Why is Pandora/YouTube/My Blog getting blocked at PPS? How can I fix it?

Trouble viewing this tip? View in this Google Doc.

As many of you are finding out, we switched to a new Lightspeed web filter this summer. As with any web filter, it will take a while for the new filtering system to learn what sites are okay for PPS and what needs to be filtered. Because of this, there are bound to be sites that are not working as expected.

In regard to staff web access - if you are a staff member and are having trouble getting access to a web site or service you had access to before, follow the instructions below. If you, as a staff member, are trying to use YouTube and are "trapped" in YouTube EDU, it means the web filter doesn't know who you are and you need to try these steps first:

Go to http://www.pandora.com
If Pandora is blocked, there will be a link on the block page to provide login credentials.

Click this link. and login with your portage username (NOT your full email) and password. This should resolve most of your filtering issues.

If Pandora was not blocked, the original site you were trying to gain access to is truly blocked. If you are certain the site should be allowed, you should follow the instructions on the block page to report the site.

Go to the website you wish to have access to.
Click the Submit for Review button.

Fill in your portage email and the reason the site needs to be unblocked.

It will take about 24-48 hours before you have access. You will receive a help desk notice when the site has been reviewed.

Questions? Let us know! help@portageps.org or x5102

Google Docs: Fonts for Early Elementary

Sample of search results from fonts.google.com A couple weeks ago, I was sitting in a training with a bunch of my favorite lower elementary teacher friends, and several of them were lamenting the fact that it is hard to find "good" Google fonts for the little people they work with on a daily basis. Specifically, it is a challenge to find the single story lower case a and the open 4 . This conversation, of course, sent me out on a mission to remedy this for these fantastic people. So, the next day I put on my headphones, turned up the tunes on Spotify, and dived into the website fonts.google.com . This website lists all the Google fonts available. It also allows you to type in your own letters and numbers and see them in all the various fonts. For my purpose, I typed in "abckgy 1234 This is the font." From here I could see all 877 fonts, and look specifically for the a and the 4. It was quite an adventure, and I came across a lot of really awesome font

It's time to change your password!

There are several times a year when it is important to change your password. Your password will expire every 90 days. When your windows computer informs you that your password will be expiring soon, CHANGE IT THEN! It is also always a good idea to change your password before going on break so that you do not get locked out of your computer, email or gradebook. Here is how you change your password from the school windows computers. On your Windows desktop/TEC computer , press the Alt, Ctrl and Delete buttons at the same time. Click on "Change a Password" on the menu below: Enter your username, if needed, and follow the directions on screen. If you are off site or working solely on a Chromebook , you can use the VDI (Virtual Desktop) to change your password. Simply go to vdi.portageps.org. Click "VMware Horizon HTML Access." Click "Accept." Login with your portage username (leave off the @portageps.org) and password. Click "Login." Cli

Skyward Tech Tip: Student Birthday List

Would you like to get a list of your students' birthdays from Skyward? This can be done in just a few clicks. Step 1: Login to Skyward and select the blue gradebook for the class you want to print usernames and passwords for - elementary staff, you can just select any of your gradebooks. Step 2: Go to the reports menu at the top of the screen and select Class Roster. Step 3: Choose Student Name & Student Info, then select Clone Template. Step 4: Give your new template a name, such as Birthdays. Click Save. Step 5: Select how you want the Names to Display, then UNCHECK all the boxes. Now only check Birth Date. Click Save. Step 6: Now you can select the template you just created. Click Print. Step 7: A PDF preview will open. From here you can choose to save or print. You do this by placing your curser in the bottom right corner of the screen and clicking on the picture of the disc (save) or the printer (print). This is what the report would look like:

PPS Instructional Technology

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