Are you looking for new tools to put into your digital toolbox? Come join IU13 IMS at our “Back-to-School” Mini-Conference featuring introductory sessions on IU13 Instructional Media Services. Unlock the features of Discovery Education, BrainPop, OverDrive/Sora, Gale Research Databases, and CultureGrams.

Did you know that you can check out equipment such as the StarLab, Mobile VR Kits, and the Telepresence System or the new IMS STEM Lending Library? Certification workshops are available or you can just come and explore items such as Sphero Robots, Makey Makey, and Phidgets. Other educational technology session offerings such as an introduction to Google Workspace, Schoology and much more will also be available.

Sessions will be designed to provide educators with training on the program, then provided ample time to ask questions, collaborate with colleagues, and develop lessons and projects for the new school year. Monday's sessions are targeted towards newer and less experienced educators, while Tuesday will focus on more advanced applications of educational technology tools, materials and programs.

Attendees should bring their own internet connected device and are encouraged to have user district accounts created in advance. Visit the event website for more information.

Mini-Conference - Introductory Sessions

• Date: Monday - August 8, 2022
• Time: 8:00 am - 3:00 pm at the Lancaster- Lebanon IU13 Conference Center
• Audience: New and less experienced Educators
• Cost: Free for IU13 District Educators and $75 per day for non-IU13 districts and non-public schools to attend
• Registration: Click here to register on Frontline 
  
  

Mini-Conference - Advanced Sessions

• Date: Tuesday - August 9, 2022
• Time: 8:00 am - 3:00 pm at the Lancaster- Lebanon IU13 Conference Center
• Audience: More experienced Educators
• Cost: Free for IU13 District Educators and $75 per day for non-IU13 districts and non-public schools to attend
• Registration: Click here to register on Frontline 

Announcement: OverDrive will be updating their network configuration on October 10, 2022.

Action required by School Districts

School Districts may currently be allowing 207.54.136.106, 207.54.137.114, and 207.54.137.115 through their firewall for OverDrive to connect with their ILS/LMS to authenticate users during the sign in process. If so, districts need to update their firewall before October 10, 2022, to allow the following subnet: 134.195.60.0/24. This will ensure there is no disruption for users. For now, please continue to allow 207.54.136.106, 207.54.137.114, and 207.54.137.115 through your district's firewall. If your authentication service is hosted offsite by your ILS/LMS vendor, we recommend contacting them to confirm the updated IP addresses.

Additionally, in rare circumstances, some institutions filter outbound network access to specific IP addresses. If your institution does this, you will need to add 134.195.60.0/24 to your allow list to ensure your users can still access OverDrive from within your network after this change.

OverDrive will send a follow up message in October confirming that this migration is complete and it is safe to remove the legacy 207.54.136.0/23 IP addresses from your firewall. If you have any additional questions, please reach out to our team via the Authentication Support button under the Support tab in OverDrive Marketplace.

Notice of upcoming OverDrive server maintenance

Between May 3 and July 28, 2022, OverDrive will perform server upgrades to enhance the performance and security of their systems. Upgrades will occur between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. Eastern Time on Tuesdays and Thursdays and could impact service only once for approximately 60 minutes or less. Impacts to your users should be minimal.

Additional details:

• Users will still be able to sign in to your digital collection and browse or read titles, but may encounter errors when attempting to borrow, place a hold, or return titles during your maintenance period.
• Please contact your Account Manager with questions.

Update regarding OverDrive video

Last year, OverDrive acquired Kanopy, a leading streaming video service. While Kanopy is currently for public libraries, colleges, and universities, we are exploring opportunities for K-12 partners in the future. In the meantime, OverDrive is preparing to wind down the OverDrive video format. All OverDrive video titles will be removed from your collection on September 1, 2022.

Additional details:

• Once OverDrive video titles are removed from your collection, any users with active checkouts on OverDrive video titles will be able to enjoy the title through the end of the lending period.
• All videos uploaded as Local Content through OverDrive will also be removed from your collection on September 1.
• We recommend removing any MARC records for OverDrive video from your library's catalog. If you receive MARC express records, we can create delete records upon request.

Upcoming Webinars

Summer and winter breaks are almost upon us and there’s no better time to revisit Sora and explore ways to keep students reading even when school’s not in session. Bookmark their Upcoming Webinars page now to stay up to date with our current offerings and learn about what’s coming next, such as Sora Essentials on May 10th at 3 pm EST, World Literary Tour: Spotlight on OverDrive's Spanish-Language Catalog on May 11th at 11 am EST, and Sora Connections: Making the Most of Your School Breaks on May 26th at 3 pm EST. 

Here are some "Timely & Relevant" resources from Discovery Education for the month of May. Be sure to log into your instance of Discovery Education before clicking on the links below.

This Month at DE

• Explore and share the Discovery Education May 2022 Newsletter to learn about all the timely, relevant and featured resources happening this month!

May Activity Calendars

• May 2022 Activity Calendars:
  • K-2 Activity Calendar 
  • 3-5 Activity Calendar 
  • 6-8 Activity Calendar 
• A new calendar is released each month with timely and relevant content, so be sure to subscribe to the Activity Center channel in DE.

Timely May Resources 

• Whether you are looking to celebrate Physical Fitness Month with NFL Play 60, spread awareness for National Mental Health Month with Child Mind Institute, or commemorate the rich heritage of Asian American and Pacific Islanders during May, DE has the right resources for you and your educators. 

Creatively Engage Students During Testing Review 

• SOS Instructional Strategies are the perfect way to keep students engaged while reviewing key content from the school year. With categories in summarizing, identifying key ideas and details, sequencing, and more, combining these strategies with DE resources adds some fun to learning and review. Educators can also find our recommended strategies for a variety of subjects and skills if they need help getting started.

Keep the Learning Momentum Going This Summer 

• Whether you're looking for curriculum support, at-home activities for students, or professional learning resources, we’ll help you make this summer one to remember! Check out our revamped Summer of Learning Channel today. And, be sure to share the Summer Learning Activities Channel with all educators - it is full of ready-to-use activities for every grade level to support summer school plans. 

Become a DEN STAR!

• Do you enjoy staying in the know about all things DE? Would you like access to exclusive resources? Join our DEN STAR program to connect with a community of like-minded educators and maximize DE's impact in your school or district. Learn more HERE and share with your teacher leaders! Application is open until May 6.