PPS Instructional Technology

We love student created content! Creating materials to teach others can, when done well, really impact a student's learning. However, no matter the positive outcomes of students teaching students, when it comes to presentation day, getting students logged into and out of Google Chrome can be tedious and time consuming. Ugh. Well, here's a tech tip that might just speed up students getting access to their Google Drive presentations (or any other files associated to their Portage accounts). Google Chrome's Incognito Window Chrome's Incognito Window allows another user to quickly login to and out of Google Services without disrupting your profile on Chrome. Either use the shortcut keys Ctrl+Shift+N from Chrome or click on the Chrome menu button and choose "New Incognito Window" Then type in or go to " gmail.com ", " drive.google.com ", or whichever Google Service you wish and login to that service. When students are done pr...

Blended Learning in the Classroom Course Flyer This spring, our PPS tech director, our tech integration specialists, four of our middle school teachers, and one elementary teacher completed the REMC Blended Learning in the Classroom (BLiC) course. This 62 SCECHs course was really beneficial in moving many of us forward in our learning and understanding of Blended Learning. It offered background on what blended learning was (hint: it isn't just flipping your classroom!) and how to organize your classroom to get the most out of the time you have with your students. Although the course was amazing, it was a significant amount of work that would be challenging to complete during the school year without release time. Thankfully, the course organizers have heard our concerns and have decided to offer a "split" course that would cover the first three modules during the summer when we all have more time to think and process, then finish up the rest of the hands-on modu...

Kalamazoo RESA, Berrien RESA and the Southwest Michigan TRIG Consortium would like to invite you to Going Google , a Google training, on June 15th at Mattawan Middle School. Click Here to Register If you have any questions, feel free to contact Keith at ktramper@kresa.net .

Looking for some grant opportunities?  Check out these three grants.  Also, if you are looking for a more specific grant, GetEdFunding by CW-G is a great resource.  Do you know of some great grant opportunities?  Please share in the comments section! $2,500 Grant Program from Thank America’s Teachers Sponsored by Farmers Group, Inc., Thank America’s Teachers Website: https://www.thankamericasteachers.com/submit-a-proposal/ Contact: Farmers Group, Inc. 4680 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90010 Email: usw_farmersgivesback@farmers.com Description : Through the Thank America’s Teachers, Farmers Group, Inc. is awarding grants up to $2,500 each to teachers across America that can be put towards classroom supplies through AdoptAClassroom.org. The contest is open to full-time teachers in kindergarten through grade 12 schools. The contest consists of three contest periods and voting periods. Entries are limited to one per contestant per contest period. At the end of each...

As we approach the end of another school year, it is important for all students to know that ALL files and folders in their network storage drive, otherwise know as the U Drive , will be purged or deleted during summer maintenance . What does this specifically mean for students? If you need to keep any of your files from this school year, you will need to move them into your Google Drive or another service of your choosing. Any students leaving the district (Congratulations, Seniors!) will have to move their files into another storage location outside of the Portage Public Schools Network and their @portageps.org Google Account. There are several methods for making this move; however, we recommend either of the following methods below. Moving U Drive Files to your PPS Google Drive Account If you will be at PPS next year, this is the one for you! Login to a student computer with your Portage username and password Open Windows Explorer or My Computer to go to your...

The Problem: You or your students have a keyboard showing up on your screen, even though you are not using a touchscreen and have no desire to use your mouse to type. What’s Happening? Chrome OS has numerous accessibility features built into the operating system.  One of those features is an on-screen keyboard. You will see a hand next to the time in the lower right corner if accessibility features - like ChromeVox, on-screen keyboard, high contrast mode, or screen magnifier - are turned on.  If the on-screen keyboard is also enabled, they you will see an icon of a keyboard there as well. How do I fix it? To turn off the on-screen keyboard, click on the area in the bottom right corner where the clock is located.  Select Settings.  Scroll down to the bottom and select “Show advanced settings…”. Scroll down until you see the “Accessibility” section. Uncheck “Enable On-screen keyboard” Close the Settings window. You can also turn it off by clicking on ...

A PRINTABLE VERSION CAN BE FOUND HERE. The Problem: You or your students go to use the chromebook and it is reading everything on the screen to you in it’s fabulous computer voice. What’s Happening? Chrome OS has numerous accessibility features built into the operating system.  One of those features is called ChromeVox which allows everything on the screen to be read aloud for those with vision impairments.  This feature can be turned on/off in the Advanced Settings -> Accessibility area of the Chromebook. You will see a hand next to the time in the lower right corner if accessibility features - like ChromeVox, on-screen keyboard, high contrast mode, or screen magnifier - are turned on. How do I fix it? To turn off ChromeVox, click on the area in the bottom right corner where the clock is located.  Select "Settings" Scroll down to the bottom and select “Show advanced settings…”. Scroll down until you see the “Accessibility” section. Uncheck “Enable ...

A printable version can be found here. The Problem: You or your students are typing away on your Chromebook and all of a sudden you realize when you type the “s” key, it is no longer an “s” but instead a “o”. What’s Happening? Chrome OS has the ability to switch between multiple keyboard layouts and languages.  Usually we all use the US standard keyboard, but some people may use the Dvorak, US International, or even Colemak keyboards.  When the keyboard gets “messed up” it is usually because it was either intentionally or unintentionally changed to a different language or keyboard style. How do I fix it? Switching between keyboard layouts is pretty quick and easy, which is one of the reasons that we sometimes do it by mistake. The first step in fixing the problem is to determine which keyboard you are using.  To do this, look in the bottom right corner of your screen.  If you are using the standard US Keyboard (which is the one we are used to usi...

Hey PPS Staff!  Only 18 days of school left!  Time to think about what professional development you would like to participate in this summer.  Here is the run down of what we will be offering through the PPS Tech Department.  Click on the KALPA course number to sign up for the June Trainings, or head to techcamp.site.portageps.org to register for the August Tech Camp. Courses Being Offered this Summer Google Classroom - Create, share, edit, and grade assignments...online! Instructor: Jessica Winstanley The latest addition to Google Apps for Education offers a simple, straight forward and - best of all - easy to use way to interact with students online.  Whether you have devices in your classroom everyday, or are just beginning to explore ways to use technology in your classroom or blend your class, Google Classroom allows you to create and distribute assignments, information, and resources to your students, as well as edit, grade and return homework, a...

I have yet to meet a teacher who does not want their students to be responsible digital citizens.  Teachers inherently want to keep their students safe and help them to make smart choices.  Fitting "One more thing" in the curriculum, however, can be overwhelming at best in this age of constantly changing curriculum and standardized testing.  So, how can we make sure that we are teaching our kids to be responsible citizens, both of the digital and face-to-face worlds of which they inhabit? This was the conundrum one of our fifth grade teachers, Wendy Plew, from Moorsbridge Elementary in Portage presented me with about two months ago.  She was deeply concerned, both as a teacher and a parent, that her fifth grade kids had constant access to technology, at school and at home, but didn't really understand the power and responsibility that these devices put upon them.  She wanted help, and I was only too happy to jump in.  My wheels started turning and we sa...

Have you recently attempted to change a grade from last quarter only to be met with the statement “ This Grade Period is closed for Grade Entry “? This occurs because the date for the end of a marking period or quarter has past and that grading period has been locked in the Skyward Gradebook. Below you will find the process for changing term grades, assignment scores, and other information from past grading periods. Google Docs Version Go to your gradebook Let’s start with the gradebook for the class where you need to make a change. In this example, we will be adding a score to a missing assignment and removing the incomplete grade from the quarter grade. (Note: The process to open or unlock the gradebook is the same regardless the change you need to make.) This change will be made for marking period three, Q3. In that marking period column, click on the “Options” dropdown button. From the Options dropdown, choose “Grade Posting Status for Term QX”, whe...