adding a hashtag allows others to search for and find your tweet. For example, adding the Barrington 220 hashtag #bsd220 to a tweet allows anyone searching for recent tweets from our district to find them easily. Searching the hashtag #sped would find tweets related to special education. Here is a list of educational hashtags as compiled by Jerry Blumengarten, @cybraryman1.

The Tag

Tagging someone in a post is like cc-ing (carbon-copying) them on email. It ensures that your tweet will trigger a notification for whomever you’ve tagged to see that tweet. Tagging someone with a tweet also allows those who are following you to learn about other accounts you might be connected with. For example, tagging @barrington220 in a tweet, would allow others to become aware of Barrington 220's Twitter account.

The Link

Most Twitter posts also include some sort of link. Examples of links include a resource, another person's post, or a link to a blog post. The link is the most optional of the five elements of the perfect tweet.

The Photo or Video

A really good tweet includes media. Adding a picture, video—or a GIF or Bitmoji—brings interest and intrigue to your tweet. Photos are great, but adding videos of 30 seconds or less allow followers to gain an even deeper understanding of your tweeted message. For example, this tweet, from Shilpa Vakayil, @shilpavakayil, shows a video of her class.

Fall 2017 Instructional Technology App Updates

We have several updates to share regarding software subscriptions and apps available for staff and students since our last update in August.

iOS and macOS Updates

Apple recently released new operating systems both for iPad and MacBook Air devices. 

iOS 11, the new operating system for our iPad devices, became available on Tuesday, September 19, 2017. You've most likely received onscreen prompts to upgrade. The upgrade is free and requires 50% battery, online access, and about 30–45 minutes of time to download and install. The iPad device is unusable during this time so we recommend completing the upgrade at home.

macOS High Sierra, the new operating system for our MacBook Air devices, became available Monday, September 25, 2017. If you haven't already, you will receive onscreen prompts to upgrade. The upgrade is free and requires 50% battery, online access, and about an hour of time to download and install. The MacBook Air device is unusable during this time so we recommend completing the upgrade at home.

For more information about when to upgrade recommendations, please take a look at the article, Upgrade Advice Part 3: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. 

Newly Available iOS Apps

As always, you can access lists of our Barrington 220 Apps (bit.ly/220apps) and Barrington 220 Subscriptions (bit.ly/220subscriptions)

Touchcast Studio is a creation-based iOS app that allows users to add overlays for video. It has been scoped for all students in Grades K–12.

Goodreads is a book recommendations app for iOS that offers Netflix-like algorithms to help students find books they might enjoy. The app also allows students to connect safely and recommend books to each other. It has been scoped for all students in Grades 3–8.

Post-It Plus is an iOS app that allows users to take photos to digitize existing Post-It Notes for organization, sharing, and saving. It has been scoped for all students in Grades 1–2.

Abode Spark Page is a creation-based iOS app designed to allow users to create their own images, graphics, and text. It has been scoped for all students in Grades 3–8.

Requests for access to new or existing software and apps can be made using the Software and App Request Form (bit.ly/220SARF)

Unblock Websites the Quick & Easy Way

I love hearing stories of teachers who find great, timely resources from their Twitter feeds. Occasionally, even the best laid plans for using a link to that perfect website go astray when that website is blocked for students.

We have an easy solution...make a request to have the website unblocked using a Google Form at this address: bit.ly/220unblock.

After you complete the Google Form, the Technology Department immediately reviews the request, unblocks the website (if appropriate for students), and communicates the unblock back to the requesting teacher.

You may request websites to be unblocked using the link above beginning today.

Upgrade Advice Part 3: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

One of the most often-asked questions we get in the Department of Technology & Innovation is whether or not to update (or upgrade) software when it’s released. This question applies both to district-issued Macs and iPads, as well as personal devices.

The Good

Our advice is to update your device when an update or upgrade is released. While the purpose of upgrades (e.g., iOS 10 to iOS 11) is generally to add new features, upgrades also often fix lingering issues from previous versions of software. Updates (e.g., iOS 11 to iOS 11.0.1) generally deliver bug fixes and/or security updates.

Often, a major upgrade is soon followed by an update to address major issues experienced by many users. A recent example of this happened when iOS 11 was released on September 19, 2017, and an update to iOS 11.0.1 was released just a week later on September 26, 2017. The update pop-up message explains that it "includes bug fixes and improvements for your iPhone and iPad."

The Bad and the Ugly

Unfortunately, sometimes updates or upgrades cause unintended problems. When these issues occur that affect Barrington 220, our Department of Technology & Innovation will send a message—usually an email from our System Administrator Russ Vander Mey—to all district users with our recommendation. These situations are rare.

The Bottom Line

With the exception of rare unintended consequences, we recommend to upgrade or update as soon as it’s convenient after the upgrade/update is released. Due to the time upgrades and updates often take to download and install, we recommend that you begin them when you know you will not need device access for around 30 minutes. We recommend that our students upgrade/update at home so no potential instructional time is lost at school waiting for downloads and installs.

The Barrington 220 tech support team is available to help you with updates and upgrades every school day. While in the district, simply call x. 1500 to speak with a Tech Support Associate.

Google Drive for Teams

When team members retire, take a leave or move on, it can be difficult to access important content saved to their personal Google Drive.  However, Google has released an excellent solution.

Google Team Drives are an excellent option for sharing important documents, folders, and other materials between team members. Simply create a team drive for your group, add members, and watch the shared contents grow. When files are moved to the Team Drive, the ownership of those files transfers to the team. This will eliminate the loss of files and the time consuming process of copying and sharing when staff members retire or move on. At this time Folders cannot be moved directly from an individual Google Drive to the team drive (without the assistance of a district Google Super Admin).

To access Google Team Drives, simply login to your Google account and navigate to Google Drive. You will find the Team Drives option in the upper left corner of your Google Drive Homepage.

Here are a few tips regarding Google Team Drive:

• When a folder is moved from a personal drive to a team drive, a copy is created and ownership is transferred to the team.  
• Any files shared individually within a folder moved to the Team Drive, retain rights to view, edit, etc.  
• Shared folders become property of the team and must be shared again from the team drive to ensure appropriate access.
• You may find files that you saved with the team in your "Shared with Me" and "Recent Locations"
• All files are deleted from "My Drive" and all other folder locations EXCEPT the Team Drive location.

Click Here for Team Drive instructions.

Click here for more information from Google.

Apps and Subscriptions Update

We have access to an incredible list of apps and subscriptions that enhance and supplement teaching and learning in Barrington 220.

In an effort to both inform and organize our current holdings, we need your help!

Please let us know if you, your grade level team, your department, or your school has access to apps or subscriptions in addition to these lists.

Barrington 220 iPad Apps (bit.ly/220apps)

Barrington 220 Subscriptions (bit.ly/220subscriptions)

If you find an app or subscription not present in our records, please let us know by completing this Google Form: Missing Software and Apps (bit.ly/220missingapps)

Apple Teacher for PDH Credit in 2017-18

Last school year, Apple introduced Apple Teacher, “a free professional learning program designed to support and celebrate educators using Apple products for teaching and learning” (adapted from apple.com/education). Teachers may learn and build skills on iPad and Mac that can be used in the classroom using a self-paced learning environment that provides tips, inspiration, news, and learning resources. Teachers can earn badges and an official Apple Teacher recognition.

Also last year, Barrington 220 created a method to allow teachers to earn official Professional Development Hour credits (PDHs, formerly known as CPDUs) that can be applied toward teaching certification renewal. Over 100 Barrington 220 teachers participated in this program for PDH credit already and many, many more earned Apple Teacher recognition without applying for PDHs.

In Barrington 220, we call our blended learning course Technology Integration Foundations for iPad and Mac. The online learning part of the course is the Apple Teacher program, comprised of online training sessions that can be completed over a period of time. The face-to-face part of the course is a meeting with a Barrington 220 facilitator and other teachers who have completed the training. During a one-hour final meeting, teachers share activities completed with students using the content learned in the online training modules.

iPad Online Activities
Each activity is credited 30 minutes:

• iPad
• Pages for iPad
• Keynote for iPad
• Numbers for iPad
• iMovie for iPad
• GarageBand for iPad
• Productivity with iPad
• Creativity with iPad

Mac Online Activities
Each activity is credited 30 minutes:

• Mac
• Pages for Mac
• Keynote for Mac
• Numbers for Mac
• iMovie for Mac
• GarageBand for Mac
• Productivity with Mac
• Creativity with Mac

Any teacher may sign up for and complete all or part of the Apple Teacher program and receive badges and/or Apple Teacher recognition from Apple.

Barrington 220 teachers can sign up for the Technology Integration Foundations for iPad and Mac course, which includes completing the Apple Teacher program, logging online hours, and attending a one-hour meeting. Teachers who successfully complete the Technology Integration Foundations for iPad and Mac may earn up to 10 Professional Development Hours (PDHs):

• Complete 8 Apple Teacher iPad online sessions (30 minutes each) and attend a one-hour meeting = 5 PDHs. 
• Complete 8 Apple Teacher Mac online sessions (30 minutes each) and attend a one-hour meeting = 5 PDHs.
• If you complete both the iPad and Mac online sessions and attend one one-hour meeting, you will earn 9 PDHs. 
• Participants who complete the iPad online sessions and attend a one-hour meeting, and later decide to complete the Mac online sessions and attend another one-hour meeting, can earn up to 10 PDHs.

Online Learning

Each online learning session delivered through the Apple Teacher program includes a multi-touch digital book that is downloaded from the iBooks Store. These books are written specifically for teachers and include ideas for using Apple apps and devices in the classroom.

Teachers demonstrate mastery by completing a summative evaluation at the end of each activity. Each successfully completed module results in the teacher earning a digital "badge." The successful completion of all eight digital badges in the iOS category also allows the teacher to earn an "Apple Teacher" recognition.

The summative quizzes at the end of each online session incude several types of questions, including multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, and drag-to-reorder questions. A few of the questions, especially in the productivity and creativity activities, suggest interesting ways of using apps in real-world situations.

This question presents potential uses for several iPad apps.

How to Earn PDHs in Barrington 220

Step 1: Sign up for the Apple Teacher program
Use your personal or Barrington 220 Apple ID to sign up for the Apple Teacher program.

Step 2: Log each of your Apple Teacher learning experiences
Sign in to log each module as you complete each digital badge.
(Educators outside of Barrington 220 may view a version of the non-interactive sign-in page here.)

Step 3: Sign up for one monthly face-to-face meeting
Using the log, sign up for one of the monthly face-to-face meetings with a Barrington 220 instructor and a group of your peers. Schedules meetings for 2017–18:

• Thursday, October 19, 2017, 3:00 – 4:00 pm, James Street Main Conference Room
• Thursday, November 16, 2017, 7:15 – 8:45 am, James Street Main Conference Room
• Thursday, December 14, 2017, 3:00 – 4:00 pm, James Street Engleking Room
• Thursday, January 25, 2018, 7:15 – 8:15 am, James Street Engleking Room
• Thursday, February 22, 2018, 3:00 – 4:00 pm, James Street Main Conference Room
• Thursday, March 22, 2018, 7:15 – 8:15 am, James Street Main Conference Room
• Thursday, April 19, 2018, 3:00 – 4:00 pm, James Street Main Conference Room
• Thursday, May 24, 2018, 7:15 – 8:15 am, James Street Main Conference Room

Step 4: Attend the face-to-face meeting
You may attend any face-to-face meeting after you have completed your online training to complete the course requirements to receive PDH credit.

Schoology Course

You may also sign up for the Barrington 220 Schoology course:

1. Log in to Schoology.
2. Select the Courses dropdown menu at the top.
3. Click on the Join link in the Courses dropdown.
4. Enter access code 8KCNX-48FV4
5. Click the Join button.

Future Opportunities

Whether you plan to only participate in the Apple Teacher program or also pursue PDH credit through the blended learning course, best of luck!

iOS 11 Improves iPad Classroom Workflow

Each fall, Apple releases a new operating system for iPad. the latest upgrade to iOS 11 includes several features to improve classroom workflow and day-to-day teaching and learning tasks.

Screen Recording

iOS 11 comes complete with options for you to record your screen. This is a game changer. Previously, you had plug your iPad physically into your MacBook Air, use QuickTime, and save your recordings to your laptop. To activate screen recording, add the feature to Control Center by going to Settings > Control Center > Customize Controls, and enable Screen Recording. Then, from your iPad device, bring up the Control Center and tap the recording button to record your screen. When you’re finished, simply go back to the Control Center and press the record button to stop. The video will automatically be saved to your camera roll.

Annotating Screenshots

Another game changer in iOS 11 is the ability to annotate and send out screenshots directly from your screen, without accessing the camera roll. To take a screenshot simply press both the sleep/wake and the home button at the same time. Before iOS 11, the screenshot would automatically be added to your camera roll. However, in iOS 11, the screenshot is added to the lower-left side of your screen where you can tap it and use the on-screen tools to draw, add text, highlight, and share it.

Scanning QR Codes with the Camera App

In iOS 11, no special app is needed to view QR Codes. Just use the camera app and it will detect a QR code automatically.

Scanning Documents with the Notes App

Another app you can scrap is your document scanner. In iOS 11, the Notes app allows for scanning documents. You can then share the Notes document to any other app on your iPad device (or share with another user).

An Expanded Dock

iOS 11 includes an expanded dock. The dock will now hold 13 apps or folders, rather than 6 in iOS 10. The dock also includes your three most recently used apps. Maintaining the dock with the most frequently used apps is a great workflow for multitasking.

These changes allow for more robust use of the iPad device. If you've found more helpful workflows and updates in iOS 11, please let me know at jjrobinson@barrington220.org, or add them in the Comments section below.

A more in-depth look at iOS 11 on iPad is available here.