Dear WUSD EdTech Blog: Adding Your Teacher Picture to Google Classroom

Dear Not Part of the Blue Man Group,

I applaud your efforts to add your image to your Google Classroom.  Your students will appreciate seeing a friendly, familiar face as opposed to the default Shadow Icon.  Besides solving your Google Classroom dilemma, adding your image will also keep you from appearing as an initial in shared Google Files.   

Like most things in Google, there are multiple ways to accomplish this.  You can set up your Google+ profile and add an image there or if you're already in Google Classroom, here's another way to add your picture.   

1. Open Google Classroom. (Do you need to be verified as a teacher?  If yes, send an email to Melissa.)
2. Click on Hotdogs and go to Settings at the bottom of the page. 
3. Click on Change Profile Picture

4. You will be presented with the following choices: Upload Photos or Take Picture from Web Camera.  If you are uploading a photo, it is recommended that the size is no smaller than 250 px x 250 px.  If you are taking a picture, you may be prompted to allow access to your camera.

5. Click Set as profile photo.  You will no longer appear like a member of the Blue Man Group.

Thanks for your question, Not a Part of the Blue Man Group.  

                                                   Sincerely,
                                                   WUSD EdTech Blog

PS: If you have more questions for the WUSD EdTech Blog, let us know!  We're here to answer them for you and the larger WUSD community.

Volunteers Needed. Youth Hackathon West Sacramento

On September 11-13, Code for Hood is hosting a Youth Hackathon in West Sacramento at the Community Center and is looking for volunteers to help make this event a success.  Many of our students, ages 12-17 are participating and will have the opportunity to explore game design, web design, coding and much, much more!

The event organizers are looking for volunteers, no tech experience required, to help in a variety of roles over the three days.  They have divided the volunteer schedule in 4-5 hour blocks.  You may commit to as little or a much time as you're willing to give. This is a great opportunity to support our community and learn more about the maker movement in education.  Visit the Code For Hood website to learn more about the event and see the attached schedule with event organizer contact information if you'd like to volunteer ASAP.

Digital Citizenship Lessons to Start Off the Year

Common Sense Media defines a digital citizen as someone who knows how to harness the power of technology safely, respectfully, and responsibly. Digital Citizenship lessons will help prepare our students for 21st century learning environments.

For the upcoming 2015-2016 school year, we are focusing on the meeting the Internet Safety Education Requirements outlined in the Children's Internet Protect Act (CIPA) and will be using the curriculum provided by Common Sense Media. They offer a wealth of standards-aligned, research-based lessons available beyond these requirements. All lessons can be low-tech with pen and paper or there is an option for a more teched-up version.  Lesson materials are also available in Spanish for our bilingual classrooms.

These are the required lessons for each grade level:

• Grade TK/K: Going Places Safely
• Grade 1: Sending Email
• Grade 2: Show Respect Online
• Grade 3: Talking Safely Online
• Grade 4: The Power of Words
• Grade 5: Digital Citizenship Pledge
• Grade 6: Safe Online Talk, Scams and Schemes
• Grade 7: Cyberbullying: Crossing the Line, Trillion Dollar Footprint
• Grade 8: Which Me Should I Be? Cyberbullying: Be Upstanding
• Grade 9: Private Today, Public Tomorrow
• Grade 10: Risky Online Relationships
• Grade 11: College Bound
• Grade 12: Taking Perspectives on Cyberbullying

Once you complete the required lesson we ask that you complete the following verification form and send to Melissa Oliver via district mail or scanned email.  

You are highly encouraged to check out the lessons beyond those listed above.   Within the Common Sense Media Scope & Sequence, you'll find great lessons on teaching students effective searching skills, copyright, and much more that will complement your ongoing classroom instruction.  These are great lessons anytime during the year and especially at start of a new school year as you prepare to take students into the computer labs, use mobile devices, and collaborate with on another using Google Apps.  You may even want to consider becoming a Common Sense Media Digital Citizenship Certified Educator.  If you have questions or would like additional support, please reach out for support!

Google, Google, and more Google at Teacher University

Another full house for our Getting Started with Chrome Session. Great teacher collaboration. @WUSDK12 #wusdk12 pic.twitter.com/yU1YB9F2em

— Melissa Oliver (@maoliver17) August 12, 2015

We had 107 teachers participate in our Technology Offerings at Teacher University on August 12. The excitement in the room about Google Apps for Education (GAfE) was electric. Teachers jumped in and explored various resources and experienced first-hand the power of communication and collaboration that the Google Suite of Tools offers within Education. The Google Tech Sessions focused on Google Drive, Google Chrome, and Google Classroom. Teachers were flexible as we made adjustments to our sessions. locations, and devices to best meet the demand.

All the resources for our Google Sessions are now available on the WUSD EdTech Website for your reference. If you were not able to attend and/or would like additional support or practice, we have a full calendar of PD trainings scheduled for the 2015-2016 school year. Registration will open soon.

The entire tech team is here to support you with individual or small group coaching to best meet your needs. As you continue to work within the Google environment as questions arise, please reach out so we can support out. Who knows?  Your question may be the topic of a future blog post or tutorial.

Wireless Update: Connecting & Disconnecting Windows 7 Devices

Lots of exciting technology changes are happening within our district as our entire department is working tirelessly to prepare for the upcoming 2015-2016 school year.

Watch this short tutorial (1:34) that describes what you need to know and do when using your district-provided Windows 7 laptop to connect and disconnect from our wireless networks.

Following these steps will ensure that everyone enjoys peak performance on our networks and avoid any potential H:// drive confusion.

Look for more short tutorials on other exciting changes regarding student logins and Google Apps coming soon.  Also, be sure to check out our Technology Department Webpage for even more resources, including our Technology Training Calendar.