Issue 91

In this Issue

Welcome to issue #91! This month, we’re diving into the digital dangers lurking in your inbox, and spotlighting three incredible tools to help you deliver timely and effective feedback to your students. Also, for those tackling gradebook reports, our PowerSchool Corner has you covered with expert tips to make reporting easier. Let’s boost your digital savvy—read on! 🚀 

🎣 Phishing for Trouble?

Imagine this: You’re sipping your morning coffee, skimming through your emails, when you see one from your principal with the subject line: “URGENT: Click Now for Important Payroll Update.” You panic—what if your paycheck is wrong? You click the link faster than a kindergartener running to recess… and just like that, you’ve been phished.

Phishing attacks are sneaky attempts by cybercriminals to trick you into revealing personal information, like passwords or financial details. They disguise themselves as trusted sources—your bank, the school district, or even your principal. And let’s be honest, after a long day, we’re all more susceptible to clicking on something shady. But fear not!

Learn the signs of phishing and avoid taking the bait at: https://teachers.technology/phish-ing-for-trouble-how-to-dodge-digital-sharks-in-your-inbox/

💡 EdTech Spotlight: 3 Tools for Timely Feedback!

Feedback is one of the most powerful tools in the learning process, helping students bridge the gap between where they are and where they need to be. When feedback is timely and specific, it provides students with clear guidance on their strengths and areas for growth, allowing them to make immediate improvements while their learning is still fresh. Here are 3️⃣ Tech Tools to help you provide timely and specific feedback to your students!

➡️ Slido! – Slido is a web-based interactive polling and Q&A platform that gives teachers real-time feedback to assess student understanding and provides opportunities for teachable moments. For added convenience and interactivity, teachers can create and launch polls directly from their Slide presentations.

➡️ Pages – Provide feedback on writing using voice comments and Smart Annotations. With Smart Annotations, you can mark up and add feedback to Pages documents. Annotations stay connected to marked-up objects as revisions are made so students and teachers can review, track, and incorporate changes .

➡️ Google Docs – You can give your students personalized feedback on any type of file in the Classroom grading tool. You can leave comments on student work and maintain a comment bank to store comments that you use most often.

🔗 Explore These Tools: https://teachers.technology/tech-tools-for-timely-and-specific-feedback/

📲 Haven’t updated? Nows the time! Check out these NEW features in iPadOS 18!

Have you held off on updating to iPad OS 18? Now’s the time! Don’t miss out on a great suite of features designed to enhance productivity and streamline workflows on your iPad. Here are the top three tips to maximize your efficiency:

1. Master the New Focus Mode Enhancements

iPadOS 18 takes Focus Mode to the next level by offering more granular control over notifications and app access. You can now create multiple Focus Profiles with distinct settings for different activities, such as work, study, or relaxation. The AI-powered scheduling feature suggests Focus Modes based on your daily usage patterns, ensuring minimal distractions during peak productivity hours.

Example: Need to get some work done? You can set up a “Work Focus” that silences social media notifications, limits access to entertainment apps, and only allows messages from colleagues and work-related applications.

2. Utilize Enhanced Handwriting Tools in Notes

The Notes app receives significant upgrades in iPadOS 18, especially for Apple Pencil users. The new Smart Script feature smooths and straightens your handwriting in real-time, improving legibility without losing your personal writing style. Editing handwritten text becomes the same as typed text —you can add space, delete content, or paste typed text into your handwriting, with paragraphs automatically adjusting to fit new content. Additionally, you can now organize notes by collapsing sections under headings or subheadings and highlight important information with five new text highlight colors.

Example: During a staff meeting, you can jot down notes with your Apple Pencil, easily rearrange sections, and highlight key points for emphasis. Later, you can collapse sections to streamline your review process.

3. Customize Your Home Screen and Control Center

iPadOS 18 offers more personalization options, allowing you to arrange app icons and widgets in any position on the Home Screen. You can customize their appearance to be light, dark, or tinted, and even enlarge them while removing labels for a streamlined look. The redesigned Control Center provides quicker access to frequently used controls like media playback and connectivity. You can add controls from supported third-party apps, enhancing your ability to perform tasks efficiently.

Example: Set up a Home Screen with enlarged icons for design apps and widgets displaying project timelines. The Control Center can be customized to include controls for design tools, allowing for quick adjustments during creative sessions.

By embracing these features, you can transform your iPad into a more powerful and personalized productivity tool, tailored to your unique workflow.

PowerSchool Corner

The Individual Student report can be useful for progress reports, missing/late assignments, low grades, high grades, category totals, and more. There are a number of options for customizing the report and determining how information is displayed:

• View or print a summary of the class or student group activity per student
• Include only one class or the student’s full schedule
• Include scores for any course a student or a whole class is taking
• Include student numbers next to student names for identification purposes
• Present a summary of student work
• Choose whether or not to include course grades and attendance, assignments, category totals, standards scores, citizenship scores, and comments

Learn more and see step by step instructions at: https://teachers.technology/power-teacher-pro-report-individual-student-report/

Closing

As always, if you ever have any technology integration-related questions, please let us know. We are happy to work with you to design lessons, develop workflows, and even come into your classes and work with you and your students.

Thanks!