FEBRUARY 2024

t e c h t i p s

It's back! Tech Connect, Auburn School District's annual tech conference will take place on 9th March, 2024 at Terminal Park Elementary from 8:30am-3:30pm.

7 STEM clock hours! $150 stipend! Lunch included! Prizes and giveaways! Sessions by teachers, for teachers!

This year's keynote speaker is Holly Clark, who will present on Rethinking Teaching and Learning in a World of AI. Holly is a seasoned educator turned bestselling author. She helped pioneer 1:1 teaching models back in 1999, and is at the forefront of merging technology with education in truly meaningful ways. Holly is now on a mission to empower fellow educators to harness blended learning and unravel the potential of AI in their classrooms.

In addition, there will be over 30 different sessions on integrating technology in the classroom!

Interested? Click the button below to register:

Tech Connect 2024 - Sign-up!

ASD Cultural Calendar

The Equity and Family Engagement Deaprtment have a new website that is now live. On it, you can find a cultural calendar of events throughout the year, and resources that you can bring into your classroom to recognize these important events. Check it out at the link below:

ASD Cultural Celebrations

Helpdesk

Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) Winding Down

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is no longer accepting applications for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). The funding for this program is projected to run out in April 2024. Please see link here for details.

If you are aware of families that need a hotspot, some are available to check-out.

Report Phishing

To help yourself and other staff stay safe from online scammers, please use the Report tool in Outlook if you receive a phishing email.

You can also report junk mail, if you receive unsolicited advertising in your mailbox.

Buying Tech Through PTA or DonorsChoose

In addition to purchasing new tech for students through Innovation Funds or other school budgets, some staff are exploring alternative sources, such as their PTA or DonorsChoose. While these are great ways to meet the needs of your students, anything that is purchased must be approved by the Department of Technology first.

Please see our Protocol for Donated Equipment for more information.

Instruction

Google Classroom Tip - Disable Submissions After Due Date

If you haven't noticed this feature yet, you can now disable submissions after a due date in Google Classroom. Students can still access the material for the assignment, but they won't be able to submit work past the date you scheduled for the assignment. To access this feature, you first will need to set a due date for an assignment. Then, you will see the option to disable submission past this date.

Celebrating Black History Month with Seesaw

As you are engaging in learning and celebrating during Black History Month, you might consider how you can use Seesaw in partnership. Here are some ideas and resources within Seesaw to support the work in your classroom.

Most all of our students know about Rosa Parks, but do they know about Claudette Colvin? Use this pre-created activity to spark some new learning for yourself and your students.
Make a math connection by bringing in this ready-to-go visual data talk celebrating Olympic medalist Allyson Felix. This would be a great lesson to pair with a read aloud or video about her amazing accomplishments as an athlete.
Bring in a computer science connection and learn about Dorothy Vaughan, who made important contributions to the space industry throughout her career. Pair this learning with some coding activities in Code.org.

Changing Theme and Wallpaper

Changing the Source

Newline Boards - Fliptok

Make the board your own! Learn how to change the theme of your board, add a personalized wallpaper, and have more control over the input source!

See more tips and tricks for Newline Boards on our website!

Winter Training Series Continues

Remember the Winter Teacher Training Series is now taking place, with several sessions focused on harnessing the power of technology in education. Make sure you take advantage of this opportunity to stay ahead in the ever-evolving landscape of education.

Technology sessions include:

Robots for Primary and Intermediate Students
Computational Thinking in the Classroom
Newline Engage Digital Whiteboard
Teaching & Learning with Seesaw
Technology and the Developing Brain
Tech Security: Keeping Yourself and Our Students Safe
UDL: Removing Learning Barriers by Providing Choices and Options

Digital Citizenship & Media Literacy

Image generated by Canva Magic Media

Can This App Tell If My Students Have Used AI?*

With the use of AI by students on the rise, how can teachers maintain academic honesty? It may be tempting to use an app that claims to be able to check for AI, but guidance from OSPI says, "Software companies that claim products can detect content developed by another AI tool, or its own AI tool, are currently not reliable and should not be used as the sole way to determine whether cheating and plagiarism have occurred."

Here are some steps you can take to maintain academic honesty:

Compare finished student work with their in-class writing
Use the Version History or the Revision History extension
Make sure students turn any notes or preparatory work for the assignment

As with all approaches to AI, the human factor should be at the centre of the process. As a reminder, Auburn School District will be releasing our guidelines for AI use in the next few weeks.

*Betteridge's Law of Headlines states: "Any headline that ends in a question mark can be answered by the word no."

Tech Tools

Quick Links for Students Using Clever

Did you know that you can provide any links your students might need for class using your Teacher Page in Clever? It's quick and easy! This will allow you to organize and share the websites and other resources your students need to access. The provided video will walk you through all the steps, but here are some highlights:

Organize your teacher page into sections (e.g., ELA, Choice Time, Resource)
Add apps, links, and PDFs to your page
Easily share the page you create to your other classes or with your department

Data Security

Student Password Changes (MS/HS Only)

On 26th February (the Monday following midwinter break) MS and HS students will be prompted to update their passwords. Passwords are now required to be a minimum of 12 characters in length, and cannot be a previously-used password.

It may be helpful to think of these as passphrases: ilikejellydoughnuts is easier to remember and more secure than jD0nu7$!2024.

Reminder - Lock Before You Walk

An easy way to protect yourself from unwanted access to your computer is to lock your screen when you walk away.

On Windows devices, this can be done by pressing ⊞ Win + L

On Chromebooks, the screen is locked by pressing Search + L

An unlocked computer is an invitation to bad actors to read your email, look in your Google Drive, change data in Skyward, and more.

If you do leave your computer unlocked and unattended, you may receive a polite reminder card on your keyboard from a DoT staff member.

Skyward

Student Indicators - Health

Within gradebook, student list or student profile the Heart icon will provide information about a student's health conditions. Click this icon and a pop up box will provide additional details.

The indicator IHP is also clickable and will provide a link to an attachment. Click on the number next to the paperclip to view specific details about a student's health plan.

2024-25 Registration is Open - Training Monday

Student registration is open for next school year. Parents/guardians can enroll by following these step-by-step directions. Existing families can access New Student Enrollment from within Family Access.

A virtual training on registration processing will take place Monday, Feb. 12 from 8a to 9a. If you did not receive an invite and would like to attend email tbucci@auburn.wednet.edu.

Skyward Help

The Data Services Website provides help and information for Skyward users with specific pages for employees, teachers, Skyward training, and submitting help tickets.

Shout Outs

Innovation Funds Projects

Congratulations to the staff below who all submitted successful innovation funds projects in January. If you are looking for new technology for your class or school, speak to your principal or tech coach about submitting a proposal!

Juli Rester - Willow Crest Elementary - Sphero Bolt classroom set
Kevin Olson and Riley Dozier - Cascade Middle School - iPads for video production
Arielle Benyo - Auburn Mountainview - Gas sensors for Chromebooks
Karl Steffin - Auburn Mountainview - 3D printing equipment
Erica Covey - Arthur Jacobsen - STEM project kits for the entire school
Stephen Bean - Olympic Middle School - Hydroponics STEM kits
Kelly Maloney - Ilalko Elementary - Poster printer for student projects
Amy Anderson - Ilalko Elementary - Little Bits STEM kits
Alisa Louie - Bowman Creek - Little Bits STEM kits