COVID-19 Technology Prep Measures: 2020-2021
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Click here for Guidelines in Using the New PowerSchool Version 20.4.
Google Meet Directions
Overwhelmed by all the new controls or options in Google Meet? I got you! Here are a bunch of one-page directions for all my visual learners out there. Enjoy your weekend and rest up!
Google Meet "New Host Controls"
Google Meet "Whiteboard" Directions
Google Meet "Change Layout" Directions
Google Meet "Noise Cancelation" Directions
Angela B.
Media Specialist
W: https://sites.google.com/bloomfield.k12.nj.us/dynamicduo/home
SECOND TECH BULLETIN 2020-21
September 11, 2020
A few problems that have recurred that you should be aware of-
#0. First, the best advice and tips come from George Agens and Terry Hughes, HS and MS Tech Coach, respectively. Check their 'Tips' emails for GREAT and timely suggestions for Bloomfield.
#1. Google is struggling with the enormously high volume of Meet sessions. Some workarounds -
If a student is disconnected, remove and then re-add him to the session. If the student has been online for hours and hours, have him go through the 'Remove User' process below before signing back in to clear the local cache and files.
Try not to have Meets with more than 20/25 participants. There is a definite degradation in everyone's video quality, if you have too many involved. Consider breaking into smaller groups.
Do NOT share a video via 'Screen Share.' Google throttles down quality when you share your screen, probably on the assumption that you are presenting Slides. Videos that you share will not display correctly to your viewers. To share videos, share the links and have them launch the link themselves.
Follow the directions below to remove unnecessary extensions to improve overall Chromebook/Chrome performance.
Definitely: If you are engaged in Google Meets all day, in the afternoon, after hours of being 'On,' turn off the device and then log back in. It is definite: after hours of sessions without a reboot, the qualify of the video degrades. Give the machine -and yourself- a rest.
#2. Google did finally concede that they had problems with "Drive" on Tuesday that impacted Classroom. The problem lasted from about 10 AM to 1 PM. In the interval, they suggested the following to improve your Drive /Classroom performance -
If you have lots of files in the root of Google Drive -not in any sub-folder- it is recommended that you move them into a sub-folder. The reason is that every time that you access Drive (which you do every time that you use Classroom), those files have to be sorted out and indexed. If there are fewer directly in the root, things move faster. Here is the fuller article.
Note that "deleting" files or sub-folders by moving them to the Trash may not be enough; if that doesn't seem to help, make sure to also Empty your Trash.
#3. 'Remove User'-If you have not ever done this before, it is recommended - periodically - These devices do not normally degrade over time, if their local caches are cleared
Remove an account from a Chromebook
To clear the local cache on the computer and make sure all updates are applied, follow these directions
1. Turn the Chromebook off entirely and then back on.
2. On the Chromebook sign-in screen, select the profile you want to remove. (We recommend removing all users and profiles.)
3. Next to the profile name, select the Down arrow .
4. Select Remove this user.
5. In the box that appears, select Remove this user.
When you remove an account, it’s only removed from the Chromebook. The Google Account itself, including its data and settings, will still exist.
#4. Removing extensions - Remove from your Chromebook and account any app or extension that you do not need. They consume resources even if unused:
To uninstall an extension, on your computer, open Chrome.
At the top right, click More More tools Extensions.
On to the extension you want to remove, click Remove.
Confirm by clicking Remove.
#5. Reporting Trouble - Refer parents to the Family/Tech Home Support. If you submit an issue to tsshelp@bloomfield.k12.nj.us, please provide as many specifics as possible.
It is old news but you can take a screen shot that you can paste into a message or document to show what is going on: On the Chromebook, press Control+Show Screen keys, as below. Then Control-V to paste into a message.
On a Windows computer, the keys are Control+Shift+Windows key. Then Control-V to paste into a message.
#6. Finally, teachers remember that Brain Pop is now accessed via the Clever Portal. Be logged into Google and click on this link:
Similarly, HS students can install the TI-84 extension but only on their Chromebooks, and they must do so by clicking on this link:
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/ti-84-plus-ce-app-for-chr/compdaiogbfdpildfbleipdcglmmlojo
FIRST TECH BULLETIN FOR 2020-21 -
On Wed, Sep 2, 2020 at 12:58 PM Atkinson, Thomas wrote:
Hi, Some questions that have recurred-
We have ordered Google Enterprise Suite for Education, which has added features for security and Google Meet, but Google is processing a high volume of new sales and it may be eight to 14 days from last week (8/26) before it becomes available. As soon as it does, we will let you know what new features to expect, including a Google-authorized Grid View that should take the place of the one that we have been using.
Please have families submit Tech Questions and Issues to the Family/Tech Help Desk. Staff can write directly to tsshelp@bloomfield.k12.nj.us. -
You can also use the PowerSchool Admin portal to send GMail to students in a class or multiple classes. Just follow these steps-
Log into the PowerSchool Admin portal.
Under Staff, find your or any teacher's name.
Click on the 'Enrollment' count for any class.
Click 'Make Current Student Selection' (or 'Add to Current Selection' if you are building the list from multiple classes).
Click 'List Students'.
Enter one field in the first column: U_StudentsUserFields.studentemail (you only need to enter this fieldname one time and it will remain until you replace it).
Click Submit
Copy and paste all the email addresses into the 'To' of a GMail message.
Clever is a single portal for students and teachers to get to several of the apps to which the District subscribes. As long as you are logged into your District Google account, when you go to this new URL you just have to click 'Login with Google' and then on an available app icon: https://clever.com/in/bloomfield nj Please note that each program is handled slightly differently in terms of when updates occur-
Benchmark Education
Young Citizens (Please note that Young Citizens has to be updated manually at the District-level with new students. The last upload is being processed today, 9/2.. Or we will work on it again tomorrow.)
TCI (Mr. Cappello working on getting co-teacher, coach access; courses are assigned.)
Learning A-Z ( PLEASE NOTE THAT STUDENTS MAY RECEIVE AN ALERT ABOUT A 'Security Breach' AND A PASSWORD COMPRISED. IT IS NOT A CONCERN. THERE HAS BEEN NO DATA BREACH. THE ALERT IS RELATED TO A GOOGLE CHROME UPDATE. NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT.)
Brain Pop / Jr.
McGraw-Hill (Being updated as you read. Should be accessible soon.)
Suite 360
HS Students can use this link to install the TI-84 Plus Calculator App on their Chromebooks. This app only works on a Chromebook, not on a Windows or Mac computer. (Please note that the app is only available on a free basis this year.)
Remember: HS Students -like all Faculty & Staff- have the freedom to install almost any app or extension. K-8 students are restricted to permitted apps, which are listed here. Let us know if you submit another app, as times are hectic.
Again, please have families submit Tech Questions and Issues to the Family/Tech Help Desk. Staff can write directly to tsshelp@bloomfield.k12.nj.us.
Remember: Teachers in K-8 can view student passwords in the Teacher Portal, under Reports, Student Account Info, or in the Power Admin Portal, for any student, by clicking Custom Screens, and then "Email-Student."
Let us know any special tech questions or concerns and how we might help.
On Tue, Jun 23, 2020 at 9:46 AM Atkinson, Thomas <tatkinson@bloomfield.k12.nj.us> wrote:
HI, Bloomfield, A correction from Kristie Arnold on the availability of Reading A-Z over the summer -
Reading A-Z will pause our Clever sync on 6/24. This means no new students or teachers will be added, students who move will not be removed, etc. However access will continue as it was until we resync with new class lists at the end of August. . . .[T]eachers and families . . .would continue to have access to RAZ during the summer. With libraries closed, this is one of the only ways students can access books and I am getting concerned messages from teachers. In addition, some are utilizing it for summer school.
-Tue, Jun 23, 2020 at 9:27 AM Kristie Arnold <karnold@bloomfield.k12.nj.us>
I will of course forward any other updates or corrections, as I learn them -
Tom A.
On Mon, Jun 22, 2020 at 8:22 AM Atkinson, Thomas <tatkinson@bloomfield.k12.nj.us> wrote:
Hi, We made it -just two days to go -
Please be aware of these procedures for yourselves and families as the summer begins -
We have worked hard to ensure that all approved software subscriptions for next year will not expire or lapse in service. Newsela, Brain Pop, WeVideo, Screencastify, Renaissance, Facts4Me, etc. will continue uninterrupted. However, while software subscriptions that sync with PowerSchool scheduler, such as Pearson Math, AgileMinds, and Reading A-Z, will remain available, regular instructional access for students will end with the close of school on 6/24. Student course registrations end with the end of the course and not be available to them again, until new schedules are created for next year, probably in August. Teachers will receive guidance over the summer for setting up their courses for next year, in time for the start of school, on all softwares, either from Technology, or from their subject Supervisor.
While we hope to be able to offer some organized PD for teachers, there will be no Teacher Academy planned for at least the summer, as of now. PLEASE continue to think and plan how you might share some of your more effective strategies for Virtual Learning and if an opportunity of any kind presents itself we will inform you of the processes. We hope to have some general opportunities and offerings for teachers. Check your email for any updates.
6th grade teachers do NOT have to enter or worry about a Final Grade or Year End Average or Y1 grade for this year. The only grades that will appear on the 6th grade report card are the trimester grades. Directions for K-6 report card grade entry are here.
K-5 report cards will be emailed to parents as PDF attachments at the end of the week. Parents and students in grades 6-12 can view report card grades on the initial 'Grades and Attendance' tab or -after grades are stored- under the link in the Parent/Student Portal for 'Grade History.' Please remember, as always, if a teacher in grades 6-12 needs to change a grade after the deadline when grades are stored, they must contact the school Office.
Please ask, remind, and encourage parents and students to use the Family/Tech Home Support to report problems with their computers, devices, or home technology used for learning. Specifically, if they are moving out of the District, please direct them to the web site form to arrange for the return of their loaned devices. They will be asked to make an appointment to bring the equipment to the back entrance of the high school, the door to the cafeteria on State Street. Do not have them return equipment directly to the school or come to the high school without an appointment. You might remind them that without an active Bloomfield account no loaned device will function. We are solely interested in obtaining loaned equipment.
It has been an absolutely incredible three months, hasn't it? Together we helped over 6,000 students learn in ways that were unimaginable -certainly not planned for- before March 13. Tens of thousands of video conferences were held. Over 800 devices, computers, MiFis, chargers were distributed and broken ones exchanged with that many students and families SINCE school closed. Altogether this District has over 5,000 devices in the homes and hands of students and families. The Tech Department processed, since March 13, over 1,000 trouble tickets, submitted online and via email, for students, staff, and teachers. Jerry Pullins and the technicians, most especially Mrs. Peg Rohe, the Librarians, and -special cheer- the Tech Coaches (George, Terri, and Angela) did PHENOMENAL jobs in their efforts to support you, the teachers, the real heroes in this forced experiment. I don't think any of us will teach or work in quite the same way that we did before this whole event. Hopefully, some good comes from it. Have a great summer, everyone, and thank you, truly, for your work!
Tom A.
Thomas Atkinson
Director of Systems & IT
Bloomfield School District
155 Broad Street
Bloomfield, NJ 07003
O 973-680-8500, x2027
“Life's most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?'" Martin Luther King, Jr.
”To keep a sense of proportion, that was the main thing. So much of the world was losing it; as well keep it where it had, or ought to have, a congenial home.. . .Haec olim meminisse juvabit." James Hilton, Goodbye Mr. Chips
Quick Links to Content Below
For the health and safety of the entire Bloomfield Schools Community, we are NOT allowing staff members to re-enter our buildings at this point in time. Thank you for your understanding and support moving forward.
Students and families please use the link for the Family Tech Help Desk.
Teachers and staff should at this time. email issues to tsshelp.
Tech Update - Monday, June 8, 2020
On Mon, Jun 8, 2020 at 9:08 AM Atkinson, Thomas <tatkinson@bloomfield.k12.nj.us> wrote:
Hi,
One announcement and two reminders:
Today and tomorrow I am going to continue creating Email groups for all the students by their expected year of graduation from high school. Current Seniors will be in the email group "Class of 2020", Juniors in "Class of 2021", etc. The table of Grad Years for the current school year is below. Students will be notified as they are added to their groups. Just so you are aware -
The email groups are being created so that the Supervisors can more easily communicate with entire grades about learning opportunities and summer projects, etc.
The Supervisors will be adding the students by these groups to the Google Classroom classes, one classroom for each grade to organize their postings and opportunities.
The only people who can send email to the groups, to all the students in one year, are the Supervisors and Principals.
Students can ONLY receive email from the groups.
They cannot send email to the group, though they can reply to a sender of an email.
For any email sent to the group, the subject begins with the name of the group in brackets, as in [Class-of-2020], etc.
In Google parlance, these are "Forums" but essentially the student can only receive email messages, and K-6 students still cannot send or receive email outside the domain.
If any questions, please let me or a Supervisor know. The groups should be complete by the end of the day.
Reminder: Any teacher can find the Google password for their K-8 students in one of two ways.
In the Teacher Portal, for a class, under Reports, select Student Account Info. Run the report and it generates a page of equivalent 'labels' for each student:
Xxxxxx, Tyler
HR: Xxxxxx
Email: 666666@edu.bloomfield.k12.nj.us
PW: password
Or you can go into the Admin portal, find a particular student, click on Custom Screens, Email Info, and you see student email and password.
Previously, Terri Hughes, MS Tech Coach circulated in one of her Daily Freebies directions for creating customized links for Google Meet. This is a way to have greater control of your meetings and worth repeating
On Tue, May 5, 2020 at 8:01 AM Hughes, Theresa <thughes@bloomfield.k12.nj.us> wrote:
Google’s newest tool is the integration of Google Meet and Google Classroom in one place….Google Classroom
Click class settings.
Scroll down to Meet to create a unique meet link for each class. This link is now displayed on the classroom stream and classwork page.
Click Send. The link acts as a dedicated meeting space for each class to make it easy for both teachers and students to join.
Click for a screencast of this integration.
If any questions, or suggestions, please let us know,
Tom A.
--
Thomas Atkinson
Director of Systems & IT
Bloomfield School District
155 Broad Street
Bloomfield, NJ 07003
O 973-680-8500, x2027
“Life's most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?'" Martin Luther King, Jr.
”To keep a sense of proportion, that was the main thing. So much of the world was losing it; as well keep it where it had, or ought to have, a congenial home.. . .Haec olim meminisse juvabit." James Hilton, Goodbye Mr. Chips
Tech Update - Monday, April 27, 2020
Screencastify, Flipgrid, Jamboard and Discussion Questions.
Bloomfield Public Schools Mail - Very succinct tech tips for remote learning - Monday, April 27.pdfTech Update - Monday, April 20, 2020
Updated Grid View in Meet, Retrieving Voice Mail, Tagging SPAM, Online Professionalism & Etiquette, Student Submission 'Paperwork'
Bloomfield Public Schools Mail - Re_ Tech Update for Monday, 4_20.pdf
Video Conferencing Help -
Google Hangouts 'Grid View' for Seeing Participants-
Zoom-
I think Google Hangouts will suffice for the vast majority of instructional needs for video conferencing, but if you so use Zoom, please take all precautions in this Zoom article to prevent outsiders from hijacking your session:
https://blog.zoom.us/wordpress/2020/03/20/keep-the-party-crashers-from-crashing-your-zoom-event/
Advice If Using Personal Devices for Bloomfield Instruction-
Students with district issued Chromebooks, or Chromium laptops should follow all the procedures that they did while in school to log into Google, access programs, and report to teachers via Google Classroom, etc. For students who are using a personal device at home, we recommend the following-
Whenever possible, use Google Chrome as your browser (not Safari on a Mac, not Edge on a Windows laptop, not Firefox/Mozilla).
Make sure that the student is the only account logged into the Chrome browser.
For logging into District/school programs, follow the same procedures that you did while at school.
Contact your teacher with any problems.
If problems persist, complete the form below for "Family Tech Help Desk" and be sure to enter an email.
If your Chromebook camera is not working . . .
Hi,
If your camera isn't working, or if you see a message that says "No camera found":
Turn off your Chromebook, then turn it back on, by holding the power button for at least 10 seconds or until the screen turns off.
Turn it back on
Try using the camera in again in Hangouts
Also, verify that the Chromebook is up-to-date.
Click on the Menu icon in the upper right corner of the screen.
Click on Help, and then About Google Chrome.
Click Update Google Chrome. Important: If you can't find this button, you're on the latest version. Click Relaunch.
Student Logins
Enter requests on the link above for support/help here, regarding computer, Chromebook, MiFi requests or problems, software subscription, password questions, etc.
Logging Into A New Chromebook-
If students are logging into a new Chromebook, and the login name autopopulates with an email address of "@bloomfield.k12.nj.us," just begin to type the full student email address (e.g., "123456@edu.bloomfield.k12.nj.us") and you will be to able login. You have to enter the full STUDENT email address, so overwrite whatever is there to type the correct email address.
Google
K-8 Students have assigned usernames and passwords; 9-12 students set their own passwords.
TCI (K-6)
Students should log-on as they do in their classrooms.
Students with difficulties logging in should contact their teacher
Young Citizens (K-6)
Students with difficulties logging in should contact their teacher
Reading A-Z
Go to google.com. Click sign in and login with your district email and password.
Click this link to access the Clever Portal.
Click "log in with Google".
lick on Learning A-Z.
Some devices (such as iPhones, iPads) require the Kids A-Z App for access. This is a free download from the App Store.
Follett Destiny (K-12)
The student password for Follett Destiny is the same as the student password for Google, in all K-8 grades.
For the HS, the student password is the last network password that you were assigned before entering high school, or your eight character birthday (MMDDYYYY) if you are newly enrolled, or whatever you asked the library to change it to.
Pearson Math
Realize/Investigations
Go to PowerSchool Student Portal, unless your teacher normally assignments on Google classroom.
Log in with assigned username and password (normally, student number and Google password).
Click on 'Investigations 3 Common Core Grade 3' or appropriate resource or product.
See Step-By-Step Directions for Pearson Math.
(Requires Bloomfield District -student or staff- login.)
Faculty Help
Educators: We wanted to share with you this information we have received. The Library of Congress is pleased to announce online office hours on education resources and teaching ideas using the Library collections. These sessions are open to all.
Please join Library of Congress education specialists every Tuesday and Thursday at 2 pm, EDT, at https://locgov.webex.com/meet/kmcg. Each session will include a 20 minute presentation with plenty of time for questions and answers with Library education experts.
Stay up-to-date on education resources by following Teaching with the Library of Congress on Twitter: @TeachingLC
Thank you.
Virtual Field Trips
K-8 Student Passwords
Teachers can recover student email addresses and passwords in PowerSchool Teacher, click on Reports next to the class, then select Student Accounts. The report will generate as a list.
If you are unable to log into Spiceworks, email tsshelp@bloomfield.k12.nj.us with your issue. A Tech Help Desk ticket will be created for you.
(See also these help pages from Google.)
Read below how to conduct a "Live Stream" of a Google Hangouts Session - so that participants via the Live Stream have 'view/listen only' to the video/audio that is streamed -
If you use Calendar and Hangouts Meet for work or school, you can add view-only live streaming to an event for up to 100,000 people to watch. You can share the meeting information and a stream URL with all guests in one event. The guests who join as "Live Stream" can’t participate in the meeting.
On your computer, open Google Calendar.
In the top left corner, click Create Add .
Click Add location and conferencing and then Add conferencing and then Hangouts Meet.
Next to "Join Hangouts Meet," click the down arrow Down arrow and then Add live stream.
Optional: To copy the stream URL, click Copy Copy and then Done. Then, paste the view-only link into the event description or share it with guests in email or chat. These guests can share the link with other people.
Click Save.
Remove live streaming from an event
On your computer, open Google Calendar.
Click the event on your calendar and then Edit Edit.
Next to "Hangouts Meet," click the down arrow Down arrowand then Remove live stream.
Note: The meeting link changes when you add and remove live streaming. Share updated links with guests.
When participants click to participate, they should click on the "Live Stream" option.
IDE Corporation for Teachers
We are also launching 4theKids.idecorp.com site with printable materials such as graphic organizers and learning activities. Teachers can use these resources to accompany anything they are planning. They will be able to download, modify and print all resources found on this site.
Bloomfield Online Educational Resources -
Brain Pop (See 'Other K-6 Online Subscriptions' above - requires login with Student Google Username and Password.)
Destiny Follett Library Systems (K-8 students login with Google Username and Password)
Discovery (Requires login with Student Google Username and Password.)
Edmentum / Study Island (Restricted to specific elementary schools with special login.)
Explore Learning (Gizmos) (Check with classroom teachers for logging in.)
Facts4Me (See 'Other K-6 Online Subscriptions' above - requires login with Student Google Username and Password.)
Gynzy (See 'Other K-6 Online Subscriptions' above - requires login with Student Google Username and Password.)
Learning A-Z (See above Reading: A-Z Login Directions)
Middlebury (Selective Language program - students should log-on as usual - enter their login/password (which is saved by this point))
Nearpod
Newsela (Requires login with Student Google Username and Password.)
Overdrive (See 'Other K-6 Online Subscriptions' above - requires login with Student Google Username and Password.)
Screencastify (Automatically loaded as an extension for students who log into Google.)
Typing Club (K-6 students sign-in with Google Username and Password)
WeVideo (Limited to the MS)
World Book (See 'Other K-6 Online Subscriptions' above - requires login with Student Google Username and Password.)
Free Online Resources for Students.pdfEducational Resources for Remote Learning-
Below is a list of available educational resources compiled specifically in response to the COVID-19 crisis. It has been edited to exclude resources unavailable to Bloomfield, and duplicative of programs that we already have. In any questions, please check with your child's teachers.
