In celebration and collaboration with MVS' recent ecologically friendly initiatives, here are a few quick changes you can enact in your computer's settings to help reduce your electricity and paper usage. (4:04 mins)

Over spring break 2021, we did some work on our network that increased security but accidentally blocked Chromecast access from the "Secure" wifi network. We've created a small program (called a "script") that fixes this, but it needs to be run on each computer that wants restored access. This script is linked to below. This quick video shows the easy process of downloading and running this script (outlined below). (3:00 mins)

60-second process demonstrated in the video:

1. download the "chromecast-helper.ps1" script, acknowledging and dismissing any security warnings (We promise this file is safe!):

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bIf59yv7ynW4gBuTkjCKjxh0nNVvqUkK/view?usp=sharing

2. find the downloaded file on your computer

3. right-click on the file, choose "Properties," and then click the box to "Unblock" the script - then click "Apply" then "OK"

4. right-click on the file again and choose "Run with PowerShell"

5. answer "Yes" when asked if you want the app to make changes to your device

That's it! Once the blue window opens, then closes (should only take a few seconds), head to Chrome and check for Chromecast access. Please let us know if this process doesn't work for you.

While Windows' audio processing hasn't gotten any better, newer versions of Zoom have given us a way to make sure that processing is disabled. See this quick video for how to enact this definitely recommended setting. (2:37 mins)

Canvas has updated the toolbar for their Rich Content* Editor, which is the tool we use to create or edit content on Canvas Announcements, Assignments, etc. The Google Drive integration app is no longer front and center, but it is still there - watch this short video to find out where. (2:37 mins)

*I say "rich text editor" in the video, not "rich content editor." Same diff.

Google Groups is a great tool, but if you're a member of a busy group, it's easy to be overwhelmed with emails. Adjusting your "subscription type" allows you to decide when and how you'll receive notification of new messages. Watch this short video for more info and how to adjust your settings. (2:21 mins)

Giving parents access to their child's Seesaw journal is pretty great, but it has to be setup by the teachers of the classes. Luckily, it's pretty easy. Watch this quick video to see an explanation of the 3 possible ways to do it. (4:01 mins)

DEPRECATED! Newer versions of Zoom allow for this to be done in the app's settings. See the newer video about this above.

Our Lenovo ThinkPad E450 laptops have an audio setting that's on by default and that can conflict with Zoom's settings, creating a setup where a user's mic will cut out in a Zoom session if the user turns their head or walks a few feet away from the computer. Watch this quick video to learn how to disable this Windows setting to greatly improve your Zoom experience. (4:53 mins)

Here's what the problem sounds like

...and here's audio improved by DISABLING this setting.

From time to time, we in the tech department (MVSIT) may ask folks to download and run a small program (aka a "script") in order to make a settings change or install something on your laptop. Watch this short video to learn how to do this. (1:24 mins)

NOTE: This video is only accurate for versions of Zoom older than 5.2. Newer versions have a similar audio suppression setting in the main Audio settings area (i.e. not advanced), but it's only able to be turned to "Low" and not disabled completely.

Zoom has some great audio processing smarts that can eliminate a lot of interruptive sound. However, sometimes that hinders us if it decides to cut out our speech when we're not in front of the camera. If this is happening to you, watch this quick video to learn how to disable Zoom's audio processing. (3:12 mins)

We all have YouTube accounts as part of our MVS G Suite accounts. Watch this quick tutorial to see how to use the YouTube app on your phone to generate content for your classes. (2:53 mins)

ChromeOS, the operating system that Chromebooks run, and the various apps that they use get automatically updated and notify users when they're ready. We also have the option to manually check for and install updates whenever we want. Watch this quick video to see how updates work on our Chromebooks. (2:43 mins)

The new Google Drive integration tool in Canvas allows the use of Google Drive files that remain live when they are embedded, meaning edits to those documents in Google Drive show up automatically in Canvas. Watch this quick video to see an example. (3:09 minutes)

NOTE: The Google Drive icon in the Canvas tools is now back to normal, unlike as showed in this video.

Many sites nowadays offer you the option to be notified every time the site posts new content. If you find this annoying like I do, watch this to learn how to stop websites from asking. (2:11 minutes)

Gmail's Snooze function is a great way to remove a message from crowding your inbox without forgetting about it later. Watch this video for a quick demo of a use-case. (1:22 minutes)

Google Contacts lets us create groups for ourselves so that we can streamline our work when we need to email the same bunch of people all the time. Watch this video for a quick how-to. (2:04 minutes)

Gdocs has the ability to hide page breaks, which helps the flow of digital documents. Watch this video for a demo of both available modes. (1:11 minutes)

Gmail's new right-click menu is full of helpful shortcuts. Watch this video for a brief walk-through and explanation of its uses. (1:27 minutes)

Recording audio and video directly in Canvas is super easy - provided you're using the right web browser. Check out this video for a walk-through. (1:51 minutes)