Digital Deets 25-26

• 1. • Wayground has done such a fantastic job curating all of their resources making it easy for us to browse and access what we need. Their recent Most Popular Teacher YouTube Channels of All Time resource truly delivers! 📺This curated collection features powerhouse channels like Amoeba Sisters, Crash Course, Khan Academy, and more. Wayground then bundled activities with every channel, such as interactive videos, printable worksheets and assessments. Your students will stay engaged and your planning period just got a whole lot easier. Win-win! 🌟

• 1. • Goodnotes on your iPad recently released exciting new updates, including a fantastic Whiteboard feature. This new format offers an infinite canvas, complete with pre-made templates - perfect for teachers. Check out this Goodnotes tidbit that includes video tutorials and step-by-step directions on how to use Whiteboards effectively in the classroom.

• 1. • *NEW* Did you know you can now gamify and differentiate reviews in Edpuzzle? Use EdPuzzle Quizzes in live or self-paced mode to turn your reviews into an interactive challenge! You can even adjust question difficulty to meet students where they are and collect real-time data to guide instruction. Watch this short video to see an example of a math quiz and this video of an ELA quiz. As always, any new features in EdPuzzle are available for ALL CONTENT teachers! 

     • If you have auditory learners in your classroom, then you definitely will want to utilize the "Convert to video" option in your Google Slides. This awesome feature will convert your deck with an AI-voice generator, script and music into a video your students can watch! Here is a quick video that shows you how it works!

• 1. • ✨ Klein MagicTools for EOC Review✨- It's STAAR/EOC Prep time! Be sure to explore the Klein-TX Universal Tools available through the MagicSchool Custom Tools website that contains STAAR/EOC activities and assessment generators. 

     • ⬇️🪄NEW🪄 MagicSchool Webinars - March 4 & 5 ⬇️

• Studio Mode is a 🪄NEW🪄 document-style workspace inside MagicSchool that lets you edit AI-generated content directly within Teacher Tools (starting with Lesson Plan and Worksheet Generator). Edit AI-generated content like any other document—format text, add structure, and insert images from Adobe or your desktop—without leaving MagicSchool. Tweak only what you need, export when ready, and avoid copy‑pasting or switching apps. A teacher said, "It feels like working inside a real document instead of scrolling through a conversation. I can generate a draft, make changes, move things around, include images, and export it without losing my place." Watch this short how-to video before you get started!

• Did you know 2026 has not one, not two, but THREE Friday the 13ths? February, March, and November each include the famously “unlucky” day. Whether you find it spooky, silly, or simply a quirky calendar oddity, it’s a rare occurrence that’s fun to notice. Friday the 13th has inspired superstition for centuries—think ladders, black cats, and triskaidekaphobia (the fear of the number 13). In the classroom, though, we can flip that story. Use the date as an opportunity for themed activities, puzzles, and curiosity-driven lessons provided by TCEA for all grades! After all, what could be luckier than an excuse to add mystery and play to learning?

• You may have noticed two new features in Lightspeed Classroom recently - Limit Tabs and Co-Teacher Access Levels

  • • The Limit Tabs feature allows teachers to restrict the number of browser tabs students can have open during class. Please be cautious with this feature because you could possibly close tabs where students may be working on important tasks. It's always best to remind students to save work before class ends so nothing is lost. Also, if you are using an ad hoc schedule, be sure to stop monitoring before your students leave your classroom.

    • The new Co-Teacher Access Levels enables collaborative teaching by allowing educators to assign varying levels of access to co-teachers within their classes. 

• Discover 35 fun and educational winter activities for your classroom! There are numerous FREE versions of activities that include building snowmen, creating snowflakes, virtual escape rooms, games and more. These activities are great for learners of all ages!

• Curipod is hosting two short webinars for Texas teachers this month and wanted you to be the first to know!

What Texas Teachers Are Doing Differently for STAAR Test Prep (And Why It’s Working) is a 30-minute, session focused on helping teachers prepare students for STAAR without packets or burnout! The webinar includes a live demo of new updates in Curipod’s STAAR Test Prep, plus insights from Curipod in the classroom.

• Session 1: Wednesday, 1/21 | 4:30–5:00 PM CST 👉 Click here to Register: LINK

• Session 2: Tuesday, 1/27 | 4:30–5:00 PM CST 👉 Click here to Register: LINK 

• ⚡Google Form Feature Coming Soon⚡ There are times you wanted to set a Google Form to stop accepting responses on a certain date OR after so many responses. In the past you always had to install add-ons to do this. Well, Google will now include these features WITHIN the form itself! Yay! These features will be rolled out slowly throughout the month of January so you should be seeing them soon! Currently, I am not seeing them just yet but I'll be waiting......let me know if you do! 😊

• A Windows update will be deployed to all teacher and staff computers during the upcoming break. If a computer remains powered off while the update installs, you will be prompted to restart it once you return to campus. The restart and update process should take approximately five minutes so take into consideration this time when returning Monday.

• Sarah from EdPuzzle will be here the afternoon of January 6 to work with Oak teachers! She will be located in the MPR leading the sessions below so please take advantage of her time here:

🧩1:00-2:00 PM - Edpuzzle Basics - For teachers who are still learning EdPuzzle and want a clear, practical training on core features and classroom use.

🧩2:00-3:00 PM - Edpuzzle Advanced - For experienced users seeking deeper functionality, best practices and time to ask specific questions.

• You may have noticed that Lightspeed Classroom is not recognizing all students. Please have affected students restart their computers. If restarting a couple times does not resolve the issue, submit a ServiceNow ticket with the students’ names and IDs for District IT documentation. If you need additional assistance, let me know or refer to the Lightspeed Classroom page.

• Magic School's Tool of the Month - December Fun Challenge! Create some fun MagicSchool activities to keep your students engaged as we approach winter break!

• Eduphoria's "Saved Filters" feature lets you stash your favorite filter combos as presets. Just hit the Bookmark icon in Quick Views, Single Test Analysis, Author Assessments, or Student Profiles to access them. Feel free to save a bunch and switch between them with ease! 

• It's the 12 Days of Creativity - 2025! Adobe Express has provided 12 fun, low-prep activities you can use with your students for maintaining engagement as we wrap up the semester. They have also included a deck with read-aloud suggestions to pair with the activities. You can unwrap an activity each day or all 12 at once!

Try out the Prompt of the Month with MagicSchool's Raina! 🪄

• “Generate a creative lesson that helps [insert grade level]  graders explore [insert topic] using real-world connections and student collaboration. Include discourse opportunities, a short formative assessment and one differentiation strategy for advanced and struggling learners.” (Add TEKS)

Example:
“Generate a creative lesson that helps 9th graders explore physical processes using real-world connections and student collaboration. Include discourse opportunities, a short formative assessment and one differentiation strategy for advanced and struggling learners." WG.3(B) The student is expected to describe the physical processes that affect the environments of regions, including weather, tectonic forces, erosion, and soil-building processes.

• Attention Teachers! 🌟 Wayground has unveiled their top-tier resources, now sorted by subject and topic! Dive in and explore the best educational tools that have already been created for you to use with your students! 🎉 Don't miss out!

• We're thrilled to announce that the library now has a set of 13 iPads available for checkout. Although students can still use the cameras on their Chromebooks to record videos, these iPads provide an excellent alternative. To reserve an iPad, please fill out this linked form provided by Mrs. Lankford.

• Discover Wayground's ultimate compilation of the most-used flashcards! Dive into an incredible collection covering all levels of math, science, social studies, world languages, and health/physical education. You'll definitely find some flashcards to boost student learning!

• As Halloween approaches next week, it's natural for students to have their minds on the festivities. To help maintain focus and engagement in your classes, consider incorporating these 10 Fun & Techy Halloween classroom ideas. A few of my favorites are "add and pass" activity, Halloween-themed coloring pages/songs and a digital escape room! Let's turn the Halloween spirit into a positive learning experience while keeping the classroom productive and focused. 🎃👻🦇

• MagicSchool has a new graphing functionality and can generate math and STEM visuals on the fly (right within Raina and other tools coming soon!). 👀 Check out this quick read to learn about use cases and see how it works! 🪄

• It's that time of year when you are receiving emails from students regarding grades, eligibility, and other important concerns. However, not all students know how to compose professional and respectful emails. To support you and your students, Wayground has created a 10-question "How To Email Your Teacher" game you can play with your students. It's designed to help students practice crafting clear, polite and effective emails - skills that will serve them well beyond high school!

• Hopefully, you have explored many of the tools MagicSchool has to offer! The district would like to gather your feedback by filling out this short MagicSchool Feedback Form to help them gauge how the MagicSchool rollout is going for you. In the meantime, check out the leader boards below. ⬇️ Klein Oak is rocking it with Quizzes and Assessments while our very own Olivia Kohl is #5 in the district for usage! 

• In Matt Miller's recent publication he shares a new app called groovelit.com.  In a nutshell, teachers can choose existing prompts or create their own, students join the game (no login required), answer questions and earn points! This app isn't just for English teachers but it's perfect for all content areas! You can boost points if students use more complex sentences, edit their responses, higher-level vocabulary, etc. Bonus: Students get immediate feedback on their writing that they can save to their Chromebooks! If you want to read more about this cool app, check it out HERE.

• The district has purchased Kami Companion to replace Snap & Read & Co-Writer for our students who need additional support. This accessibility tool provides customizable features, such as read aloud, translation, summarization, text simplification, and voice typing to help them understand and engage with web content more effectively. Please feel free to read the features this tool provides (here is a video version). 

• Hope you are loving Magic School so far! 🪄 Become a prompt master with Magic School's Raina using these "Copy & paste"-ready prompts for faster planning, personalized learning, creating connections, and prompts to make learning fun. Check them out now!

• You may have noticed that some Google Chrome Extensions you have used in the past are no longer available. Please see the message below from IT in regard to these extensions:

Recent changes were made regarding Google Extensions, Google Add-ons, and web-based resources that require “Sign in with Google.” We have restored access to some tools, but please note:  All requested digital tools, resources, and applications must go through the district’s approval process.

If you are interested in using this digital tool, please work with your campus administration to submit a Service Request by going to

Service Now
Catalog
Software and Applications
Website / YouTube Review

This form is required for all applications, websites, extensions, and add-ons. Please provide the URL, the exact link to the extension you are requesting, and ensure you fill out all necessary fields on the request form. Please note that this review process can take several weeks to complete. Thank you,  IT Department

• Matt Miller of "Ditch that Textbook" has produced some amazing templates you can assign to your students. You can choose from social media and game templates to graphic organizers and exit tickets. Check them out HERE!

• If you have students experiencing issues accessing EdPuzzle lessons (or any other resources), please have students Allow Third-Party Cookies or Clear Their Cache & Cookies in Google Chrome. I also posted these directions in the All Klein Oak Schoology Course for them to access. 

• I mentioned in a previous email that ExamView will have to be installed on a daily basis. Teaching and Learning has informed us that the last day ExamView will be available to install is October 24, 2025. Examview has been discontinued for over a year now and there are no plans to purchase its replacement. You are still able to load any existing tests or banks into Schoology or Eduphoria after this date but you won't be able to edit them.

You've received emails from the district regarding Apptegy Rooms replacing Remind. This new platform allows you to communicate with parents and students regarding classroom information. The district has created a great Rooms Quick Start for Teachers that includes how to create your rooms and add your students. There are also additional videos and training documents you can access here provided by the district. If you need assistance with your rooms or have questions, please reach out to me!