The main website for Kenton City Schools is getting a makeover this summer.
The new website is designed to be secure, fast, and responsive, with quick access to information for families, students, and staff.
You can check it out now at https://beta.kentoncityschools.org/.
Here are the steps to switch to Google Drive File Stream. You will need to re-create any shortcuts you have made to your Dock or in the Finder windows to point to the new location in your Google Drive File Stream.
Once completed, you will have the Google Drive icon on your Desktop.
From there you can access/save files stored in Google Drive.
BE SURE YOU ARE USING GOOGLE DRIVE FILE STREAM FOR ALL OF YOUR FILES. DO NOT USE YOUR DESKTOP OR YOUR DOCUMENTS FOLDER TO STORE FILES. YOU WILL SUFFER DATA LOSS IF YOUR DRIVE FAILS.
If you have any questions, please let me know!
Log into your laptop, and access the About This Mac from the Apple Menu.
Look at the version number.
If it is 10.12 or higher, you are on the current macOS version for the district and can skip to step 2.
THIS CAN TAKE AT LEAST 45 MINUTES TO COMPLETE AND HAS TO BE DONE AT SCHOOL!
From the menu bar in the Finder, select Go -> Applications
Find Managed Software Center and double click on it to open.
Run Updates.
Click on the + beside Install macOS Sierra (10.12).
Click Update All. After the updates install, it may ask you to update again. Click the Upgrade button to start the macOS upgrade.
Once the machine reboots, you can continue with step 2.
Check and see if you are using the Google Drive app. Look for the Google Drive app icon:
If you are not using the old Google Drive app, you can skip to step 3.
The first step you will take is to make sure that Google Drive has synced all your files. Click on the Google Drive app icon in the menu bar.
Look at the bottom right corner, it will say Sync Complete.
Next, set Google Drive to not start when you log in. Click the three dot menu, and select preferences.
Click on the Advanced tab.
Uncheck Start Google Drive on system startup.
Now we need to disconnect Google Drive. Click on the Account tab.
Click Discconect Account. Then confirm your choice.
Click Disconnect. Finally, quit the Google Drive App.
You’re in the home stretch!
From the menu bar in the Finder, select Go -> Applications
Find Managed Software Center and double click on it to open.
Run Updates.
If the machine needs you to logout and reboot, let it.
Once updates are done, from the menu bar in the Finder, select Go -> Applications.
Find Google Drive File Stream and double click it to open.
Sign in to Google Drive File Stream with your school account.
Click through the 4 introduction slides.
On the final slide, click Open Finder.
Google Drive will show in a Finder window.
And you will also have a Google Drive icon on your desktop.
Here’s a good overview of the differences between the old Google Drive app and the new Google Drive File Stream. We won’t be using Google Drive Backup & Sync.
The end of the Google Drive app used to sync your Google Drive folder on your laptop to the cloud is near. It will stop working on Saturday, May 12th. Google has a replacement, Google Drive File Stream, which I’ve already written about.
We will be sending out directions this week on moving to Google Drive File Stream. It is a three part process, one is to upgrade macOS on your laptop to 10.12, second is running the Google Drive File Stream app, and the third is logging out of the current Google Drive app. More directions will be posted this week. If you have any questions, feel free to email or send a help desk to helpdesk@kentoncityschools.org.
Google is rolling out a new look for Gmail, with new features.
Besides the new look, there are a few new features that make working in Gmail pretty awesome.
Emails may now be snoozed until a later time. This will remove the email from your inbox and make it pop back up at a later time.
When a message is open, click on the clock icon to snooze the email.
Click on the calendar icon on the right to show your calendar.
Search your notes or create new notes by clicking on the Google Keep icon on the right. When you create a note with an email open a link to the email is included in the note.
Gmail works better without an internet connection.
From the gear menu in Gmail, click on Try the new Kenton City Schools Mail.
Let me know if you have any questions!
On May 12th, the Google Drive app on the laptops and desktops will stop working. Before that happens, we will have moved you to Google Drive File Stream.
Google Drive: Google’s cloud storage service. Files stored in the cloud and made accessible at https://drive.google.com.
Google Drive App: This is an application that syncs the Google Drive cloud storage with a folder on your local machine. Anything saved in the folder is automatically uploaded to Google for safe keeping. This allows you to have back up copies made of your files for you automatically. You also have access to your files from any machine that has an internet connection. The Google Drive App is going away.
Google Drive File Stream: Google’s replacement for the Google Drive App. The main difference is that Google Drive File Stream does not keep copies of everything on the local machine. It syncs the files that you are working with, and not everything. Also, Google Drive File Stream is a separate drive on your local machine, not a folder.
The other difference is that Google Drive File Stream gives you access to Team Drives.
Google Drive App is currently being used to sync your Google Drive to your local machine. It stores your files in the cloud and also stores copies on your local hard drive. This arrangement has a few issues:
For Chromebook users, nothing changes.
The technology department is currently working on procedures to help you switch to Google Drive File Stream. There will be an announcement when we’re ready for you to upgrade and switch to Google Drive File Stream.
Here is a list of upcoming classes being offered at Northwood. Click here to register. If you have any questions, let me know!
| 1/24/18 | Gmail tips & tricks | Gmail can be used as a powerful organizer, this class will cover several tips and tricks that you can use with Gmail. |
| 2/7/18 | Screencasting for Beginners | Get started creating videos for your classroom and distributing the videos on Youtube and Google Drive. |
| 2/21/18 | Exit/entry tickets using Google | How to automate exit/entry tickets in your classroom utilizing Google Forms and Google Slides. |
| 2/10/18 | Running a 1:1 Classroom | Tips and tricks for the 1:1 classroom. |
| 3/10/18 | Re-assessing assessment and student ownership in the 1:1 classroom | How could the 1:1 classroom look? How do you start on this journey? This class will answer these questions and more! |
Freshdesk put together a cool little video showing statistics of Kenton City School’s use of the Help Desk:
You may have noticed some additional restrictions on your smartphone regarding using your school Google account on your phone. A side effect of setting up Android apps on Chromebooks was the implementation of restrictions before you can use your school Google account on the phone.
The Google apps (Gmail, Google Calendar, Drive, etc.) now require you to have a passcode on your device. This is good advice in general. Go to Settings to set your passcode. If your phone is an iPhone 5S or new, you can also set up Touch ID.
Google will push a Device Policy app to your phone. You will need to install the app to use your school Google account on your phone. This application verifies that certain security precautions are taken on your phone (such as the use of a passcode) and also gives you the ability to locate and/or wipe the device if it is lost or stolen.
These are security precautions to guard against unauthorized use of school data and to protect against data loss.
Technology Professional Development classes have been scheduled. A majority of the classes take place on Wednesdays after school from 3:45pm-4:45pm. There will also be several classes scheduled for a three hour block on Saturdays. These classes will be more indepth than the Wednesday classes.
For a list of classes and to sign up to attend, visit the PD Classes page.
I’ve been asked about a warning showing up in Gmail that looks like this:
It is part of Google’s anti-phishing campaign to warn Gmail users when an email may not be what it claims. In this case, Public Schoolworks sends out informational emails with Mrs. Penczarski’s name attached to it. Since Gmail hasn’t seen an email from Mrs. Penczarski with the Public Schoolworks email address, Gmail warns you to be careful.
In this particular instance, it is a valid email. Others may not be, so you will need to scrutinize emails when the phishing warning is displayed. Also, be especially wary of clicking on any links or sending a reply. When in doubt, forward the email to me and I’ll check it out.