Happy New Year Unionville-Chadds Ford! The beginning of a new year is the perfect time to look forward to new beginnings and this time, more than ever, the hope is that 2021 will bring health and prosperity to all. This month's newsletter will highlight tips and resources that we hope will continue to support our effort to provide a user friendly, technology environment.

We're here to help with any of your technology needs. Don't hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns! Contact the Technology Team - Technology Hotline - 610-347-0970 x3366 OR https://helpdesk.ucfsd.org

Tech Wellness Tip

Technology can be very helpful—in fact, it's easy to feel like it's the only way. However, technology can have a real impact on your health and well-being. Technology in itself is not the enemy; our addictive-like behavior in using it is. It's important to find a good balance so you can enjoy all of the benefits while minimizing the harms.

Don’t wake up with it: What do you do when you first get out of bed? We tend to go straight to our phone or computer. It’s better to create a routine where screens aren’t your first priority. Exercise, take care of the dog, complete any unfinished chores. or sit quietly with a cup of coffee or hot tea. Try and save the screen time until a little bit later in the morning.

Practice mindfulness, which is a skill that helps you fully experience the present moment. You may be less likely to text while you're taking a walk—and feel better for doing so.

Take regular breaks during the day. Get away from your computer, turn off your phone, and spend time without technology. It doesn't have to be a long break—even an hour or two can help.

Turn off unnecessary notifications. Unless it's part of your work or another important obligation, many notifications on your phone and other devices may not be needed.

around the district

We Have Owls in the District!

The Meeting Owl smart video conferencing camera captures 360° video and audio for a near face-to-face experience, no matter your location. The Owl automatically shifts the camera to focus on whoever is speaking. The result is an experience that nearly feels like sitting in the room with your students. The Owl makes distance learning more engaging for you and your class. Here is a short video about how the Owl works.

If you are interested in trying out the Meeting Owl, send in a help desk ticket request to helpdesk@ucfsd.net

behind the scenes

Adobe Flash Player - End of Life

Adobe Flash Player has finally been shut down after a successful 25 years in the tech industry. Flash players played a significant role in delivering multimedia experiences to the world. Adobe Flash played a role in delivering digital content to our teachers and students. Adobe Flash had its fair share of security vulnerabilities and because of this, Adobe decided in 2015 to pull the plug on the product at the end of the 2020 year. This announcement gave companies five years to redesign their content in the new HTML 5 format. A secure platform that plays on any device. For more information on the End of Life announcement visit - www.adobe.com

How to Access Math in focus Resources - K-5

PowerSchool & Canvas Updates

Canvas Grade Passback

Grade Passback is the feature in Canvas that allows things that are graded within Canvas to be automatically sent back to PowerSchool. This means that when you grade discussions, quizzes, assignments, etc. inside of Canvas that the grades automatically go over to your PowerTeacher gradebook! No more double entry of assignments and grades! For helpful articles on how Passback works and other tips visit - Canvas Grade Passback Below is a video explaining the process.

PowerSchool/PowerTeacher Updates in 20.11

tip of the month

How to Use Cybersecurity in Your Everyday Life

If you’re reading this, there is a good chance that you have multiple internet-connected devices in your home. These devices make our lives easier, but they also make us easy targets for cybercriminals. So, whether you are connecting on social media, shopping online, or listening to music on a smart speaker, here are some cybersecurity tips for everyday use:

Social Media Safety - 1. We recommend keeping your social media profile set to private and only connecting with people who you know and trust. 2. Don’t share anything online that you wouldn’t want to be made public. No matter how cautious you are, any information posted on social media can still fall into the wrong hands. 3. Watch out for posts that trick you into oversharing. For example, there are a number of popular posts that give you a silly nickname based on random personal details. These personal details, such as your first pet’s name or the year you were born, can be used by cybercriminals to guess passwords, answer security questions, or even to spoof your social media profile.

Online Shopping Safety - 1. Only shop at well-known, reputable websites. 2. Only pay using a credit or debit card. Never agree to send cash or wire money to a seller. 3. Shop around—not for the cheapest deal, but the safest. A website that is offering a product for a third of the price of other retailers is a red flag. Remember, if a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Smart Device Safety - 1. Smart speakers and some smartphones have an “always listening” setting to allow you to call its name when you need assistance. We recommend turning this setting off if you don’t use it. If you do use this feature, mute the microphone any time you’re discussing sensitive information or while working from home. 2. Like a web browser, smart devices keep track of your activity history. Review this history periodically to check for any unusual activity. We also recommend clearing your history on a regular basis. 3. Keep your devices up-to-date. Smart devices receive important security patches through software updates. Stop Look Think - Don't be fooled

Zoom Security Enhancement - Approve/Block Countries/Regions

Zoom has added a feature to further prevent Zoom bombings from occuring while you are delivering your hybrid instruction. You may now add approved Regions to join your meetings. The settings is located following these steps for your “Personal Room”

1. Log into zoom.us with your credentials 2. On the left hand side of your screen under Personal click Meetings 3. Under Meetings click Personal Room 4. At the bottom of the screen click Edit 5. You may be prompted for action at this point with the below screenshot.

6. At this point you can accept or cancel 7. If you are not prompted, continue following these steps… 8. Scroll down to Meeting Options>Approve or block entry to users from specific regions/countries  9. When clicking you will receive the above screen to allow/block certain regions/countries.

helpdesk

Papercut Printing change in Google

Google on December 31, 2020 turned off the Google Cloud Print feature. This feature was the ability for our tech group to configure printers to specific users and to allow our Chromebook users to print. Since Google decommissioned this feature, we moved our Google Cloud Printing to Papercut. More information about the setup and what to expect is located here - Papercut Printing Guide

what else can you Find in The helpdesk?

Check out the UCF Tech knowledge-base. This resource functions like a repository, containing critical information for the daily functioning of technology throughout the district. It helps our staff access important information to address student issues, resolve problems, and gain insight for workforce collaboration. Our self-service knowledge base shares a library of solutions including PowerSchool, Clever, Canvas and more.

Need help? Having a tech issue?

Have a suggestion or topic? Email technewsletter@ucfsd.net