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!