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Graphic listing the five common phishing email scams.
Cybersecurity

Beware! Five Common Phishing Email Scams

by Diana Benner
written by Diana Benner

As technology becomes an integral part of our educational environment, the risk of cyber threats such as phishing scams also increases. Phishing emails are malicious attempts to obtain sensitive information by pretending to be a trustworthy entity. These scams can have serious consequences b compromising your personal information and disrupting school operations. A fraudster can disguise themselves in various ways to steal your information.

Here are some common phishing email scams that teachers should be aware of, and tips on how to protect yourself against them.

1. Fake IT Support Requests

Cybercriminals often impersonate IT support staff, claiming there’s an urgent issue that requires immediate attention. They may ask for login credentials so they can “fix” a problem. They may also ask you to click on a link that will actually take you to a malicious website.

Some signs to watch for include:

  • Urgent language and immediate action required.
  • Links to unfamiliar websites.
  • Requests for personal information or passwords.

Some ways to protect yourself include:

  • Verify the sender’s email address by making sure the email address is a legitimate one.
  • Contact your IT department directly if you receive such requests.
  • Never ever share your passwords via email.

2. Suspicious Attachments

These phishing emails contain attachments that, when opened, install malware on your computer. They often disguise these attachments as important documents like invoices, reports, or lesson plans.

Some signs to watch for include:

  • Attachments from unknown senders that you did not ask for.
  • Generic greetings such as “Dear User.”
  • Poor grammar and spelling mistakes.

Some ways to protect yourself include:

  • Do not open attachments from unknown sources. One click could lead to a ransomware attack on your school district.
  • Use antivirus software to scan attachments before opening.
  • Educate yourself on the risks of opening unknown attachments.
Image of envelopes (emails) flying from a computer screen into the unknown.
Image by Muhammad Ribkhan from Pixabay

3. Phony Principal Emails

Scammers may impersonate school administrators or principals and request sensitive information or money transfers. These emails often exploit the trust and authority associated with those in administrative roles.

Some signs to watch for include:

  • Requests for personal information, such as Social Security numbers or banking details.
  • Unusual or out-of-character requests from familiar individuals.
  • Emails from addresses that mimic, but are not identical to, official school addresses.

Some ways to protect yourself include:

  • Verify the request by contacting the individual directly.
  • Be cautious with emails that have urgent financial requests.
  • Report suspicious emails to your IT department immediately.

4. Fake Account Verification

These phishing emails claim that your account will be deactivated unless you verify it by clicking a link and entering your credentials. They often use logos and language that mimic legitimate services.

Some signs to watch for include:

  • Threats of account suspension or deactivation.
  • Links to websites that look slightly different from the legitimate site.
  • Requests for personal information to “verify” your account.

Some ways to protect yourself include:

  • Do not click on links in unsolicited emails. Visit the official website directly by typing the URL into your browser.
  • Check the email address and URL carefully for inconsistencies.
  • Use two-factor authentication where possible to add an extra layer of security.

5. Charity and Donation Scams

Scammers exploit the generosity of people by sending emails requesting donations. These donations are usually for fake charities. They occur especially during times of crisis or natural disasters.

Some signs to watch for include:

  • Urgent requests for donations.
  • Lack of detailed information about the charity or cause.
  • Requests for donations via unconventional methods (for example, gift cards).

Some ways to protect yourself include:

  • Verify the legitimacy of the charity through trusted resources like Charity Navigator.
  • Donate through official charity websites, not through links in emails.
  • Be skeptical of emotional appeals that urge immediate action without providing detailed information.

Protect Yourself

Here are some additional ways educators can protect themselves against phishing emails:

Educate Yourself – Awareness is the first line of defense. Therefore, try to participate in regular training sessions so that you can recognize these types of emails.

Create Strong Passwords – Use strong and unique passwords. In addition, change them regularly and implement multi-factor authentication where possible.

Report Suspicious Email – Check with your IT department on the protocols for reporting suspected phishing emails. Your quick action can prevent further harm.

Phishing email scams are a growing threat, but with vigilance and education, you can protect yourself and your school community. By staying informed about common phishing scams, teachers can create a safer online environment for everyone.

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Communication

How to Manage Your Inbox and Email Anxiety

by Emily Horn
written by Emily Horn

I don’t know about you, but for me, email anxiety is real. It’s definitely a “thing.” Used to be that if I saw my unread email number rising, my heart rate would also rise. In fact, for a while there (I won’t admit how long), it felt like my life was revolving around my inbox. It was a running joke with my fomer boss. He would walk in and ask, “What’s your unread number at?” I’d respond, and he’d laugh and say, “Wow. Mine’s at 23,458!” And then he’d enjoy the genuine look of horror on my face.

How much time have I spent trying to manage my inbox? How many lunch hours, nights, weekends, car rides, and more have I spent clutching my phone, responding to messages as quickly as possible in order to prevent a pile-up? Well, Harvard Business Review lays out exactly how much time we waste on various email tasks each and every day. And, my friends, it’s a lot.

For those of you who experience email anxiety, I will share that I have completely changed how I relate to and approach email – for the better. And here are a few things that helped me create a healthier, less stressful relationship with my inbox. If this is something you struggle with, hopefully, they will help you, too.

1. Set email hours.

No really. Do it! Set specific times during the day to check and respond to your emails, and then go live your life outside of those times. Yes, everyone believes their problem, idea, request, etc. is a priority, and perhaps it is, but that doesn’t mean we must stay glued to email, responding within minutes to each person who reaches out. Check your email in 15-minute increments, and have a start and stop time each day. Stick to it! For me, this was really hard at first, but it is possible. If you’re a teacher, lay this out for parents and gaurdians at back to school. If you’re a leader, tell your staff within which hours they can expect you to respond to emails, and encourage them to set times of their own. Emailing at all hours of the day and night sends teams an indirect message that leaders expect them to do the same. Voicing your boundaries gives staff freedom to create their own, and it’s a win for all involved.

2. Normalize responding within one business day.

Responding in a timely manner to emails is very important. It shows you value the sender and are professional and reliable. But, even if there is a sense of urgency, most messages do not require an immediate response. Let’s join together in education and normalize getting back to people within one business day. Many times, I remember checking my inbox and seeing an initial email, and then, just an hour or two later, a follow-up email! That’s ok. Everyone has a lot on their plate, and responding to emails is one of the many tasks at hand. However, a response is still considered “timely” as long as its recieved within one business day. Shout it from the rooftops. Tell your school community. Remind your staff. We aren’t required to respond to emails immediately; we will respond to emails within one business day.

3. Use filters and labels.

Did you know you can create email filters so that certain messages are automatically moved from your inbox into other folders? Here are two quick videos to show you how to keep your inbox clean by creating filters and labels in Gmail and Outlook.

Creating Filters and Labels in Gmail
Creating Filters in Outlook

4. Turn off email notifications.

You heard me right. Turn those notifications off! If you have set times to check and respond to your emails during the day, you don’t need those pesky notifications piling up and reminding you of all the lovely messages you have in store. When I would see that tiny white number in that little red circle on top of the email icon getting higher and higher, I couldn’t resist checking my inbox. Which would lead to responding to emails. Which would lead to being glued to my phone until I’d responded to everything I could respond to. Which would lead to people expecting me to respond immediately. Turn them off and be free.

5. Use the 5 Ds.

I absolutely love the 5 Ds. Using these five rules can really help overcome email overwhelm. Each time you open up your inbox, you can look at messages through the lense of the 5 Ds and take the appropriate action. Here they are in a nutshell:

  • Discard: These are emails that don’t require a response and can be immediately delete.
  • Defer: If an email can wait, leave it unread and come back to it later.
  • Document: This refers to emails you’ll need to keep for future reference. Move them to a separate folder.
  • Delegate: Maybe the email doesn’t require an action or response from you. Delegate it to the correct person.
  • Do: These emails can be taken care of and responded to by you right away.

6. Should the reply be an email?

Sometimes, it’s better to respond to an email in person, especially if it’s a more sensitive matter. It’s not always clear the tone of a written message, so if you have any hesitations about putting someting in writing, how a message might be recieved, or whether or not the true meaning or intent of your message is clear, it would probably be better to make a quick phone call, schedule a short face-to-face meeting, or stop by an office or classroom for a verbal reply.

Ready to tackle that inbox? If you have other suggestions or tips that have helped you manage your inbox and email overwhelm, please share them with us in the comments.

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email signature title image
Google Tips and TricksMicrosoft Tips and Tricks

How to Create an Email Signature That Represents You

by Dr. Bruce Ellis
written by Dr. Bruce Ellis

Email signatures are an important tool to communicate how recipients can best contact you (other than email). But they can also be used to communicate your areas of expertise. You have probably seen some email signatures that are well designed, and you’ve probably seen a few that aren’t. Read further to find out how you can create an amazing email signature that is effective AND simple to design. Think of your signature as a well-dressed messenger that represents you!

Six Tips for Email Signature Content

  1. Provide your contact information. The email signature is meant to contain the basics of how others can contact you. For example, if you are in a leadership position, it should contain your full name, email address, and phone number at the least.
  2. Promote your campus and district. Many times a signature can promote your district, department, or campus look and feel by using a logo and designated color scheme.
  3. Keep it short. As you are putting together your signature, try to keep it as condensed as possible. The rule of thumb is to have it take up no more than five lines.
  4. Scale down those graphics. When you add a graphic, you may need to scale it down so that the signature stays compact. Preview the signature to make sure any graphics are properly sized.
  5. Share info about special projects, events, or something you’re up to. Tweaking your signature is great to do when there are times you want to promote something that you’re doing or share something special– like the current book you’re reading, a special event that’s coming up, or an inspirational quote.
  6. Customize signatures for new emails and replies/forwards. Your email client may have two signature settings– one for new emails and one for replies/forwards. Consider doing a more elaborate signature as the default for new emails and a more streamlined signature as the default for replies and forwards.

Email Signature Content to Include

Though you don’t want your signature to be obnoxious, you also don’t want it to be bland. Adding visual interest to your signature can help it (and you) stand out. Here are a few ideas to consider adding. Note that I’m not suggesting you add ALL of these items (see tip number three above!).

  • Bitmoji or headshot
  • Your name and title
  • Department or campus of where you work
  • Phone and/or fax number
  • Address (and link to online directions)
  • Social media icons (each linked to your social media presence)
  • School/district mascot
  • Inspirational quote or quote related to your field of expertise
  • Digital badges showing your areas of expertise

How to Create an Email Signature

We’ll design a nice, compelling signature by putting together the elements in Google Docs. We can then copy/paste them into Gmail or Outlook. Just follow these easy steps to begin putting together your signature.

Image of various email signatures
Screenshot by author
  1. Go to Docs.new to start a new Google Doc. If you’d prefer, feel free to use our Signature Templates file – just click on File–>Make a Copy to save a copy that you can edit to your Google Drive.
  2. Insert a table that consists of one row with two columns. This allows for a logo to be in the left cell and your other information in the right-hand cell.
  3. Insert an image in the left-hand cell. With the image selected, click and drag on one of the corner handles to resize it to an appropriate size.
    NOTE REGARDING CROPPED IMAGES: Cropped images may not appear correctly in your email client. Instead of cropping the image, consider taking a screenshot of the specific area to be used instead and use that in place of the cropped image.
  4. Click and drag the vertical cell divider to move over close to the logo.
  5. Begin entering your information in the right-hand cell.
  6. To add links to the specific text, you will need to do the following:
    1. Highlight the text to be made into a link
    2. Click on Insert–>Link
    3. Paste the URL in the entry area and click Apply. If you type the URL in the box, be sure to begin it with http:// or https://.
  7. If you want your text or links to match a specific color in your logo, then consider using a Chrome extension ColorPick Eyedropper. To use the extension, just do the following:
    1. Click on the extension. A pixelated grid will appear helping you designate precisely where you want to select.
    2. Click n the specific spot.
    3. A small dialog box will appear with the hexadecimal code and the rgb code of the spot.
    4. Copy the hexadecimal six-digit code.
    5. Highlight the text to color.
    6. Click on the Text Color icon and click the small plus symbol to add the color to the palette.
    7. Paste the six-digit code in the box. You should notice that the color picker adjusts to identify the color you chose.
    8. Click OK.
  8. When you are done editing the information in your signature, it is important that you hide the table border. To do so, click on the table, and then select Format–>Table–>Table Properties. A properties pane appears on the right-hand side of the window. In the Color section, set the table border to 0 pt.
  9. Now it is time to highlight the contents of both cells. If you find that you are selecting the image when you try to click and drag from left to right, try clicking and dragging from right to left. Once the cell contents are highlighted, click on Edit–> Copy. You are now ready to paste in the signature settings of your email client.
Video Instructions for Creating an Email Signature

How to Change Your Email Signature Settings

For Gmail, follow these steps:

  1. Open Gmail.
  2. Click on the gear icon (upper right) and select See all settings.
  3. In the General tab, scroll down to the Signature section.
  4. Click the Create new button and give your signature a name.
  5. Paste the cell contents into the signature area where the cursor appears.
  6. Edit the signature defaults to show the named signature for new emails and/or on reply/forward emails.
  7. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click Save Changes.

For Outlook 365, follow these steps:

  1. Click on View–> View Settings. TIP: If you do not see View Settings, you will need to add it to the menu by clicking on the more icon (three dots at the right of the menu items) and choosing Customize. Look for the View Settings button; enable it. Click Save.
  2. In the Mail settings, click on the Compose and Reply section.
  3. Click the New signature link.
  4. Give your signature a name.
  5. Paste the contents of the table in the editable section.
  6. Select it as the default signature for new and/or replies/forwards messages. If you do not see the named signature in the list, click the Save button then click the dropdown again to select the default signature.
  7. Click the Save button.
  8. Close the Settings dialog box.

What Will You Create?

Your email signature is a reflection of who you. It’s like a digital business card. How will you design yours? What will you include so that others will want to interact with you? We would love to know what you design! Share in the comments.

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robot
English Language ArtsWriting

TCEA Responds: Tips for Improved Student Email Writing

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Dear TCEA Responds:

I receive atrocious emails from my college students! It never fails. They send a one paragraph missive that runs on and on. I am including an example for you. What suggestions do you have that I could pass on to help them write proper emails?

-Mark

Dear Mark:

writing

Thanks so much for your email. One thing to keep in mind when you receive emails like this is that writing a good email, just like writing anything, is a learned skill. It takes time and practice.

Allow me to offer two quick tips you can share with your students, along with some lessons for them to use in practicing.

Tip #1: Online Editors

“Writing is visual. Keep paragraphs short,” says William Zinsser. Let’s take a look at the example you shared via the lens of the Hemingway Editor app, which will provide insights about how the email could be improved. The Hemingway Editor is my personal favorite, but we will review a few other options as well.

Here is your example student email with the Hemingway Editor results:

writing

You can see right away from the program that there are three adverbs (blue) and passive voice (green). The paragraph also has three hard-to-read sentences (light pink). Those three sentences affect readability and make the whole email challenging to process. What’s more, there are only two paragraphs.

That’s incredible, isn’t it? I love putting something I’ve written into the Hemingway Editor to see what colors it turns. Even at first glance, this paragraph presents problems to readers. One way to end those problems is to use an online spelling and grammar checker. The Hemingway Editor is one option that is available as a website and also has a Mac and Windows compatible program ($19.99). I have personally invested in the Windows version of this program.

Here is an example of results provided through the Hemingway Editor:

SlickWrite is another website that checks “your writing for grammar errors, potential stylistic mistakes, and other features of interest.” It also includes browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox. You can find several more proofreading and grammar-checking options available with a pricing plan.

writing
Slick Write offers feedback on four components, such as features, structure, quotes, and vocabulary.

Tip #2: Suggestions That Lead to Success

Here are three tips worth sharing with your students:

  1. Focus on the reader, not yourself. The first version focuses on the student from the start. It should focus on the reader. Write with your audience in mind. Put your request in terms the reader prefers and understands.
  2. Be concise. Cut long sentences down. Divide ideas into one idea per sentence. Provide a short greeting, say what you need to say, then leave it in their hands. Brevity and specificity are key. Follow up in person with a specific deadline, date and/or time. Avoid “several;” instead say “three” using bullets for each idea.
  3. Chunk your ideas into paragraphs. Group short sentences focused on a theme into a paragraph. Organize paragraphs so they carry the reader from opening to ending. Here is a bit more on chunking in the classroom.

These tips will ensure your students don’t write emails or memos that will bog their readers down. When writers craft short emails, the world rejoices.

Make Email Writing Easier

An email that gets the desired result determines your success. Since many students rely on the shorthand of SMS/text messages, they need to write emails that get the job done. An online checker, like Hemingway Editor or SlickWrite, makes the job easier. Want more? See this blog entry on Email Writing for Students.

Sample Revised Email

Here’s my version of the revised email:

writing

Know of any other editors? Leave a comment and let us know what helps you or your students with their email writing.

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Digital LiteracyWriting

Email Writing for Students

by Lori Gracey
written by Lori Gracey

Most of us have been using email for a large portion of our lives. So it’s natural to assume that everyone knows how to send a “good” email. But that’s definitely not true, especially for students. Just like any other skill, learning to send a meaningful, accurate, and polite email must be taught. Let’s look at how we as educators can do that.

Age-Appropriate Email Strategies

Depending on the age of the student, the following tips are appropriate (from the article Email Etiquette for Students):

Elementary School:

  • Using proper sentence structure
  • Spell checking
  • Privacy for both the student and the recipient(s)

Middle School:

  • Thinking before clicking Send
  • What to share and what not to share
  • Basic courtesies in email and texting

High School:

  • When to email or text and when not to
  • Not all communications should be emoji or acronym based
  • How to clearly communicate with you mean

College:

  • How grammar and approach can leave an impression
  • How to use email for employment opportunities
  • Portraying a serious intent and professional tone

Start with the Basics of Writing an Email

As a former English teacher, I would begin helping students learn about emails by discussing that writing an email is a different type of writing than, say, writing a text message or a legal document or a joke. There are certain ways that it should be done. Then I would show them this easy-to-understand infographic.

The five steps above, if followed, would result in a polite, informative, email that is a call to action to resolve some problem or question. (Please note that, while this is formulaic writing, something I don’t normally believe in, I do feel that it would work well as an introduction to students on the art of composing an email. Once they’ve mastered it, they can branch off on their own more.)

I would go over this with the students and then pull up several example emails that I had created previously, having the whole class talk through how they could be improved. For each email, I would ask the students, sometimes in pair, sometimes alone, to think through the five steps to see if there were changes in any of them that needed to be made. For me, I would use these as my examples in this order (from simple to more complex):

  • An email with no greeting or closing
  • An email that doesn’t state the problem or question
  • An email that has too long or too short a subject line

Next, ask students what information they think would need to be added to the five steps to help a busy teacher. (Perhaps the class period of the student?) I would then talk about voice in writing and how, since this email is going to their teacher and not a friend, it needs to be grammatically correct. That’s a good time to show them the spell checker and how to use it. This is also a great time to show them how to create their own signature for an email, even several (one for more formal messages and also an informal one for their friends or family).

Finally, I would ask students when sending an email may not be a good idea. I would hope they would come up with when they are angry or when it’s an urgent matter that really needs a face-to-face (or Zoom to Zoom) discussion. They might also say that a student shouldn’t send an email if he/she can just ask the teacher the next day (for something minor).

Putting It into Practice

Before turning your students loose with email, it would be good to have them practice first. Here are two different ways to do that (taken from Classroom Activities: Email).

Class Email

Foster new friendships and help students practice their reading and writing skills. Pair students up in the classroom (or with students in other classrooms) and have them exchange email addresses. Ask one to write a message to the other and start an email change. You may want them to write about a specific topic, such as a response to an issue or a piece of writing, or you may want them to just share what happened that day. Once your students are comfortable with this, they could become e-pen pals with students in another city, state, or country!

Community Leaders

Many government and community leaders, such as the mayor, governor, and even President of the United States, have email addresses that people can write to and share their thoughts. Discuss different issues in the community with your students. What can be changed? What seems unfair? What issues should leaders be working on or improving? Brainstorm different ideas and then have students write emails to their community or government leaders. Remind them that in formal messages, they should refrain from abbreviations and emoticons.

Writing an Email Resources

To help your students learn more about the art of email creation, here are a few good resources:

An Additional Resource

Thanks to Lindsay Foster from Gainsville ISD who created two wonderful infographics to share with GISD students from the information in this blog. One of them is in English and the other is in Spanish. Perhaps you could use these as a starting point for an infographic for your students!

writing an email

*This blog post was updated with new content on August 19, 2021.

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declutter
Google Tips and TricksLeadership

Declutter Your Inbox the Easy Way

by Dr. Bruce Ellis
written by Dr. Bruce Ellis

My inbox seems to keep growing. With interesting offers appearing and different websites I come across, I seem to subscribe to a lot of sites. They are great at the moment. But I’ve noticed that, after a while, I’ve moved on to other interests or found more relevant (or fresh) content. My dilemma is that I rarely take the time to declutter my inbox…that is, individually unsubscribe from the emails. Well, today I have declared war on my inbox. I have decided that I’m tired of selecting and deleting emails from sites that continue to share their information with me when I haven’t opened them in several weeks but haven’t unsubscribed because their next email may be a great one. No more!

The CAN-SPAM Act of 2003, and later updated in 2008, requires that companies sending emails as a way of advertising are required to make it easy to opt-out (unsubscribe) of receiving their emails and, once you unsubscribe, they should remove you from their list in a reasonable time frame. You can read a great synopsis of this act in an article by Vertical Response: It’s the Law: 7 Email Marketing Rules You Should Know. Be aware that once they remove you from their list, they may still have your contact information available to sell to other companies.

Keep reading to see different ways I’ve tried to declutter and what has worked for me. Though getting to “inbox zero” is worthy of going out to dinner, I haven’t been able to do that in a while. But at least my decluttering has given me back some time and energy that was spent juggling useless emails that kept coming and begging for attention.

Method 1: Unsubscribe Link

This is the typical method that is used to unsubscribe. But, as you can imagine, it will definitely take a considerable amount of attention and time to go through each email and search for the unsubscribe link. This is the best way to unsubscribe, though it isn’t necessarily the fastest. Plus, some emails that get through don’t provide an unsubscribe link. Hmmm, what’s up with that? Unlike the screenshot below, some emails are more “clever” (for lack of a better word) at following the law by providing a link to unsubscribe, but hiding it in a bunch of text at the bottom of the email or coding the text to be white on a white background, which means it appears to be invisible. Remember, though, that even though you’ve unsubscribed from them, those emails are still in your inbox and need to be deleted. Unsubscribing just means you won’t get future emails from them…unless you choose to get back on their list.

Method 2: Use a Third-Party Tool to Declutter

Video demonstration of using Unroll.me

I do find that opening each email to be cumbersome…which is why I put off cleaning up my email. Recently, though, I rediscovered Unroll.me. This free service will scan your email and pull up those that can be unsubscribed. You then have the option for each identified sender to unsubscribe, keep it in your email (leave it alone), or add it to a “Rollup” list…which seems to be equivalent of a daily digest. I don’t make use of the Rollup feature myself, but have found the ease of unsubscribing to be very handy and an efficient way to declutter.

However, as you know, very few things in life are REALLY free, and the same is true for this service. Here is information from Unroll.me regarding their service: “As a means of keeping our service free, Rakuten Intelligence, which owns Unroll.Me, measures e-commerce through a technology that automatically recognizes commercial emails and extracts purchase information from them. Our technology is designed to ignore personal email, which does not help us measure market trends. Rakuten Intelligence strips away personal information, such as your name and address, to build measurement products that provide insights into consumer trends. To see how Rakuten Intelligence uses this data, take a look at the Rakuten Intelligence blog.”

Within about ten minutes, I was able to successfully unsubscribe from over 100 emails. Whew! That’s worth celebrating! Now I can focus more on those other emails that didn’t appear in Unroll.me that are still sending emails to me.

Method 3: Designate as Spam

Some emails you may receive do not have the unsubscribe link available. In this case, you may find it helpful to designate them as spam. They will still be hitting your inbox, but hopefully, your email client will route them directly to the spam folder so they don’t clutter what you are looking at. If you are using Gmail, select the emails you want to designate as spam and then click the Report Spam button (as indicated in the screenshot below). After an item has been in the spam folder for 30 days, Gmail will expunge it. If you are using an email client other than Gmail, you may need to check if spam is automatically deleted or if you have to manually delete it.

declutter

Method 4: Create Filters

The fourth and final method I use to get rid of spam is to create a filter to take care of it. There have been times where I have designated a sender as spam, but it occasionally finds itself back in my inbox. Grrr! I am pretty sure that I’ve unsubscribed from some, but continue to get emails and, of course, there are those that make it a game to find how to unsubscribe. That’s when filters become handy. In Gmail, I can create a filter that is triggered when an email arrives from someone on my “bad” list. Their sender email address and/or their subject line can trigger it – depending on how I set it up. Once Gmail has caught it, I have the filter skip the inbox and delete it. That’s kind of the equivalent to what the SPAM feature is supposed to do.

If you want to remove all emails from the sender, begin by copying the sender’s email address; if you want to remove just certain emails that the sender sends, but don’t want to completely unsubscribe, copy the part of the subject line that is always the same…for example, I’m going to filter out a certain email I get from a sender that has a subject line that always starts with “Fwd: Report results.”

declutter
chrome 5/29/2020 , 4:30:58 PM Fwd: Report results (Bruce’s PD Report summary) – bellis@tcea.org – TCEA Mail – Google Chrome

Now, click on the small down arrow on the right side of the search box. This will allow you to search mail as well as quickly create filters. If you copied the sender’s email address, paste it in the from section; as you can see to the right, I pasted the text from the subject line in the subject section. Next, you want to click on Create Filter. You will get a list of emails matching your criteria. Because we are interested in deleting them, we will just select the Delete action. If it has identified emails that match the criteria and you want them deleted, select that action. All that is left to do is to click the blue Create Filter button. Voilà! Now even if those pesky emails continue to arrive even after they’ve been uninvited AND they get by your spam filter, this filter should take care of them.

Let us know how you declutter your inbox. Do you have a different way of getting rid of pesky emails that seem to fill up your inbox and distract you from having enough time on those that matter more? Share with us in the comments. We’d love to hear from you.

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Gmail
Google Tips and Tricks

Handling Gmail with a Right-Click

by Jennifer Bergland
written by Jennifer Bergland

Google has updated the G Suite Gmail to make it easier to handle emails in its inbox. I have often said that if Google has one way of doing something, they probably have at least two additional ways of doing the same task. They are always looking for new and improved ways to make their apps functional, but are also aware their users may approach completing a task in different ways. Thus, although they have added a new way to handle a variety of tasks, if you like the way you have handled these in the past, that option is still available.

Prior to this update, when you right-clicked on an email (control-click on a Mac), you got the following options:

Gmail

Now, in the G Suite Inbox, you have the following options.

Gmail

These options are also available using the menus at the top of your G Suite Inbox and in the two menus that are available with an opened email. However, there are times that you want to quickly delete, archive, mark as read, etc. without opening the email or clicking in the box to activate the menus at the top of the page.

The right-click option only is available inside the inbox which means you are not able to read the actual email message. Thus, this option works best when you are quickly going through your email and you know by looking at the sender and the subject line how you want to handle the message.

Let’s look at two of the options that you may be unfamiliar with.

Snoozing An Email

The first is the option to snooze an email. This takes the email out of your inbox temporarily until you determine when you want to see it again.

Gmail

Muting an Email

The second is to mute the email. This option comes in handy when you are included in an email that really doesn’t pertain to you. By muting the email, you are removing it and any subsequent emails added to the conversation from your Inbox, but placing the threaded conversation into your All Mail. Therefore, you can still access the threaded conversation if you so desire.

Gmail

As with any new change to an app, it will take time to get used to the new functionality. Try to make a concentrated effort to right-click on the email before you open it to see if you can handle the email quickly. Who knows, it just might help you clean up your inbox!

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AndroidTechnical Support

Android Security for Communications

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

“Did you know 15.2 million text messages are sent every minute?” I asked my wife at evening meal. “That’s almost as many emails as our dear daughter sent the weekend after she got a smartphone!” As we laughed to ourselves, the niggling question of who sees those communications tugged at me. How easy is it to hack SMS/text messages? I often worry someone will grab my smartphone and send text messages/emails that are inappropriate. In a previous blog entry, Safeguard Your Android, I shared how to rely on a virtual private network (VPN) to protect communications. Increasingly, you must secure your communications (e.g. email, text messages, voice calls, and where you go online). In this blog entry, we will explore how to better achieve security.

Did You Know?
At the bottom of this blog entry, you’ll find a nifty infographic showing what sorts of data 3.7 million people put online every minute. To give you an idea, 103 million spam emails are sent every minute and 527,000 photos are shared via Snapchat.

Use this online service to see how your email has been compromised and tied to other data:

Why Do I need to Secure My Communications?

“If you’ve got nothing to hide, you’ve got nothing to fear,” goes the saying. That isn’t exactly true. Consider this scenario:

You send an accidental text or email announcing that you will be at the beach this weekend. You go to the beach and post pictures on social media. When you return to your home, you realize you’ve been robbed.

Tracking your movements need not result in theft. Instead, you may be the target of advertising.

There are numerous ways you can be tracked on the internet. Whenever you browse the net, you are being tracked by the use of browser cookies.

Cookies are the reason why, after you check out a new iPhone case on Amazon, you are repeatedly hit with website ads for phone cases wherever you go. Ad networks save cookies to your computer’s hard drive and then display ads based on the items you have browsed in online stores or searched for on Google. (Source: Pixel Privacy)

Whether you wish to or not, securing your communications is critical to digital citizenship. More importantly, protecting your sensitive data (and that of your students) can prevent problems before they arise. Most of us don’t realize how bad it is.

Tip #1 – Two-Factor Authentication

secure

When I first began using two-factor authentication, it was a pain. I just couldn’t pick up my phone and login to Facebook or Gmail on my computer. Instead, I had to start up my Authentication app. Now, two years later, I am grateful for the added security. About six months ago, someone tried to break into my Gmail account.

Without two-factor authentication, I fear I would have been hacked. If you use Google Suites,  Twitter, Facebook, or Dropbox, you may find it worthwhile to protect yourself with the Google Authenticator app.

Did You Know?
You can use a site like Have I Been Pwnd? to find out if a login (your email address) has been hacked. Get a visual representation to see how your breaches forms an identity picture of your breached data. You can also double-check to see if a password you use is up to a brute force attack with the How Secure is Your Password? website.

You may also want to take an extra step. What if your phone is stolen or lost? If someone is able to make it past your fingerprint authentication, they can then use the Authenticator app to log in to your various services. Google Authenticator now backs itself up to your Google Drive, too.

On Android, it’s possible to assign a pass code to apps you choose. Even if someone has your phone unlocked in their hand, they will have to work hard to get past your pass code for individual apps.

People often ask to look at my Android phone. Before, I was a little nervous about letting them look at it. Now, I can hand it over and know people will be unable to get into sensitive apps by accident. You can use BitDefender Mobile’s App Lock to assign a pass code to each app (shown above).

Apps:

Tip #2 – Minimize Your Internet Tracks

Everything we do online is tracked. Forget that at your peril. While it’s one thing to have the government looking over your shoulder (not really), a more immediate threat includes hackers and vendors trying to seize your information. Use a virtual private network (VPN), and one of the browsers below to achieve some measure of anonymity (it may foil online retailers and hackers, but not necessarily the FBI):

Apps:

  • Browsers:
    • Mullvad Browser: This is a customized for security Firefox browser that you can use on desktop and mobile devices.
    • Firefox Focus: This app works well to block cookies and advertisements. You aren’t anonymous while using it, but it works great to block ads and keep your mobile browser light. Use it with a VPN.
    • Orbot: This app has a built in The Onion Router (TOR) browser, and will work to keep your internet travels anonymous as possible. Use it with a VPN to achieve higher level of protection.
  • VPN Solutions:
    • Mullvad VPN: This VPN is available for approximately $4.99 a month and is pay as you go. Great for those who need a VPN without an annual subscription. It works hand-in-hand with Mullvad Browser, listed above.
    • Private Internet Access (Annual cost varies): This is my go-to VPN app on multiple devices and I have relied on it for years.

Tip #3 – Protect Your Text Messages

“What’s the username and password to Netflix?” asked my daughter a few weeks ago. Since my text messages enjoy end-to-end encryption, I have no problem sharing confidential, sensitive information via text message. However, I would never dream of doing this using the standard SMS/text message app on any device. Instead, take advantage of one of the apps below. The best one right now is  Signal. On Android, you can use Signal for both encrypted and unsecured text messaging. Your friends who use Signal will connect securely with you, while others who are not using it will not.

No matter what tool you use for text encryption, consider using the Secure Space Encryptor (SSE) app or website to encrypt text messages (and email). This will protect your messages with AES-256 level of encryption.

Apps:

  1. End-to-end text and audio encryption with Signal, WhatsApp, or Voxer
  2. Encrypt your text messages using SSE or web encryption

Tip #4 – Guard Your Email

“With over 200 billion emails sent and received by almost 3 billion people throughout the world each day, accessible anywhere at any time by almost anyone, email inboxes present a big target,” says JJ Rosen. You should be encrypting your email whenever possible, whether you are on your computer or your Android device. You don’t have to be a professional cryptographer to use tools like SecureGmail  (Watch video), Virtru Email Encryption (Watch video) or the Paranoia Text Encryptor website. Another approach you can take is to rely on a tool like Proton (based in Switzerland) or Tutanota (based in Germany). Both offer secure apps that allow you to send encrypted emails to others.

For example, Proton comes with a pass code login. This protects strangers from accessing your email app. When composing an email, you can set a password to encrypt messages for non-Proton users. You can then share the encryption password with the email recipient through a phone call or text message (not email though). When they receive the email, they use the password to decrypt your email message. What a relief to know your confidential emails are encrypted while sitting in a friend’s inbox. Another neat feature is you can set message expiration to a number of hours or days. That’s pretty amazing!

Apps:

Conclusion

Some may see these efforts to secure communications as so much cloak-and-dagger games for grownups. Let’s not forget that identity theft costs $16 billion dollars a year and affects 15.4 million people. I urge you to take every precaution possible. Only after taking proper precautions will you truly have nothing to fear.

Source: Data Never Sleeps

Update: This blog entry was updated with fresh links and tools on 5/23/2023.

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Twitter takeaways
Google Tips and Tricks

Twitter Takeaways: Five Google Tips

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Jump onto Twitter and you can learn something new. While hashtags make finding relevant content easier, not everyone uses them. Here are my Twitter takeaways focused on Google tips and tricks. From Google Translation in your spreadsheet to email filters to the day the dinosaur died and Google Forms, there’s a lot to explore.

#1 – Google Translate Equation in Sheets

Who knew you could drop a list of words in and then have Sheets translate them into a wide variety of languages? Brad Dale did.

 

#2 – Make Sense of Your Email with Gmail Filters

One of the first lessons I share with those new to email management (Everyone has email, but only a few manage it well.) is how to filter out the unnecessary. What’s unnecessary? A thousand and one emails that add clutter to your digital inbox. Cut clutter with well-formed filters. One way to accomplish that is to right-click on emails you get a lot (e.g. Starbucks, Macys, superintendent) and then select MORE->Filter Messages Like These:

twitter tuesday

Alice Keeler recommends a similar approach using Gmail filters in this tweet:

You can read about more ways to manage your email in this blog.

#3 – Bio Interactive with Google Earth

Curious about the day the dinosaurs died? Then you will want to check out biointeractives. These rely on Google Earth to provide a guided tour around the globe featuring videos, text, and interactive images. Find more bio interactives via the hhmi website, which offers hundreds of free science resources.

#4 – Intelligent Response Validation for Google Forms

Looking for an overview of a few new Google Forms features? Look no further than David Geurin’s tweet. Follow the link to see more information on intelligent response validation, setting defaults for Form preferences, checkbox grid questions, and section re-ordering.

#5 – Create Google Slides Templates

Create templates that save time, are customizable, and make the look and feel of your Slides consistent. One way to accomplish that involves creating Google Slides templates.  @UsingTechBetter provides some suggestions on how to better accomplish that. Knowing how to do this can come in handy when creating hyperdocs. You can find some of our great templates here and here, along with these for students here.

What Are YOUR Twitter Take-Aways?

Now that you have had a chance to see how I have “mined” my Twitter stream, what are your Twitter takeaways? Share them in the comments or your own blog, then post a link to this blog entry and tweet it. Invite a few other folks to share their takeaways and link back to this blog entry. I look forward to seeing what you come up with.

 

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Good TeachingGoogle Tips and Tricks

Provide Custom Email Updates for Parent Communication

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Keeping parents informed about their child’s progress is a critical, but very time-consuming job in education. But it can make a huge difference in that child’s learning. Parent involvement in a child’s academic life has a positive impact and can motivate students to learn and behave appropriately. Often, parents want to be supportive of what is happening in the classroom, but lack information on how to accomplish that. Given that there are over four billion email accounts, chances are that the parent/guardian of the child has an email account. In this blog entry, we’ll explore three simple ways to provide parent communication using Google Sheets and a convenient add-on to help automate this process a little. You can find step-by-step instructions on how to add them at the bottom of the blog entry.

Parent Communication Tool #1 – Form Mule

Take advantage of the Google Sheets’ add-on Form Mule. It allows you to quickly create information in Google Sheets and then “email merge” it together. This can result in nicely nuanced messages as you create specific feedback or share information. Comments can be placed in different columns. Some examples of English comments can be seen in this blog from Scholastic and Spanish ones are available here. Of course, you can come up with your own as well or use whatever comments your district or campus has approved. I’ve borrowed a few of them for the examples below.

provide

Note: Comment examples may not be suitable in some districts. Consult FERPA and school administrators in your area. When in doubt, keep it positive and do not reveal personal details via emails. More on this point below.

Once you have your comments customized for students, you are ready to take advantage of FormMule. Note that you can get even fancier with email updates. Do this by using the concatenate function in a spreadsheet. This function enables you to combine a student’s name with your comments which lets you create generic comments for students while “dropping in” the child’s first name. This may become a necessity with large classes where you may want to have consistent remarks for each student. Notice that in the example above, I’m able to offer English/Spanish-specific feedback in the comments.

To begin using FormMule, go to your Add-Ons menu in Google Sheets. Then select “Launch” from FormMule. FormMule presents itself with the first screen shown below. You simply have to make a few selections to get started. You can also watch this video for more tips.

Step 1 – Select Your Sheet

Most Google Sheets come with standard titles for each sheet in the spreadsheet. The standard name is “Sheet1,” and FormMule expects you to select the correct sheet from a drop-down list. Simply select “Sheet1” and click on the blue button labeled “Next: Templates and Send Conditions”

provide

Step 2 – Save Your Template

While FormMule offers several features you may want to explore later, let’s be brief this first time. Simply leave the settings below as they are. Click the “Save template settings” blue button at the bottom of the screen and then select “Next: Edit templates.”

provide

The next step involves actually writing your email, then embedding mail merge elements (the column headers in your Google Sheet) into the email. These elements are offset by greater than and less than symbols <<ColumnHeader>>. Below, you can see an actual example:

provide

Notice that the following is true of the example shown above:

  • You can mix your email with various elements shown on the right. You can also include HTML formatting tags (such as the use of <ul> and <li> to get an unordered or bulleted list
  • When you insert an element from your spreadsheet, you can identify it with greater than/less than symbols
  • To get true customization for other languages, you could create your welcome message as its own comment in your spreadsheet

Here’s what the end product will look like in Preview for two of the students, Barney and Melodia:

provide

The final steps involve clicking “Preview and send all” and then send. Provided the email addresses are correct, your students’ parents will receive the emails.

Parent Communication Tool #2 – Yet Another Mail Merge (YAMM)

A less robust tool for sending emails than FormMule, Yet Another Mail Merge relies on draft messages you’ve put together in Gmail. It pulls those emails up from your DRAFTS (you can “Compose” a message, then save it to the DRAFTS folder in Gmail).  The email is addressed using email addresses that you’ve prepared in a Google Sheet and allows you to quickly “spam” or bulk email people. The main benefit of YAMM is that you can add file attachments to your DRAFT email. The email attachments, of course, are sent when you use the YAMM add-on. This is helpful when you have prepared a paper form or publication (digital newsletter) in PDF format that you need to distribute. You can watch this short video tutorial if you would like to see how to use YAMM.

Parent Communication Tool #3 – Email Parents

Google wizard Alice Keller has also created a Google Sheets add-on known as Email Parents. Alice provides an illustrated tutorial of her add-on online at her blog Teacher Tech with Alice Keeler.

Some Final Points

Consider that email updates to parents are a great opportunity to connect. Be sure not to violate FERPA rules when it comes to them however (it will vary depending on your state and district policies). While you may find the sample comments provided in this blog entry to be a bit too revealing, you can always adjust your comments to be less revealing of student academic or behavioral progress. “There is good reason to believe that emails, texts, Tweets, and other digital communications between teachers, administrators, parents, and students about students are not student records unless they are maintained in the student’s file,” points out this blog entry. Remember to be professional in your communications and take care when entering emails for parents. It wouldn’t do to mix up updates for one student with another’s parent/guardian.

Addendum: How to Add Google Sheets Add-Ons

You can find a variety of  Google Sheets add-ons. Here’s a quick overview of how to get to them:

  1. Open Google Sheets by doing one of the following:
    1. Go to Google Drive and create a new Sheet OR
    2. Go to to Google Sheets
  2. Click on Add-Ons and select “Get Add-Ons.” You can see what this looks like below:

provide

As you can see from the picture shown above, there are several add-ons already set up. You may not have any add-ons, so your list will be quite short. When you click on “Get add-ons,” you will see a screen similar to the one below:

provide

In the top right-hand corner, you can search on specific add-ons you will be adding from this blog entry. When you select an add-on, you may be prompted to give permission to the add-on. Do so. You will be expected to quickly click through a series of screens. Next to new add-ons you are considering selecting, you will see the plus symbol with the word FREE next to it. Click this button to select the add-on for use in your Google Sheet.

The next screen you will see is an account selection. Many of us have multiple Gmail accounts, such as one from work or personal. Below, you can see a typical screen:

provide

 

The last screen you will see is a permission request. Google will ask if you want to ALLOW this add-on to do what it needs to so it may be added to your Google Sheets.

Now, once you’ve finished these steps, you will be able to go to your Add-ons menu and then select the new add-on you selected previously.

 

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