GoogleApps and teacher transparency - 3

This is part of a series about using GoogleDocs to help teachers be more transparent. The introduction can be found here.

Unit outlines and timetables

1. List of units taught in each subject area (elementary) or in each class (secondary)

• Schedule for updating: Updated annually or as dictated by curricular changes.
• Details: A general outline of the major areas the students in the class will be studying. 
• Links: To district curriculum site(s)
• GoogleApp tool: GoogleSites

2. State requirements met by class or units

• Schedule for updating: Updated annually or as dictated by curricular changes.
• Details: If part of a state-mandated curriculum, this reference should be made. Indicate of any testing the state requires to show mastery.
• Links: To state curriculum site(s)
• GoogleApp tool: GoogleSites

3. Projected dates of units beginning and ending.

• Schedule for updating: Updated annually or as dictated by curricular changes.
• Details: Advise parents that these are approximate. “We will be starting our unit on rocks and mineral just after spring break.”
• Links: To classroom calendar, building and/or district calendar
• GoogleApp tool: GoogleSites or Calendar

4. Major goals (Essential Learner Outcomes) for each unit.

• Schedule for updating: Updated annually or as dictated by curricular changes.
• Details: Simple declarative statements of what the student should know and be able to do. For example: “By the end of this unit, our child should be able to identify the major landmasses on earth and be able to locate the major countries in Europe, Asia and Africa.”
• Links: To district curriculum site(s)
• GoogleApp tool: GoogleSites

5. Samples of major projects from previous years.

• Schedule for updating: Updated annually or as dictated by curricular changes.
• Details: Helps give parents examples of exemplary projects as a quality indicator for their own children’s work.
• Links: To other storage areas in which projects might be stored.
• GoogleApp tool: GoogleSites

Information about specific units and projects

Note: Much of this information may be in your CMS (Moodle, D2L, Blackboard, etc.) and if so, links from your GoogleSite to guest access for parents will be a time saver and reflect the most current versions.

1. Learner outcomes for units

• Schedule for updating: Updated annually or as needed. 
• Details: A detailed list of skills and information that students need to have mastered. 
• Links: To district curriculum site(s), your CMS
• GoogleApp tool: GoogleSites

2. Major activities 

• Schedule for updating: Updated annually or as dictated by curricular changes.
• Details: Projects, readings, tests, experiments, papers, etc.. Best if linked to assessments (below).
• Links: To district curriculum site(s), your CMS
• GoogleApp tool: GoogleSites

3. Homework assignments and due dates.

• Schedule for updating: Updated annually or as dictated by curricular changes.
• Details: Disclaimer needs to be added for parents that due dates are subject to change. (They might be later, but never earlier.) This could serve in lieu of a lesson plan book.
• Links: To district curriculum site(s), your CMS
• GoogleApp tool: GoogleSites

4. Vocabulary words, spelling lists, number facts, formulas, etc..

• Schedule for updating: Updated annually or as dictated by curricular changes.
• Details: Lists that call for memorization with which parents can help students practice.
• Links: To district curriculum site(s), your CMS
• GoogleApp tool: GoogleSites

5. Assessments/ evaluations for unit and projects

• Schedule for updating: Updated annually or as dictated by curricular changes.
• Details: Checklists and rubrics for major projects can be useful to parents to help the student self-assess work.
• Links: To district curriculum site(s), your CMS
• GoogleApp tool: GoogleSites

6. Online practice tests.

• Schedule for updating: Updated annually or as dictated by curricular changes.
• Details: Practice tests that come with standardized tests or teacher generated tests, created so they can be taken online or printed out.
• Links: To district curriculum site(s), your CMS
• GoogleApp tool: GoogleSites

7. Online resources and webpages

• Schedule for updating: Updated annually or as dictated by curricular changes.
• Details: Online lecture notes and links to readings and teacher-selected resources on the web. 
• Links: To district curriculum site(s), your CMS
• GoogleApp tool: GoogleSites

8.  Suggested enrichment activities that can be done at home.

• Schedule for updating: Updated annually or as dictated by curricular changes.
• Details: Supplemental reading lists, enrichment activities for highly motivated students, or “fun” family activities that tie into the content of the unit.
• Links: To district curriculum site(s), your CMS
• GoogleApp tool: GoogleSites

Individual student progress reporting

Note: This information is probably part of your student information system, and due to privacy issues, should remain there. A link from your GoogleSites page and instructions on the use of the portal are all that should appear. Do not place data specific to individuals on your GoogleSite page.

 1. Online gradebook 

• Schedule for updating: Weekly (at minimum)
• Details: Parent (and student) access to scores on daily work, quizzes, tests and projects. Teacher comments on student performance. Data entered by teacher via the web from any machine in any location.
• Links: To student/parent portal of student information system
• GoogleApp tool: N/A

2. Final grades for quarter, semester and year (or equivalent marking period)

• Schedule for updating: Each grading period
• Details: Part of online gradebook.
• Links: To student/parent portal of student information system
• GoogleApp tool:  N/A

3. GPA and class ranking.

• Schedule for updating: Automated through student information system
• Details: Of interest to some parents and students. This does not need to be hand entered by the teacher, but should be imported from the school’s student information system. 
• Links: To student/parent portal of student information system
• GoogleApp tool:  N/A

4. Standardized test results

• Schedule for updating: Automated through student information system
• Details: Of interest to some parents and students. Should be linked to information on how to interpret the scores. Imported from the school’s student information system.
• Links: To student/parent portal of student information system
• GoogleApp tool:  N/A

5. Attendance records

• Schedule for updating: Automated through student information system
• Details: Good check for parents of students who may have attendance problems. Imported from the school’s student information system.
• Links: To student/parent portal of student information system
• GoogleApp tool:  N/A

Last post in series tomorrow: tips for managing this information - and saving time in the process!

BFTP: Strong passwords, weak security

A weekend Blue Skunk "feature" will be a revision of an old post. I'm calling this BFTP: Blast from the Past. Original post, October 1, 2008. Perhaps the new iPhone's fingerprint recognition will prove workable and spread to other devices and applications, rendering this concern moot. 

D7B3BE289B1020A8A1D25FFC74

That's the password to log on to our WEP encrypted wireless access in one of our district's meeting rooms. With one or two changed characters, of course.

I've always had a suspicion that the requirement for a "strong" password really creates more security problems than it solves under most circumstances. Strong passwords require a minimum number of characters (12-14), need to be a combination of numbers and upper/lower case letters, and often need to forced-changed on regular basis.

Which all leads normal people to write them down and hide them in a convenient place - top desk drawer, under the desk blotter, on a sticky note adhering to the monitor...

The rationale for strong passwords is they are harder to discover if one runs a fancy password-guessing program to crack a computer security system. These programs rapidly try all common words and names in an attempt to gain access.

So the question I have to ask is: Which is more likely: a middle school student having access to a cracking program or knowing that passwords can be found under the teacher (or parent) desk blotter? 

There are compromises that involve mnemonic clues to remembering strong(er) passwords:

• add a date to a child's or pet's name (sammy411)
• substitute numbers or symbols for letters (r0o$evelt)
• create an acronym (1itln - one is the loneliest number)
• write the password down but with a change in a single character that one can actually remember 
• (Other good suggestions were left in comments on the original post.)

None of these shortcuts are recommended by an computer security expert, I am sure. The NSA, Google, Apple, or whoever the villan du jour of conspiracy theorists are can get to my data anyway.

Social hacking remains the number one computer security threat, at least according to the things I read. If you call someone and say you are from so-and-so security firm and are conducting an audit and need to verify his/her password, a high percentage of people happily divulge that information.

At last count, I have 113 different programs and websites that require a password for either school or work.- about double the number when I first posted this entry five years ago. I have them all stored in a password-protected database on my computer. Were a person able to obtain access, horror or horrors, s/he would be able to see my frequent flier miles, credit card and bank balances (both embarrassing), and edit my school web page. There are some benefits, sigh, to living a dull life.

So how do you create passwords that are difficult to guess but easy to remember? What are the practical rules for passwords schools should establish - and teach to kids?

GoogleApps and teacher transparency - 2

This is part of a series about using GoogleDocs to help teachers be more transparent. The introduction can be found here.

General information:

1.Teacher name and contact information

• Schedule for updating: Updated annually or as needed
• Details: Name with preferred salutation (Mr., Mrs., Ms, Dr.); school phone number and extension. E-mail address written as jbrown (at) school.org Home or cell phone if desired. Best times to contact. A personal note of welcome that includes encouragement for parents to contact the teacher if there is a concern or question. Personal information such as college(s) attended and degrees, awards earned, special interests, etc. may be of interest to parents.
• Links: School and district homepage.
• GoogleApp tool: GoogleSites

2. Class rules and expectations

• Schedule for updating: Updated annually or as needed
• Details: Policies on classroom behavior, homework, and extra-credit assignments. Grading philosophy. When carefully articulated and agreed upon by parents and students as reasonable, this information can reduce misunderstandings during the year.
• Links: Student handbook/parent handbook
• GoogleApp tool: GoogleSites or GoogleDoc that allows comments

 3. Calendar

• Schedule for updating: Weekly (depending on use). Check link to district and building calendar annually.
• Details: If not duplicating an existing calendar, show: beginning and end dates of school; quarter and semester end dates; holidays and breaks; and other days students not in school. Events and activities should be shown as far in advance as possible: athletic events, open houses, field trips, book fairs, assembly programs, science fair, testing dates, etc.)
• Links: Building and/or disrict calendar
• GoogleApp tool: GoogleCalendar embedded in a GoogleSite

4. Supply list

• Schedule for updating: Annually
• Details: Papers, pencils, pens, drawing supplies, paper, gym shoes, calculators, etc. Suggested features and functions of a device that works with the district BYOD program. Policy on how these items can be obtained if parents cannot afford them.
• Links: Building and/or district supply list if available
• GoogleApp tool: GoogleSite or GoogleDoc

5. Field trip or special event information

• Schedule for updating: As needed
• Details: Description of field trip including costs and timetable. Downloadable permission form. Call for chaperones. Information about special events - science fairs, guest speakers, etc.
• Links: Building forms.
• GoogleApp tool: GoogleSite or GoogleDoc. GoogleForm for volunteers.

6. Classroom news

• Schedule for updating: Monthly/weekly
• Details: Classroom happenings. Current projects and interests of students. Photos of activities (if parental permission is on file). No last names of students. Must be regularly updated.
• Links: Building and/or district newsletter
• GoogleApp tool: GoogleSite, GoogleDoc, or Blogger entry.

7. Requests for parent volunteers

• Schedule for updating: Annual
• Details: Special classroom needs for volunteers. Guidelines for parent volunteers.
• Links: Building and/or district volunteering information.
• GoogleApp tool: GoogleSite.

8. Drop folder for student work

• Schedule for updating: Annual
• Details: Place link on teacher homepage for easy access.
• Links: Instructions for use
• GoogleApp tool: GoogleDrive folder.

9. Communication information

• Schedule for updating: Annual
• Details: Information about how the school and teacher will communicate with the home. Options available: e-mail list, student information system mailings, voice, text, e-mail and parental preferences. Other communication options such as Facebook fanpage, Twitter, and student information system parent portal.
• Links: Instructions for use and to other communication tools.
• GoogleApp tool: GoogleSite.

 Ok, readers - what other "general information" do you share with parents to be more transparent?