Issue 93 - Term 1 Week 3

The Microsoft Store for Education, available on department-owned Windows computers will be retired by Microsoft on March 31. The Store provides users with a self-service installation of modern Windows apps from a curated set of 100 titles. Popular titles like Minecraft for Education, Airserver, MS Whiteboard and various STEM apps are all currently installed from the Store. With the closing of the Microsoft Store, Information Technology Directorate will be changing the installation process for all of these modern Windows apps. For schools, deployment will occur using the eT4L Universal Desktop Manager (UDM) tool, allowing for a single push out to multiple targeted devices. Installations will be "per device". For corporate offices, installation will remain self-service, either via Software Center (ComFleet) or Company Portal (InTune) and will be "per user".  More details will be provided in the week 9 issue of news.T4L.

At the end of 2022, the department published advice around Using third-party online applications in schools. With the start of the year, many teachers look to use new online educational services with their students. Principals and teachers should be aware of the data retention and privacy terms of each service prior to use. Gaining parental permission is also important. To assist schools, the department has already vetted and authorised certain web and cloud-based providers, including Google, Microsoft and others. A full list including their respective privacy statements is kept up to date. The department is also assessing and maintaining data security and privacy information for a range of other online services commonly used in schools. We'll shortly provide access to AssessedIT, a repository of these assessments. This will simplify the process of informing parents about other online services the school wishes to use with students.

The popularity of our 15 tips in 15 mins professional learning series in 2022 meant we simply had to kickstart 2023 with more fantastic 15 minute PL webinars!

• Set up your iPad or Mac for success with Apple Classroom – Tues 21 February 
  
• Organise your Digital Classroom with OneNote  – Thur 23 February 
• Learn what’s new in Google Classroom, Docs, Slides, Sheets and Drive – Tues 28 Feb 
• What’s new in Google Meet – Tues 7 March
• Transform your classroom with Canva Whiteboard – Tues 14 March
• Creative Assessment Design with Adobe Acrobat – Tues 21 March

And join our series of advanced webinars to dive deep into some key tools: 

• Discover Podcasting in class with Adobe Audition (part 1) – Wed 1 March
• Discover Podcasting in class with Adobe Audition (part 2) – Wed 8 March
• Build your skills with OneNote Class Notebook – Wed 15 March 

When you open an email message in Outlook 365 on the Windows desktop, the default Zoom level is 100%. For many people that's too small. So how can you set the zoom level higher and make it stick? And what about when replying to emails? That text size is often also too small to see as you are typing. How can you adjust that permanently? Watch this quick video to find out.

Email revolutionised communication back in the 1990s. But it quickly became cumbersome and inefficient. Within NSW DoE, all staff have access to MS Outlook 365 desktop as part of the latest Windows 10 build. Did you know that Outlook desktop has a great new feature to quickly jump from an ever-growing email thread between two or multiple people, into a really efficient Teams discussion, or even an online meeting? Watch this quick video to find out how!

Engage students, parents and carers with Safer Internet Day resources! Book in and spread the word about these Feb/March events:

• Be an eSafe kid - incursion for years 3-6
• eSafety 101:- parent webinars
• Setting your child up for success - parent webinars 
  
• Getting the most out of gaming - parent webinars
  
• Navigating online friendships - parent webinars
  
• Online safety training for young people living with a disability - online course

In Term 3 of 2021, ITD launched a new remote access service from home for all staff, the Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD).  As advised in our previous issue, any staff still using the legacy F5 Remote Desktop Service (RDS) to access school devices/resources remotely, should configure AVD on their home device as soon as possible. Please advise staff to visit the Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) page for instructions on setting up the department's preferred remote access service (AVD). This is the final reminder for staff to complete AVD set up before RDS is decommissioned on 28 February 2023. If your school has any concerns about this, please log a call with EDConnect 1300 32 32 32, providing details.

Storage space is an absolute premium at many schools and often, any room that's not generally used by people, is used as a storeroom for boxes and equipment. An all too common scenario is when the school logs an EdConnect ticket reporting a network or server issue - nobody at school is able to access the internet to do their work or learning. The field services officer or a Telstra rep arrives on-site and needs to troubleshoot the problem. The logical place to start is the school's server room, which houses the eT4L server, the internet gateway and main network switches. Upon arrival, they find piles of boxes, obsolete equipment, stacks of chairs and other items blocking the data cabinet. It's a WHS issue that could result in them immediately leaving, further delaying the important troubleshooting process. So what condition is your school's server room in? What about the rooms in other buildings that house data cabinets? Could service people access your data cabinets easily if needed urgently?

The new stem.T4L Filming kit is already in the hands of many schools across NSW for their term 1 booking! The updated kit was developed in response to feedback from schools. It includes new technologies to add cutting edge features and effects to students' films and will extend the creative opportunities for all students. Secondary students who are increasingly using film and video production in their academic and social worlds will find the resources in the new stem.T4L Filming kit very exciting and motivating. The kit is designed for a whole class, or to be shared across multiple classes with 10 sets of the gear included. Students can now create film festivals, ads, documentaries, music videos,  science experiments, with all students involved in the process. If your school has not yet booked a stem.T4L Filming kit, you can get one for an entire term via our bookings system. Find out all the details about this kit by watching the video below and visiting the stem.T4L Learning Library.

Continuing the exciting changes to our stem.T4L kits this year, the Tablet Robotics kit is being updated by our team and will feature the new LEGO SPIKE Essential, replacing the LEGO WeDo 2.0. The Dashbots and Bluebots in the kit will also be refreshed with new sets. You can book this new kit for Term 2 now, using the stem.T4L booking system! We also have new Immersive VR, Filming, Aeroponics and Microcontroller kits available to book for upcoming terms. To find out more about stem.T4L and get teaching and learning resources, visit the amazing and continually growing stem.T4L Learning Library. 

Join the T4L Virtual Staffroom team as they talk with Nav Virdi and the Braille and Large Print team in our newest podcast! They've pioneered a revolutionary new library of 3D printable objects that have the power to revolutionise the learning experiences of students with a vision impairment. Listen to examples of how Nav and his team have inspired students through their design and library of 3D prints. The prints complement the curriculum - bringing to life concepts in geography, astronomy and history. From Pyramids to the Globe to parts of the human body, this is one episode not to miss!

Information Technology Directorate publishes three issues of news.T4L each term. Remember - share each issue with your staff! And if you aren't receiving an email notification as soon as a new issue of news.T4L drops, then you're missing out! So why not subscribe?