Synergyse with your Chrome Browser

Are you seeking short tips for how to do various things in Google Drive? Or perhaps you're working in Google Docs and want to translate a document? Maybe you wish someone or something would demonstrate step-by-step how to perform a particular task within our new Google environment. We have a solution for all these scenarios.

Introducing Synergyse! Synergyse provides short personalized, responsive, and interactive tutorials within the Google environment. Working in Google Drive? Click on the Training menu and you'll see short tutorials just about Google Drive. Can't find what you're looking for, use the search menu.

Working in Google Docs? The training menu changes and reflects tasks specific to Google Docs. Working in Google Classroom? The training menu responds to your environment and will only show you topics related to Google Classroom.

To access Synergyse, you must log in to the Chrome browser using your WUSD Google Apps Account. Here's how:

1. Open the Chrome Browser

2. Click the Hotdogs, then Settings

3. Click Sign in to Chrome

4. Enter your full WUSD email address and password. Click Sign in and you are signed into Chrome.

5. To activate Synergyse the first time, go to Google.com. Click on the Waffle (Apps Launcher) and go to Google Drive.

6. Once in Google Drive, wait a moment and you'll see WUSD Training appear. Click on Training to get started!

We think you'll like Synergyse with the just in time support. However, Synergyse is not just for teachers and staff. Students will also have access to Synergyse. As you're thinking of your procedures for the upcoming school year you may want to include Synergyse to your "Ask three before me" expectations when working within the Google environment. Students can access answers to their own questions at their fingertips. Just remember, you must log in to Chrome with your WUSD Google Account to access this tremendous resource.

Google Apps for Education is Here!

Google Apps for Education (GAFE) is here and available to ALL teachers. We are excited about how Google tools will promote collaboration, creativity, and communication in the classroom. If you would like to get started with GAFE prior to attending our upcoming trainings scheduled this Fall, you will need to activate your account. This first step must occur on a hard-wired, networked school computer.

1.  Log on to hard-wired, networked computer using your regular WUSD credentials.
2.  Press Control + Alt + Delete
3.  Choose Select Change Password

4.  Type in Password 3 times (Note: You do NOT have to actually change your password. This action will resync you within our system and activate your GAFE account)

5. Visit Google.com, click blue sign-in button, and sign-in using your FULL WUSD email address and when prompted, your password.

6.  Welcome to your WUSD Google Account!  

Continue to watch this blog for more updates and tips and tricks. We look forward to seeing you at our trainings this Fall or at Teacher University on August 12.  If you are eager to learn more before our scheduled trainings, I recommend visiting the Google for Education: Training Center.

Connected Educator Month

October is Connected Educator Month (#CEM) which, in essence, means you should be reaching out and connecting to other educators.  Within WUSD, we’ve have been making those connections:

Schoology (www.schoology.com) – The Innovative Educators have been using Schoology to connect, share, collaborate, and create around the reading of Who Owns the Learning? by Alan November. They have been wonderful “students” and the online sharing and support that is taking place has been unbelievable.

The District Technology Advisory Committee (DTAC), the teachers who use Scholastic services on a daily basis (our Read 180, SDC, and RSP teachers), and our Principals and Assistant Principals have all started using Schoology to connect, communicate, and collaborate. 

Finally, we’ve had several training opportunities for teachers to attend and connect with each other and some new content. 

So, what can you do to become a more connected educator?  Start with thinking about how connected you would like to be – I recommend taking small steps: setting up a Twitter account and following colleagues, such as @WUSDEdTech and @maoliver17, and education leaders, join an organization (free) such as EdWeb.net, or simply take some time to explore different blogs and follow one by having their articles delivered to your inbox. 

Greg Garner has a great article on Getting Smart where he focuses on 5 things to become a connected educator.  Greg explains what connecting is – learning, sharing, and mentoring, and what it is not – bragging – and the need to have a balance so that connecting does not consume your life. Take a look at Greg’s article “So You’re Already a Connected Educator … Now What?” and you might want to sign up to get updates from the Getting Smart website (I did!).

Check out “Ten Tips to Becoming a Connected Educator” from Elana Leoni at Edutopia (another great website to subscribe to).  She provides some practical steps as well as some great resources!

Upcoming training to connect with others and Google Apps or bring your tech needs to an open lab.

Digital Tools for Communicating with Parents

Tired of creating printed newsletters that you hope make it home in a backpack?  Looking for ways to connect in real time with parents and families? Try one of these three tech tools for connecting with parents.

Twitter (www.twitter.com)

Twitter can be very daunting for some to take the plunge, which is why I suggest you begin by just dipping in your toe and getting a feel for the water. Twitter is a great way to share updates and information immediately with classroom parents and families by sending out a tweet. In order for parents and families receive your tweet, they will need a Twitter account and will need to follow you on Twitter.  With Twitter, you can “protect” your tweets so that only those approved followers can see them, which is recommended when using Twitter for the purpose of communicating with parents. Take a moment to set up your Twitter account and send out your first tweet in 25 slides.  

Already on Twitter? Be sure to follow @WUSDEdTech for resources and updates in WUSD.  Check out these resources from the Spring 2014 workshop.

Remind (formerly Remind 101) (www.remind.com) 

Remind allows you to set up an account and have parents and families subscribe and receive updates and reminders via text or email.  The Remind tech tool is a push – meaning that information is pushed to those who subscribe and there is no way for subscribers to respond via this tool.  Creating an account is simple and free.  Once your account is set up, you will need to invite parents to either text a code to a phone number or go to a website to sign up.  You will never see the phone numbers or email addresses of your parents, and they will not see yours.  The Remind tool relies on parents “opting in” for updates and provides you with a document you can send home, tweet out, or link to your website to provide subscription information to parents.

Creating a Classroom Webpage

A classroom website is the easiest way to provide parents and families with one place to find information about what is happening in your classroom. If you already have a website using School Loop, you may want to take some time to refresh it, changing out old information, making sure your contact information is current, and perhaps adding in a calendar with assignments, projects, and due dates.  Feedback from parents and families has indicated that these are the top three needs that the classroom webpage can address.  

If you are new to creating a website and would like to try Google Sites or Weebly as the tool instead of School Loop, feel free to do so.  A template for WUSD teachers to use has been created for Google Sites to support the transition to Google Apps for Education (GAFE).  Tutorials and resources on using Google Sites, School Loop, and Weebly can be found on the Home-School Communication section of the WUSD Ed Tech Resources Hub.

Want some help learning more about these tech tools?  Be sure to sign up for one of the free Open Labs and receive individualized assistance.

3 Ways to Use the School Computer Lab

Technology is a scarce commodity across the district with many teachers relying almost exclusively on the school site computer labs for access.  So, what do you do when you’ve been scheduled into the computer lab to make this time meaningful and relevant?  Below are three different ways to engage your students.

Developing Keyboarding Skills with TypingWeb

To best prepare our students for the online testing in the spring, keyboarding skills are essential.  TypingWeb (http://www.typingweb.com/) is a free online typing site that provides students with keyboarding instruction and practice.  Teachers can create their class and monitor student progress toward keyboarding goals through the Teacher Portal.  TypingWeb is online – no software to download or install and students can access their account and practice from anywhere.

Introducing Digital Literacy and Citizenship

21^st century learning demands that our students know how to “think critically, behave safely, and participate responsibly in the digital world” and Common Sense Media is packed with a wealth of resources to help students do just that.   At this free website, teachers will find materials for Digital Literacy and Citizenship including downloadable and printable lesson plans, videos, classroom posters, and much, much more.  Take some time to look through the resources to see what all is avail­able.  A good starting point is the Scope & Sequence  which provides leveled units that address digital literacy and citizenship.  The Common Sense Media resources are the approved Digital Literacy and Citizenship materials being used in the district.

Improving Search Skills with Google

Want to help your students become critical thinkers and independent learners?  Google Search Education provides teachers with leveled lesson plans and activities to help develop search literacy skills.  Students can take the self-paced Power Searching course and receive a certificate of completion at the conclusion.  They can also put their searching skills to test in the A Google a Day.