MPS EdTech

🐣 Spring Scavenger Hunt Alert!

We’ve hidden a special spring-themed phrase somewhere in this newsletter, but you’ll need to explore the updates to find it. 👀

Be one of the first 15 to track it down and email Stacey Knipp (staceyknipp@mooreschools.com) to win a prize!

Happy hunting!

Be sure to check out our last newsletter if you flagged it and forgot to read through all things EdTech in MPS.

You'll find topics such as:

• Reminder about recommendations on appropriate screen time for your students
• New Chrome Read Aloud feature - be sure to check that out if you haven't
• AI in MPS and our committee work currently being done
• and lots of program specific updates

Click the image below to access our last EdTech Newsletter.

Beginning in April 24, 2026, new federal ADA Title II requirements will require school districts to ensure that all digital content we provide—websites, instructional materials, documents, videos, apps, and communication tools—meets accessibility standards (WCAG 2.1 AA). Learn about the ADA rule This applies to everything we publish or share digitally, whether it is public-facing or behind a login (Canvas, Seesaw, shared files, parent communication platforms, etc.).

The current legal requirement is WCAG 2.1 AA, but the newest version, WCAG 2.2, has been released and is recommended as best practice to future-proof content. View WCAG 2.2 guidelines or checkout our ADA Accessibility PreK-12 MPS Checklist for a summarized version.

What this means for You:

• Any content you create or share (documents, slides, videos, images, posts) should be accessible
• Accessibility applies to students, parents, staff, and the community
• If we provide it digitally, it must be usable by individuals with disabilities

Helpful Resources:

• ADA Title II Overview (Plain Language)
• WCAG 2.2 Quick Reference

More guidance and practical tips will be shared soon. Thank you for helping ensure all students and families have equal access to our digital content.

Fourth grade students at Fisher Elementary are exploring AI-powered learning thanks to their teacher, Tracy Louvier. As a member of the district AI Committee, Tracy has been designing engaging, standards-aligned activities using MagicSchool AI to support student inquiry and research.

For the activity, Tracy created a custom AI chatbot room and uploaded content about a specific character students were researching. She then shared the room link with her students and provided them with seven inquiry questions, asking each student to select four questions to ask the chatbot.

Students interacted with the AI tool, carefully reading and summarizing the responses they received. They used these summaries as research notes to support their final project. To demonstrate their learning, students either created a Canva presentation or wrote a summary paragraph explaining their findings about the character.

This activity not only strengthened students’ research and summarization skills but also gave them an opportunity to practice thoughtful AI use as a learning tool. Tracy’s work is a great example of how educators in our district are exploring innovative ways to enhance instruction while preparing students for a technology-rich future.

One School, One Book Collab with Canva Tools

The media specialist and Title 1 teacher collaborated on a special project for their school utilizing CANVA with some of its new AI features. The media specialist created a calendar template where teachers contributed their voice talents to read a chapter of a book. Canva's AI tool was used to create the cover art with the cute mouse riding a motorcycle along with AI voice for announcements about the project. All was shared via Parent Square in conjunction with a public view link via Canva.

Check it out here.

Bonus note: When you share a public view link, it also has analytics attached so we can see how many times it is being accessed. Using a public view link also means that the participant doesn' t need the Canva app, just the link! After this collaboration experience, it will not be the last time this technology will be used to engage our students! Canva is a GREAT tool for teaching!

Southmoore High School Social Studies Department Chair and James Madison Fellow (OK ’22) Jennifer Blevins is bringing civic learning to life through innovative educational technology.

In preparation for her immersive presidential election project, Blevins researched a variety of educational technology tools and collaborated with the district’s EdTech Department to ensure the necessary platforms were available to successfully bring the project to life.

In her AP U.S. Government and American Government classes, students then worked collaboratively to build a fully developed presidential election website, with teams creating candidate profiles, campaign platforms, issue pages, and even political ads and commercials. Students were divided into political parties and ideologies, learning to support policy positions with factual evidence while also understanding the role of persuasive rhetoric in campaigns.

Additional students served as members of various media outlets, reporting on the race and developing questions for a live debate. The project culminated in preliminary and final elections and a formal debate evaluated by Moore Public Schools staff and community volunteers using a rubric.

Praised for its innovation and collaboration, the project gave students a hands-on understanding of how campaigns operate—and how to thoughtfully analyze political messaging in today’s media landscape.

Shoutout to 4th grade teacher Katie Nawara for her outstanding leadership and innovation at Houchin! Katie sponsors a Tech Team made up of 4th–6th grade students who volunteer their time to support K–2 classrooms. These student leaders assist with iPad cleanup and maintenance, helping ensure devices are ready for learning each day.

Katie has done a phenomenal job organizing the Tech Team and creating a meaningful experience for her students. From coordinating schedules to designing official-looking Tech Team badges that guide students on when and where to report, she has built a system that promotes responsibility, pride, and service—proof that bright ideas are blooming at Houchin.

Thank you, Katie, for empowering students, supporting teachers, and strengthening technology use across campus. You’re a rockstar!

The DesignPLUS Canvas upgrade is now available to everyone. You can continue creating content exactly as you always have; DesignPLUS simply gives you more tools when you want them. Use it to quickly build polished Canvas pages with dropdown menus, tab layouts, interactive elements, or ready-made templates that let you drop in content and publish clean, functional designs. See a demo

You now have three new buttons available when you create pages, assignments, and discussions:

DesignPLUS QuickStart Wizard – Use this button to easily slap a template on the page; it only shows when you’re starting a new page, assignment, or discussion!

DesignPLUS Sidebar – This is the rocket button in the upper right. It pulls out the DesignPLUS sidebar you can use to edit templates, or just add specific features like a dropdown menu, interactive flip cards, or tables.

Cidi Labs Upload/Embed Image tool – This is in the apps section of the Canvas editor(the plug icon) and lets you embed images straight from Unsplash or Pexels and gives an option to resize them before they’re embedded.

Adding templates with the QuickStart Wizard is the best place to start! All the formatting is done; you simply paste or type in your content. There’s a bit of a learning curve once you’re ready to start creating your own formats or heavily editing the templates. EdTech will offer in-person tutorials throughout second semester. Until then, there are various options to start learning on your own:

POV: You just want super short snippets on specific features.

POV: You don’ need to know every little thing but you want a good grasp of the basics.

POV: You want to take your time and go to training camp to learn it all.

If you don't have the MPS Teacher Passport course on your Canvas dashboard, click here to enroll. You'll find tutorials and resources on all things MPS EdTech!

Contact us at edtech@mooreschools.com if you have questions or need anything!