New Tab: Unpaid Chromebook Fee

To help families stay current on school accounts, MS and HS students with unpaid Chromebook fees will see an "Attention Needed" reminder when opening a new tab. While Infinite Campus sends automated emails on Tuesdays and Sundays, those messages can sometimes be missed. This new feature provides another reminder and includes direct links to the annual fee information, agreement form, and Campus Portal for online payments. We hope this helps students prompt their parents to settle balances, which helps reduce the need for costly paper mailings.

Notice #1 - New Tab (after fee is past due)

Notice #2 - New Tab & Lid Close (two weeks after first notice)

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Staff Resources 2.0: Dashboard

The Staff Resources page is being redesigned with updated buttons and a new Systems Status Dashboard to enhance communication. The status icon provides instant feedback: a green light indicates all systems are operational, while a red light signals a reported outage. Clicking the icon will direct you to the Systems Status Dashboard for additional details. 

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IC: Classroom Messenger

Although the Classroom Messenger tool has not changed, the recent update to the IC menu layout has caused some confusion regarding how to access it. This screenshot and updated TIP Sheet demonstrate how to navigate the new menu for sending messages to your classes and students' families. 

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Prepare for Blended Learning Days

As winter approaches, this is a good time for teachers to review their Blended Learning Day procedures, lessons, activities, and expectations. These tasks should be completed by November 1st.

At the elementary level...

Students do not have take-home devices, so they will complete choice board activities. Each grade level team and specialist should review their choice boards, which are linked on the Blended Learning Day website. The link is emailed to parents when school is cancelled and Blended Learning Days are implemented. Teachers should have choice boards (Day #1 and Day #2) completed by November 1st.

At the secondary level...

Students will follow their school's 2-hour / weather late start schedule and use their take-home devices to attend synchronous lessons via Google Meet. For consistency, all 6-12 teachers should use the following Google Classroom layout (click the image to view full-size):

Please contact your principal if you have questions about your school's Blended Learning Day procedures.

• For Students & Families: Blended Learning Day website
• For Certified Staff: Blended Learning Day Tips & FAQs document

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Use Flip to Engage, Like TikTok

Guest post by Zach Johnson, Instructional Technology Team, MS Rep. 

TikTok is one of the newest apps that has grown in popularity over the past few years. While many associate TikTok with dances and funny videos, the platform is reshaping the way people consume news, raise awareness, and market new products. Teaching students how to create short, informational videos using a TikTok format will not only teach valuable creation skills, it will also prepare them to effectively communicate in the digital future. 

For a classroom TikTok project, I recommend using the platform Flip. It has many of the same editing features as TikTok and allows students to use both their phones and the web-based platform to create videos. Unlike TikTok, Flip gives teachers certain safety and privacy settings, making student projects private. This Tip Sheet or this video will help you get started in Flip. 

While planning for a video project, you will want to consider the parameters students need to follow. This might include The purpose of the video, the length of the video, the audience, or the amount of information needed. I highly recommend these tips from educational technology guru Holly Clark. To scaffold student learning and guide them through the creation process, I recommend using a planning template. The best template I’ve found also comes from Holly Clark’s blog. This template could easily be used to teach the speech-writing process or help student summarize their research for a particular Science or Social Studies Topic. As you plan for end-of-the-year projects, I hope you consider giving Flip a try.

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Canva for Education @ NPAS

Canva, a popular graphic design program, recently launched Canva for Education. NPAS staff and students can access thousands of templates for any subject, grade, or topic, and enjoy all of Canva’s premium features for free. You can find the app on the Clever > District Page tab. Simply click the Continue with Google button to sign in with your school account. Canva for Education makes it easier than ever to create visually captivating and compelling educational resources. To learn more, view the collection of Teach with Canva video tutorials.

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G.Docs: Change Notifications

Do you collaborate on a Google Doc with colleagues or students and need to know when changes are made? Google Sheets included this feature for years, but Docs quietly added it in the summer of 2022. Watch the video tutorial to learn more.

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Seesaw: Parent Communication

Guest post by Elizabeth Schoenecker, Instructional Tech Team, RS Rep. 

Have you been using Seesaw for assessment and communication with parents? The first step in Seesaw is to take pictures and send them to parents. Even the simplest routines in your day can be exciting for parents to see their kids-their babies!- throughout the week. The next step that our kindergarten team has taken is to take pictures of our students' sight word assessments. We teach our sight words in sets of 10, then informally assess them each week, giving kids a dauber "dab" when they know a word by sight. We then snap a picture of that card and send it to the student's grown up, so they can see the progress they've made in school. Sometimes parents see that what their child shows in school is different from what they are seeing at home when working on sight words, which can be a conversation point at conferences as well. If you are nervous to have your kids start sending photos home to parents, this is a great way to get started. Once you are familiar with using the photos tool, you will feel more comfortable showing your students what to do. 

Seesaw can do so many things! Parent communication, planned activities that go with your curriculum, and even full lessons. Our Seesaw for School subscription allows us to access many extra features. If you would like more ideas on how to have your kids using Seesaw, contact me at eschoenecker@isd721.org.

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New Gmail Layout Coming Soon

Google is introducing a new Gmail layout, making it easy to navigate between their core communication apps like Gmail, Chat, and Meet. The rollout will begin by giving users the ability to switch to the new layout or revert to the classic Gmail view. By April, all users will see the new layout by default.

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DeepL • Language Translator

If you have a student or family who does not speak English, you may have tried Google Translate only to learn the translation is less than perfect. DeepL Translator is a similar tool, but the technology behind this service has quickly made it one of the best in a highly competitive market. If you need a language translator, give the free version of DeepL Translator a try.

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IC: Message Attachments

Warning: When sending Class Messages to parents via Infinite Campus (IC), do not use the [Add Email Attachment] button. - Why?... Some parents prefer to view IC messages using Campus Portal. Unfortunately, attachments are only sent via email; they are not included in the IC Message Center.

What should I do if I have to share a file with parents?... The best option is to link the file from Google Drive. Follow the steps listed below (video tutorial):

❶ Start with Google Drive...

1. Upload the file to Google Drive
2. Right-click the file... select the Get link option
3. Change the setting from Restricted to: Anyone with the link
4. Make sure the permission is set to: Viewer
5. Click the Copy link button... click the Done button

❷ Next, compose your Class Message in IC...

1. Select (highlight) the word(s) you want to hyperlink
2. Click the link icon... select the Insert Link option
3. Paste the link into the URL field... click the Insert button

When you send your message, parents will now be able to open the linked file from their email or Campus Portal.

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Google Meet: Guests / Parents

Google Meet makes it easy for users in the same organization to create and join video meetings. This security can, however, make it difficult to connect with guest speakers or parents. In the past, teachers had to create the Meet link for guests with Google Calendar. Google has now made it easier to create a meeting link directly from the Google Meet home page.

Simply click New Meeting > Create a meeting link for later and copy the link. The link can be pasted into an email or included on a document. If someone outside ISD721 follows the link, they can click the [Ask to Join] button. The meeting host will be notified that "John Smith" is asking to join the meeting, with the option to Admit or Deny the request.

Note: Guests still need a Google account to join our Google Meet sessions.

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G. Classroom: Guardian Summary

Google Classroom allows teachers to invite parents / guardians to receive daily or weekly email summaries. What’s included in an email summary?...  

• Missing work: Work not turned in when the summary was sent.
• Upcoming work: Work that’s due today and tomorrow (for daily emails) or that’s due in the upcoming week (for weekly emails).
• Class activity: Announcements, assignments, and questions recently posted by teachers.

It’s important to note, guardians who sign up for email summaries will receive one email summarizing all of their child’s Google Classroom classes. Parents will not, however, see the Stream, Classwork, People, or Grades pages in Classroom. For more information about Guardian Summaries, view the videos listed below: 

• Teacher: Video Tutorial
• Parent: Video Tutorial 

Does every teacher have to invite every parent of every student for all of their classes? No, I recommend spreading the invitations out as follows...

• Grades 2-5: Homeroom teachers
• Grades 6-8: Advisory teachers (create an Advisory class, invite parents)
• Grades 9-12: First period teachers

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