Fremont #1 Tech News

Each issue of our Tech News focuses on the great things we have going on, including our subscriptions and resources! We'll develop and refine these over time and your feedback will help us guide these efforts, so let us know what you'd like to see and learn about!

Thanks to everyone who helped make the start-of-year a success. 😀

It's a cliché that things are always changing in educational technology, and in my years it's never been so apparent as it is now. What were once foundational things are now nearly gone: Intel processors are fast disappearing from our devices, onsite servers have become dinosaurs, Microsoft Windows is no longer the dominant platform. AI tools are rapidly changing, even over the span of months, as are all our applications.

This year, we are looking at these projects:

🔹 Focus on AI applications and usage

Curriculum and Technology are working on a series of PD opportunities for all district staff. We will have some exciting announcements shortly!

🔹 Beginning a migration to Chrome OS for most desktop users

Over the year, we will be scheduling migrations for District staff with Dell desktop PCs to move from Microsoft Windows to the Chrome OS (operating system). Although our Dell desktops are getting older, switching to Chrome, combined with last spring's memory increase, will give us another 2-3 years of use with these PCs.

We have several reasons for this change:

• Nine-tenths of our staff are no longer using any applications that require Microsoft Windows. Virtually everything we now do runs in the Chrome browser.
• The lack of control over Windows 11 settings, combined with the growing amount of "in your face" pop-ups advertising of products we do not use or need (Copilot, Xbox, Onedrive, LinkedIn, etc) make Windows more and more of a distraction.
• Chrome OS is by design a much more secure OS than Windows.
• Chrome OS is much more customizable and manageable, without the extra costs of management software and security software.

About 10% of staff are using Chrome desktops already. We will begin transitions in earnest later this fall. When it's time, you will experience only a few minutes' downtime. We will bring an identical Dell desktop with Chrome OS already installed, then swap it for your existing desktop. If you would like to have your Windows PC migrated to Chrome now, please let us know via tech request and we can prioritize you!

🔹 Phasing out usage of Microsoft Office 2010

We've used Microsoft Office 2010 since, well, 2010. It is at end-of-life this year and the cost to move staff to the new subscription-based version would be around $18,000 annually, too costly for a product that is now used by maybe 10% of our staff.

• For staff moving to Chrome OS, Google Workspace replaces MS Office. Any content you have in your old X drive "My Documents" can be moved into Workspace. More on this later.
• For office staff requiring Office to work with WDE applications, we will install an Office 365 licensed suite. We will only install Office 365 for office staff with a demonstrated requirement for its need.
• For staff remaining on Windows for other reasons, LibreOffice will replace MS Office. LibreOffice is a free fully-compatible office suite that opens Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents.

🔹 Continued focus on all our applications and subscriptions

With everything growing and changing, what were separate applications a year ago have now become blurred as functionality grows, along with costs unfortunately. As we always do, we are working to identify trends and changes in usage of our subscriptions.

Phishing has become our top security issue. Emails are being sent to Fremont #1 that are tailored and targeted to trick our staff. Phishers are researching names, positions, and what applications we use -- these details make phishing emails seem legitimate. Some of these are parts of sophisticated long-term campaigns to win trust before attacking. Other Wyoming districts and entities are also receiving these attacks, and some have fallen for them.

By now you've read the email we sent about the phishing exercise we ran at the start of the school year. We have purchased a subscription to CyberNut, a phishing training and simulator package MUCH more effective than our previous solution. As you've noticed, these simulated phishing attacks are very realistic looking. CyberNut sent a mix of different emails, mostly looking like they were fake log-in attempts from Google or YouTube, and scattered them over a few days as as not to raise suspicions. These tests also do not have the "External" tag -- this is by design as CyberNut is also testing for staff reading content and evaluating behavior as much as for the "external" tag.

We will start another phishing campaign the last week of September. Here's what will happen:

• As of today, all staff have the CyberNut add-on in Gmail (the blue squirrel on the right vertical toolbar).
• Some staff have received their onboarding email this week, but by Monday September 27th, all staff should receive an onboarding email from CyberNut with a two-minute video on how to use the CyberNut add-on. Essentially, if there's an email you're not sure about, click the squirrel! 🙂
• Also starting that week, a phishing email will be released to some staff. As noted above, staff receive phishing simulations at staggered times, and emails are different. Staff will receive several phishing simulations each month through December.
• Emails start at "Level 2" and, over time, will become more sophisticated up to "Level 4."
  

Our intention with this phishing simulation is not to trap people, but to raise awareness that these attacks can target any employee at any time, with emails that are tailored to Fremont #1. Real phishers research and use staff names , the names of applications and products we use, and other strategies like targeting certain times of the year. It's unfortunate that we have to contend with these threats, but with everyone's diligence we can work to minimize their impact. CyberNut will be a big assist with that.

For ANY email you are suspicious of, please use the CyberNut add-on to report it, and not email it directly to us. That way, multiple submissions will be compiled in the dashboard, and with a single click we can mark it as safe or remove it from everyone's inbox.

Also, when you use CyberNut, you will earn "acorns" for each phishing simulation you report. Next month, we'll share more about how acorns work with our teams and our leaderboard! Leaderboards will be available starting in October.

AI in K-12 education is moving very fast with capabilities, products, and pricing changing monthly. We have started with MagicSchool.ai and we are happy with how it's being used, but we have also added Brisk Teaching for additional capabilities and a tighter integration with Google Workspace.

We currently offer three full AI solutions for Fremont #1 staff:

• Brisk runs as a Chrome extension and it is now installed for all staff. It is accessible via the "Brisk dot" in the lower right of a Google document, spreadsheet, presentation, or PDF.
• MagicSchool.ai is accessible by visiting the website
• Google Gemini and NotebookLM are new applications. Originally these were offered as a paid add-on, but this spring were made free to all education customers. They are now "core services" in Google Workspace, so they include data privacy protections. This year we will be exploring these as well.

We know this is a lot and can be overwhelming. This year, we are seeking to find the best combination of tools to meet our district's needs, while also looking at the most cost-effective solution. Your feedback will be very helpful as the year progresses.

Also, a collaboration between Curriculum and Technology is working on a series of PD opportunities regarding AI in general, and how to use these three applications in particular. We are hoping to share more information in October!

The Brisk extension is now automatically installed in Chrome for all District staff. If you haven't already, we suggest you pin the Brisk icon to the toolbar.

Brisk is a full-featured AI tool with all of the same capabilities as MagicSchool: feedback generator, decodable texts, lesson planner, presentation and rubric maker, email generator, IEP and 504 plan assistant, and much more.

What sets Brisk apart is that it is tightly integrated with Google Workspace, so you can be working in a Google doc or presentation and have Brisk immediately on hand, without copy/pasting to another tab or website. Brisk works seamlessly with Docs, Slides, Forms, Classroom, and YouTube. Brisk can also appear and be used on any other website via the extension. Some LVHS teachers have been using Brisk already, and would like to extend the pilot to all District staff.

These applications can be quickly and easily used with their "Sign in with Google" option.

Google Slides has a bunch of new modern-looking templates. Access these templates using the new "Templates" button in the Slides toolbar or by going to Insert > Templates.

Qball is a soft ball with an integrated microphone that connects to your classroom speakers. It can be tossed, dropped, rolled, and spun. Toss it around the classroom to encourage participation and engagement.

If you are interested in trying out a QBall, please let your Instructional Facilitator or the Tech Office know.

We'll have some info on our upcoming AI PD, as well as a continuing focus on our District subscriptions and applications. By November, we will be ready to start Windows-to-Chrome transitions and we'll have more detail there too.