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!

We didn't put out a newsletter in February, so this newsletter combines articles for both February and March!

Thanks to everyone for your patience when the win knocked out power in the district on Friday the 13th (naturally). That day, both Kassy and I were out of the district, and I was traveling with multiple issues getting a stable phone and data connection. Frank Ratliff and Kristy Nelson at LVHS were instrumental in getting us back up and running so quickly. A big thank-you to them! :-)

This summer, your Tech staff will be switching to a new tech request application. The one we currently use, Freshdesk, used to offer a fully-functional free tier for up to two users. However, this tier has now been degraded and numerous back-end features are missing, including consistent notification when you email us back, setting due dates, and more. So we decided to look around for a lower-cost better choice.

We have configured a new application, Mojo HelpDesk. It works much the same way as Freshdesk, but is more reliable for notifying us and allowing better prioritizaiton.

You can start using Mojo today, but we will still respond to Freshdesk requests until June.

• To use Mojo, send requests to TechRequests@landerschools.org (an internal email address).
• This link is now posted on our Tech Services website and has replaced the Freshdesk email link.
• The Freshdesk link will work until mid-June when we will decommission our instance of the product.

We get a lot of questions regarding staff and student access to YouTube videos. Sometimes a video that is viewable by a teacher gives students a "Video not available" message. This is most commonly due to missing metadata (information that describes and identifies that particular video). If this metadata is missing, both YouTube and Linewize cannot determine if the video is safe for education. YouTube has these settings in place to comply with regulations regarding data privacy and access for minors, as YouTube is not part of the "core" Google Workspace product.

To better work within this structure, we have changed our YouTube settings. Staff will now see a note in the lower left of each YouTube video. The note will say the video is either:

• "Watchable by landerschools.org" meaning that students may view this video.
• "Video not approved for landerschools.org" meaning that only staff may view this video, as it is not approved for all users.

If you want to share a "not approved" video with students, use EdPuzzle. By copying the video link into Edpuzzle, you can create a "safe" version that plays in Edpuzzle's player and adds appropriate metadata so it's visible to all education customers. Learn more about EdPuzzle below.

Please understand that this behavior is built into YouTube educational accounts. We (Tech) cannot change or "fix" these settings, nor can we control whether a video's publisher included metadata or not.

Edpuzzle is a subscription that lets staff create interactive video lessons by adding questions, notes, or voiceovers to existing videos. You can give Edpuzzle a YouTube link and it will create a project around that video, allowing you to crop unneeded sections, add a voiceover, and embed questions or extra resources.

Go to www.edpuzzle.com and click Sign In. Be sure to choose "Sign in with Google" and you'll go to the Edpuzzle dashboard, showing projects you've created as well as suggested projects. You should see a "Pro" label.

Once at the dashboard, simply paste in your link to a video. This creates a "safe" version that plays in Edpuzzle's player and adds appropriate metadata so it's visible to all education customers.

You can then share the link with students via email, Hapara, Google Classroom, etc.

This month we're highlighting Google Gemini.

Gemini is now built into the core Google Workspace product, meaning it is fully usable by all K-12 users without any privacy concerns or data-mining. Currently, Gemini is available for all District staff. It is not turned on for student use at this time.

Google Gemini for Google Workspace is a powerful AI assistant that will help District staff save time and bring creative ideas to life directly within the tools you're already using, like Docs, Gmail, and Slides. Whether you need a spark of inspiration to outline a lesson plan, differentiate reading materials for varying student levels, or draft parent communication, Gemini acts as your personal brainstorming partner. You can also create custom images using simple text descriptions to include in your presentations and visual aids more engaging for your students. (This paragraph was written by Gemini and edited by me!)

You can access Gemini via several pathways:

• Visit gemini.google.com in Chrome
• Access Gemini modules within Google Classroom (see image below)
• Find Gemini on the "waffle" menu in each Google Workspace product.

Accessing Gemini from within Classroom is a convenient way to quickly add tools such as quizzes, study guides, and other content directly to a class.

Gemini will also remember past sessions you've interacted with, so you can go back and rework content, change a generated photo, etc.

You can find information about our "AI Hopscotch" professional development program on the Fremont #1 Tech Services website. This is our one-page stop for information regarding our three current AI applications. You can find the first "squares" in the hopscotch -- our three introductory videos. We will be adding your presentations, additional videos, and more resources over the next few months.

Go to the Tech Services website (District website - Departments menu - Technology) and you will see the "AI Hopscotch" link on the menu bar. You can also follow the link below:

Our last CyberNut "campaign" of simulated phishing emails ended in January. We will be starting another campaign after Spring Break.

We do appreciate everyone's usage of the CyberNut reporting tool.

Remember the clues that help you determine if an email is a phishing attempt:

• Look for the "External" tag on the email. This is probably the biggest clue.
• Verify the address is @landerschools.org. "From:" names can easily be forged, so look at the actual email address.
• Be wary of strange situations, requests to follow a link, and urgent or threatening language.
• Never follow a link or an attachment in any email you're unsure of.
• Analyze the situation. A principal or the superintendent won't ask your phone number, and they won't text asking you to "run a quick errand" to "reward the staff" with untraceable gift cards.

Visit the Tech Services website for more information.

Due to volume, the Tech Office no longer responds to "Is this phishing" questions. Please use the CyberNut extension to report these, not forward through email. Also, remember that for "regular" spam, you can simply use the Spam button in Gmail to classify those and stop receiving them.

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

We will have some information about our future AI plans and directions, as well as information pertaining to upcoming summer work.