Bits and Bytes Ed Tech eNewsletter
Fall Edition October 17, 2023
Blocksi offers a powerful solution to create a safe and productive digital learning environment, enabling educators to manage, monitor, and enhance students' online experiences. This professional development opportunity aims to equip educators with the necessary skills and knowledge to maximize the potential of the Blocksi application in their classrooms.
Adding Students pt. I
How To: Block/Allow Lists
Steps to creating a Block or an Allow list:
- Click "Block/Allow"
- This screen will pop up. It's green for allow and red for block. You can input a URL here.
- Once the URL is entered, click the caret dropdown menu. (Note: This must be completed before moving to the next step.)
- Make sure the "keep URLs on" box is checked.
- Click the "save" icon to name this list for future use.
- Your folder icon is where you can access all of your previously created lists!
Blocksi Modes: Share/Enforce & Assessment Mode
Share / Enforce and Assessment Mode all serve very different functions in Blocksi! "Share" gives students an extra website that you're sharing with them. "Enforce" takes away all of a student's tabs until you end "Enforce" at which point all of a student's previously used tabs and windows will appear. "Assessment Mode" locks student into an assessment or to a specific list of blocked and approved websites. The main difference between the Share / Enforce mode and Assessment mode is that with Share / Enforce mode, you are pushing out a single URL which means that other links within that page may not be accessible. Using assessment mode, you can push out an entire domain which allows the student to access a login page (if redirected and required), click on all links, tabs, content, videos, etc. within that site only.
October HDTDT Live Recap
October's How Did They Do That Live was a smorgasbord of great information. Topics included:
The presenters shared great content and there was something for everyone. Bummed you missed it? You can check out all the content with the links above!
September HDTDT Live Recap
September's How Did They Do That Live was a grab bag of great information. Topics included:
The presenters shared great content and there was something for everyone. Check out the videos linked above to relive the magic.
Want more How Did They Do That?
- November 7th - Register Here
- December 5th - Register Here
- January 16th - Register Here
- February 6th - Register Here
- March 5th - Register Here
- April 2nd - Register Here
- May 7th - Register Here
Parent-Teacher Conference Scheduling in ParentSquare is Voluntary as an Option
Parent-Teacher Conferences at Elementary sites are right around the corner (November 13-17) 👩🏫! Using appointment sign-ups in ParentSquare makes parent-teacher conference season a breeze, and enables teachers to focus on what’s really important: connecting with families!
For parent-teacher conferences, the appointment sign-ups feature really helps to streamline the scheduling process. Families can access all the details they need through the ParentSquare app, and signing up for a time slot takes less than five minutes.
Don't know where to start? We got plenty of training offerings for you! Just search for any of the following in the PD Catalog:
- Self-Paced Course: Parent-Teacher Conferences in ParentSquare - Qualifies for 0.5% - Registration Link
- Live Webinar: ParentSquare Parent-Teacher Conference Scheduling - Qualifies for 0.5%
- October 26th - 3:45-4:45pm - Registration Link
- October 30th - 3:45-4:45pm - Registration Link
Looking for more?
Theses links will lead you to the Modesto City Schools tech help center pages for both Teachers and students. Here you will find a wide array of resources to help guide you though the SchooLinks platform.
How do I enable Translated Matching for an assignment?
When you are creating an assignment, you are able to configure several different optional settings. One of these options, is the ability to Enable Translated Matching (Beta). Choose Yes to use Translated Matching with papers submitted to the assignment.
High School Esports
Esports is going strong at all of our high schools! Modesto City Schools has two esports programs at the high schools.
- Open Labs - The gaming labs are open before and after school for any student to play. The Open Lab Lead teachers are working with students who come to set goals to improve grades and attendance. To date, we have over 2600+ check ins across our 7-12 sites!
- Competitive Esports - Students who wish to compete must be eligible to play sports and be in good academic standing. This year, we are so proud to have all of our high schools and our continuation school develop a full roster of students to compete in the Central California Esports League. Last year, Enochs took second place in the entire tournament. This year, we hope that MCS teams make up the top three! Be sure to cheer on your team!
Middle School and Elementary Esports
IETS and Expanded Learning partnered to bring esports to our lower grades. Through the Expanded Learning programs, all students in 3rd through 8th grade can choose esports as one of their after school activities. Students have a variety of games, including Mario Kart and Rocket League, that they can play at their site. Team games encourage collaboration and teamwork while racing games encourage strategic thinking and good sportsmanship. In grades 7 and 8, students also get a chance to compete on a team against other MCS junior highs. Safety is paramount and students are not allowed to play online at the elementary level at all. Students at the 7-8 level only compete against other schools and are never allowed to compete with strangers.
