Stopping Epson Projector Shutoff Hacks

I struggle to imagine a student behavior more egregious than the willful sabotage of teaching and learning through crashing a classroom projector. Yet, sending a shutdown signal to your projector's remote control port is precisely what free apps allow cowards with smartphones to do. An easy, one  minute dive into the settings menu of your projector will help insulate your projector from some punk's untraceable mischief making penchant. The video below provides some basic "remote control disabling" direction.

If you would like help disabling your projector's remote control port, let me know.

Chrome User Profiles

In my travels across the district I see many Google Cloud Print (aka SharpFindMe) issues arising from users being logged into their school Google account and one or more personal Google accounts through a single browser window. Multiple logins in a single Chrome window often give Chrome fits about which printers should be visible. The best way to avoid this problem is to use separate and distinct user profiles within Chrome. Doing so creates a clean demarcation between school based and personal accounts while also allowing concurrent access to multiple accounts. Sounds complicated, but it's not. There's a nerdy writeup on how to establish multiple profiles in Chrome located here, and a longer, rambling video on the same displayed below. Using Chrome profiles will not eliminate every printing gremlin, but will remove one of the peskiest. If you would like help with Chrome profiles, let me know.

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Digital Whiteout

A teacher submitting digital artifacts and evidence in support of her team's NEASC self study standard asked, "How can I blur or remove a student name from a screenshot or other image to preserve confidentiality?" Two quick, simple methods are shown below. The first video assumes you are using your MacBook while second assumes you are using a Chromebook or any other computer with Chrome. If you discovered a faster, simpler method, please share it.

Updating Chromebooks

A large number of Metcalf teachers indicated that some students are receiving iReady "Your browser is out of date" error messages, and that the students cannot access iReady. Here's a simple, fast way you or your students may expedite a resolution to that particular problem.

EWG_Staff WiFi Fix

Recent updates to EWG's wifi may break your ability to connect to EWG_Staff. Here's a potential fix which has restored teachers' connections to EWG_Staff. If you get stuck or my directions do not work for your situation, please let me know.

Test Security on Chromebooks

Recently, a colleague asked about how to secure Chromebooks during on demand writing prompts and other assessments. Here is an excerpt of her question.

I much prefer to have my students type their essays.  So much easier to grade that way without having to decipher handwriting!
But this time I gave the students the prompts in advance so they could do some preparation, but I still expect the essay to be on-demand.  I'm worried that even though I'll be watching them, I won't be able to catch a kid who already has something typed up and is jumping back and forth to it.  
Do you have any suggestions?

For what it is worth, here is my response.

Image:  https://www.flickr.com/photos/95366705@N03/

Enforcing test security is difficult, at best. Soon, it will become more difficult, if not impossible. Sony was recently awarded a patent for a contact lens that captures video. In a short while, students will be wearing and using technology no one can observe or monitor. That makes my first suggestion that much more important.

• Have frank conversations with your students about ethical considerations, honesty, and integrity (a core value). Students will appreciate the acknowledgment that you know they can burn you on a test, but that you are calling on their sense of responsibility to fair play. Let them know you expect incredible, authentic, honest products.
• Expand the revision history in Google Docs where you suspect foul play. Did entire paragraphs appear in the span of 1 minute? That's a sure sign of a copy and paste.
• Distribute writing prompts in a Google Document that has a watermark, colored cell, or other visual cue that lets you easily confirm that students are viewing the appropriate page.
• Position your students and yourself so that you can view every screen. This might mean temporarily rearranging desks or repositioning yourself during the performance period.
• Distribute a half dozen additional, potential writing prompts instead of just the actual writing prompts. It will be more difficult to pre-write a solid response for all prompts.
• Be firm about mobile devices. Have a cell phone jail or similarly effective policy to eliminate their use during the performance period.
• There are various ways to place a Chromebook into a restricted kiosk test mode. Reach out to your IT department to help implement an option that might work well for you.

Blue Whale Challenge

Don't download the Blue Whale App or visit accompanying web sites. Don't be a Blue Whale Victim. Don't let your friends mess with the Blue Whale Challenge. Stay away from the Blue Whale Challenge.

View the insidious details at http://www.computerworld.com/article/3195834/security/schools-in-alabama-warn-parents-about-blue-whale-suicide-game-app.html