Bits and Bytes Ed Tech eNewsletter
April 2, 2025
PLC Activity 1: Use Modesto Student Analytics (MSA) to Drive Meaningful PLC Discussions! (7th-12th Grade Teachers)
🔍 Want to make data-driven decisions that improve student outcomes? The PLC Activity Guide: Modesto Student Analytics (MSA) helps you analyze real-time student data to identify trends, plan interventions, and support all learners.
📊 Smart Links Included!
Easily access MSA dashboards with smart links to grade distributions, attendance, assessments, and more—no searching required!
💡 Why Use This in Your PLC?
✅ Identify student needs with clear data insights
✅ Plan targeted interventions for struggling students
✅ Develop enrichment opportunities for high achievers
✅ Use MSA’s smart links to streamline data collection
🚀 Next Steps:
📂 Click into the guide and choose a data set to explore with your PLC!
📊 Use the smart links, analyze trends, and plan actionable next steps.
🔗 Start today—data-driven decisions lead to student success!
PLC Activity 2: Create & Share Digital Rubrics with MagicSchool AI! (All Grades)
🎯 Want to streamline rubric creation and collaboration? The PLC Activity Guide: Digital Rubrics with MagicSchool AI walks you through using AI to generate, refine, and share rubrics in Schoology Groups for easy access and reuse.
🎥 Step-by-Step Video Tutorials Included!
Watch guided videos on:
✅ Creating a digital rubric using MagicSchool AI
✅ Customizing rigor for different subjects
✅ Saving and sharing rubrics in Schoology Groups
💡 Why Use This in Your PLC?
✅ Save time with AI-generated rubrics
✅ Ensure consistency in grading across teams
✅ Collaborate easily by storing rubrics in Schoology
🚀 Next Steps:
📂 Click into the guide and follow the video tutorials!
📑 Create your rubric, save it in Schoology, and share it with your PLC.
🔗 Start today—efficient rubric creation leads to better assessments!
PLC Activity 3: Boost Engagement with AVID Strategies & Digital Tools! (All Grades)
Looking for high-impact, easy-to-implement strategies? The PLC Activity Guide pairs proven AVID strategies with ed tech tools like Schoology, Kami, Nearpod, and Quizizz to enhance student learning.
🎥 See It in Action! Each strategy includes a short demo video so you can quickly learn and apply it in your classroom.
💡 Why Try This in Your PLC?
✅ Increase engagement with interactive digital tools
✅ Enhance inquiry & collaboration with AVID strategies
✅ Save time with ready-to-use supports
🚀 Next Steps:
📂 Click into the guide and choose a strategy to explore!
🎬 Watch the demo, try it with students, and reflect with your PLC.
🔗 Start today—better engagement leads to deeper learning!
Get ready for a game-changer in SST management! 🚀 SameGoal, is now live and ready to rock in the MCS App Portal. Say goodbye to MOSIS and hello to a more streamlined SST process!
What's the Buzz? 🐝
• 🆕 SameGoal: Your new go-to for SST creation and management
• 🖥️ Find it easily in the MCS App Portal
• 🔄 Part of our transition from MOSIS
We've Got You Covered! 📚
Check out our super-handy guide that shows you:
- 🏗️ How to create a new SST referral in SameGoal
- 📄 The magic of getting PDF copies of your MOSIS-started referrals
Don't miss out! This guide is your golden ticket to SameGoal success! 🌟
Ready, Set, SameGoal! 🏁
• 🚪 Step into SameGoal through the MCS App Portal
• 👀 Take a peek at our fantastic handout
• 🎬 Start your SameGoal journey with your next SST referral
What is Adobe Express for Education?
Welcome back, Adobe Express! Formerly known as Adobe Spark, Adobe Express for Education is now a district-supported tool and is accessible in the MCS App Portal. This powerful, web-based creative tool is designed to empower teachers and students to bring their ideas to life with ease. Whether you’re crafting eye-catching graphics, engaging infographics, or editing videos, Adobe Express provides a user-friendly platform to enhance classroom projects and inspire creativity across all subjects. We’re excited to welcome Adobe Express back to Modesto City Schools—unlock its potential and start creating today!
Dictionary Tool
The Dictionary tool is still available; it is the first option in the Understand menu.
Translate Tool
To translate something on your document. You have the option to either select by area or select embedded text. If you turn the toggle on , you can click and drag a box over the content on which you want to use the tools. If the toggle is turned off , you can only select text. Once you select the area or text you want to translate, you can select the language you want to translate to. Just click the current selected language and select your chosen language from the drop-down menu.
Action Bar
Further action options are available at the bottom left of the Translate tool when used. You can Read Aloud the selected text translation, and it will read the translated text in that language. You can translate the content and put it into a text comment This can be helpful for future reference for your student or you as a teacher.
You can also copy the content into the clipboard which allows you to paste it into a text box.
Feature Control
Feature Control in your Sharing settings lets you toggle on/off tools and features your collaborators can access when they open the shared Kami document. Any changes to your Feature Control settings will automatically update for collaborators, so you can modify it before or after you share your document. You can also use Feature Control in Schoology to lock certain tools, such as Translate, when you need to assess student knowledge.
Upcoming
We have 1 more How Did They Do That Live sessions coming up!
- May 7th 3:45
You can visit the course link to sign up. Best of all - each unique session of HDTDT is one hour of credit! So, if you attend our final two for this year, you get two more hours of PD credit. What could beat awesome learning and getting credit for it?
