Letclips

On behalf of the entire Department of Technology & Innovation, I would like to welcome everyone back to school for the 2017�18 school year. The district-level members of the Department of Technology & Innovation work throughout the summer and most of us consider the summer months our busiest time of year in terms of implementing, preparing, upgrading, and updating. However, when teachers and students return, we shift our focus to supporting and planning for the many systems we manage in learning, teaching, and operations across the district. I would like to take this opportunity to introduce the entire Department of Technology & Innovation district-level staff. Below you will find the department listed in text, and the post concludes with an infographic-style image that depicts everyone in our group. Instructional Technology Joe Robinson, Director of Instructional Technology Joann Fullman, Administrative Assistant Shawndra Shelton, District Technology Assistant Technology S...

The Barrington 220 response to using Twitter as a professional learning network (PLN) has exploded this school year! Several schools have highlighted teachers using Twitter by adding posters or signs showing Twitter accounts outside of classrooms. Since more and more teachers are beginning to use Twitter regularly, I thought this would be a good time to review five elements of what makes the "perfect" tweet. The perfect Twitter post has five key parts: the message , a hashtag , a tag , a link , and a photo or video . The Message Twitter is currently reviewing the number of characters allowed in a single tweet, but as of right now, you are allotted 140 characters per tweet. Therefore, word choice is a very important aspect of creating a tweet. Of the five elements, the most important aspect of a perfect tweet is the message. The Hashtag Hashtags serve as labels for tweets. Adding a hashtag allows others to search for and find your tweet. For example, adding the Barrington 220 ...

We have several updates to share regarding software subscriptions and apps available for staff and students since our last update in August. iOS and macOS Updates Apple recently released new operating systems both for iPad and MacBook Air devices.  iOS 11 , the new operating system for our iPad devices, became available on Tuesday, September 19, 2017. You've most likely received onscreen prompts to upgrade. The upgrade is free and requires 50% battery, online access, and about 30�45 minutes of time to download and install. The iPad device is unusable during this time so we recommend completing the upgrade at home. macOS High Sierra , the new operating system for our MacBook Air devices, became available Monday, September 25, 2017. If you haven't already, you will receive onscreen prompts to upgrade. The upgrade is free and requires 50% battery, online access, and about an hour of time to download and install. The MacBook Air device is unusable during this time so we recommend c...

I love hearing stories of teachers who find great, timely resources from their Twitter feeds. Occasionally, even the best laid plans for using a link to that perfect website go astray when that website is blocked for students. We have an easy solution...make a request to have the website unblocked using a Google Form at this address: bit.ly/220unblock . After you complete the Google Form, the Technology Department immediately reviews the request, unblocks the website (if appropriate for students), and communicates the unblock back to the requesting teacher. You may request websites to be unblocked using the link above beginning today.

One of the most often-asked questions we get in the Department of Technology & Innovation is whether or not to update (or upgrade) software when it�s released. This question applies both to district-issued Macs and iPads, as well as personal devices. The Good Our advice is to update your device when an update or upgrade is released. While the purpose of upgrades (e.g., iOS 10 to iOS 11) is generally to add new features, upgrades also often fix lingering issues from previous versions of software. Updates (e.g., iOS 11 to iOS 11.0.1) generally deliver bug fixes and/or security updates. Often, a major upgrade is soon followed by an update to address major issues experienced by many users. A recent example of this happened when iOS 11 was released on September 19, 2017, and an update to iOS 11.0.1 was released just a week later on September 26, 2017. The update pop-up message explains that it "includes bug fixes and improvements for your iPhone and iPad." The Bad and the Ugl...

Last school year, Apple introduced Apple Teacher , �a free professional learning program designed to support and celebrate educators using Apple products for teaching and learning� (adapted from apple.com/education). Teachers may learn and build skills on iPad and Mac that can be used in the classroom using a self-paced learning environment that provides tips, inspiration, news, and learning resources. Teachers can earn badges and an official Apple Teacher recognition. Also last year, Barrington 220 created a method to allow teachers to earn official Professional Development Hour credits (PDHs, formerly known as CPDUs) that can be applied toward teaching certification renewal. Over 100 Barrington 220 teachers participated in this program for PDH credit already and many, many more earned Apple Teacher recognition without applying for PDHs. In Barrington 220, we call our blended learning course  Technology Integration Foundations for iPad and Mac.  The online learning part of th...

We have access to an incredible list of apps and subscriptions that enhance and supplement teaching and learning in Barrington 220. In an effort to both inform and organize our current holdings, we need your help! Please let us know if you, your grade level team, your department, or your school has access to apps or subscriptions in addition to these lists. Barrington 220 iPad Apps (bit.ly/220apps) Barrington 220 Subscriptions (bit.ly/220subscriptions) If you find an app or subscription not present in our records, please let us know by completing this Google Form:  Missing Software and Apps (bit.ly/220missingapps)

When team members retire, take a leave or move on, it can be difficult to access important content saved to their personal Google Drive.  However, Google has released an excellent solution. Google Team Drives are an excellent option for sharing important documents, folders, and other materials between team members. Simply create a team drive for your group, add members, and watch the shared contents grow. When files are moved to the Team Drive, the ownership of those files transfers to the team. This will eliminate the loss of files and the time consuming process of copying and sharing when staff members retire or move on. At this time Folders cannot be moved directly from an individual Google Drive to the team drive (without the assistance of a district Google Super Admin). To access Google Team Drives, simply login to your Google account and navigate to Google Drive. You will find the Team Drives option in the upper left corner of your Google Drive Homepage. Here are a few ti...

Each fall, Apple releases a new operating system for iPad. the latest upgrade to  iOS 11  includes several features to improve classroom workflow and day-to-day teaching and learning tasks. Screen Recording iOS 11 comes complete with options for you to record your screen. This is a game changer. Previously, you had plug your iPad physically into your MacBook Air, use QuickTime, and save your recordings to your laptop. To activate screen recording, add the feature to Control Center by going to Settings > Control Center > Customize Controls, and enable Screen Recording . Then, from your iPad device, bring up the Control Center and tap the recording button to record your screen. When you�re finished, simply go back to the Control Center and press the record button to stop. The video will automatically be saved to your camera roll. Annotating Screenshots Another game changer in iOS 11 is the ability to annotate and send out screenshots directly from your scree...