Educational Technology

If you’ve been waiting for a smarter way to design immersive lessons, this is it.

Inside Microsoft 365, the Teach module now brings AI-powered curriculum planning directly into Minecraft Education—and it’s a game changer. Teachers can instantly generate rich, standards-aligned lesson plans tailored by subject, grade level, and even global education frameworks.

What stands out? Built-in standards alignment with California CCSS ensures your lessons are academically grounded from the start. The AI doesn’t just create a basic outline—it delivers full lesson structures with objectives, materials, timed activities, and even embedded professional learning resources.

Need to level it up? The “Enhance with AI” feature lets you instantly add differentiation, assessment prompts, or creative build challenges—perfect for meeting diverse student needs without extra planning time. Even better, version history keeps every draft accessible, making iteration effortless.

And the magic doesn’t stop at planning. With seamless integration into OneDrive and Word, plus direct links to launch Minecraft worlds, your lesson flows from idea to classroom in seconds.

This isn’t just lesson planning—it’s intelligent, interactive, and ready for the future of learning. Want to learn how to use it? Check out the video below from Microsoft's own Mike Tholfsen.

Microsoft Teams just took a meaningful step toward simplifying digital workflows with its new combined chat and channels experience—and it’s a big productivity booster.

At the heart of this update is a unified communication feed. Instead of jumping between separate chat and team spaces, everything now lives in one streamlined view. This reduces friction and keeps conversations, class discussions, and collaboration all in one place.

One standout feature is the ability to switch between structured and simplified views. Educators can keep the traditional Teams structure or move to a channels-only flat view, making it easier to scan conversations across classes or projects.

Customization is another highlight. Users can create Favorites and even build custom sections to organize conversations by class, subject, or priority group. This adds a layer of personalization that supports different teaching styles and workflows.

Finally, built-in sorting and filtering options—like unread-only or most recent—help users quickly focus on what matters most.

The result? A cleaner, more flexible communication hub that aligns perfectly with the fast-paced, multitasking nature of today’s workflow. Want to see how these new features work? Check out the video below from Microsoft's own Mike Tholfsen.

Date: Thursday, April 16 
Time: 4:00–5:30 PM 
Location: Virtual (Microsoft Teams Meeting)

Throughout the year, Fresno Unified educators explored powerful instructional tools and strategies through our EdTech Webinar Series, EdTechCon, and EdTech Camp. These learning experiences highlighted tools such as Microsoft 365, Learning Accelerators, Reading Progress, AI‑supported instructional planning, Canva, and Minecraft Education. Educators then brought these tools into their classrooms in ways that strengthened engagement, literacy, collaboration, creativity, and digital citizenship. 

In this Teacher Stories webinar, we spotlight those real‑world implementations—showcasing how FUSD teachers are putting professional learning into action. These stories illustrate how digital tools align with and support our FUSD Technology Scope & Sequence, which builds TK–12 digital literacy through skills such as creativity, problem-solving, safe and effective technology use, and increasingly sophisticated digital workflows.  

We also highlight how these classroom practices directly connect to the Portrait of a Learner—especially competencies such as critical thinking, communication, collaboration, adaptability, digital literacy, and empathy—all foundational to District Goal 4: Life Skills. These teacher examples show how technology-integrated instruction helps students analyze information, communicate clearly, work effectively with others, navigate changing tools and tasks, and use digital platforms responsibly and ethically. 

Whether you participated in every PL session or are looking to explore new approaches, this webinar offers practical, classroom‑tested strategies that demonstrate how EdTech tools are actively shaping future-ready learners across Fresno Unified.

Register for the Webinar here!

EdTechCon 2026: A Universe of Discovery on February 28 at the brand‑new PL Center was nothing short of stellar. From liftoff to landing, educators from across the district came together to explore digital tools that stretch the boundaries of teaching, learning, and imagination.

We kicked off the morning in the docking bay with a cosmic breakfast and an opening ceremony from the incomparable EdTech Evangelist, fueling everyone’s propulsion systems for the mission ahead.

With thrusters engaged, explorers blasted off into breakout sessions led by our own brilliant colleagues. Each session was a new galaxy of ideas—packed with strategies, tools, and inspiration to boost planning, learning, and engagement across all grade levels.

As our mission approached re‑entry, we gathered once more for a reflective landing, shared insights from the day, and of course… the chance to snag some galactic raffle prizes. 🌠

🌟 Missed the Mission? No Problem!

You can still join the journey:

✅ Access presenter resources
✅ Watch the official highlight reel

Stay curious. Stay innovative. And until next time… keep exploring the infinite possibilities of learning. 🚀✨

Fresno Unified educators are invited to an exciting EdTech webinar exploring how Minecraft Education can spark creativity, collaboration, and deeper learning in TK–12 classrooms. This interactive session will highlight new tools and experiences that make it easier than ever to bring standards‑aligned, hands-on learning to students. 

Participants will be introduced to Lesson Crafter, Minecraft Education’s new AI-powered tool that helps teachers quickly generate personalized, curriculum‑aligned lesson ideas. The webinar will also showcase the platform’s refreshed tutorial worlds, designed to help both students and educators learn movement, building, and essential in‑game tools with confidence. 

The district’s growing Minecraft eSports (FUEL) program will be spotlighted, demonstrating how students build teamwork, communication, and digital literacy through competitive and collaborative gameplay. Educators will also discover interactive Cyber Safety & Digital Citizenship worlds that teach online safety and digital identity through engaging, standards‑aligned experiences. 

Date: Wednesday, March 18 
Time: 4:00–5:30 PM 
Location: Virtual (Microsoft Teams) 

Registration is available on the EdTech Webinar Series webpage. This session is ideal for all grade levels and content areas. No previous Minecraft experience required. 

Click here to register: Engage and Learn with Minecraft Education 

There is still time to join the mission! 🚀 Register for EdTechCon 2026, an in‑person educational technology adventure taking place at the New PL Center on Saturday, February 28, 2026, from 8:00 AM–12:30 PM.

This year’s theme—Space & Science Fiction—invites TK–12 educators to venture beyond the ordinary and chart new pathways across the ever‑expanding universe of digital learning. Whether you teach tiny astronauts or seasoned space cadets, this conference has something stellar in store for you.

At EdTechCon, you’ll have the opportunity to:
 ✨ Refuel with a hot breakfast
 🤝 Connect with fellow travelers across the TK–12 galaxy
 🎁 Enter to win interstellar raffle prizes
 🛰️ Attend breakout sessions packed with powerful instructional tech

🪐 Secure your spot and activate your mission protocols here
Registration closes February 16, 2026, and seats are limited to 250—once the shuttle is full, it’s full. Don’t drift in space… register today.

Session topics will orbit around:

• Microsoft Tools
• Reading Progress
• Canva
• Artificial Intelligence
• …and other innovations from across the EdTech cosmos

Questions? Transmit your signals to edtech@fresnounified.org

Note: This professional learning opportunity is optional and not compensated.

An important change is coming to how staff sign in to ATLAS. Starting February 6, when using a district computer, ATLAS will automatically use the username and password used to sign in to the computer. This means staff will not need to enter their ATLAS password again on district computers. This change is designed to make logging in easier and to keep accounts more secure.

Like with other district applications, we will now require MFA (multi-factor authentication) on non-district computers and devices to protect your account. Because of this change, you’ll verify your identity in two steps: (1) your password, (2) a code from your phone, text message, or another method you already have set up when using your phone, tablet, or home computer. This extra layer of security helps keep your account safe, even if someone gets your password. If you’re using a district computer, you won’t be asked for the second step (MFA).

What’s changing for ATLAS?

• Staff can navigate directly to ATLAS after signing in to a district computer.
• When using a home computer, a tablet, or a smartphone:
• The ATLAS sign-in page will look different for staff
• Staff will be redirected to sign in through Microsoft 

This change is all about keeping your data safe and making your workday easier. How students log in to ATLAS will not change. If you have questions or need help during the transition, reach out to our help desk at go.fresnou.org/support!

The video below provides an overview that can be viewed and shared. Note: AI was used to help create this video.

Prepare for launch. 🚀 Registration is officially open for EdTechCon 2026, an in‑person educational technology adventure taking place at the New PL Center on Saturday, February 28, 2026, from 8:00 AM–12:30 PM.

This year’s theme—Space & Science Fiction—invites TK–12 educators to venture beyond the ordinary and chart new pathways across the ever‑expanding universe of digital learning. Whether you teach tiny astronauts or seasoned space cadets, this conference has something stellar in store for you.

At EdTechCon, you’ll have the opportunity to:
 ✨ Refuel with a hot breakfast
 🤝 Connect with fellow travelers across the TK–12 galaxy
 🎁 Enter to win interstellar raffle prizes
 🛰️ Attend breakout sessions packed with powerful instructional tech

Note: This professional learning opportunity is optional and not compensated.

🪐 Secure your spot and activate your mission protocols here
Registration closes February 1, 2026, and seats are limited to 250—once the shuttle is full, it’s full. Don’t drift in space… register today.

Session topics will orbit around:

• Microsoft Tools
• Reading Progress
• Canva
• Artificial Intelligence
• …and other innovations from across the EdTech cosmos

Questions? Transmit your signals to edtech@fresnounified.org

Whether you’re teaching, analyzing data, or conducting research, managing multiple displays in Windows 11 can make your day smoother and more efficient.

Windows 11 gives you flexible control over how your screens work together. You can extend displays to spread your work across multiple monitors—perfect for keeping lesson plans open while sharing content on a projector—or duplicate displays when you want students to see exactly what’s on your screen.

Each monitor can be customized independently. You can choose which screen is your main display, adjust text scaling for readability, and fine-tune resolution to match different screen sizes commonly found in classrooms and offices. Rotated monitors? Windows 11 supports portrait mode, ideal for vertical displays or digital signage.

For troubleshooting, advanced display options allow you to adjust refresh rates to reduce flicker, and the Detect display option helps when a newly connected monitor doesn’t appear right away.

Finally, you can visually rearrange monitors to match their physical layout, ensuring your mouse moves naturally between screens.

Want to see how it's done? Check out the video below from the EdTech Evangelist (aka: Brian Sensei)

Date: Thursday, January 29, 2026
Time: 4:00 – 5:30 PM
Location: Virtual (Microsoft Teams)

Join us for an exciting webinar where we’ll explore FUSD AI tools for educators—including Microsoft Copilot and Khanmigo. Discover how these intelligent assistants can help you save time, personalize learning, and ignite creativity in your classroom. In this session, you will get to see and practice strategies to boost productivity, create resources, and unlock new ways to engage students. Note: This learning opportunity is optional and not compensated.

✅ Register now: EdTech Webinar Registration Form

If you’re constantly juggling emails, lesson planning, research, and content creation, Microsoft’s Read Aloud feature can be a real time-saver. You can use Read Aloud on a Windows computer to turn text into spoken audio—so you can keep learning while doing other tasks.

Read Aloud is built directly into Microsoft Edge and Microsoft Word, making it easy to use tools you already rely on. In Edge, you can have entire web pages read to you with just a click, perfect for research, articles, or long-form content. The text scrolls automatically, and you can adjust reading speed or choose from multiple voices and accents.

In Word, Read Aloud helps you review documents hands-free. You can start from any paragraph, jump forward or backward, and listen for clarity, errors, or flow while multitasking.

Whether you’re grading, researching, or proofreading, Read Aloud helps you save time, reduce screen fatigue, and stay productive—all without installing extra software. It’s a small feature that can make a big difference in your daily workflow.

Want to see it in action? Check out the video below from the one and only EdTech Evangelist (a.k.a. Brian Sensei).

Boosting your efficiency in Windows 11 doesn’t require new software—just a few powerful keyboard shortcuts. Check out these simple Windows Key combinations that unlock powerful features built right into your PC. Here’s what each of them does and why they’re worth using every day.

Win + D instantly clears your workspace by showing the desktop, giving you a quick way to grab files or reset your view before restoring everything back.

Win + V opens your clipboard history—your personal library of copied items—so you can reuse text, images, and more without having to copy them again.

Win + Tab brings up Task View, a visual layout of your open apps and virtual desktops. It’s perfect for jumping between projects and keeping your digital workspace organized.

Win + H activates voice typing, turning your speech into text wherever you can type. It’s a great hands-free option for notes, emails, and quick thoughts.

Win + L locks your screen instantly to keep your device secure whenever you step away. (Our IT security team will thank you)

These shortcuts may be simple, but together they can significantly streamline your workflow in Windows 11.

Want to see these amazing features in action. Check out the video below, created by The EdTech Evangelist (a.k.a. Brian Sensei)

We are excited to announce the date of our in-person Educational Technology Conference! 🎉 This half-day conference for teachers will take place on February 28, 2026, and will be focused on digital tools in service of instruction and learning. The sessions will be appropriate for teachers at all grade levels. This year we are bringing a Science-Fiction theme to EdTechCon 2026 – A Universe of Discovery! 

Presenters and Volunteers are needed!  

Presenters – Share your interest here. 

Volunteers – Share your interest here.  

Registration will open in January, 2026. 

Note: This event is optional and teachers are not compensated for attending.  

For more information, including the event schedule, click here  

Or email us at edtech@fresnounified.org

Date: Wednesday, November 19, 2025
Time: 4:00 – 5:30 PM
Location: Virtual (Microsoft Teams)

Join us for a 90-minute interactive workshop designed to introduce existing multimedia tools available to teachers and students. Participants will explore how to empower students to show what they know in creative ways through multimedia tools like Canva, Clipchamp, and Teams Assignment Video Response. With these creative tools, students can share their learning through projects that build digital literacy skills from the TK-12 Tech Scope & Sequence.

What you’ll learn:

• How to use Canva for visually rich student projects
• Video creation and editing with Clipchamp
• Adding video responses to Teams Assignments
• Strategies for integrating multimedia into lessons to boost creativity and engagement

This webinar supports Fresno Unified’s Life Skills goal, as it guides educators in how to provide opportunities for students to show their creativity and develop real-world digital skills.

✅ Register now: EdTech Webinar Registration Form

The month of October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month! Every October we recognize this important topic to create awareness and to meet the requirements of the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA). As you know, digital citizenship and cyber safety are critical to preparing our students for college, career, and life. This competency is also called out in our district-adopted Graduate Profile.

During the week of October 20-24, 2025, all students, K-12, will participate in the district’s Cyber-Safety Week. The requirement is that all students receive at least one cyber-safety or digital citizenship lesson during this week or sometime during the month. 

Where to find Lessons:

The EdTech team has curated a variety of resources for teachers to tap into. Cyber Safety and other Digital Citizenship lesson plans can be found on our Digital Citizenship support page. Here you will find resources from Common Sense Media, Netsmartz, EVERFI, Google Interland, and more. The lessons include important topics like password protection, staying safe online, digital etiquette, social media, cyberbullying, identity theft, digital footprints, and more.

Leaders and teachers alike can take this opportunity to surface one or more of these important topics with staff and students.