Tech Bytes
January 13, 2021
Canvas Bookmarks
In an effort to streamline the Canvas login process for Students, Staff, Parents, and Observers, Canvas links will now redirect to a new login page. This page will direct you to the Student/Staff Canvas login or the Parent/Observer login. This change will take place on Wednesday, January 13th, and will affect you if you use a bookmarked link to access Canvas. If you navigate to Canvas from Clever, it will not affect you.
Digital Citizenship: Discussing Current Events
If you are looking for resources to talk to your students about the violent events that occurred at the U.S. Capitol last week, there are many options.
- Common Sense Media: Talking to Kids About the Violence at the U.S. Capitol
- Pear Deck: Templates for Discussing Hard Topics
- PBS NewsHour Extra: The insurrection at the U.S. Capitol
- From Facing History and Ourselves: Responding to the Insurrection at the U.S. Capitol
- From Beyond the Stoplight: Resources for Teachers on the Days After the Attacks on the U.S. Capitol
Do you like gift cards?
EdTech wants to give you one! Once you're finished reading this newsletter, please answer the following questions for a chance to enter a drawing for a gift card. Each completed form will give you a new entry (one entry per week) for a total of four possible entries per month.
Canvas Chat
Canvas Chat is a useful tool that will allow for chatting with students in a particular course. This chat is a group chat for all members of the course. To turn Canvas Chat on, Navigate to your Course Settings, click on Navigation, and drag Chat from the bottom section to the top section. For more information on Canvas Chat, read this support document or watch this video.
Messaging in Clever & Paper
Clever
Did you know Clever has a Messaging option where you can send and receive message from students? This can be a very helpful tool! For more information, Visit the Clever support article on Messages, which also includes turning on notifications and disabling messages.Paper
Paper has a collaboration tool that allows students to chat with others in their class as well as with the instructor. This tool is monitored by Paper and also accessible by the teacher. To use this tool, follow these instructions.
Teacher Tips & Resources
Updates
- Canvas Assignments - Canvas has updated the Student View for submitting assignments and now includes a Progress Bar at the top of the page. All other features are still available, this is just a cosmetic change.
- Canvas Student View - as a result of an update, Student View is now available on every page in Canvas, just click on the glasses icon in the top right corner.
- Webex Reactions - The host of the Webex Meeting can disable reactions but it must be done in each meeting. Go to your meeting Preferences and uncheck "Reactions" in the Tools tab.
- Hidden Shared Drives - If you no longer see shared drives that you previously had access to, like the PUSD Curriculum folder, the drive may have become hidden. Hidden drives may also occur with employees who are new to the District. To show the drive, follow these instructions or watch this VIDEO.
Click on Shared Drives, then on "Hidden Shared Drives".
You should see a list of your hidden drives.
To "unhide" a drive, right click on it, then select "Unhide shared drive".
- Google Meet Updates - Check out this EDU in 90 episode for a quick update on Google Meet at the beginning of the episode.
- Google Docs Updates - Check out this EDU in 90 episode for recent Google Docs updates.
Would you like to have an additional screen to see students and the content you're teaching at the same time? Check out Two Screens for Teachers to request a monitor.
Have you tired TeacherMade? You can turn your PDF worksheets into online worksheets for students. Check it out.
If your students love playing Among Us, try playing Trust No One on Gimkit - it's very similar and you can use your own content/questions. Learn more HERE.
Need help?
Have you submitted a Help Desk ticket and not received a quick response? That could be because it was routed incorrectly. Please refer to the Ticket Support Flow Chart for how to submit your ticket.
Elementary Gradebook Recording
Click Here
Student/Parent Tech Bytes for January 12
If you want to know what information is being sent to students and families, please click here.
Archived Staff Tech Bytes
Click Here
Innovative Technology Services
Email: helpdesk@pusd.us
Website: gopusd.com/helpdesk
Location: 351 South Hudson Avenue, Pasadena, CA, USA
Phone: 626-396-3699
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PasadenaUnifiedSchoolDistrict
Twitter: @PasadenaUnified