Chad's Instructional Tech Update

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Introduction

Pumpkin pies and turkey. Falling leaves. Those are some of the things that I think of when it comes to November. I just can't help myself. I've just always associated November with those things on top of getting together with family.

As an educator though, I also associate November as a point in the year where we've reached the beginnings of seeing where the students stand in their learning goals. Are they doing well in your class? Do you feel that the student may need remediation? Whatever the situation, this is a good time to begin looking at how your students are doing to determine whether the information is getting through to them or not and to make modifications if it isn't. Yes, sometimes it's "them", but not always. Sometimes a teaching style just doesn't work with a particular student or class and you may have to try something else entirely. Even if a student doesn't have an IEP, modifications can be necessary. I'm probably not telling you something you don't already know, but it's a good thing to keep in mind moving forward while trying to help the students succeed.

Information you should know

Two step verification is now in effect for High Schools in the district. If you are still having issues getting logged in, you may want to think about using the Google Authenticator if you aren't already.
Read & Write has been purchased for students with the Special Education and ELL labels. If you find that a student in either of those categories needs this tool but doesn't have it installed, you can send them to the IT office to get it installed if you can't do it yourself.
The Meta Quest 3 VR headsets have arrived and are pretty much ready to go. We just need to find applications that will fit your subject related needs. We have a list started and will be sharing that out soon if possible.

Animated image showing the button in Docs to show sections

This month's Tech Tip

Do you often create long Google Docs that the students then have to jump to a specific section? If not, then this may not pertain to you, but this month's Tech Tip relates to using links in a Google Doc.

When you create headers for an outline or a section in a Google Doc, if you select the text of that header and then change the words from Normal text to Heading 1 or Heading 2, Docs will begin to create a sort of outline with Heading 1 being at the top followed by Heading 2 and 3. You'll begin to see this if you click the little floating button that sites in the left of the Docs screen. The headings automagically turn into links that enable a viewer to click and jump to that section. It's a great tool to use to allow someone to get to various sections of a document quickly.

Technology Highlight

I've recently had a couple of requests for screen recorders so that teachers can pre-record lessons. I've directed most of those teachers to various products like WeVideo or even Canva since some of the more popular screen recorders are blocked or involve some type of payment. But, there is another option that isn't as known about by most staff. That is Google Vids. Google Vids allows you to record your screen, convert a Slides presentation, use templates to create your own videos after uploading media, or even just use AI to create a basic video based on your input.

Google Vids is a really basic video editor, but one that most people are going to be able to use a lot easier than some of the other options available. So if you just want to edit or screen record a quick video, give it a try. You can go straight to the website (vids.google.com) or find it under the +New list of options in Google Drive.