Summer Loading: Powering Down the Classroom

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By: Samantha Wilkinson

Days of sunshine, warm temperatures, and summer fun are so close! Here are some reminders of how to "power down" your virtual classrooms in preparation for the break.


General Tips: It's always good to wipe down your chromebooks, laptops, and other screened devices with a soft, dry microfiber cloth. Tech safe wipes are also ok. Compressed air can help get rid of dirt and dust in the keyboard and ports. Be aware of how you store devices, not stacking them on top of one another to avoid screen damage. For desktop monitors, a lightweight fabric to cover them can be helpful to protect it from summer dust and damage. Store tech with its charging equipment and cables as directed by your school tech.

Be sure to put in an AACPS My Support Portal ticket to report any damage or classroom equipment issues. It's good to get those resolved before the chaos of a new year, particularly if it involves updating the Smartboard, or getting a part replaced. 

Brightspace: The nice thing is that Brightspace will still allow you to access material you created for courses this year, next year as well. However that means that you will still see those courses in your waffle menu. What you can do to discriminate between courses from each year is edit the course name. Some teachers choose to put the word "OLD" in front of the existing course name, others add an emoji such as ❌ (Windows key + period on your keyboard to get the emoji menu). At the end of the year, you can also unpin this year's courses and then next year, pin current courses so that they appear at the top of your waffle menu.


Typing Club: Archiving old classes in Typing Club is important, as they can pile up over the years and most times, the naming conventions for your classes are the same, resulting in a very lengthy list of courses. To archive classes, go to classes, check the box for the class(es) you'd like to disable and then click More Actions> Archive. 


WeVideo: While it is not necessary to rename your classes, it is recommended. This is so that next year, you can easily differentiate between the classes of this year versus previous years. In your classes area, click on the 3-dot menu > Edit to change the title. I recommend adding the year in front of the class name such as "23-24 Social Studies" or insert an emoji in your title such as ❌ (Windows key + period on your keyboard to get the emoji menu). 


Discovery Education: In DE, from the upper left 3 bar menu, under "Classrooms" you have the option to archive your classes. Simply click on the class's 3 dot menu and select archive. The new classes for next year will auto-populate and will show a creation date, but I find it easier to weed through the current classes with the old ones archived each year.


Lumio/ Nearpod: While it is not necessary to take any action, it is nice to organize any lessons you've done into folders. This just cleans up the interface and makes lessons more organized for next year. Some teachers organize by subject, topic, or marking period. 

Sphero Bolt & indi robots: Be sure to return the robots to their classroom pack. It is a good idea to inventory the pieces to make sure there are not any missing tiles or bots. Wiping the dots down with a disinfectant wipe is advised after a long year of use. For indi, the silicon tiles are dishwasher safe. Media specialists handle storing these over the summer. If your school has other instructional robots, they should be accounted for and stored safely for the summer.

Wixie is low maintenance because it will populate with your new classes for the new year and your old ones will disappear. Student work stays with them though as they travel grade to grade. 

Please reach out to the Brightspace Champions or eCoach at your school if you need further information and as always, you can explore our Teacher Intro to Digital Tools page to find out more on these applications.  


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