TechBytes

• December 16 - January 31: i-Ready Reading and Math Diagnostic 2 Window
• January 10: Secondary Grades due
• January 2025: LearnPlatform Launch

The new year will come with many updates for different platforms and policies. Please read everything below, as some changes will be major.

• YouTube - Google will make YouTube an 18 and over application. (Rollout from Google will be Spring 2025, more info to come soon).
• What does this mean for you/your students? Students will only be able to access educational YouTube videos posted by their teachers in Canvas. There will be no other method to access YouTube videos.
• Promethean Boards and Voice Amplification devices - Promethean boards and voice amplification devices will deployed to all classrooms with rostered teachers before the end of the school year.
• Student Chromebook Refresh - all student Chromebooks will be updated summer of 2025.
• App request policy changes - all applications and URLs will need to go through the App Review process to ensure the apps/sites meet our privacy standards. Applications that do the same thing as curriculum applications or applications that the District pays for will no longer be approved for use. Apps that were on timelines for review will also no longer be approved for use.
• Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) updates for students and staff - Updates will be made to the student AUP to reflect use of AI, appropriate device usage, and more. Updates to the staff AUP will be made to reflect use of personal devices, use of AI, and more

Our new App Library and App/URL requesting platform is coming soon and will be launching January 2025!

As PUSD teachers and staff members, you will now be able to access this database from anywhere and identify the tools approved, pending approval, denied, as well as, see which ones are intended for elementary and secondary schools. As shared above, this library will allow you access to our curated district library, as well as explore the larger LearnCommunity library where you can search for new tools and view feedback from other educators. Lastly, in our district library, you will be able to find resources attached to these tools, such as PD videos or login information.

• ChatGPT Foundations for K–12 Educators: If you're curious about how ChatGPT might help you as an educator, this new training course will help you identify ways to use it practically and safely.
• AI Foundations for Educators: For a more general overview of AI, use this training to learn the basics.
• Setting AI Expectations: Watch this recorded webinar to get tips on how to clarify expectations about AI use in your classroom.
• AI Literacy lesson collection: These lessons for grades 6 to 12 are a perfect place to start for students to learn what artificial intelligence is and how it works.
• ChatGPT and Beyond: How to Handle AI in Schools: This article covers the main concerns that educators are facing about AI and how to handle them.
• Practical Tips for Teachers to Use AI: If you feel ready to try it out, here are some tips to help you apply AI.
• Generative AI for Educators: With this self-paced course, you’ll learn how to use generative AI tools to help you save time on everyday tasks, personalize instruction, enhance lessons and activities in creative ways, and more.
• Teaching for Tomorrow: Exploring AI in the classroom: In this series of videos, educational thought leaders talk about the potential of AI to transform teaching and learning, from elevating educators to making learning more inclusive and personal for students.
• FREE WEBINAR January 21 | GenAI Guidelines for Student-Centered Media Creation: Make sense of the Generative AI (GenAI) landscape by viewing it with a youth voice lens. This 90-minute workshop will explore one possible use-case: how AI chatbots like ChatGPT can provide supportive feedback on student writing. This workshop is designed for middle and high school educators.