Technology Newsletter September 11, 2015 : Welcome Back and Reminders.

Welcome Back!

I wanted to welcome all of you back! I hope you had an amazing summer. Many things happened with regards to technology that will impact you greatly over the next couple of years, thanks to the support of the Board. This will include a new computer for each teacher divided over the next two school years, improvements to our phone system, Windows XP lab replacements, and improvements to out behind the scenes connectivity and wifi improvements next summer. It will be a very exciting year.

New District Web Site Support and Google Sites

The new web site is up and running. I want to thank the building webmasters and the staff in general who have been gradually learning how to update through the new engine for their efforts. I know some webmasters have held initial after school sessions. Others will be contacting you with opportunities. I will be supporting their efforts when needed.

For those who are unable to attend after school, I try to provide access to video content and walkthroughs. I attached 4 videos here. The first one directs you to how to use their help system and training materials. The other 3 are a quick training that I made for the staff yesterday. I reworked some of what I did previously to try and simplify things. Feedback is always welcome, as my goal is to provide this content to help you.

Eschoolview Help Section Overview

Eschoolview Create and Update a Page Part 1

Eschoolview Create and Update a Page Part 2

Eschoolview Create and Update a Page Part 3

I downloaded some of the Eschoolview manuals and included additional video content in a shared Google Folder below.

Eschoolview Helpful Hints Folder

A number of staff members have asked if they can use a Google Site. The answer is yes. It could be used as your main page but also can be used as a supporting page to your site content. If you have created one, please forward the link to your building webmaster and it will be posted to your site. I am able to assist them if they are not comfortable with that process. 

If you have any questions or concerns, please send them my way. Please remember to also include your building webmaster in the discussion. I am happy to help. The goal is to make this as easy as possible for you.

Flipboard and Twitter as a Resources

I wanted to shout out Twitter again but also introduce everyone to Flipboard. Flipboard allows you to turn the Internet into your own personal online magazine. It is a particularly useful way to have articles on education topics organized for you. When you initially set up an account you can choose topics of interest such as teaching, education technology, literacy, schools and more. It pulls any new article postings each day related to those topics. It is a great way to keep up on the resources educators are posting without complicated searches.

Flipboard
https://flipboard.com/

Flipboard also has an app available on all phones and devices from Apple, Android and Windows. It is free and highly recommended.

I regularly Tweet and Retweet interesting resources at https://twitter.com/SeanWhelanTech . Many of those articles come from Flipboard.

Kristen Gregory and Jay Bishop held some wonderful PD sessions on how to use Social Media to benefit your educational goals while keeping yourself safe. I wanted to reference this again because they were really fantastic.

The presentation links are here.

In the case of Twitter, I made a walkthrough on how to change privacy and security settings based on who you want or don't want to have access to you. 

Twitter Settings Guide

Reporting Web Site Content

One question that comes up from time to time is how to handle web content that is inappropriate. Yes, we have filtering software but one thing to keep in mind is that this software isn't always perfect. It blocks certain terms and website content but it can't always distinguish in every situation. This leads to certain inappropriate sites getting through and certain educational sites being blocked.

I am the teacher. What can I do?

For High School: Please email HSTrouble.Reports@westg.org

For Elementary and Middle School: Please contact your AV/Tech Supplemental Holder. They will put is a Trouble Ticket that will make us aware of the issue. 

Information that we need from you:

The URL of the web site:

Do you need it blocked or unblocked?

Why?

The more we know about the situation, the faster we can help you.

Trouble Reporting Tips

One of our goals in 2015 is to improve the error reporting process so we get to your needs faster. This requires a little help from you. Please make sure you report issues early. If something is a reoccurring issue, please let us know so we can help. Don't let it get to the point of frustration. 

For High School: Please email HSTrouble.Reports@westg.org

For Elementary and Middle School: Please contact your AV/Tech Supplemental Holder. They will put is a Trouble Ticket that will make us aware of the issue. This is important because it allows us to organize and keep track of progress.

Information that we need from you:

Date: 

Time:

Room Number:

What is the problem you are having:

Were there any error messages? 

What were they?

Does this happen all the time or in specific situations?

The more you tell us, the faster we will pin down the actual problem and be able to resolve you issue. 

HOW TO SCHEDULE A TIME TO MEET?

The easiest way to contact me is through email at sean.whelan@westg.org. Please let me know what you'd like to meet about, your room number, free periods, and any other info that might be helpful to me in order to prepare for our meeting. I'd love to meet with you to see if I can help facilitate any issue you might be having. Also, if there is something I share that you would like to implement in your classroom or with your team, please let me know. I would be thrilled to help.