VLC Tech Guides

Guides and tech tips that share range from how to access the DOE Memos, Google Drive, and how to utilize different program, to help you become more efficient!

Resources

The image shows a partially filled Google Sheets template titled “21 Hour Tracker - SY2425.” The spreadsheet is designed to track professional development (PD) hours for a teacher named Robert B. for the 2024-2025 school year. The top section includes a grid layout with labeled columns and rows for tracking specific PD hours, titles, and makeup sessions. The visible part of the sheet highlights alternating shades of blue, indicating different sections for tracking PD absences and make-up hours. The text “PD to Use for Makeup/Choose Your Own PD” appears at the bottom.

21 Hour PD Tracker

Learn how to use one Google Sheet to track all teachers’ 21 PD hours. Changes on the master sheet automatically update every teacher’s individual tracker, even for absences. No more emails asking about the amount of hours they currently have—one sheet does it all!

This image shows an example of a form that can be used with Adobe Sign from the State of Hawaii, Department of Education, titled “Questionnaire to Determine Eligibility MV1.” The form is intended to address the McKinney-Vento Act (MVA) and must be completed for each student identified as living in unstable housing. The form asks for basic information such as the student’s name, date of birth, grade, school, and current residence. It also includes sections to list primary and alternate contacts along with their relationship and phone number.

Adobe Sign - Web Form

Learn how to create a web-based Adobe Sign form to collect electronic signatures and skip the hard copies!

This image shows a portion of Gmail’s settings menu that you would use to set up a filter. The visible tabs include: General, Labels, Inbox, Accounts, Filters and Blocked Addresses (currently selected), etc. Below, the message reads, “The following filters are applied to all incoming mail,” suggesting that the user is configuring or viewing email filters in Gmail. A search bar labeled “Search mail” is located at the top of the screen.

Gmail - Create a Spam Filter

Learn how to create a Gmail spam filter that automatically sorts junk mail, keeping your inbox clean and organized.

This image shows a Google Calendar interface with a “Focus time” event. The focus time is scheduled for Sunday, October 6, from 9:00 am to 10:00 am. The “Do not disturb” option is enabled to mute chat notifications during this time. There is also an option to “Automatically decline meetings” during the scheduled focus time. Tabs visible at the top of the interface include “Event,” “Focus time” (currently selected), “Out of office,” “Working location,” “Task,” and “Appointment.”

Google Calendar - Create Focus Time Blocks

Learn how to use Google Calendar’s Focus Time blocks to set aside uninterrupted time for important tasks and minimize distractions. Stay productive by automatically marking yourself unavailable for meetings and visually organizing your dedicated focus periods.

This screenshot displays the “Preferences” settings under the “Substitutions” tab, where automatic substitutions can be configured. The “Automatic substitution” checkbox is selected, enabling substitutions. A specific substitution is shown: “Oahu” will automatically be replaced with “Oʻahu,” ensuring the correct use of the Hawaiian ʻokina character in the place name.

Google Docs - Text Replacement to Spell Hawai'i School Names
Learn how to use text replacement in Google Docs on Apple/Mac computers to ensure HIDOE school names are spelled correctly, aligning with the October 2, 2024 memo. This guide covers using the Mac’s universal text replacement feature to auto-correct names in English to Hawaiian, such as changing ‘Oahu’ to ‘O‘ahu,’ specifically within Google Docs.

Microsoft Planner

Learn how to use Microsoft Planner to manage tasks, organize projects, and collaborate with your team. Stay on track with task assignments, visual progress tracking, and easy communication, all accessible from both web and mobile.

This image shows a section of the paid tool called Turnitin Draft Coach; specifically the “Similarity Check” feature. It is prompting the user to check their writing for similarities, indicating how much of the text may be similar to other sources. The message shows that there are “3/3 checks left,” meaning the user has three similarity checks available. There are tabs visible at the top labeled “Details,” “Similarity,” “Citations,” and “Grammar.” A clickable option labeled “Go to Similarity” is also available to proceed with the similarity check.

Turnitin Draft Coach (Must Purchase)

Learn how to use Turnitin Draft Coach to improve your writing by checking for plagiarism, grammar issues, and citation accuracy in real-time. Enhance the quality and originality of your work directly in Google Docs before submitting for final evaluation.
Note: This is a paid tool that can be utilized.

This image shows a section of the Memos and Notice from the GoogleDrive.

HIDOE Memos via Google Drive

HIDOE Memos can now be accessed via a shared google drive folder. The benefits are it is quicker to access and since it's in Google Drive it searchable. The guide will show you how to enable the drive. The link to search the shared drive memo is in "step 6".

This image shows a section of ACCN Catalog.

HIDOE ACCN Catalog

HIDOE Courses and ACCNs can now be easily categorized and sorted. Instead of downloading the course descriptions from Infinite Campus and then having to sort out what is needed, with a few clicks, you can sort courses according to content area, credit type and grade level to easily find ACCNs and course descriptions.

This image shows a section of a google document of Infinite Campus Tutorial.

Infinite Campus New Look Tutorials

Starting July 1, 2025, the only view in Infinite Campus will be the New Look. This straightforward Google doc tutorial is tailored for teachers and covers the basics of what teachers need to know when using the New Look. Topics include: general tool navigation, attendance, grade input, generating reports and more!

Canvas Resources

This screenshot displays the Canvas Learning Management System (LMS) with a tab for Google Meet on the Canvas interface. This section focuses on the Google Meet integration with Canvas and how it might appear for a student.

Google Meets Integration with Canvas

Learn how to use the Google Meet integration with Canvas LMS to easily schedule and join virtual meetings directly within your course. Streamline online instruction with one-click access to meetings, integrated course content, and enhanced live learning features.

MAC Resources (For Apple Computers)

This screenshot shows the input menu on a Mac, where the user can switch between different keyboard languages and input sources. The currently selected keyboard is “U.S.,” and an additional option for “ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi” (Hawaiian) is available.

Text Replacement to Spell Hawai'i School Names
Learn how to use text replacement on a Mac to automatically correct HIDOE school names to their proper Hawaiian spelling, as outlined in the October 2, 2024 memo. Enable the Hawaiian keyboard, then set up text replacement to correct names like ‘Oahu’ to ‘O‘ahu’ across applications like Gmail and more. Note: Google Docs requires its own text replacement setup; learn more about that here: [link].

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VLC Tech Guides

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Canvas Resources

MAC Resources (For Apple Computers)

State Distance Learning Program