EXPOSED: A Real-Life Spear Phishing Attack!

In Barrington 220 we have recently been experiencing spear phishing attacks, cybersecurity attacks that are “targeted at a specific individual or department within an organization that appears to be from a trusted source” (KnowBe4, 2020). We continue to use systems to identify and block various types of email-based attacks, but spear phishing is among most difficult to identify using automated systems because they take the form of emails between individuals and most often use standard systems such as Gmail to initiate the attacks. Unless reported, many spear phishing attacks look like typical email exchanges to our systems.

The type of phishing attack we have been experiencing is defined as CEO fraud, “a scam in which cybercriminals spoof company email accounts and impersonate executives to try and fool an employee” (KnowBe4, 2020). In our case as a school district, attackers have masqueraded as principals and other administrators since we don’t generally have CEOs in education.

We are working hard in the Department of Technology and Innovation to prevent attacks through systems, mitigate the attacks that do occur, and most importantly, provide training to prevent cyberattacks from moving forward. When I decided to become a teacher back in the early 1990s, I fully expected my career to include regular and continuous professional development, but I never expected Cybersecurity Awareness to be among the topics for which I would get training! Unfortunately, our current world includes these types of attacks not just in education, but in nearly every organization and industry.

Thankfully, the most recent Barrington 220 attacks were mostly unsuccessful because our employees noticed the signs of an attack and did not follow the requests of the attacker—but time was lost in dealing with these issues. However, one attack did yield what I would call a “textbook case” of CEO Fraud that I will take great delight in sharing here to hopefully thwart future cyberattacks of this nature from occurring again.

Here’s how the situation went down—but first, some context. This particular attack occurred among many staff members at three schools simultaneously. In this example, all names have been changed to ensure anonymity. I have changed the principal's name to "Pat Principal," and the staff member's name to "Sam Staff," but real names were used in the attack.

Before the attack, the attacker did some homework and made some preparations: they used the district website to research our schools, found the name of the school's principal, and then used the online directory to find as many school staff member email addresses as possible. The attacker then went to gmail.com and created the email account patprincipal@gmail.com to impersonate the principal (they used the principal's real name to make the attack as believable as possible). The attacker also had a set of emails written with a story that would unfold over several messages, a story they have likely used hundreds of times before.

The first part of the attack was for the perpetrator to log in to the fake patprincipal@gmail.com they had just created and send a simple email to each of the school emails they had collected:

EMAIL FROM ATTACKER

From: Pat Principal <patprincipal@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Feb 17, 2020 at 5:51 AM
To: Sam Staff <sstaff@barrington220.org>

Are you available?

Then the attacker waited for potential victims to respond. As with all attacks, there will be “red flags” which will be highlighted here.

RED FLAGS

• The address is NOT a district email address ending in @barrington220.org, and it does not follow the district email account format (it uses the full staff member's name).
• The attacker wasn’t aware that they were attacking a school on Presidents’ Day—a day that school is usually not in session in the United States. While not all attacks strike on a non-school day, this one did and added this additional red flag.
• The attack began at 5:51 AM, a somewhat unlikely time for a principal to be emailing staff members, especially with the request that will ensue.

POTENTIAL VICTIM'S RESPONSE

From: Sam Staff <sstaff@barrington220.org>
Date: Mon, Feb 17, 2020 at 7:35 AM
To: Pat Principal <patprincipal@gmail.com>

Good morning Pat, am I available to do what?

Although the attacker emailed most of the school's staff, they only needed one (or more) potential victims to respond. The attacker continued just five minutes later...

EMAIL FROM ATTACKER

From: Pat Principal <patprincipal@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Feb 17, 2020 at 7:40 AM
To: Sam Staff <sstaff@barrington220.org>

I'm in a meeting right now that's why i'm contacting you through here. I should have call you instead of mailing you but phones are not allowed to be use during meeting. I don't know when the meeting will be rounding up and i want you to help me out on something very important right away,can you?

Now the attacker goes to work to attempt to get the potential victim to do something: give them a username or password, ask them to download something to get control of a computer system, or in this case, try to get money or another form of payment.

RED FLAGS

• It took the potential victim over an hour to respond, but the attacker ignored that and responded just five minutes later and went on with the ruse.
• The email is written in non-standard English. Notice that “i’m” and “i” are not capitalized and a few expressions are not quite right—“i’m contacting you through here,” “I should have call you instead of mailing,” “phones are not allowed to be use during meeting,” “when the meeting will be rounding up.”
• The context of the email is also questionable—the principal is in a meeting at 7:40 AM on a non-school day and phones are not allowed to be used.

The attacker still has not revealed the actual attack. They are continuing to build trust through multiple email exchanges.

POTENTIAL VICTIM'S RESPONSE

From: Sam Staff <sstaff@barrington220.org>
Date: Mon, Feb 17, 2020 at 7:54 AM
To: Pat Principal <patprincipal@gmail.com>

Yes, of course

This is likely the response the attacker was hoping to get. Now the attacker will reveal the real purpose of the attack.

EMAIL FROM ATTACKER

From: Pat Principal <patprincipal@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Feb 17, 2020 at 7:55 AM
To: Sam Staff <sstaff@barrington220.org>

Can you help me get a Amazon gift card from the store right now? I will surely REIMBURSE you back today once I'm done with the meeting.

So now we know what the attacker wants: cash through a gift card. Notice they are using another tactic to convey trust—they will “surely REIMBURSE you back today.” The attacker must believe that capitalizing REIMBURSE somehow makes the unlikely request more plausible. They also have not yet specifically revealed the exact request, making another email exchange necessary to further build trust.

RED FLAGS

• Again, the email message contains minor language usage issues.
• The attacker creates urgency using the phrase “right now.”
• The attacker, posing as the principal, is asking a staff member to purchase a gift card before 8AM on Presidents’ Day. 

This situation is highly unusual already, but there’s more to come.

POTENTIAL VICTIM'S RESPONSE

From: Sam Staff <sstaff@barrington220.org>
Date: Mon, Feb 17, 2020 at 7:59 AM
To: Pat Principal <patprincipal@gmail.com>

How much money do you want to spend? Should I bring it to you?

The attacker must believe that they have the spear phishing victim on the hook. The attack continues...

EMAIL FROM ATTACKER

From: Pat Principal <patprincipal@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Feb 17, 2020 at 8:01 AM
To: Sam Staff <sstaff@barrington220.org>

Thanks. The amount i want is $100 in seven (7) pieces so that will make it a total of $700 l'll be reimbursing back to you. I need physical cards which you are going to get from the store. When you get them just scratch it take a picture of them and send it to me here ok. Let me know if you can help me with that amount right away plus I will get the cards from you after the meeting but i need the pictures first

$700?! Seriously?! The message reads like a ransom note, even though the attacker has nothing to bargain. The attacker is hoping that they have built enough trust over the last seven exchanges to get the potential victim to buy the gift cards, scratch off the codes (making a gift card as good as cash), and send the photos so they can be immediately redeemed. Nice touch to add that they will get the cards in person after the meeting...on Presidents’ Day when school is not in session.

RED FLAGS

• The attacker is asking for $700 to be sent in gift cards. That’s a big red flag.
• The language used in the message continues to be non-standard English with lowercase “i,” misused expressions, and improper punctuation throughout.
• The attacker also continues the urgency angle, saying they need the gift cards “right away.”
• They remind the potential victim that they will get reimbursed.

This is the point in the story where the potential victim stops responding. Kudos to the staff member who did not take the bait. However, the attacker still wasn’t finished. They sent two more follow-up emails:

EMAIL FROM ATTACKER

From: Pat Principal <patprincipal@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Feb 17, 2020 at 8:17 AM
To: Sam Staff <sstaff@barrington220.org>

Have you gotten them?

EMAIL FROM ATTACKER

From: Pat Principal <patprincipal@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Feb 17, 2020 at 9:49 AM
To: Sam Staff <sstaff@barrington220.org>

Have you gotten them?

Luckily, this potential attack did not get carried out, but it did go on for nine email exchanges. To be fair, this school had not yet had their formal Security Awareness training, but the staff member still realized that the request was not right.

This spear phishing attempt, and others like it, prey on a school staff member’s willingness to be helpful and to work with their supervisor or other school leader. After all, most of us entered the education profession to be helpful and positively impact the lives of others. The attacker here tried many tactics to turn these attributes against the potential victim, but ultimately failed. These types of cybersecurity attacks are on the rise, but we can work together to avoid them.

If you believe you are involved in a potential cyberattack, you have several options:

• Contact the Barrington 220 Tech Support team at x.1500.
• Check with the administrator allegedly sending the email in person, via @barrington220.org email, or using a Barrington 220 phone extension. Do not reply to a questionable email or call a phone number listed in a questionable email. In general, Barrington 220 administrators will NEVER ask you to make mysterious purchases with your own cash or credit card, EVER.
• Use the Report Phishing feature in Gmail. The Barrington 220 Tech Team system administrator, Russ Vander Mey, receives these alerts immediately:

We take these threats very seriously and usually go to work to mitigate an attack within moments of receiving an alert.

Now that you have seen this actual attack, I sincerely hope that you will notice the signs of other similar attacks as early as possible. Please help us help everyone in the district by always reporting cybersecurity attacks so we can stop them.

Key's Quick Tips: Create Word Banks with Word Bank Universal

Key's Quick Tips are provided by Kelly Key, Assistive Technology Coordinator for Barrington 220. 

Each month, Kelly Key features a tool to support our students, including a short video demonstration. This month, a new tool called Word Bank Universal is highlighted.




Word Bank Universal allows you to create word banks in seconds. Students can use the word banks to help with writing, vocabulary, spelling, comprehension, and recall. Once you make a word bank, you can click on a word in the bank to insert it into the document, or hover over a word to hear it read out loud.

You can create a word bank by typing in a topic, or visit a website and it will create a word bank from the words on the site!

Check out this short video demo:



Click here for the Quick Card

Currently, Word Bank Universal is only available in the Chrome web browser on your computer. You can project it from your computer in your classroom, or take a screenshot and share it with a student.

Get Word Bank Universal

• Open the Chrome web browser, go to the Chrome Store, search Word Bank Universal. 
• Click Add to Chrome, sign in with your district Google account. 
• The icon will be added to your Chrome toolbar. Click on it to use it!

Additional Features:










Please contact me with any questions! kkey@barrington220.org

Google Tips from Barrington 220 Staff Members

In the most recent Share Your Best feature, Barrington 220 staff were asked to share their best (#220ShareYourBest) productivity tip using G Suite (Google Drive, Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides, or another Google app or service). Two staff members answered the call!

Jeanine Stark, Executive Assistant to the Superintendent at the Administrative Center, knows a thing or two about juggling calendars. Jeanine shared some very useful keyboard shortcuts in Google Calendar:

When in Google Calendar, press M to view the month, W to view the week, and D to view the day. Press T to see today in any view. Depending on your current view, press N for the next day, week, or month; or press P for the previous day, week, or month.

Denise Kolb, Library/Technology Assistant at Barbara Rose Elementary, shared TWO great tips this month!

Workspaces in Google Drive

You can use the new Workspaces feature in Google Drive to compile a collection of Docs from multiple folders that pertain to a topic or theme. For example, you can create a January Workspace and include lesson plans from a math, science, writing or other folder. Once January is over, you can hide the Workspace until next year when you need it again. To create a Workspace:
1. On your computer, go to drive.google.com
2. At the left, click Priority.
3. Under Workspaces, click Create Workspace.
4. Enter a name for the Workspace and click Create.

Logic in Google Forms

Use branching logic in Google Forms to send the responder to different questions based on their answers to certain questions. This saves the responder time by allowing them to skip questions that aren’t relevant to them. 

These two staff members will each receive a highly sought-after #bsd220tech prize for sharing their ideas with you.

For the next issue, please Share Your Best tip or use you have discovered that you or your students use from the Accessibility settings in the Settings app. The tip/use may or may not address a disability since so many useful features are available in Accessibility.

bit.ly/220shareyourbest

Reading for School or Pleasure: Sora App for eBooks and Audiobooks 24/7

This article is a guest post by Barrington High School Teacher Librarians Janet Anderson and Jennifer Walsh.

---

Accessing books has never been easier!

SORA, (by OverDrive) is a platform that enables you to access a wide variety of eBooks and audiobooks from any mobile device or laptop.

The app allows you to download books onto your phone and mobile device in seconds, then play and use anywhere.

Listen on your way to work, in the gym, or send the sequel to your Kindle at the moment you finished that amazing great book.

Please click here to visit a special Smore webpage to read and learn about more features of SORA.

Download SORA on:

• Apple App Store (iPad or iPhone)
• Google Play (Android)
• Website

Learn more about SORA

Research and Recommendations on Screen Time in Barrington 220

This article is written for teachers, parents, and community members to increase understanding about the differences between "screen time" and school uses of technology devices. Originally written in 2016, the article has been updated in March 2020.

---

Research and Recommendations on Screen Time in Barrington 220

For more than twenty years, I have served in some capacity as a district-level educational technology leader in school districts. Keeping current with research and best practices in the area of educational technology has not only been among my top priorities, but intersects more and more with all aspects of education. “Educational technology” and “education” are no longer the separate topics they once were as schools and districts like Barrington 220 continue to implement 1:1 technology device programs to improve opportunities for learning and teaching.

I have observed that the topic of technology use in and out of school has often caused a great deal of debate and consternation. While technology device use rises among Americans, the media increases coverage on the topic. The term “screen time” is the current shorthand for “technology use.” Internet users can search “screen time” in their favorite news service to find millions of matches for the term. At the time of this writing (March 2020), Google News returns over 700 million “screen time” results. Some examples include:

• This is your child's brain on books: Scans show benefit of reading vs. screen time (CNN Health, 2020)
• Secondhand screen time may be just as dangerous as secondhand smoking (Fast Company, 2020)
• Too much screen time for toddlers may lead to unhealthy behaviors growing up, study says (USA Today, 2020)
• Most Children Exceed Recommended Screen Time, Study Finds (US News & World Report, 2019)
• Is Screen Time Really Bad for Kids? (New York Times Magazine, 2019)

Almost overwhelmingly, the topics in these headlines indicate that screen time is bad, or that screen time relates or leads to something that might potentially be bad. Digging deeper into these examples—often by simply reading the story—the situation isn’t quite as black-and-white as the headlines imply. Many articles assume that all screen time is the same, or worse, the author has never considered the idea that device use might vary from situation to situation. At least four different types of screen time exist (Common Sense Media, 2020):

• Passive consumption (watch TV, listen to music)
• Interactive consumption (play games, browse the web)
• Communication (use social media, video chat)
• Content creation (write, create art, make videos, compose music)

I would contend that at least one screen time category is missing from the list: School assignments and homework. I have had conversations with well-meaning parents who feel they must meticulously count screen minutes at school so the time can be subtracted from the total “allowed” minutes from some organization’s arbitrary screen time allotment. I understand the sentiment, but I fervently disagree with the notion that screen time spent in educational contexts must be treated as a vice that we must carefully control. Barrington 220 teachers take great time and care to create lessons and activities that integrate technology, and the screen time students invest in completing school activities is far removed from the potential ill effects of technology use. Learning is not a pathology that we need to regulate.

My opinion about why technology is often viewed in a negative light is that technology represents and causes constant change. Since most adults who are now parents did not grow up with the technology their children use, technology is an easy target for inciting fear, frustration, and sometimes moral panic. Further, family use of technology can be fundamentally different from school use of technology. While articles and studies usually specify unproductive technology behaviors cited in studies as “playing” on a device, or other unregulated versions of staring at screens, classroom uses of effective technology are carefully planned and assigned like any other work assigned by professional educators. Screen time at school ≠ screen time out of school.

Flawed logic is also sometimes a factor in negative technology judgement. “I didn’t have Technology x, and I didn’t experience [negative thing]. My child has Technology x, therefore, Technology x is the cause of [negative thing]!” Or my favorite, “I didn’t have Technology x, and I turned out OK. Therefore, if my child doesn’t use Technology x, they will turn out OK!” The mysterious Technology x can be any newfangled thing—the Internet; YouTube (or any popular website); Tik Tok (or any social media site, app, or service); smart phone, iPad, Chromebook (or any device); Fortnight (or any video game)—or any combination.

One significant issue with “screen time” is that the term itself is misleading. The term implies that the “evil factor” is the time spent in front of a screen. “Screen time” does not acknowledge the different types of screen activities outlined above. Common sense suggests that a child actively engaged in writing, organizing, recording, editing, and posting an original video is having a very different screen time experience than a child passively binge-watching “epic fail” videos in rapid succession on YouTube. 

About ten years ago, an oft-cited source for imposing screen time limitations was released by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP): Health Effects of Media on Children and Adolescents (Strasburger, Jordan, & Donnerstein, 2010). This decidedly anti-screen-time source included a detailed listing of possible negative effects of media on children and teens, but at no point did the AAP acknowledge that different types of media use exist, nor did they attempt to recommend different guidelines for different media activities. 

But alas, in May 2015, the AAP realized that the guidelines they had been advocating were in need of an update. AAP authors acknowledged in their organization’s newsletter, “In a world where ‘screen time’ is becoming simply ‘time,’ our policies must evolve or become obsolete” (Brown, Shifrin, & Hill, 2015). At the AAP’s Growing Up Digital: Media Research Symposium, long-time media researcher Vicky Rideout (VJR Consulting, 2016) urged members that “screen time should be classified in terms of consumption, creation, and communication, and that the specific content and context of media use should also be considered” (Shifrin et al., 2015). Other experts at the symposium reported that “media content matters more than the media platform or time spent with media. If quality content is available, the child’s interactions with media can have a positive impact” (Shifrin et al., 2015).

In 2016, the American Academy of Pediatrics (2016a) released their updated guidelines. Now the APP advocates the following to parents for young children (age 18 months to 2 years):

• 18 months—discourage screen media other than videochat.
• 18 to 24 months—choose high-quality programming or apps and use them together with children.
• 2 years—set media limits (1 hour or less per day recommended) of high-quality programming, and co-view or co-play with children.

Perhaps more important than an arbitrary time recommendation focused only on screens, the AAP (2016a) also promotes a balance between screen time and other activities for all children:

• Get adequate sleep (8–12 hours, depending on age)
• Engage in physical activity (1 hour)
• Spend time away from media
• Designate media-free times (e.g., family dinner)
• Designate media-free zones (e.g., bedrooms)

Another potential issue discussed in the context of screen time is eye strain. The American Optometric Association (AOA) discusses digital eye strain (or Computer Vision Syndrome) and offers guidelines to help alleviate the effects of prolonged screen use. One recommendation of the AOA is to follow the 20-20-20 rule: “take a 20-second break to view something 20 feet away every 20 minutes” (American Optometric Association, 2016). 

Many devices offer built-in solutions to alleviate potential eye strain that can be enabled in just a few taps. One example is Night Shift, a setting on Apple devices that “automatically adjusts the colors of your display to the warmer end of the spectrum—making the display easier on your eyes” (Apple, 2020). This setting is found on iPad and iPhone under Settings > Display & Brightness > Night Shift. The setting is also available in macOS by opening System Preferences > Displays > click the Night Shift tab.

Unfortunately, the Internet doesn’t “forget” previous research, nor does it spontaneously update outdated information, especially when the previous ideas were aggressively covered by media in the past. To further complicate the situation, different organizations often report conflicting findings and recommendations. Whether we are parents, teachers, and/or other leaders, we can help cut through clickbait reporting and pop culture sensationalism to find current research and best practices to help our children navigate these important issues. The fact is that the world is different from when we were children, and the use of technology—including screen time—introduces factors that we must consider.

One organization active for many years delivering balanced advice to families and schools is Common Sense Media (also available in Spanish). I have recommended this group frequently and urge parents, teachers, and leaders to use this site as a starting point for learning about issues and making informed decisions about technology and media use. 

Based upon the work of Common Sense Media, I also recommend The Smart Talk (also available in Spanish by changing the language in the lower-right corner of the webpage), an online activity co-sponsored by the National PTA that allows parents and children to work together to have a clear conversation about technology devices and online responsibility. The resource allows parents and their children to consider a range of topics with multiple decision points customized to each family’s beliefs. The Smart Talk results in a set of home guidelines in the form of a contract that can be signed by the parent and child.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (2016b) also offers an online tool for families: Create Your Family Media Plan (also available in Spanish). This tool allows customized plans to be created for families with children of multiple ages (18–24 months, 2–5 years, 6–12 years, 13–18 years) and the resulting document may be printed or posted on social media.

In Barrington 220, uses of technology for learning are created and/or selected by teachers. iPad and other technology use will vary among grade levels, teachers, and courses. Using technology for learning is not the same as “playing” on devices or other frivolous activities that are warned against in screen time articles. Parents who are worried that their children might be off task while using learning devices—or simply wish to learn more about how their child is learning—may consider several methods to view digital classroom activities:

• Ask your child to see a course or assignment in Schoology. Schoology is Barrington 220’s primary Learning Management System where teachers post assignments and other class resources. Teachers of younger students may use Seesaw to communicate assignments and other information. 
• Also ask your child to check out our district’s cloud-based drive and productivity app system. Students in all grade levels in Barrington 220 have access to Google Drive and G Suite for Education (Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides) for school activities.
• Every grade level has a set of apps available for download through the Self Service app on district iPad devices. The app selections vary by grade level.
• Check the Infinite Campus (IC) Parent Portal. IC is Barrington 220’s student information system that stores final grades on assignments and provides access to other important student information.
• Email your child’s teacher if you have specific questions about how the teacher communicates assignments or organizes digital class resources.
• Perhaps the best option of all is to ask your child for a live demo of how they are using iPad for learning in and out of school by watching them work on some current assignments and asking questions about the apps and systems they are using.

Finally, please also visit the Barrington 220 One to World pages on the district website, including the Parent Information page. Also watch for live, live-streamed, and pre-recorded presentations offered in the Barrington 220 community about various aspects of technology use in and out of school. We believe that our students need guidance using technology and media not just to prepare for college and career, but to live and function in our current world. No better opportunity exists than for Barrington 220 to partner with families and community resources to help our students navigate our ever-changing digital landscape.

---

About the Author

Dr. Matt Fuller is Assistant Superintendent for Technology and Innovation at Barrington School District 220. He has served as an administrator in school districts including Winnetka, Des Plaines, and Wilmette (Illinois). Dr. Fuller has been an Apple Distinguished Educator since 2007 and frequently presents at education conferences about learning and teaching using technology.

---

References

American Academy of Pediatrics. (2016a). Where We Stand: Screen Time. Retrieved from www.healthychildren.org/English/family-life/Media/Pages/Where-We-Stand-TV-Viewing-Time.aspx

American Academy of Pediatrics. (2016b). Create Your Family Media Plan. Retrieved from www.healthychildren.org/English/media/Pages/default.aspx#wizard 

American Optometric Association. (2016). Computer Vision Syndrome. Retrieved from www.aoa.org/patients-and-public/caring-for-your-vision/protecting-your-vision/computer-vision-syndrome 

Apple. (2020). Use Night Shift on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. Retrieved from https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT207570 

Brown, A., Shifrin, D. L., and Hill, D. L. (2015). Beyond ‘turn it off:’ How to advise families on media use. American Academy of Pediatrics News (36), 10.

CNN Health. (January 16, 2020). This is your child's brain on books: Scans show benefit of reading vs. screen time. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/16/health/child-brain-reading-books-wellness/index.html 

Common Sense Media. (2020). How much screen time is OK for my kid(s)? Retrieved from www.commonsensemedia.org/screen-time/how-much-screen-time-is-ok-for-my-kids 

Fast Company. (January 25, 2020). Secondhand screen time may be just as dangerous as secondhand smoking. Retrieved from www.fastcompany.com/90454545/copycatting-parents-screentime-may-be-just-as-dangerous-as-secondhand-smoke 

Kamenetz, A. (January 6, 2016). Kids And Screen Time: A Peek At Upcoming Guidance. NPR. Retrieved from www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/01/06/461920593/kids-and-screen-time-a-peek-at-upcoming-guidance 

National PTA. (2018). The Smart Talk. Retrieved from https://thesmarttalk.org  

New York Times Magazine. (December 18, 2019). Is Screen Time Really Bad for Kids? Retrieved from www.nytimes.com/2019/12/18/magazine/screen-time-kids-teens.html 

Shifrin, D., Brown, A., Hill, D., Jana, L., and Flinn, S. K. (October 1, 2015). Growing Up Digital: Media Research Symposium. Retrieved from www.aap.org/en-us/Documents/digital_media_symposium_proceedings.pdf 

Strasburger, V. C., Jordan, A. B., and Donnerstein, E. (2010). Health Effects of Media on Children and Adolescents. Pediatrics (125), 756–767.

US News & World Report. (November 26, 2019). Most Children Exceed Recommended Screen Time, Study Finds. Retrieved from www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2019-11-26/study-most-children-exceed-recommended-screen-time 

USA Today. (January 28, 2020). Too much screen time for toddlers may lead to unhealthy behaviors growing up, study says. Retrieved from www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2020/01/28/how-much-tv-should-your-toddler-watch-too-much-may-bad-health/4596670002/ 

VJR Consulting. (2016). Who we are. Retrieved from http://vjrconsulting.com/who-we-are

Enhancements to the New Infinite Campus Student Advisory Tool

Infinite Campus released the new student Advisory Tool earlier this year and recently added enhancements that classroom teachers will find valuable.

Click here for additional information on the enhanced Student Advisory Tool.

Nearpod Revisited

Nearpod is an online platform used to build interactive presentations designed to incite optimal student engagement. Nearpod can be used in a live classroom environment, or alternatively, presentations can be assigned for independent, self-paced work.

The Nearpod platform offers access to a comprehensive library of pre-made content. The presentations are fully editable and can be tailored to match virtually any lesson plan. Nearpod has been available to Barrington 220 teachers for several years, however; the recent updates coupled with newly enabled content packs offer a great opportunity to take another look.

Our Barrington 220 Nearpod representative has kindly opened up a trial of three new content packs for the remainder of this school year (summaries provided by Colin Kiely at Nearpod):

• SEL (Social Emotional Learning) - These lessons are for all grade levels and discuss various topics or concepts that affect how students feel, navigating social media, or respecting your peers. All lessons are customizable, and I recommend adding additional resources or content that connects directly with Barrington 220 district initiatives. These lessons help discuss "what it means to be a good person" with young students, and "how to be a responsible young adult" moving forward in grades.
• Flocabulary Lessons - These are premade Nearpod lessons built specifically around various Flocabulary videos. Each video offers educational content full of vocabulary and concepts spanning across all subject areas set as lyrics to hip-hop songs. These lessons offer an abstract view on topics you already teach on a daily basis, presented in a new way to help different learners.
• Historical Perspectives in Literacy (HS only) - This pack is meant for Social Studies educators, Grades 6–12. These lessons are more robust discussions of people and events that are usually not covered in most history books. Each lesson uses multiple secondary sources (curated by the Nearpod content team) to use evidence-based learning within each assessment. Lessons typically address individuals and events focusing on different perspectives of events in both American and world history.

Check out the newest feature updates in Nearpod:

• Google Slides Add-on
• Time to Climb "Gamified" Activities
• New PhET Simulations
• Google Chrome Extension for Google Classroom

Learn about these updates and more from the Nearpod Update Blog.

Nearpod is fully integrated with Schoology and easy to use from the Nearpod website or within Schoology. If you have an existing Nearpod account, please login with Google to check out the new features and content.

Excited to give it a try? Contact sshelton@barrington220.org to get signed up for a new account.

It’s Time to Upgrade Your MacBook Air Laptop!

On October 7, 2019, Apple released macOS Catalina (version 10.15), the sixteenth major version of its desktop operating system. Since then, the Technology Department here at Barrington 220 has been testing applications, upgrading back-office systems, and waiting for Apple to fix all the little bugs that accompany a new version of an operating system. I am pleased to tell you that the testing, upgrading, and waiting are now complete—and it's time to upgrade our Mac operating systems.

In the next few days most of you will receive a communication about your eligibility to upgrade your macOS. Most staff will get instructions on how to upgrade to Catalina. Other staff will receive a communication that you aren’t yet eligible to upgrade to Catalina because you don’t have enough free space on your computer and what steps you can take to free up space on your computer. If you need to free up space, you are encouraged to reach out to your building LTA or a Technology Support team member to assist you.

The upgrade process can take between 30 and 60 minutes so please plan your upgrade timing accordingly.

The most important step in the upgrade process is to back up your important data! Building LTAs and Technology Support team members will be standing by if you have any questions about what you should backup and how and where to back it up. If you run into any issues during the upgrade process, please call x.1500 so we can get you back up and running as soon as possible.

Introduction to Apple Classroom

More and more teachers are discovering the powerful tool from Apple called Classroom. Apple Classroom is different from Schoology or Google Classroom because it is not intended to be a Learning Management System. While those tools are designed to manage an online learning space, Apple Classroom is designed to manage the workflow of your students in the physical classroom environment. Classroom works on both the iPad and MacBook Air. Many Barrington 220 teachers are running Apple Classroom on one device while facilitating their lesson from the other.

There are several features of Apple Classroom that make it effective for managing the focus and flow of your classroom environment. After the first time you set up and connect Classroom, students automatically connect to your class each time they enter. Classroom allows you to see what your students are doing on their devices and navigate their devices to specific documents, apps, or webpages. In addition, you can create and maintain groups that can be shuffled and reorganized on the fly with just a few taps.

Key Features of Apple Classroom

Open a specific app on student iPad devices. As long as you and the student have an app on the iPad, you can open the app when you are ready for them to use it. Through this feature, you can lock the students into that app so they can’t go to other places, or you can allow them to move around to other apps.

The Navigate feature works just like the Open feature, but for websites. You can navigate students to an online source. Just like with Open, you can choose to lock students into one website or allow them to explore other apps and websites. Pro Tip: Save the sites you use frequently in class to your bookmarks for a quick navigation.

Hide allows you to hide apps on student devices. This can help avoid distraction and keep students focused on what is needed at a particular time and place.

Lock allows you to lock student iPad devices so they cannot be used. This feature comes in handy when you are trying to get the attention of the whole class while they are doing independent or small group work on devices.

Mute allows you to disable the sound on student iPad devices.

With View Screen, you can view the individual screens of the students in your class. While this feature allows you to monitor your students for classroom management purposes, it can also be used to view student work, get quick formative feedback, or provide a discreet way for students to let you know they need help.

The Group feature allows you to create, maintain, and adjust small groups in your class. Groups are automatically created based on what apps students are using (there’s even a group for students with low battery life!). In addition, you can create groups and push out differentiated materials.

AirDrop

One of the most powerful features of classroom is the ability to AirDrop (wirelessly send) files to an entire class at once. While you are using Classroom, your class will appear as the first AirDrop option to share documents, photos, vidoes, spreadsheets, or anything you want your class to have. With this same feature, students can also AirDrop documents to you that will appear in your Classroom inbox.

End Class Report

When your class is over, tap End Class in the upper-left corner of the screen. This will give you a report of your student device use in class. You can see every app that each student used during class along with when and how long they were in use. End Class is one way to get instant feedback on how engaged or distracted your class was.

Set up Apple Classroom

Setting up Apple Classroom is easy. You can download the app from the App Store right now. (Classroom in NOT available in the Self Service app because students do not need the app to use it.) 

The teacher interface is very intuitive. Simply tap the plus (+) to create a new class, name your class, and invite students. Once you invite students you will get a code to share with them. While you are on the Invite Students page, students will see a Classroom icon just below the Bluetooth icon in the Settings list on their devices. Students will tap Classroom > tap your class > and enter the code.



Behind-the-Scenes Improvements
Previous users of Classroom may have noticed that the standard setup required students to give permission for you to view and lock their screens. Recently, the Technology Team altered our settings to remove this option for students. Now, student iPad devices automatically allow permission for the teacher to view and lock screens (students no longer have the option to opt out).

Learn More
Are you interested in learning more about Apple Classroom? Stop by your library and ask your LTA to help you set it up and begin using it. You can also read through the Getting Started with Classroom: A teacher’s guide to the Classroom app for more in-depth information about the features available.