FAQs & quick hit tech tips to start the 2020-21 school year

With all of my meetings with teachers over the past week, I have had lots of questions involving technology and I said I would research and get back to everyone with answers. So, here are my answers to those questions!

• Can we still use Flipgrid?
  Their terms of use have been sent along to the district's lawyers to verify that we would still be able to use it. Fingers crossed we receive a response soon!
  
  
• I thought we were getting licenses for Gimkit and Edpuzzle.
  We are getting licenses for Gimkit and Edpuzzle, but do not have a student data privacy agreement from either yet and cannot buy a license until we have that in hand.
  
  
• Want to share a link to a Google Slide deck, but do so in a prettier way?
  Just modify your link! For example, the link for my weekly tech tips is... https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1cotiniqLmacLG8-MLl2S0trtxQZeNyKUwGpJcleJ6c0/edit
  
  However, if I share it, I edit the ending of the link from /edit to /present like this...
  https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1cotiniqLmacLG8-MLl2S0trtxQZeNyKUwGpJcleJ6c0/present
  
  instead and it will display much better for my visitors. Here is my short YouTube video to show you how if that works better than written directions.
  
  
• Want to update your Macbook Air to Catalina?
  I asked the tech department and here was the response I received: "At this time we are advising against going to Catalina- Having said that if someone is using a lot of new stuff and is up for doing some troubleshooting (and is good at making sure they back everything up) they can go for it :)"
  
  
• How can I do virtual backgrounds, breakout rooms, etc. with Google Meet?
  All of those features are coming to Google Meet in the next two months. There are loads of extensions that offer additional functionality such as virtual or blurred backgrounds. HOWEVER, none of them are offered BY GOOGLE and I would therefore be very reluctant to add them in light of the student data privacy concerns. Extensions and add-ons will need to be vetted eventually for student data privacy, but we are not there yet.