Issue 109 - Term 2 Week 6

Issue 109 - 2024 | Term 2 | Week 6

Info AssessedIT’s new Technical Rating

The Information Technology Directorate has added an extra rating in the ‘Technical Rating’ column of AssessedIT.

As best practice, when using services in the ‘Allowed’ and ‘Use with caution’ categories, please limit the disclosure of student information and only disclose the minimum information that is required. This will help protect students’ privacy and digital identity.

Allowed means we have found the software application to be cyber safe.
Use with caution means the software meets most but not all departmental requirements, so you will need to pay careful attention to anything that could put student or staff data at risk. Select the 'EYE' icon for further insights into key concerns and usage conditions.
Do not use means we have found the software application puts the department’s data – including that of students and staff – at risk. As such, we strongly recommend that you do not use it.

Update Windows 11

After listening to feedback from our school community, the decision to defer the mandatory Windows 11 feature update has been made. The Windows 11 feature update will now be deferred till after the HSC exam period, with exact timing to be announced at a later date.

While we might be deferring the mandatory update to post HSC, we still need to continue our efforts towards security compliance. To this point, we would like to take this opportunity to advise the community that we will be offering schools that would like to update their fleet to Windows 11, prior to any mandatory upgrades, the chance to do so.

More details on how schools will be able to opt-in will be announced in the Week 9 edition of news.T4L. There was some discussion around Windows 11 in Week 5’s episode of Viva Hotspots.

Update New resources for MS Teams

Have you seen the new Microsoft Teams resources available on the T4L website?

Explore a refreshed set of MS Teams videos to support your foundational skills in this powerful communication tool, as well as videos to support the use of Teams with your students.

The updated videos will provide you with guidance on all the helpful features from navigating Teams, managing files or setting up meetings in the calendar.

You can also learn how to provide feedback for assignments, set up a class Notebook and track student's Reading Progress.

Join the T4L Community in Teams and join the discussion! This will also be the new home of Viva Engage HotSpots on Mondays at 3:30pm. See you there!

Info EBS system decommissioned from all schools

Teacher standing in an office with computers

EBS has now been decommissioned for all NSW Department of Education schools. The Digital Student Management team would like to convey a huge thank you to all schools for the engagement, activity and support in successfully achieving the full decommission of the EBS system.

All student administration processes, previously completed in EBS, will now be completed in your chosen Administration Marketplace Panel for Schools (AMPS) supplier product/s. This includes the management of groups, rooms, staff, short-term medication, auto-injectors and student finance.

Your school will continue to use ERN to manage student registrations, family details, long-term health conditions and court orders.

Schools have acknowledged that decommissioning EBS has effectively streamlined processes and daily tasks for school administration staff.

Artarmon Public School says 'EBS rollover was tedious and took a lot of time and focus to ensure the accuracy of end-of-year rollover. In our new system, we can create new roll classes with the click of a button and duplicate billing runs and groups such as house and scripture'.

Cook School says 'One less system – not having to log in and access EBS for any of our daily tasks is a huge timesaver'.

For post-EBS decommissioning support:

please contact your AMPS supplier/s for product support
check out the EBS Decommission Frequently Asked Questions
log an online query with EdConnect for historical EBS data or if your supplier has failed to resolve your issue.

Further information on AMPS supplier products, pricing, and the latest news, can be found on the AMPS intranet site.

Update Adobe updates

As a reminder, after the result of a new agreement between Adobe and NSW Department of Education, there will be a revised process for staff and students needing access to Adobe Creative Cloud applications.

This includes Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Premiere and Acrobat Pro. All licence applications will go through EDConnect only.

For the most up-to-date information head to the Adobe information page, with information on how to use PDFs in Acrobat Reader, and Acrobat Express (both not requiring a licence).

We encourage all schools to consider if they require access to actively and regularly use the tools. Most users of PDFs do not require access to Adobe Acrobat Pro.

If you have licences that you no longer require, or any questions please email
AdobeCreativeCloudlicensing@det.nsw.edu.au

PL Apple Professional Learning live

Apple Professional Learning Live offers free online sessions designed for educators, leaders and IT professionals.

There's something for all educators, from kindergarten to high school, beginner to expert. You’ll explore ways of using Apple technology to advance the learning in your school.

Hosted by Apple Professional Learning Specialists, Apple Professional Learning Live sessions offer:

practical tips and skills
curriculum integration
hands-on practice
discussion and reflection
resources to support your practice.

Attendees can receive a verification of attendance for each session to show investment in professional growth. View the list of available upcoming sessions.

Update Microsoft OneNote

OneNote has been accessible for all staff and students as a desktop, application as well as a web app, through Microsoft 365. In 2019, a Microsoft Store app version became available – OneNote for Windows 10.

In 2025, OneNote for Windows 10 will reach end of support. This means the app will no longer receive updates from Microsoft or be available to download and install.

Microsoft has since provided further updates to the Microsoft 365 desktop app with options to give users a similar experience to OneNote for Windows 10 app. You can find this on your Windows device by searching 'OneNote'.

We highly encourage you to utilise the Microsoft 365 application with its modern interface while also absorbing key unique features of OneNote for Windows 10.

If using OneNote for Windows 10 you won't lose access. However, if a device is reimaged, OneNote for Windows 10 won't be installed. The Microsoft 365 version will be available by default in the Start menu.

Visit the T4L website’s Microsoft OneNote page to view some useful videos with OneNote. You can also visit Microsoft’s support page for OneNote.

Alert Hidden Grayware

What is Grayware?

Grayware is a type of software that sits in the ‘grey area’ between malware and genuine software. While it may not be classified as a virus, it has the potential to be harmful.

It can affect your computer’s performance, steal data, and expose you to security risks.

It can sit quietly in your Download folder until you click to execute it. Some examples of Grayware are:

Web companion – sold as a ‘security tool’, this software hides in installation packs and does not need admin rights to install. It can hijack your browser, send unsolicited adverts and steal/sell your data.
Auto-clickers – sold as a time-saver, it can take over your clicking actions which can lead to more malware downloads.

Read about how to keep safe from Grayware in Noticeboard.

Alert Dropbox phishing scam

Have you received an unexpected Dropbox email? The email contains a link to a Dropbox folder where you can view a file. If you try to view the file, it will take you to the Dropbox website.

Once you have logged in (or created an account) and tried to open the PDF, you get a fake Microsoft 365 popup asking you to log in with your Office account.

If you do, your credentials will be stolen, and your account will be compromised. Watch the video on Dropbox phising to see how this progresses.

How can I keep safe? Scan for S.C.A.M.

Sender: Do I know the sender? Was I expecting this email from them?
Contents: Is there a sense of urgency or authority to be aware of?
Action: What is it asking me to do? Are there links to click or attachments to open?
Manage: Don’t click on anything if the email seems unusual in any way.

News Canva Brand Kit access

We are excited to announce that in response to widespread requests from school leaders and administrative staff, schools can now apply for access to set up their Canva Team's brand toolkit!

This new feature allows schools to create a custom brand kit, including logos, colour schemes, font styles, and other essential branding elements. This will enable schools to maintain a consistent and professional appearance across all designs, ensuring that all community-facing content adheres to branding guidelines. Once setup, a school's brand kit will be available for all staff to utilise with any of the designs they create within their school team. Some great uses for a brand kit are:

school newsletter
social media posts
announcements.

To take advantage of this opportunity, please apply through the following link: Apply here.

News Apple iMovie - Storyboards

Are you looking for a great tool to help your students make amazing videos/movies and save you time?

It's time to explore iMovie on iPad or Mac to bump up your creative processes in the classroom.

The Storyboards feature, built into iMovie, helps students create powerful and engaging videos by focusing them in on the creation process.

The wide range of Storyboard templates are scaffolded for students, guiding them through making strong content choices and shot selections.

This in turn leads students towards quality content creation rather than getting lost in the editing processes.

Try Storyboards in iMovie with your classroom iPads today and explore the potential. Check out this Storyboards video.

Fun ICT Thought of the day

Info news.T4L will be back in Week 9!

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?

Subscribe to news.T4L

Tell us about your school's great ICT initiatives! Send us an email to T4LNews@det.nsw.edu.au

Return to top of page

Technology 4 Learning