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TCEA Responds: Google Shortcuts

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Dear TCEA Responds:

I’m not yet able to get Google Drawings on my Google drive. What do I do?

-Bankole

Dear Bankole:

Thanks for your tweet. Your question makes me curious about how you get into Google Draw. There are several ways to jump straight into Google Docs, Drawing, etc. Let’s review these Google shortcuts for opening Google Drawing, as well as other Google tools. That should help with the problem of getting to Google Drawings.

A Few Shortcuts

You can find a few shortcut links below that you can add to your bookmarks or shortcuts on your browser. Use the links to create a new Google document for…

Use a Chrome Add-On to Create New Documents

While it’s handy to know the links to create a new Google document, you may prefer to just use a drop-down menu. The Google Docs Quick Create add-on for your Chrome browser can make that simple. Just add it and then you’ll always have a fast way to jump into a new document or drawing screen.

Google Shortcuts Flyer

This flyer should help you keep a few of the ways you can open Google documents in mind. Download it below in the form that works best for you and post it near your computer. If are using Google resources, post it for them, too, or encourage them to create their own flyer and share it with others.

Get the Version You Need: PDF version | Google Slides version | PNG Image 

 

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TCEA Responds: Time and Attendance Tracking for Adults

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Dear TCEA Responds:

We have an interesting situation in my district that deals with how to prevent employees from clocking in for each other. I just had two technicians who were logging in from home to “clock in” and then drive in to work at a leisurely pace. I’m thinking about switching to a different solution. What do you recommend?

-William, Technology Director

Dear William:

Thanks for your inquiry. There are really two fundamental challenges you describe in your email. Please allow me to address them each in turn.

Challenge #1 – Lack of Trust and Integrity

Preventing Technology Department staff from abusing their access and power can be a problem. These are really cultural and personnel concerns. Create a culture where trust and integrity are the bedrock foundation of all relationships. Training people out of lying, cheating, and stealing can be difficult. That is why you should strive to hire folks aligned to your department’s values and beliefs. If you do not have those clearly outlined (and in prominent display for everyone to see) already, then take half a day and have your team develop the core values that they can all agree on. Then refer to them often in meetings, helping to remind everyone of what they agreed to.

I also recommend having crucial confrontations with affected employees. The CPR approach I have adopted in these situations is based on the work of the  Vital Smarts team.

THE CPR APPROACH

The CPR approach focuses on a key element of supervisor/employee interactions over time. Those elements are in bold type below. Each step is documented, although you hope you will not need it after the first interaction.

In the first interaction, focus on the content. In this case, you notice staff are clocking in remotely. You make it clear that you expect staff to clock in while at work. “While clocking in remotely may have been accepted in the past, it is no longer so. From this point on, we will all clock in on site at our offices,” you might say.

In the second interaction, focus on the pattern of behavior. Share the agreed upon expectation, then describe the observed behavior. Ask what happened to cause the behavior to deviate from the expectation to get at employees’ thinking. Avoid jumping to conclusions (it’s so easy to do this, but sets all up for failure). If a pattern of untrustworthy behavior becomes evident, then further steps may be needed.

“As you know, we all agreed to clock in on site at our offices. I noticed you clocked in remotely several times this week. What happened?” This type of entry provides insight into whether the staff member needed more direct instruction or is exhibiting a poor attitude. There may also be other issues (“I have to drop my child off and that always makes me late”) that you can take into account. For example, for a staff member whose start time is too early, you can adjust their work hours to eliminate that obstacle.

In the third interaction, focus on the relationship. Repeated violations of trust have damaged your relationship. You begin to feel you can no longer trust the staff member.  “In the past, we’ve agreed that clocking in remotely is not accepted in our organization. You have done so on these three occasions. What’s going on?” Based on the respectful dialogue (or not) that ensues, you will have the information you need to make a decision. Remember, you are genuinely curious about why a staff member would violate organizational policy and rules.

Unavoidable Separation

I have used CPR successfully prior to beginning the oral/written warning process that ends in employee separation. Often, it gets the results and maintains a positive relationship with the employee. When the end comes, there’s little surprise to you both. You genuinely cared, were respectful, and urged changes. The employee persisted in negative behavior.  As a result, the actions you are forced to take to resolve the problem (ranging from oral to written warnings and/or reprimands) are the direct responsibility of the employee. Often, CPR results in a positive outcome. This happens when you care, avoid hitting people over the head with consequences of non-compliance. People understand why their actions are incongruent with the organization. You can honestly say, “I’ve done everything I can to help the employee be successful.” The situation is win/win for both you and the employee.

When an employee’s contrary actions persist, you both know the problem(s) well.  At that point, a staff member may resign. They realize that their way is out of alignment with the organization.  If behavior does not change, the district human resources team will have documentation to begin termination proceedings.

While you can always put technical solutions in place to mitigate inappropriate behavior (e.g. fingerprinting), the best approach relies on a strong culture. Build a culture of trust with clear expectations in place. Hold people accountable at crucial moments when a problem is small. “Nip it in the bud,” as the saying goes.

Challenge #2 – Time Clock Solution Selection

There are a variety of time clock tools available. Here are a few solutions that school districts have adopted for employees who need to clock in.

  1. Frontline’s Time and Attendance* (f.k.a. Veritime)
  2. Kronos
  3. NovaTime
  4. Time Clock Plus

*In addition to tracking employee time and attendance, this product integrates with Absence Management (f.k.a. AESOP substitute tracking system).

Making a Choice

What separates these solutions? Features for each are many. For most districts, cost, management and monitoring, and integration with mobile apps may serve as distinguishing features. Unfortunately though, each system can be abused for convenience. Setting clear policies and building a culture of trust will help minimize issues. And it is possible that increased trust and clear policies well communicated can lower costs (e.g. you pay more for each feature). Otherwise, you may find yourself deploying expensive biometric technologies. These biometrics (e.g. fingerprints, voice patterns) are used to minimize policy violations. My preference is for easy to manage and user-centric tools. What are your district’s priorities for a time and attendance system?

 

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Google Tips and TricksMicrosoftProfessional Learning

TCEA Responds: Get Current on Tech Learning

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Dear TCEA Responds:

I was wondering, I have had my Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration for 20 years now. I wanted to go back and take classes to improve and update my knowledge of computer skills. What classes would you recommend?

-Jim

Dear Jim:

Kudos to you for rekindling your desire to continue learning about technology. As you can probably imagine, there have been quite a few changes in technology in the last twenty years since you graduated. Let’s explore some of the changes made, as well as some opportunities to get you up to speed.

Big Change #1 – Hyper-connected

As you have noticed, especially if you use a smartphone, we are all now hyper-connected to each other. What that means is that each person is a part of a bigger network of connected human beings and devices. Now, if you need information or have questions, you don’t have to rely solely on one medium (e.g. magazines, books, television). Instead, you can reach out to the authors of articles, books, and practitioners in the field. Find people you want to learn from online and then follow them on social media (e.g. Twitter, LinkedIn).

Twitterchats, focused conversations on Twitter around your favorite topic, also allow for fast learning. Here are seven Twitterchats that will get you started in business. These may also serve grade 12-16 students interested in how social media can impact business communications.

Big Change #2 – Collaborative

“Collaboration divides the tasks and multiplies success,” goes the old saying. Now that you’ve seen how hyper-connected people are, you may also want to upgrade your technical skills. While we will explore a few self-paced learning options below, one big change involves the nature of collaboration today. New business tools such as Office 365 and Google Suites provide traditional word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, drawing, and note-taking tools in a collaborative environment.

What sets these apart from past versions you may be familiar with is the collaborative aspect. Each now allows for web-based, or internet, access to documents for sharing with others. Instead of coming up with a business plan, a presentation by yourself, then emailing that to someone, you can simply invite people to edit a shared document.  Your ability to create in virtual space, working together with others at a distance, will set you apart from those who cannot or who avoid collaboration.

Big Change #3 – Self-Paced, Personalized Learning

Ready to get your technical skills up to speed with self-paced, personalized learning opportunities? While you can certainly pay for Lynda.com, Udemy.com, and many others, you may want to take advantage of several free alternatives first.

  • Microsoft’s Educator Community: This online community provides access to free, online professional learning courses. These courses often grant you points in the Community and/or digital badges you can display. Some offer certificates that you can print and put in your portfolio. They cover the basics of Office 365 tools like OneNote, Word Online, PowerPoint Online, and more. You can get started using your free Microsoft account, Twitter, or Facebook account.
  • G Suites Learning Center: This website provides access to various facets of Google Suites for Education. Definitely explore it to develop your learning.
  • YouTube: Many millennials and Gen Z’ers are growing up learning how to do something on their own. They accomplish this by watching videos on YouTube. You can search online to find a wide variety of topics and learn, then apply what you watch. One of my favorites on new tech isSteve Dotto. For example, learn all about Slack, which is a new tool used in today’s businesses.

One Constant

In spite of these big changes, you can rely on one constant. That constant? TCEA offers online professional learning for the low-cost of $49 a year. These learning opportunities include Lunch-and-Learn webinars, Get Your Google On webinars, Microsoft Academies, webinar bundles, face to face conferences/conventions, and more. Be sure to check out our blog to see the latest and great idea sharing. Also, be sure to register online via TCEA Events.

 

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TCEA Responds: New Google Sites ePortfolios

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Dear TCEA Responds:

Our fourth grade students piloted creating their own ePortfolio sites this past school year and we were so excited with the results. The kids loved creating a forum to showcase, reflect on, and own their learning. The new Google Sites is just so intuitive and easy to learn. We’ve decided to roll out ePortfolios for all our students in grades 2 through 12 this upcoming school year and are ramping up an implementation plan to do that.

We really want to create an initial template for students that sets a structure and then lets students customize to make it their own. I was pretty shocked to find out there’s no way currently to create and push out that kind of template with the new Google Sites. I’ve checked on the Google for Education forum and received confirmation on that. I’m wondering if you’ve found a way around this limitation?

-Pat

Dear Pat:

Thank you for sharing your story about creating ePortfolios with the new Google Sites. I also love the new Google Sites and have been using it to share my own resources. Let’s take a quick look at the main points in your request.

New Google Sites for ePortfolios

For others who may be thinking about using the new Google Sites for student ePortfolios, be sure to check out these videos on how to set one up. They will provide some information you may find helpful.

Even though these how-to videos are great to watch, as you have discovered, Pat, the new Google Sites does NOT quite yet have all the great features you need to manage multiple student ePortfolios.

Pushing Out a New Sites Template

While there is no current way to make a copy of a new Google Sites site, the program does make it easy to embed a variety of Google documents, including YouTube videos students may have created, and Google Forms directly into a new Google Sites page. At the time this blog entry was written (07/19/2017), Google Sites only allows you to duplicate pages. This means you could setup an ePortfolio site with a standard look and then duplicate the pages (such as a student ePortfolio template page) for each student. Again, Google Sites has not yet made it possible to provide page-level permissions to individual students.

Tools like Site Maestro (join the Google Plus Community to stay up to date) are not yet able to interact with the new Google Sites. This is because the new Google Sites lacks integration with any add-ons. This prevents the Site Maestro folks from building integrations.

HyperDoc That ePortfolio

“HyperDoc is a term used to describe a Google Doc that contains an innovative lesson for students — a 21st century worksheet, but much better,” says Lisa Highfill (co-author of The Hyperdocs Handbook). She goes on to say:

With one shortened link, students can access a lesson that contains instructions, links, tasks, and many clever ways to get kids thinking. Focusing on creating opportunities for choice, exploration, and ways for kids to apply their knowledge is key to creating a truly innovative HyperDoc.

So what can you do if you’re set on rolling out the new Google Sites for students as an ePortfolio solution? Why not blend in hyperdocs as a way to scaffold student creation of ePortfolios? Here is one example from the Digital Portfolio website. The main benefit is that you facilitate students using a hyperdoc that is customized to match what you want students to highlight. Since a hyperdoc is stored in Google Drive, you can use Google Classroom to distribute it to students.

Workaround Steps for Google ePortfolios with New Sites

Create new Sites for individual students that may be too young to do so and then have students (of any age) create their ePortfolio pages in Google Docs. These Google Docs (or Slides) can contain videos, audio file links, photos, and more. Then these documents can be embedded into the new Google Sites.

Here are some recommended steps you can take:

  1. Have students create their own new Google Site, or the teacher can create one and then transfer ownership to the student
  2. Students rely on teacher-created ePortfolios hyperdocs that they can build on
  3. Have students link their hyperdoc’d ePortfolios to their new Google Sites

Students can also create a master list of ePortfolio documents to a table of content Google Doc that can later be embedded in a new Google Sites.

Ready to Get Started?

Are you ready to get started with the new Google Sites as a student ePortfolio solution? Plan ahead and be sure to scaffold student ePortfolio contents with hyperdocs. Finally, make sure to model linking to Google Drive documents and the embedding of content (like YouTube, Sheets, Docs).

 

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TCEA Responds: Video Surveillance Solutions

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Welcome to TCEA Responds #10.  Submit your own question(s) online. Today’s topic offers tips on video surveillance cameras in schools.

Dear TCEA Responds:

I’m new to the technology coordinator role and have to set up video surveillance cameras across my district. Could you give me some pointers on what to keep in mind as I roll video cameras out to schools?

-Tim

Dear Tim:

Thank you for your question! Video surveillance is a big part of any school district technology program. Although video surveillance typically falls under the purview of the school district police department, deploying video cameras can be challenging. Often, district leadership perceives video cameras as an appliance that can be placed anywhere. Little consideration is given to the maintenance of video cameras or the expertise needed to configure and connect them to the network. Here are some tips as you consider launching video surveillance in your district or at your campus.

Tip #1 – Consider what vendor solutions are available

The answer many Texas districts will give is Video Insight. This vendor provides excellent, almost turn-key solutions to video camera setup and deployment. This solution also allows integration into Active Directory so that groups can be created to give users access to only their campus cameras. Not only do they provide onsite support, they also provide remote support using their software. Having experienced a video camera failure at a high school, I can attest to their customer service. They resolved the issue, working after hours into the early evening to get video surveillance back up and working before a busy weekend. Another solution that is more do-it-yourself is Guardian Security (video cameras in use are from GeoVision). Both vendors feature no recurring annual costs unless you need more support.

I’m often asked, should we be using IP or analog cameras? To optimize management, you will need to get an IP camera. Video Insight provides IP cameras, and you can replace your analog cameras as they fail. Although Video Insight will sell you cameras, you can also get Advidia video cameras. The Advidia cameras are compatible with the Video Insight management software.

tcea responds

Left to right: Woodrow Thomas (Mt. Vernon ISD), Miguel Guhlin (TCEA)

Meet Woodrow Thomas of Mt. Vernon ISD. Rather than server-based storage, Woodrow is using video camera based storage. Listen to a conversation I had with him at the TCEA Technology Leadership Summit.

Tip #2 – Remote management and viewing of video cameras

If taking advantage of Video Insight, then it comes with a solution that’s available and ready to go. For the price you pay, you get camera and the software it comes with.

Be aware that a hidden cost of video surveillance often involves providing key personnel at each campus, as well as at the district level, with the ability to view video from any video camera on their campus (or elsewhere, if they are district staff). Unfortunately, clerical staff tasked with watching video feeds during the day usually lack the computers with the necessary processors and upgraded video card needed. For that reason, some districts purchase a second machine with dedicated components. This second computer enjoys enhanced features and is placed in close proximity to the receptionist’s location. Some data you need to collect includes:

  • How many internal video cameras are in place?
  • How many external video cameras are in place?
  • What is the age of the receptionist’s desktop computer?
  • How much RAM does the computer have?
  • Are dual monitors in use?
  • Is a dual monitor card needed?

Finally, you can issue tablets to police and administrators, enabling them to monitor activities via video feed to that device while on the go.

Tip #3 – Placement of video camera server(s)

Depending on how much video you want to retain (two to three days isn’t unusual), you will need a Windows desktop computer (with terabytes of storage space) to serve as your campus video server. The cost of these machines is fairly low, although you can get a low-end server instead to house content. Again, your storage capacity on this machine should allow you to retain several days of footage, especially for long weekends or vacations. For high traffic areas, a more robust server may be needed with ample storage. As you might imagine, since you can access servers remotely, having a server on campus may be more convenient, but you can centralize your server. Avoid using a virtualized server due to performance hits that a virtual machine will endure.

As to where to place the servers, it is typically recommended that the server be placed onsite to minimize bandwidth used through the transfer of video over the wide area network. This may be less of a concern in districts who own their fiber network.

Tip #4 –  In-district support of equipment

“Should we TCEA Respondssend the network engineer up that big ladder to clean the video camera lens?” That’s the question that comes up when a fuzzy picture appears or there’s a network connectivity problem. Providing in-district support can lower costs, depending on the total number of cameras you have in your district. You may want to either hire a media technician or re-task a portion of an existing technician’s time. Here is a description of what they need to be able to do, along with a chart to use as a starting point.

The primary purpose of a media technician involves installing and maintaining computer equipment and multi-site video cameras throughout the district. This person will need to respond promptly to work order requests and work collaboratively with multiple departments (e.g. police department, technology, and administration) to ensure minimal disruption of service. Some additional duties include the following:

  1. Install/upgrade video surveillance cameras, as well as perform monthly inspection of surveillance cameras to retrieve and record backup video logs as needed
  2. Assist district staff with video monitoring, troubleshooting, and repairs
  3. Install/maintain cables, terminals, and connectors for all video equipment
  4. Compile and maintain accurate inventory of tools, video equipment, servers, and equipment as directed by supervisor
  5. Keep records of repairs, maintenance, and other service costs
  6. Serve as a liaison with the vendor
  7. Schedule backups of SQL server used for video surveillance camera

Additional questions to consider when deciding on placement of camera servers include: a) What will be the impact of video traffic?; b) Will you be storing video from special education cameras (that’s a completely different blog post) and for how long?

Tip #5 – Several miscellaneous points

Do you have special locations where there might not be a network drop? Some examples of remote locations include the bus barn, press box, or barn where livestock are kept. To take care of this, you can rely on long range wireless access bridges.

Another point to keep in mind is to turn off the skip video setting. The problem with the skip video recording setting is that you may inadvertently miss recording during a hallway situation. While turning off this setting will consume more space, you will at least have video recording of events.

 

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