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September 15, 2021 - October 15, 2021 is National Hispanic Heritage Month
September 15, 2021 - October 15, 2021 is National Hispanic Heritage Month
Hispanic Heritage Month began as Hispanic Heritage Week in 1968. In 1988 the week was expanded into a month and was chosen to begin on September 15 because five countries in Latin America (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua) declared independence on that day in 1821.
This month is a great time to incorporate the writing, art, music, contributions, and history of Hispanic Americans to your curriculum, such as Ellen Ochoa, the first Hispanic woman in space. Please see the resources listed below for ideas and materials and reach out to your Instructional Technology Coach for support or with questions. Your school librarian is also a great resource for information or if you want someone to collaborate or co-teach a lesson with.
Hispanic Heritage Month (National Education Association)
Hispanic Heritage Month Resources for Teachers (Library of Congress)
Hispanic & Latino Heritage and History in the United States - Teacher's Guide (National Endowment for the Humanities)
Latinx Art and Artists (Smithsonian)
New DoT Staff
New DoT Staff
The Department of Technology is expanding in order to provide better support to our staff and students. Joining the district or moving into new roles are:
Earnest Bolton
TSS - Olympic, Mt Baker
Tharor Va
TSS - Cascade, Rainier
Angel DuVaul
Helpdesk TechnicianEarnest and Va are the new Technical Support Specialists for Middle Schools, working on hardware and software repairs in the buildings.
Angel is our new Helpdesk technician, working to resolve emerging technical issues from around the district.
Jessamyn Curtin
TSS - Auburn Mountainview HS
Lori Lippert
TSS - Auburn HS
Ricky Jiggens
Cybersecurity EngineerJessamyn and Lori are not new to the district, but now serve their schools year-round as employees of the Department of Technology.
Ricky is our our new Cybersecurity Engineer, protecting the district from malicious attacks and safeguarding our confidential data.
Mike Signal
Chinook, Dick Scobee, Evergreen Heights, Terminal Park and Washington
Ann Walrath
Arthur Jacobson, Hazelwood, Lakeview, Lea Hill, Pioneer
Carrie Marting
Auburn High, Auburn Mountainview, Auburn Riverside, Auburn OnlineMike, Ann, and Carrie are the new Technology Coaches for the district, working side-by-side with teachers to help them integrate technology into their classrooms.
Dr. Louanne Decker
Assistant Superintendent of Technology, Innovation, and LeadershipDr. Louanne Decker joins us as the Assistant Superintendent of Technology, Innovation, and Leadership. She is the new leader for the Department of Technology while keeping supervision of Middle Schools’ Principals and Auburn Online School.
Tech Tools
Tech Tools
Download the Mote Extension to add your voice to improve learning outcomes with more meaningful feedback.
Mote - Voice Comments in Google Applications
Mote - Voice Comments in Google Applications
With the Mote extension, teachers can record and insert voice comments and feedback within Google Docs, Slides and Sheets as well as within Google Classroom's Stream and private comments. Look for the Mote icon in comment boxes then record audio clips within the assignment to allow students to hear your words instead of just reading them on their screen. Teachers using Mote shared:
"It has saved me so much time and the fact that the students can hear your voice and tone makes feedback easier for them to understand."
"Too often, students avoid reading comments or they get lost in the words, length, etc. - likely due to a history of seeing written comments as critical/negative. But they respond to the verbal feedback in a much more positive and relaxed way."
List of Approved Software for Student Use
List of Approved Software for Student Use
It’s important to protect students’ personally identifiable information (PII) online, but it is not always easy to tell how different digital resources collect, use or store students’ PII. To aid teachers in protecting student privacy, ASD has compiled a list of digital resources that have been approved for student use. You can find the list Data Security page on the Instructional Technology website. Students should only use approved resources. If you have a valuable learning resource that is not on the list, you can submit it to be reviewed for approval by completing a brief New Software Request form, also found on the Data Security page.
Need simple instructions on how to find the list of approved software or how to submit software for approval?
Instruction
Instruction
Techquity in the Fall Training Series
Techquity in the Fall Training Series
The Launch of the 2021-2022 school year began with the reminder from presenters to welcome our students into our schools and classrooms by learning about who they are and the assets they are bringing into our school community. Check out the 3 Techquity offerings in the Fall Training Series to learn more about how to use technology as a tool to affirm students' culture and identity throughout the year using Culturally Responsive Principles.
*These 3 sessions qualify for STEM or Equity hours
Online Check-In Form
Online Check-In Form
During our beginning of the year equity professional development, keynote speaker Ken Shelton shared a form he uses with students to quickly assess their emotional well-being and how they're planning on participating in his class. The Instructional Technology Team has created a version of this form that you are welcome to use with your classes, both in-person and online. Make a copy of the form below and edit it to suit your students' needs.
Google Meet Shared Host Controls
Google Meet Shared Host Controls
Google Meet has introduced a new feature to improve Breakout Room management. With shared Host Controls, the creator of a Google Meet can assign participants in the Meet as co-hosts. Any co-host has the same privileges as the Meet owner, including muting participants, removing participants, and creating and managing Breakout Rooms.
Need simple instructions on how to share Host Controls?
Data Security
Data Security
Don’t Get Stuffed!
Don’t Get Stuffed!
Do you use the same password for your Facebook account as you do for online banking? Is your Amazon password the same as your Yahoo password? What about your district email and Skyward passwords?
You could be leaving yourself open to "Credential Stuffing"!
This is one of those IT terms you may never have heard but may very well directly affect you. Credential Stuffing is a type of cyber-attack in which stolen usernames and passwords are used to try and log into many different websites.
The reason this type of attack works is because many people reuse the same password for several, if not all, of their accounts.
One way you can help protect yourself from Credential Stuffing is by enabling or using Multi Factor Authentication or MFA. This is that text or email you get with a number or code to put in when you are confirming a login. The idea is that more than one way is used to confirm your identity. You are already be using MFA for your district account -- why not see if your bank also can use MFA?
Safe Schools Trainings
Remember to complete your Cybersecurity Overview and Password Security Basics safety trainings in the Safe School Training portal. These trainings, along with the health, wellness, and Equity trainings are intended to keep your students and you safe in school and online.
Access Control
Access Control
As Auburn continues to upgrade its security infrastructure, more buildings will be equipped with access control systems. This means that, instead of a key, staff will use a card to gain entry to the building.
Some tips for keeping access secure:
Never loan your keycard to anyone
Report lost cards immediately
Store your keycard separately from you district photo ID. If either is misplaced this reduces the likelihood of someone identifying where the keycard may work.
Security is often not convenient, but helps to keep our staff and students safe.
Helpdesk
Helpdesk
Qmlativ Is Coming - 2/22/22
Qmlativ Is Coming - 2/22/22
This school year, Auburn will be upgrading to the latest version of Skyward, called Qmlativ. This will bring about many improvements and new features that staff have been requesting for years. Staff who are advanced Skyward users are already beginning to receive training, and there will be more information and PD opportunities for all Skyward users throughout the year.
S:\ and T:\ Drives Shutting Down - 11/1/21
S:\ and T:\ Drives Shutting Down - 11/1/21
School staff who use the S:\ and T:\ drives for storing files are advised that these will be no longer accessible after the end of October. Before the cut-off date, all files should be migrated to another location, such as:
"My Drive" in Google Drive for files and information that pertain only to you
"Shared Drives" in Google Drive for any files that need to be accessed by other staff or students
A USB drive for any personal files or information which can be transferred to a home computer
This change will only affect S: and T: drives at school locations.
How to Find Your Network Printer
How to Find Your Network Printer
From your district Windows PC, click your search bar in the lower left corner and type print. Select the option Printers and scanners. You should see a list of printers for your building. When you need to print, select the printer that is close to you.
Click for a more detailed document of instructions.
Note: If you see no network printers or the incorrect printers, your Windows computer may need some maintenance to fix this. Please submit a Freshservice ticket for assistance so we can address this as soon as possible.
Reminder About Microsoft Self-Password Reset and Multi Factor Authentication
As of September 15, all staff are required to have Microsoft Self-Password Reset and Multi Factor Authentication (MFA) set up. If you have not already set that up, you will be prompted to do so when attempting to access Auburn's Microsoft tools when not in the district from any device.
Any ASD employee who wants to check their ASD email from their smartphone, district device, or home device when off the district network will need to follow the instructions below. No action is needed, if you don’t use your smartphone to check your ASD email or use a district/personal device outside of the district network.
Please follow these steps to sign up:
Follow these instructions to enroll in Microsoft Self-Password Reset and Multi Factor Authentication. Select the authentication method of your choice.
If you choose to have your district email account on your smartphone, you must install and use the Microsoft Outlook app. Your smartphone’s included email app will not work. Follow these instructions to install the Microsoft Outlook app. NOTE: iPhone users that have their district email set up for use with iPhone Mail app , an email will be sent to them telling them to use the Microsoft Outlook app. It looks like this.
To aid in answering questions regarding this process - we have developed this FAQ sheet and website.
The need to implement MFA was originally communicated in the End of Year Technology Processes 20-21 and in the June 2021 Tech Tips.
If you have questions about this process or how to set it up - please contact DoT at 253-931-4940 or email helpdesk@auburn.wednet.edu.
Shout Outs!
Shout Outs!
Auburn Online Launches in the 21/22 School Year
Auburn Online Launches in the 21/22 School Year
The Auburn School District's Auburn Online School kicked off its school year with nearly 700 students enrolled for the 2021/22 school year. The school, serving grades 1-12 in a 100% remote manner, provides an online learning format for students and families to continue learning remotely and is staffed by Auburn School District teachers. With countless new challenges and daily opportunities for cross-district collaboration, Auburn Online has continuously grown to provide a truly unique experience for staff, students and families.
Way to go, AO!
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