Marie Kondo Your Google Chrome Tabs!

Do your tabs spark joy? Each time I present, I feel the anxiety of being judged for having roughly 515 tabs open in my Google Chrome browsing window. If you're like me, you're probably ready to hear some Marie-Kondo-inspired advice for getting organized.

1. Acknowledge the Chaos and Gather All Tabs

Before organizing, take stock of your open tabs. Click the disclosure triangle (downward-pointing carrot) in the top-right corner of Chrome to see all open tabs at once. This is a great way to quickly navigate to a tab when I can't see any part of the tab (because I have too many tabs open).

2. Keep Only the Tabs that Spark Joy

Ask yourself: Does this tab serve a purpose right now? If not, follow Elsa's advice and Let It Go!

3. Give Everything a Home with Tab Groups

How to Create a Tab Group

1. Right-click a tab
2. Select "Add Tab to New Group"
3. Type a name and a select a color
4. Drag other related tabs to the new Tab Group

Pro Tip: You can click on the Tab Groups to expand or collapse the entire Tab Group.

4. Pin the Essentials (Your Digital Keepsakes)

For tabs you use daily, pin them to keep them tidy and accessible.

1. Right-click the tab
2. Select "Pin"
3. The tab will condense and move to the left

5. Let Go with Gratitude

Sometimes, I hold on to tabs out of fear that I will need them later. Guess what? You can reopen closed tabs that are saved in your tab History!

1. Click the three-dot menu
2. Select "History"
3. Select the missing tab from "Recent Tabs"

"A cluttered Chrome window leads to a cluttered mind" (Robinson, bsd220tech Blog, 2025). 

Feel more focused, productive, and at peace with your digital workspace.

Summer School Course Previews Available Soon

Summer School course offerings will be available to preview during the second week of February 2025. Registration for courses will open the first week in March 2025.

macOS Update/Upgrade Reminder and a Thank You

Real estate experts often remind us that three most important aspects of a property are "Location, Location, Location." When it comes to technology, the three most important things are "Security, Security, Security."

Over the past several months, the Department of Technology and Innovation has strongly encouraged (dare I say "nagged") you to upgrade and update your computers to the latest versions of macOS. Thanks to you, our district has been very successful. When you first received new MacBook Air laptops in 2020, they were pre-loaded with macOS 11 ("Big Sur"). Now, in 2025, all of us are on at least macOS 14 ("Sonoma"), and the vast majority of us are on macOS 15 ("Sequoia"). We should definitely give ourselves a round of applause for our efforts.

Of course, our efforts don't end today. Going forward, we will continue to keep our devices updated and develop the digital habit of updating and upgrading as often and as quickly as we can. The more often we update, the less time those updates take. More frequent updates both maximize our time and lessen Barrington 220's security vulnerabilities.

So, from the bottom of our Apple silicon hearts, thank you for helping us help you keep our Apple fleet secure and up-to-date!

Make Your Mac Laptop Fill the Entire TV Screen on macOS 15

If you are using a district-issued MacBook Air running the latest macOS 15 (Sequoia) AND an Apple TV, you may have noticed that your Mac screen no longer fills the entire TV screen when screen mirroring—leaving annoying black bars on both sides of the TV. This behavior is known as "letterboxing." 

An easy fix is available.

After you have shared your Mac screen to your TV using an Apple TV, re-select Screen Mirroring.

Click Change.

Select Entire Screen, then click Start Mirroring.

In my tests, performing these steps causes the Mac to fill the entire TV screen on subsequent Apple TV connections. (However, you may need to re-do the steps if you connect to a different screen.)

AI Feedback on Handwriting & Audio Explanations with Snorkl

Most AI tools being used in Barrington 220 offer timely, meaningful feedback or content creation for teachers and students in text, slides, or images. 

Snorkl offers something more. 

Snorkl analyzes student handwriting and drawing alongside their recorded voice as they explain their problem-solving process. Students using Snorkl to solve math problems, balance chemical formulas, draw graphic organizers—anything that involves drawing or writing can now receive AI-created feedback as prompted by their teacher.

Snorkl's features:

• Multimodal Analysis: By offering both handwriting and spoken explanations, Snorkl offers insights into student metacognition.
• Timely, Meaningful Feedback: AI uses embedded standards and teacher-guided prompting to assess student work and provide immediate feedback so students can learn more quickly.
• Four-Point Scale: Snorkl's clear, concise rating system gives both teachers and students a quick, targeted snapshot of the work.

Here's a video of Snorkl demonstrated:

Snorkl is a natural extension of Barrington 220's AI Task Force work as the team explores student-facing AI tools. If you're interested in joining the AI Task Force in exploring Snorkl with a teacher account, please reach out to Shawndra Shelton. Once you try it out, please share your feedback or invite us to see your students using Snorkl.

Verify Your Staff Data for Emergency Notifications

To guarantee that we can provide timely and accurate information to our Barrington 220 staff, we kindly ask you to take a moment to review and verify the accuracy of your demographic details in the Infinite Campus - Information Center.

Your demographic information includes crucial details such as your current address, contact numbers, emergency contacts, and preferred modes of communication. Ensuring this information is up-to-date is essential and will impact your ability to receive communications. 

To verify your demographic information, visit My Account > My Demographics. You may need to select a building at the top if you are a staff member that has access to multiple buildings. If you do not select a building, you may not have the rights to UPDATE your account. If you see that message, select a building. 

Confirm that Phone and Email are correct. Staff email must be your district email. Confirm that Voice, Text, and Email for EMERGENCY are all checked. If you are updating Text this is an OPT IN and you will receive a text once your request is processed.  

If you notice a correction is needed locate the BLUE Request Demographic Update button at the top and make the necessary updates and enter the update type and save request. 

Key's Quick Tips - Be More with Core [Vocabulary]!

Key's quick tips are provided by Kelly Key, Assistive Technology Coordinator for Barrington 220.

This month, I am sharing information about using core vocabulary to help our students with communication needs.

Have you ever wondered what these posters with pictures and words are around your school? These are our district’s universal core vocabulary boards!

Our special services department has had a core vocabulary initiative going strong for over 15 years! This initiative has turned into a game changer for our students who struggle with communication. 

 


What is Core Vocabulary?

Core vocabulary words are all-day words. They are 80% of the words we speak, read, and write, so we make sure these words are available for our students to use as a visual guide for communication. Core vocabulary boards are our Tier 1 support for our students with communication needs. We have them in English, Spanish, Russian, Ukrainian, and Polish.

Click here for access to all district boards

Who can benefit from core vocabulary?

Core vocabulary is beneficial for any students who struggle with speech and language. We use these the most with our young learners, but students of all ages can benefit from having a visual support for communication. Especially when they are tired, frustrated, or have a communication breakdown. This quote from the PrAACtical AAC blog explains it well: 

"There are many people especially with Autism that speak well, have college degrees, hold good jobs and are raising families who have significant difficulty talking when they are tired, sick, or stressed. Core boards and devices help them during these times. They then go back to speaking normally when they feel better.”

How does core vocabulary help our students?

The words on the boards always stay in the same place. Our students learn the motor plan for where the words are (like typing on a keyboard) for quick access. Core boards provide a visual support for language. Using boards helps our students see language, expand their vocabulary, increase their sentence length, and build their language. It can also help with receptive language.

What are the students using on the colored iPads for communication?

For our students who need more robust language support (AAC devices), the majority of our students use the app LAMP Words for Life on an iPad as our tier 2 support. This provides them with thousands of core and fringe vocabulary words as well as a voice output. Similar to the core boards, students learn the motor plan for the words for quick communication. To learn more about the LAMP Words for Life app click here to watch a short video.

What can I do to help support students with core boards and communication devices?

Print out core boards and post them in your classrooms, offices, and schools (see link above). Send them to our 220 Print Center to print regular and large-size card stock boards.

If you would like a portable, mini core board for your lanyard, email me, Kelly Key, and I will send one to you!

Talk to the students on the boards and devices. Point to the words while talking to the students. Make positive comments like “I like that” or modeling what you think they may be saying “You are smiling, I wonder if you are saying 'That is funny!'”

Email Kelly Key with any questions or additional training needs!

ICYMI - Set Up the MiCollab Phone App on iPad (or iPhone)

You may want to take advantage of a new phone system feature—the ability to make and receive calls from your iPad (or iPhone) using your district phone number on your classroom or office phone.

Among other features, the MiCollab for Mobile app allows you to make and receive calls on iPad (or iPhone). If you make a call using the app outside the district, the call recipient will see your district phone number on their Caller ID—even if you are using the app on a mobile phone.

All staff members with an extension on the district phone system received an email from noreply@mitel.easydeploy.net when our new phone system was deployed at their building. The email included a QR Code to set up the MiCollab app. 

If you did not set up the app at that time, and if the email was delivered more than 30 days ago, you will need to request a new setup email from the district Tech Team. Requesting this setup email is easy: send your request via email to techsupport@barrington220.org. The Tech Team will generate a new setup email as soon as possible, hopefully within one working day from your request. Each setup email is customized to each user and contains a unique QR Code.

The full set of directions for using this feature, including the setup, is available in this handy guide:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hgm64XK9CtDfLfiVhtm0kjnbgNoxyeq3rnRUESUVZSA/edit?usp=sharing 

If you need additional help, please contact our Tech Support Team (x. 1500 in the district).

Barrington 220 Presents at IDEAcon 2025

IDEAcon (formerly the “ICE Conference”) is the region’s largest annual education conference that focuses on innovative practices. According to the IDEA (Illinois Digital Educators Alliance) website: “There is something for all educators through the hundreds of sessions that allow you to customize your IDEAcon experience based on your own comfort level and curiosity.” 

Download PDF

This year Barrington 220 will be represented among the live sessions by several presenters:

Revolutionize your Digital Learning Hub and Bolster Instruction with AI Tools

• Monday, February 17, 2025, 1:45–2:45 PM (Schaumburg A)
• Barrington 220 presenters: Joe Robinson and Matt Fuller

Jump into the future of education with a comprehensive digital learning hub that seamlessly integrates AI tools and software solutions for both students and teachers. This session will showcase how Barrington 220 created a dynamic, user-friendly digital platform that enhances learning experiences and equips educators with the skills to use AI effectively. Participants will explore how to organize and promote a variety of AI tools and learn how to support teachers and students to implement them to foster personalized learning, streamline administrative tasks, and support real-world problem-solving skills. Join us to discover how to build a digital learning ecosystem that prepares students for the future.

How We Are Actually Implementing Real Authentic Learning

• Monday, February 17, 2025, 3:00–4:00 PM (Euphoria)
• Barrington 220 presenters: Joe Robinson, Melissa Byrne, and Matt Fuller

Discover how Barrington 220 is embedding authentic learning into classroom practices as part of our Framework 220 strategic plan. This session will showcase how we are using data and research to create authentic learning experiences for students, using a spectrum of flexible learning structures, and a web series featuring short videos that highlight authentic learning examples with teacher explanations, student work, and connections to the Framework 220 strategic plan. Participants will gain insights into creating engaging, real-world learning experiences and leveraging multimedia to enhance instructional practices.

Artificial Intelligence as a Creative Partner: Producing a Mini-Musical with Students & AI Tools

• Wednesday, February 19, 2025, 10:00–11:00 AM (Nirvana C)
• Barrington 220 presenters: Paula Levin, Brigid Tileston, and Matt Fuller

Beginning in February 2024, Educational Technology and Fine Arts leaders in Barrington 220 had the idea to involve students and staff in the creation and production of an original mini-musical using Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a creative partner. By that time the issue of AI in the Arts was already becoming controversial, and some districts had set out to block or otherwise ban the use of AI in schools. Rather than fear the unknown, we opted to embrace it by developing a framework to safely and responsibly try using various AI tools in the different aspects of creating an original musical theatre production, including ideation, writing, composing, visualizing, choreographing, and other areas. Our hope was to provide an innovative and collaborative opportunity to tell a story through dialog, acting, and song that involved various aspects of our district’s strategic objectives and aligned with our Learner Profile. We worked with over 50 students and staff members with experience in storytelling, songwriting, acting, singing, dancing, playing instruments, producing/directing, and other areas of arts, technology, and communication. Our efforts resulted in a 15-minute mini-musical titled “#ThePlaceToB - a mini-musical” that was premiered for all district staff on the 2024-25 opening day of school. This presentation will explain the process we used to co-create our show with AI tools and hopefully provide ideas and inspiration for others to use artificial intelligence in creative and authentic ways.

Think Better, Learn Better: Building a Habit of Reflection

• Wednesday, February 19, 2025, 1:00–2:00 PM (Prosperity, 2nd Floor)
• Barrington 220 presenters: Erika Inka and Meagan MacDonald

While we ask our students to reflect on their learning, how often do we have time to pause to reflect on our own teaching practice? When we do, how can we ensure those reflections lead to meaningful change?In this session, we’ll introduce MirrorTalk, an app designed to move beyond surface-level reflection and help cultivate a deeper, more intentional reflective practice. You’ll learn how to build a habit of quick reflections using MirrorTalk as a thinking partner, which provides AI-generated feedback to drive growth, guide next steps, and shape your teaching for the better. We’ll share insights from our yearlong journey with MirrorTalk, offering practical strategies to integrate quick reflection sessions in our professional lives and in the classroom. You’ll leave with tools to help build a culture of reflection for yourself and your colleagues and share ways MirrorTalk can help your students become more self-aware and reflective, too.Let’s turn reflection into a powerful habit that leads to better thinking, better teaching, and better learning for all!

IDEAcon will be held this year February 17–19, 2025, at the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel, Schaumburg, IL. For more information, visit the official website:

www.ideaillinois.org/IDEAcon

Download a PDF featuring the Barrington 220 IDEAcon 2025 presenters.

Student-Facing AI Explorations

As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to evolve, its integration into our classrooms presents new opportunities for enhancing student learning. We can develop both human intelligence skills and AI skills. Our next phase of the AI Task Force is to thoughtfully evaluate and implement student-facing AI tools. This group will be responsible for:

• developing a comprehensive rubric for assessing various AI tools.
• collaborating with students to investigate AI tool usability.
• sharing informed recommendations for the most effective AI tools.
• establishing best practices for AI tool use.
• designing professional learning opportunities to support educators in leveraging AI technologies in the classroom.

MagicSchool AI

During our meeting in December, our group of 30+ 3–12 teachers, teacher librarians, coaches, and LTAs brainstormed criteria for our rubric and participated in introductions to four AI tools for education with student-facing options. The four options met our baseline requirements:

• Must be SOPPA compliant
• Must be usable on iPad devices
• Must provide teacher autonomy over AI functionality
• Must provide teacher insights into student AI use

After the sessions, participants opted into at least two of the four options to compare the tools:

• Brisk
• Khanmigo
• MagicSchool AI
• School AI

The group meets in late January 2025 to compare notes, finalize a rubric, and focus on the final month of explorations. Upon completion of the exploration of student-facing AI tools, the group will make a recommendation in March 2025 with plans for professional learning in late Spring and adoption in the Fall 2025 of the 2025–26 school year.

Brisk for Students

Key's Quick Tips - Notability Features to Help Your Students

Key's quick tips are provided by Kelly Key, Assistive Technology Coordinator for Barrington 220.

This month, I am sharing 2 features in Notability that you may not know about that could be very beneficial for some of your students! 

Take a Picture of a Worksheet and Complete It in Notability with Ease

If a student struggles with handwriting or spelling on worksheets or workbook tasks, they can easily take a picture of the assignment and complete it using Notability. This allows them to utilize additional assistive technology (AT) tools, such as the Co:Writer keyboard add-on or voice typing, for extra support. Watch this quick demo video to see how simple it is! Note: If the scan button isn’t visible, please update your app in Self Service.

Record the Audio of a Lecture while Taking Notes

Students can use Notability to record audio during a lecture, which is then synced to the notes they type, write, or draw in the app. By tapping anywhere in their notes, they can instantly hear what was said at that moment in the lecture. This feature makes it easy to review and explore notes throughout the semester.

Important: Discuss usage guidelines with students beforehand, such as only recording lectures (not class discussions) and starting/stopping recordings only when instructed. Note that the transcription feature is currently available only in the premium version. However, this feature will soon be included for free in the Notes app when our iPads are upgraded to the next version (see the second video for details)!

Short demo of Notes app:

Creativity and Multimodal Literacy in Your Classroom with Templates!

Matt Miller from Ditch That Textbook regularly shares FREE ideas for implementing creativity and multimodal literacy into lessons across grade levels and content areas. His innovative, ready-to-use templates are easy for you to incorporate into your classroom quickly to engage students.

Here's one example: Spotify Wrapped Classroom Template. This template empowers students to reflect on their learning, achievements, and favorite moments using creativity and multimodal writing—all while mirroring the "Wrapped" experience Spotify users know and love.

These templates are designed for Google Docs and Slides, making them easy to implement and customize to fit your curriculum and pedagogy.

Creativity and Multimodal Literacy help students

• Engage with content while expanding their skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening
• Develop creativity and literacy skills that reflect authentic, real-world communication
• Enhance creativity skills to lead to deeper learning experiences

You can visit Ditch That Textbook Templates to find more creativity and multimodal literacy gems.