ASA Tech Tips and News: March 2025

Thursday, March 13, 2025

Tech Tips and News for March 2025

On a chromebook, access Accessibility settings
by clicking the time, then Accessibility.

I recently fielded a couple of requests for information on Chromebook accessibility tools that students can access. I've included several resources in the Tips and Tutorials section. There are numerous settings natively available on a chromebook to assist students with any kind of a disability. Another question I was asked was whether or not students are just playing around when they turn on the accessibility settings. That's really a question that only a frank conversation with the child will answer. Best practice from a Google administrator standpoint is to set all accessibility settings to allow each user to decide which settings to turn on. This is so there are no barriers for students if they need accommodations. Of course some students will play with these settings and they may be a distraction - especially the ChromeVox setting which reads everything on the screen out loud. This behavior should be considered in the same way any other classroom disruption issue would be handled - in other words, it's a behavior concern not a technology issue. Take a look at the accessibility info below, both for insight in helping your students, as well to familiarize yourself with the settings to turn them off if things go awry. Perhaps taking some time in class to teach students about the settings and allowing them some time to test them out will help alleviate the disruptions from students who are curious and accidentally turn settings on at inconvenient times. That being said, teachers definitely know better than I do how to effectively manage your classrooms.

FBI Warning - Delete These Texts on Your iPhone, Android Phone

FBI Warning - Delete These Texts on Your iPhone, Android Phone, from Forbes by Zak Doffman

Please take a moment to read this article and immediately delete any toll scam texts you receive. Even better, mark the message as spam and block it, and then delete it. I've been receiving these texts for the past month or so. As always - NEVER click links in any text message you receive from a business or government entity - go to their official website and check the legitimacy of the message there.

Watch Out! Scammers are Using This PayPal Setting to Take Over Your PC

Watch Out! Scammers are Using This PayPal Setting to Take Over Your PC, from Tom's Guide by Amber Bouman

Fake purchase notifications are being used to trick people into downloading malware. As always, when confronted with an alarming email, call or text, never click on links, but rather open the company's website and check things from there.

You Can Delete Personal Information Online from Google Search

You Can Delete Personal Information Online from Google Search, from ZDNet by Artie Beaty

Did you know you can remove your personal information from Google Search? If someone searches for you, it will limit the info they find. Now it's even easier.

5 Easy Ways to Stop Companies From Collecting Your Data

5 Easy Ways to Stop Companies From Collecting Your Data from PC Mag by Kim Key

Your device's data is very valuable to companies and criminals. Find out how to protect it and what to watch out for.

Google Drive: Limiting Access to Files and Folders

In Google Drive, we are now able to limit access to both files and folders in Shared Drives and My Drive. When access is limited, the user will see the file or folder, but will not be able to open it, or their access will be limited, depending on how you've set their access. For example, if you have a file or folder that has been shared with others or a group and you've given them editing or commenting permissions, but you'd like to change the access for some of those users, you'll be able to do so using one of the two following methods.

1. Update item only: Go to your My Drive > choose a file or folder you want to limit access to for a specific user > Change the role of the specific user (e.g. from Commenter to Viewer) > click on "Update item only".

2. Limit folder access: Go to your My Drive > choose the folder you want to limit access > click the overflow menu > share > select share settings in the top right corner > click limit access to “Folder Name”.

See further instructions here.

Infinite Campus: New Look Mandatory by July

Just a reminder, if you haven't already started getting used to the New Look in Infinite Campus, please do yourself a favor and start to do so. The current classic look will no longer be available in July - that's only 3.5 months away. There is a bit of a learning curve to it. If you put it off until the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year, you will have a hard time finding everything you need when you need to start setting up your gradebook, viewing your student rosters, and checking your course standards. Learn how to turn on the new look and get used to it here. (Expand the heading to see all the text.) You must be signed in to your ASA Google account to view the page.

Pro Tips:

When trying to locate a tool you need, use the search field. Click on the magnifying glass. In the type field select Tool, then enter the name of the tool you're looking for, such as gradebook or rosters.
When using a tool you use often, click the star next to the name at the top. This will add it to your favorites menu. The favorites menu is located next to the main menu - indicated with a star at the top. This will give you a list of just the tools you use most often. You can rearrange that list by clicking Edit at the top of the list.

Google's Spring Updates - Here's What You Can Look Forward To!

Google's Spring Updates - Here's What You Can Look Forward To! from Chromebook Classroom by John Sowash

If you'd like to get an advanced overview of what updates we'll be seeing this Spring, there's a handy chart in this post. We will get all features indicated with a single $ or no dollar sign, as we have the Teaching & Learning upgrade. I keep lobbying for EDU Plus, but all the participating schools in the Diocese must agree on the same plan. Regarding the AI workspace plans, right now they are too cost prohibitive for us, so I don't see us adding that license anytime soon.

Chromebook Accessibility Settings for Teachers

Chromebook Accessibility Features for the Classroom

Chromebook Accessibility Features for the Classroom, from the Chromebook Classroom by John Sowash

This video walks teachers through finding accessibility features on a student chromebook, but also what they do. He focuses on the most useful features, but also touches on the rest.

Google Classroom for Beginners: Start Fast (With No Experience)

Google Classroom for Beginners: Start Fast (With No Experience), from the Chromebook Classroom by John Sowash

If you want to give Google Classroom a test drive, John explains how you can get up and running quickly. There are other, more robust features available in Classroom, but this will get you started. At the end of the post, there are links to instructions for more advanced features.

Thursday, March 13, 2025

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Updates

Tips & Tutorials