• Back to School Digital Curriculum Access Dates
• NEW! Modesto Student Analytics: Classroom
• Protect Your Tech: Top 7 Student Device Tips
• Blocksi Classroom Management Setup
• Beginning of year setup PowerTeacher Pro and Schoology
• NEW! Schoology Lesson Planner
• ParentSquare Back to School Tips
  
• ISTA for 7-12
  
• MCS App Portal Quick Cards TK-2
• MCS Course & Grade Roadmap Website
• Join MCS Ed Tech Explorers and Missions
• Upcoming EdTech PD in August
• Introducing the MCS EdTech Dept at IETS

Back to School 2024-25

• Ongoing - Digital Curriculum will still stay available for Teachers to see the course materials if you were already teaching using the curriculum at the end of 2023-24 school year
• 7/15/24 - ISTA available for 7-12 students to begin to take for 2024-25 school year
• 7/30/24 - Teachers: PowerSchool and Schoology setup available for 2024-25 school year
• 7/31/24 - most adopted Digital Curriculum will be available for Teachers others such as: McGraw Hill, SWUN, and VHL - Vista Higher Learning will be available on 8/5/24 after 4pm
• 8/12/24 - Students and Parents/Guardians setup in PowerSchool, Schoology, and ParentSquare after 4pm available for 2024-25 school year
• 8/12/24 - adopted Digital Curriculum will be rostered with Students
• 8/13/24 - adopted Digital Curriculum will be available for Students

Meet Your New Classroom Superhero: Modesto Student Analytics!

Imagine it's Monday morning. You're preparing for the week ahead, wondering how to best support your students. What if you had a magic wand that could instantly show you which students need extra help, who's improving, and where to focus your energy?

That's exactly what Modesto Student Analytics (MSA) does for you!

This user-friendly tool puts powerful information at your fingertips:

• See attendance patterns at a glance
• Track grades and progress effortlessly
• Monitor behavior trends easily
• Understand how students are measuring up to standards

With eye-catching charts and simple reports, you'll spot important trends in seconds. No more drowning in spreadsheets or juggling multiple systems! It is all connected through PowerSchool.

Ready to become a classroom superhero? Let's get started with Modesto Student Analytics today! In the MCS App Portal click on PowerSchool Student Analytics app.

Ready to dive in? Handy tips, cheat sheets, videos, and self-paced e-learning courses are located on the resource website linked below. Take a look!

🆘MCS Tech Help Center Webpage for Modesto Student Analytics

Your school site Ed Tech Liaison Teacher will be providing ongoing training each month at your local school site this school year on Modesto Student Analytics. Be sure to sign up for their sessions! Tentative timeline:

• Phase 1 Introduction Classroom Dashboard

  • 8/7 8/9 - Mandatory Teacher PD

    
    

• Phase 2 Advanced Classroom Dashboard Features

  • Your School Site Ed Tech Liaisons roll out PD in September

    
    

• Phase 3 District School Comparative

  • Your School Site Ed Tech Liaisons roll out PD in October

  • Bits and Bytes eNewsletter feature in Fall Edition 10/15
    
    

• Phase 4 MTSS

  • Your School Site Ed Tech Liaisons roll out PD in November

  • Bits and Bytes eNewsletter feature in Winter Edition 1/21/25
    
    

• Phase 5 Risk Analysis Introduction

  • Your School Site Ed Tech Liaisons roll out PD in January

  • Bits and Bytes eNewsletter feature in Winter Edition 1/21/25
    
    

• Phase 6 PowerBuddy for Analytics & Insights

  • Your School Site Ed Tech Liaisons roll out PD in February

  • Bits and Bytes eNewsletter feature in Spring Edition 3/25/25

The 'Protect Your Tech' campaign teaches students how to take care of their Chromebooks. It shows them how to keep their devices working well and ready for school every day. Students learn tips for using and looking after their Chromebooks properly. The goal is to help students keep their devices in good shape so they can learn better in class. By following these tips, students can make sure their Chromebooks work well and last longer.

Please share the videos with your students to help us reduce device damage:

TK-6 Video: https://mcsedtech.com/TK6golden7

7-12 Video: https://mcsedtech.com/7-12golden7

You have full control of the classes you want to monitor in Blocksi. All of your PowerSchool courses are already synced and ready to go, you just have to select them from Classlink! Check out the quick tutorial below. All of the student syncing still works, so any time you get a new student or your roster changes, within 24 hours you will see that change reflected in Blocksi.

Don't have PowerSchool courses? You can still manually create Blocksi classes and add any students you want to monitor. Blocksi makes it easy to setup a new course and add any students at the district. As a reminder, this course is all manual, so you will have to update the roster yourself. Check out the handy guide below on how to setup manual courses.

Need some more Blocksi reminders? The cheat sheet linked below will quickly remind you how to do all your favorite things in Blocksi!

Click here for the Teacher Dashboard Cheat Sheet

• Teachers now have access to all their 2024-25 classes in Schoology and PowerSchool.
• Students and Parents will have access to 2024-25 courses in Schoology and PowerSchool after 4pm on 8/12/2024.
• Teachers and Students will be able to log into Schoology and PowerSchool through the MCS App Portal.

It is that time again to set up your Schoology Courses! We have setup videos for K-6 Teachers and 7-12 Teachers. 7-12 Teachers you can sync it with PowerTeacher Pro Gradebook for grade passback.

Here are a couple of tutorial videos that will get you back into the swing of things and help you get started.

Teachers can access the Lesson Planner tool from the left side menu in any Schoology course. This tool is a free addition to Schoology, as the company has purchased and integrated Chalk Gold and Planboard under the name "Lesson Planner." Lesson Planner is available now in Schoology.

Lesson Planner in Schoology Provides:

• A customizable digital planner that can be accessed directly from Schoology Courses
• The ability to reuse content from one year to another and shift lessons throughout the week when unexpected events occur
  
• Access to standards that can be aligned directly into lessons allows teachers the ability to track how often those standards are being taught
• Teachers only have access to their Lesson Plans and can choose to share them with other colleagues or substitute teachers

Check out this Lesson Planner Presentation here for how to get started!

More training on Lesson Planner coming soon to the PD Catlog for 24/25 school year.

Boost parent engagement with ParentSquare! 🚀 This platform simplifies school communication, saving you time and strengthening relationships. Share updates, photos, and events effortlessly. 📸📅

To help you get started, we've included a free, downloadable checklist that outlines key steps for maximizing your ParentSquare experience. This checklist covers:

• Setting Up Your Profile & Account ✅
• Connecting with Your Class and School 🏫
• Exploring Features and Customization Options ✨
• Creating Engaging Posts and Newsletters 📰

Click here to access it!

We are excited to introduce the Studio Editor on ParentSquare! This tool helps you create stunning newsletters easily, even without design skills.

Key Features:

• Easy to Use: Drag-and-drop interface.
• Custom Templates: Use pre-made or create your own.
• Automatic Translation: Supports over 100 languages.
• Responsive Design: Looks great on any device.
• Analytics: Track engagement with your newsletters.

Watch the video below to learn more!!

All students in grades 7 through 12 (except Special Ed and Language Institute students) are required to complete the ISTA. Students can complete the ISTA within their MCS App Portal listed as "ISTA for 7-12" app as shown on the left. Students may take it at school or at home. Once students complete the ISTA, they must accept the terms and conditions. If they do not click “Accept”, they will have to take the ISTA again. Students should expect to spend about 20 minutes completing the ISTA.

ISTA can be found in the MCS App Portal

2024-25 School Year Dates:

• 7/15/2024: Available for students to complete ISTA for this current school year
• 11/1/2024: Deadline for students to complete ISTA for this current school year
• Starting on 11/25/2024: for students who have not completed the ISTA, the only website they will be able to navigate to is the ISTA to complete, once completed they will be released to the Internet 20 minutes after completion of the ISTA on that day

This school year ISTA has been updated with short videos and check for understanding activities on the following topics:

• Cyberbullying
• Digital Footprint and Posting Online
• Digital Literacy Reading Online News
• Artificial Intelligence and Intellectual Property
• Strong Passwords
• Phishing & Online Safety

Elementary School Teachers can print Quick Cards from MCS App Portal for easy sign-in access for students grade TK-2

Discover a treasure trove of educational riches at your fingertips! Dive into our digital realm, your sanctuary for all things classroom. Unearth standards, chart your course with pacing guides, and navigate curriculum maps seamlessly. Explore our website oasis; journey awaits in your app portal!

We are excited to offer two different options for teachers to join Digital Learning Academies. Check out the flyers below for more details on MCS Ed Tech Explorers Leveraging AI with Schoology and Rock the Classroom & Cybersafety Mission

Check out the flyer for this Digital Learning Academy

Fill out this interest form to join MCS Ed Tech Explorers Leveraging AI with Schoology!

Only 15 spots in Fall and 15 spots in Spring Cohorts

Check out the flyer for this Digital Learning Academy

Fill out this interest form to join this mission!

Only 20 spots available.

Schoology is a learning management system (LMS) that has all the tools your institution needs to create engaging content, design lessons, and assess student understanding. TK-6 Grade Educators will review the Elementary Experience and 7-12 Grade Educators will review the Semester setups for the course and gradebook sync. What this course covers: - New Term - Course Archive - Set Up Grade Sync - Elementary Experience - Import materials from previous semesters - Other Tips and Tricks

Wed August 14th 3:45pm- 4:45pm

Thur August 22nd 3:45pm-4:45pm

Blocksi helps educators manage online distractions and promote a focused learning environment. In this course you'll learn the essential aspects of setting up classes using Blocksi. This course will cover the following topics: - Blocksi Layout and Navigation - How to create your Class Schedule - How to create Custom Classes - How to add Sub Teachers to a Class - How to set up a Seating Chart - How to enable Student Options - How to add Subs and Co-Teachers

Mon August 26th 3:45pm- 4:45pm

Blocksi helps educators manage online distractions and promote a focused learning environment. In this course, you'll learn the essential skills to manage classes and students in Blocksi effectively. This course will cover the following topics: - All about Groups - How to Share Teacher Screen - How to Share Student Screen - Heads-Up Mode - Messaging - Analytics and Reporting

Thur August 29th 3:45pm-4:45pm

ParentSquare is our new District approved Communication Tool for District, School Site, Teacher, Parents, and Students. In this course, you'll learn how to: - Sign in to your account - Navigate the platform - Adjust Account Settings - Create Posts, Direct Messages, and Alerts & Notices - Mobile App - StudentSquare

Tue August 20th 3:45pm-4:45pm

This class will guide you through creating visually appealing, engaging newsletters that capture parents' attention in the new ParentSquare tool: Studio Editor. Learn to design professional-quality content quickly and easily, enhancing parent engagement and streamlining your communication process. Perfect for teachers and administrators looking to upgrade their digital outreach skills.

Wed August 28th 3:45pm-4:45pm

Nearpod’s 21st Century Readiness Program provides a single solution to embed 21st century learning

into everyday instruction. Featuring ready-to-teach lessons, videos, and activities for digital citizenship,

social-emotional learning, college & career readiness, and financial literacy.

Tues August 27th 3:45pm- 4:45pm

We’re thrilled to welcome Rachel Johnson as the new EdTech Coach for Modesto City Schools, focusing on elementary education. With her extensive background, including a decade as a 5th-grade teacher and an advanced degree in Educational Technology, Rachel is well-equipped to enhance classroom integration of tools like Modesto Student Analytics, Performance Matters, Schoology, and EdTech Tools aligned with the Instructional Core. She’s passionate about student engagement and teacher collaboration. Rachel will be contacting school sites to arrange visits to help with 1:1 EdTech Coach in the classroom with teachers.

The Educational Technology Department of Modesto City Schools believes that in order to be successful in the 21st century workplace, all students, teachers and staff must acquire technology literacy as a means of accessing, processing, evaluating, synthesizing, and disseminating information efficiently and effectively.

We strive to empower all learners with intentional use of technology including engaging, extending, and enhancing student learning in the classroom with technology tools. This includes aligning to the Instructional Core, ISTE Standards, and the 4Cs with collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and creativity.

Our department was awarded the ISTE Distinguished District Award in 2022 for the MCS Ed Tech Explorers Program!

The Ed Tech Dept also supports Esports in our district. We have a 3rd-12th grade program at all of our schools with our Student Support Services Expanded Learning partnership. Find out more at http://mcsedtech.com/esports

Ed Tech Welcome Presentation

• Matthew Ketchum, Director III, Educational Technology
• Rachel Johnson, PK-12 Educational Technology Coach
• Alexandra Hancock, Instructional Technology Trainer
• Angela Gama, Instructional Technology Trainer
• Armando Arviso, Instructional Technology Technician

Tech Help Center Websites

Teacher & Staff Tech Help Center

Student Tech Help Center

Parent Tech Help Center

Ed Tech Services

Educational Technology Services

Ed Tech YouTube Channel

Ed Tech PD Catalog Trainings

Bits and Bytes published six times a year: August 7th (Back to School Edition), October 15th (Fall Edition), December 3rd (Special Edition December Semester Change 7-12), January 21st (Winter Edition), March 25th (Spring Edition), and May 20th (Summer Edition), Archived Issues