Happy Holidays

Have a wonderful winter break, see you next year!

December 13, 2016 Agenda

On the agenda:

• Old Business:
• Robots, update
• Tshirts, update
• New Business:
• Viewing of First Tech Tip Video Series
• Possible expansion of Video Team goals
• Fundraising (video camera, maker parts/tools)
• Buildtak 3D Design Challenge (see below for details)
• Projects (everyone submits a Project Update today): 
• Stinger Tech Site (Student tech support Form; Common help topics?)
• Video Team (what next?)
• Digital Learning Day (explore new edtech)
• Buildtak 3D Design Challenge (try Tinkercad, see below)
• Attendance (use the MM Attendance link on our site)
• Secondary question asks for your thoughts on fundraising

Buildtak 3D Design Challenge

This year’s theme is spaceships! You are challenged to design a 3D model of any type of spaceship your creativity and imagination can conjure up!

Using any 3D design software create an object that can be 3D printed. You don’t need a 3D printer to participate. Submissions will be accepted between now and April 1, 2017. Prizes TBD. Designs should be printable using PLA or ABS plastic and fit into a box no bigger than 5.5 inches on each side. Designs must be original.

 

Great tool to use: Tinkercad

Create an account with your gtsd credentials.

Class code: 23BNGSD5

Project Update: Video Team

The Video Team finished their first video!

December 6, 2016 Agenda

On the agenda:

• Old Business:
• Robots, update
• Upcoming event: 
• Digital Learning Day: new project team
• Attendance (use the MM Attendance link on our site)
• Hour of Code preparation: Everyone is on this project today!

Project Update: Hour of Code

The Coding team has been exploring intermediate and advanced coding tutorials and apps. This week the entire club joined them by exploring sites produced for Hour Code. In the end, the club reviewed over 50 games, tutorials, and apps to find the best introductory and intermediate coding activities to share with their peers during Hour of Code. Their top choices will be available to students throughout the school year via the Media Center sections of the School Sites.

November 29, 2016 Agenda

On the agenda:

• What is edtech?
• Attendance (use the MM Attendance link on our site)
• Project Breakout (Mrs. Bond will meet with each group)
• Tech Support Site
• Hour of Code
• Tech Tip video series
• Project progress reports submitted (one per group; use the Project Update link on our site)

November 15, 2016 Agenda

On the agenda:

• 2017-2018 Tech planning: review sample Chromebooks
• Attendance (use the MM Attendance link on our site)
• Project Breakout (Mrs. Bond will meet with each group)
• Tech Support Site
• Hour of Code
• Tech Tip video series
• Project progress reports submitted (one per group; use the Project Update link on our site)

November 1, 2016 Agenda

On the agenda:

• Old Business:
• Fun Friday/Fun Tech review
• Attendance (use the MM Attendance link on our site)
• Project Breakout (Mrs. Bond will meet with each group)
• Tech Support Site
• Hour of Code
• Tech Tip video series
• Project progress reports submitted (one per group; use the Project Update link on our site)

Project Update: School Approved Games

To help avoid confusion about what can be played at school, the Media Medics compiled a list of school appropriate games for lunch breaks and Fun Friday. Any student (or teacher!) can recommend a site for inclusion through a linked Google Form. So long as it meets the criteria for "school appropriate," it will be added to the list.

October 25, 2016 Agenda

On the agenda:

• New Business:
• Two MM to prepare Roblox for FF
• By Wednesday 8pm: Game options for FF via the Game Suggestions form
• Let's Vote: T-shirts (login required, one vote per member)
• Quick lesson: Plickers
• Attendance (use the MM Attendance link on our site)
• Project Breakout (Mrs. Bond will meet with each group)
• Tech Support Site
• Hour of Code
• Tech Tip video series
• Fun Friday Prep
• Project progress reports submitted (one per group; use the Project Update link on our site)

October 18, 2016 Agenda

On the agenda:

• Old Business:
• T-shirts
• Option 1
• Option 2
• Option 3
• Option 4
• Option 5
• Quick lesson: Nimbus Screenshot and Screencast
• Attendance (use the MM Attendance link on our site)
• Project Breakout (Mrs. Bond will meet with each group)
• Tech Support Site
• Hour of Code
• Tech Tip video series
• Project progress reports submitted (one per group; use the Project Update link on our site)

October 11, 2016 Agenda

On the agenda:

• Old Business:
• T-shirts
• School appropriate games
• Roblox
• New Business:
• Digital Citizenship Week
• Attendance (use the MM Attendance link on our site)
• Project Breakout (Mrs. Bond will meet with each group)
• Tech Support Site
• Hour of Code
• Tech Tip video series
• Project progress reports submitted (one per group; use the Project Update link on our site)

Next week... Our quick lesson will involve one my new favorite Chrome extensions Nimbus Screenshot and Screencast. It is free, has been been approved for student accounts, and is amazing. 

How To: Rescue a Stalled Computer, Exit Full Screen in Chrome

Today we talked quickly about how we can help when a computer is stalled:

1. Have a little patience. Sometimes things don't work as quickly as we'd like. If an update is downloading or installing, the computer may run a little slower. If the user has 15 tabs open in Chrome, things will slow down a bit. If our internet is slow or near capacity, the pages will sometimes take a bit longer to fully render.
2. Control-Shift-Escape opens the Task Manager (Windows OS). From this menu you can locate the stalled program and close that one specifically. Be careful when choosing apps/programs to exit -- some of them are essential to the functioning of the computer.
3. Last Resort: Force power off and restart. You've been patient. You attempted to close locked apps, tabs, or windows. You were patient while waiting for any response from the computer. The last resort is to press and hold the power button until the device shuts down. Give it a moment, then restart.

We also talked about how to exit full screen mode in Chrome:

1. Press the Escape key (top left corner of the keyboard).
2. Move cursor to top of screen, go to View, choose Exit Fullscreen.
3. Press the Full Screen Key (Chromebook), located on the top row of the keyboard.
4. Press F11 (PC), located on the top row on the keyboard.
5. Alternate-F4 (PC). Note that this will actually close the Chrome window completely.

Is there a solution to either of these problems that we missed? Share your steps, screencast, or link with Mrs. Bond.

October 4, 2016 Agenda

On the agenda:

• Media Medic reputation (behavior expectations)
• T-shirts (possible design, discuss options and perhaps delegate team to research options)
• Quick lesson -- Dealing with a frozen application/computer
• Fun Friday in the lab (computer failures, activity options)
• Project Breakout
• Tech Support Site (redesign, layout, content)
• Hour of Code (event in December)
• Tech Tip video series (based on the Student on the Street link from last agenda)
• Project progress reports submitted (one per group; use the Project Update link on our site)

How To: Remove a Chrome Profile

Chrome creates a profile for each user. This allows for synchronization of settings, bookmarks, apps, extensions, and passwords.

Our Chromebooks only allow one Google login per profile, all profiles must be linked to a gtsd.net account.

The Windows computers are a little bit different. Most of the time the profile is connected to a Google account; Chrome will allow only one profile per email on an individual computer. It is possible to have  a profile that is not connected to an account. That extra account can be confusing to users, especially when they open Chrome and expect to see their personal settings. (Chrome defaults to most recently closed profile). In this case, it may be helpful to remove the empty profile.

Sometimes things are just "weird." Or, Chrome clearly states that the "profile could not be opened properly." In this case it is best to remove the profile and have the user create a new profile.

Removing a profile from a computer (PC or Chromebook) will have no affect on the Google account. That data is stored securely on Google's servers. Once all profiles are removed, users will be prompted to create a new one simply by logging in to Chrome (and linking data on PCs).

On a Chromebook:

1. Hover over the profile on the login screen.
2. Click the down arrow in the upper right corner of the profile image.
3. Choose Remove this User.

On a PC:

1. Open Chrome.
2. Click the 3 dots, choose Settings.
3. Scroll down to People.
4. Hover over the offending profile name.
5. Click the x that appears to the right of the profile name.
6. Confirm that it is OK to delete the content from the device.

September 27, 2016 Agenda

On the agenda:

• Probationary status. 
• Communications. (ie, check our email, sign up for Remind) 
• Quick lesson -- Google Apps for Education related tools, how to deal with corrupted profiles on PCs. 
• Main projects for the year. I will be looking for Team Leaders, students who will be responsible for organizing the project and volunteers, and reporting to me the plans and progress. 
• School and district wide events that Media Medics will be responsible for organizing or supporting. 

Something to think about:
While browsing the web I saw this "Student on the Street" interview project. I was thinking it might be an interesting way to poll students and teachers, then follow up with a related quick tech tip. This would allow some of you to work on multiple skills: interviewing, video editing and production, as well as writing.

Mrs. Bond

Media Medics Posters

We experimented with different tools to create posters to promote the club. Students used Google Drawings and LucidPress. Maxx, Andrew, and Trevor shared their files.

September 20, 2016 Agenda

Our first meeting of the school year!

On the agenda:

• Introductions.
• Membership status.
• Previous projects.
• Club promotion.