​One really handy thing to do when you are working with a group of people is to set up an email list or group.  I didn’t realize that there was a difference between the two and I admit I had to learn a bit to get today’s Tech Tip ready. Read on to learn the difference and find some instructions to help (thank you Julie for this awesome Tech Tip idea). Oh and don’t forget to check out the fun Halloween links that I have updated for this season: Click here for Halloween Fun

Difference Between a Group and a List:

An email Contact List/ Contact Group (used to be called a Distribution L​​ist) is a collection of email addresses that you can use to send one email or meeting invitation to all at once. To confuse us, , Microsoft calls this a Contact​ List when you are working in the online web app but if you are on your desktop app on your computer it is a Contact Group​.

An email Group is a collection of people (entered by email address) that get an email address for conversations, a space for shared files, a group calendar and more. It is a bit like a Team.​

If you just want an easy way to send a group of people emails and meeting invitations, the Group list is the best choice. If you have a group that you would like to plan with and work together, a Group is better.

How to Create a Group List/ Contact Group

This week’s Tuesday Tech Tip comes from Jane Rondow (Inclusion Teacher – Assistive Technology)-thank you, Jane! ​​​Also, please read on for information about the Minecraft Challenge, upcoming Minecraft workshops this Friday and a Mathletics workshop on Thursday.

October is Dyslexia awareness month, 1 in 5 people have dyslexia and many don’t even know.

Comox Valley Schools has made many Assistive Technology supports available on all district computers and devices to support Reading and Writing. These can also be used on personal devices and BYOD (Bring Your Own Devices) using your Microsoft login.
Microsoft Login

  • Educators: district email and login password
  • Learners: student#@learn71.ca and login password

A few supports are:

  1. Text to Speech
    • Immersive Reader in Office 365 and Edge Browser
    • Read&Write
    • OrbitNote
    • Speak Selection and Speech Controller
  1. Text Preferences and eText
    • Font options like Open Dyslexic Font
    • Coloured backgrounds
    • eText and eBook resources
    • ARCBC alternate format materials (Textbooks, Novels, Books)
  1. Dictation (Speech to Text/ Voice to Text)
    • Dictate
    • Windows Speech Recognition
    • Enable Dictation

To find out more about these Assistive Technology supports and tools check out the resources on:

Or contact Jane.Rondow@sd71.bc.ca (District Inclusion Teacher – Assistive Technology)

This Tuesday I am thrilled to announce this year’s Minecraft Challenge – The Perfect Future City!  Read on learn more details about this and how to find some awesome free lessons to go with Minecraft. Tracy Richards and I are also excited to let you know that we will be doing two “Minecraft in the Classroom” workshops on October 21st.  Read on to learn more!

The  year is 4023 and our world looks nothing like it used to. Your challenge is to use Minecraft to design a city in the future. Will this city be on Earth, under the Earth, in an extreme biome, floating in space, underwater or on another planet? It is all up to you.  Please watch the video below to learn more and visit Learn71.ca ​and click on Minecraft Challenge​ to find resources and more.​