Today is 3/17/2023.  Joe Biden and Kamala Harris took office on 1/20/2021.  Two years and 2 months ago.  However if you did not know who the Vice President of the United State was and you did a search for it...  Here are some results!

The importance of knowing how to search and what to look for is very important.  Change up search terms, don't believe all the results you get on 1 (or 4) search engines.

​

BTW
I lied in the e-mail!  If you need a wireless keyboard... Send me a Teams message saying how interesting this post is!! ;)

FINALLY We have all moved to Teams!  Skype is gone.  Don't get me wrong I liked skype - simple and straight forward.  I just dislike having too many platforms!  PICK ONE.

I have tried to get around to each of you to show you how to use Teams.  If I have not it is because you were teaching, busy or absent.  Here is what you missed or need to know.  Skype was our go to for phone calls.  Teams did NOT make calls outside GSD.  Now it does and you need to know how.  Many of you say you don't make calls.  You should, you can and you need to know how!

Also it DOES matter which phone you have which why we had you do this survey!  If you have one of the newer stand alone phones you will NEED to put in a work order to get that phone working.

That's it!  Please use Teams to contact me in Chat or Call me. 
YES there is a Teams app that works the same for mobile devices and mine is always on. 
But don't worry I wont answer it if is after hours... Or will I? 
​​Teams has many more options and is very power tool, this is just the basic communication portion.
You'll learn more and more and we begin to use it.

If you read all this and feel good about Teams, send me a message in Teams and say "Keyboard" if you'd like a wireless keyboard/mouse combo.

Wow and WOW.  A truly overlooked resource.  But what to use it for? Click on the Voyager (click on the helm!) Then the Education tab...​https://earth.google.com/ and take some time to browse.  Some obscure examples other than Geography include.   In Voyager we cannot search so you do HAVE to click and scroll.  So have at it.  Word of warning - Art history images do include some sculptures!

Education Tab

• The sculptures of Ruta de la Amistad
• WWII memorials around the world
• Discover France
• Football Stadiums
• The Geometry of Sustainable Architecture
• Poetry around the World
• Literary Locations in Real Life

Of course there are some cool even cooler trips too. 

• Hikes around the world
• Dangerous Races
• Old towns of the world
• Epic ski Jumps

Under the Nature Tab

• Timelapse in Google Earth.   From there you can search for a location such as the Great Salt Lake or Holladay and watch our school being be built!

Click the Quiz Tab and see what you know about

• Musical Instruments 
• US presidents
• Animal Calls
• Holiday Traditions
• Rock and Roll Icons
• Or play the unforgettable Where on Google Earth is Carmen Sandiego!

Time to revisit and old favorite.  Making a Google Map with your own places on it.  Anything with a location can be put on a map!  Here is how to do it, we will come up with examples at the end.  Believe it or not there are a few ways to do it and there are differences! 
BE SURE YOU ARE LOGGED IN TO THE CORRECT G-MAIL ACCOUNT!  School or Personal?!

But wait!  Even better - Have your students do the hard work of getting the data! And answer some questions related to places.  Create a form with questions for students to answers.  Include a PLACE that can be mapped.  Ask a few more questions.  That form will create a spreadsheet.  That spreadsheet can fill your map!  Then you present it to the class.

How to get rid of any old ones or shared with you ones...​

• Places a character in a book visited and what they did there.
• Specific war battles
• Art collections and the museums they are in.
• Favorite or best sport teams..
• Famous Scientist/Mathematician hometowns
• The travels of an explorer.
• let your imagine go!

I keep thinking of it as a form for students to fill out with the data you want and YOU create the map.  BUT students could do this on their own too.  I WOULD BE MORE THAN HAPPY  to show them how.

The problem with teaching students is they get smart and curious and figure things out.  Well they figured out how to, as a few teachers put it... "hack the TV's".  So we just have a few simple things we need to change.

On the TV touch the arrow on the right or left side. then the blue settings box. (Teacher Control Center)

​In the Teacher Control Panel change

• Share Screen to = Need Authorization
• View, control... = Disable

These settings can easily be changed back.

Because of this... You will have to give
YOURSELF permission to view your computer on YOUR screen. Touch "Allow".

​If you do not recognize the computer name or not expecting anyone to be on your TV.  Deny them access!

It is not quite as robust as the original but has all that you will need to observe your students on their Chomebooks.  Allow, block and screenshots are the simplest and best tools you can use this for.  PLEASE let me know if you would like some help in getting starting with this.  I would happily come down to a class and show you how it works.  You still have to Start and End classes but students are NOT locked in anymore.
Click here for some on your own details

It is specifically for Chromebooks and does not replace the legacy wired version in labs.

Please let me know when you have submitted your site and I will put your SM link up on our school's Social Media webpage.

Sometimes the last thing you want are MORE e-mails.  BUT what if they WERE relevant to what you teach or are interested in... UEN hosts a large amount of education lists that you may be interest in.  Check it out here - ​https://lists.uen.org/mailmlists.uen.org/mailman/listinfo

Please don't forget that I (and the Library) are here for you and your students.  We have physical books, e-books, audiobooks, an old school computer lab, a poster printer, work tables, magazines. 

I can help teach your students about research, tech tools usage, Digital Literacy, library books.
​
If you ever need to send a student down please do so on a pass or note.

​Read what you need! Skip the rest!  (Trying to keep you updated - in as little wording as I can!)

1. SMART Software.   Click here if you need the license   
2. Google Drive error - To fix this please run “Security Scan”.  An update will fix it.
3. Outlook NOT connecting.  Re-install it yourself or put in a work order.
4. LanSchool (for Chromebooks) Is now running Via a website.  I will find out details later this week. But in order to get the website on your computer please… Run… “Security Scan”!
5. LanSchool in a computer Lab… No change.  But run SS anyway! 😉
6. To the best of my knowledge EVERY STAFF member is now getting the Morning Bulletin on their TEACHER computer(s).  If NOT Run… Security Scan. RESTART. 
   If it still does not show up - put in a work order.
7. Printers seem to be back in control.  FYI – HP had an update (last week) which caused most of the errors you are seeing.  Our NE has had to fix each one on the network.  Work orders are required!
8. It is getting close to being too late to cross-list classes in Canvas.  IF you need help send me an e-mail or c’mon down.
9. If you are one who is doing NON-PBL. YOU must set up your own Gradebook.  Please chose the “Canvas District Categories” when setting up your Gradebook.  Canvas Groups MUST = Gradebook Categories!
10. Student Passwords…. Seems like I have changed a “phewhundred!” (see what I did there?)  IF you change their PW,  PLEASE do NOT force them to change it again.  UNCHECK the box!  I have also noticed quite a few kids who have been sent down trying to log in with their @graniteschools.org acct. OR @granitesd.COM - Please do a quick looksee before sending them.
11. Clever.com is a one stop password portal for all of us.  Feel free to share these instructions with your students.  Works for you Too.  It’s pretty slick
12. That’s enough for one e-mail! 😉 Busy and hectic – but all is good!

 
Questions about any of it… Let me know with a response.

​“Techie Tuesday” is all about the Library this week!
Please do not forget you are more than welcome to bring your classes down to use your school’s library.
 
March Madness voting is here  There is a bracket in the library on the window, I did not hand out a fillable bracket as I was a smidge late on getting them printed.  BUT you can still vote!  Enjoy and please encourage your students to vote too.  Each week it will get narrowed down from the sweet 16 until we have a “Champion”.

 
Picturing Women Inventors
I have a set of these posters that will be hanging on the library windows.  There is a “student made” quiz that goes along with them if you would like to have your students take the quiz.  Or if you want to come down and take the quiz feel free.  The quiz is linked on the QR codes outside the window.  If you want student’s scores be sure they answer that question correctly!
 

Many places use a room calendar to sign-up for on your own, OR just to see if the room is available.  Here is how to find out.

Please also find and sign up for the Library this way!

1. From your Outlook Calendar toolbar... Click the dropdown arrow on the "Add Calendar" button and select 'From Room List'. (or  Shared Calendar.  Seems like they both go to the same place)
2. Click on Name, then search for, or start typing "Olympus Sr," to see what rooms we have.  Select the "...Media Lab' and click ok.
3. To sign up, click the date you want and type the period/day and your name at minimum!  Don't bother with times... Unless you need to!  If you just want to use the tables that is great too.  But type that in the box.
4. To sign up for a Textbook Check in (or out) please search for and use the Calendar "Olympus Sr, Book Schedule".  Then add your name and time you will be down. 
   Please sign up for TIMES, and not "All day".  Approx. 20 min. intervals.

Outlook may be trying to load a cached version... Try this in Outlook

1. Go to file -> Info
2. Account settings / Account settings
3. Double click your name/GSD account.
4. UN-check the box that says "Use a cached version..."
5. Next / Done / Close

Or watch the video below!