Content: 

• Core Reminders
• GradeGuardian Reports
  • Automated Sendoff
  • Ability to Print!
• AI Tools and Updates

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Core Reminders-

I need help, where do I go? – When in doubt, you can always send your request via email to 4jdesktop@4j.lane.edu and it will be routed to the correct party, alternatively you can also file a formal ticket directly at: https://eugene4j.freshservice.com/support/tickets/new Using the portal will allow you to attach files, and other fields such as urgency and departments. 

I need help with a newly adopted curriculum or pilot.– If your question is about how to use a curriculum, please reach out directly to your curriculum area specialist or TOSA. If your question is about the rostering of users or interoperability of the platform with another, please file a ticket with the queue system mentioned above. 

I need help with Canvas specifically.- To reach the Canvas queue, you can use the first option above, but there is a specialized queue you can also utilize that will ask you specific fields that help me, help you. https://eugene4j.freshservice.com/support/catalog/items/155   You can also find a plethora of how-to’s in the Canvas Guides. 

I know there are instructions for something, but I can’t find them. More than likely your instructions reside in the 4J Instructional Tech Hub. You can use the Smart Search option within the course to find elements and instructions, even for our adopted curricula! 

This way I can help you as quickly as possible. 

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GradeGuardian Reports-

We are now able to leverage GradeGuardian data to send reports via email to families at a 2-week cadence. Additionally, classroom teachers can print out accurate and timely progress reports to give to students in-person. Work over the summer has allowed our parents and guardians to flow automatically from Synergy into Canvas and be paired with their student(s).

Verbiage to families reads in both English and Spanish: 

Grades on Canvas will be updated every two weeks. This report is meant as a progress update and is not an official grade report. The grades for each course are updated as often as possible but may not reflect all assignments to date. Please reach out to your child’s teacher(s) with any questions. 

For a sample of what a grade report looks like, follow this link. This sample student has only one course but provides a template. 

To print out grade reports: 

1. Navigate to your course in Canvas. 
2. Make sure GradeGuardian is visible on the left, if not- go to Settings, Navigation at the top, and drag GradeGuardian to the visible area, click save at the bottom. 
3. Once in GradeGuardian, click on Reports at the top, and click to Download the Bulk Report. 

To print them all out, in the folder that opens on your desktop, you can select all files, right-click/ctrl+click and select Quick Actions to create a larger PDF and print it. 

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AI Tools and Updates-

Google Labs has a ton of new and exciting AI Tools approved for use by all users. They are geared towards creativity and include things like, drawing, poetry, music creation, playing with text, meal recipe generators, and so much more. Be sure to check out Google AI Labs. 

Google Gemini has been approved for usage by educators in our district, and is data private! You can go to gemini.google.com any time and ask for feedback on lessons, generate worksheets, and other materials, and even export them to your Google Drive! 

Diffit.ai has lots of tools for educators that allow for differentiation, worksheet generation, and translation! You can even translate source documents into student first-languages to help support their learning. www.diffit.ai

Canva– we are on a district-wide subscription to Canva! Students and staff can log in via Google and use all of Canva’s Premium tools for free! Including Magic Studio and effects, which include safeguards for student usage! You can also connect it to your Canvas account to allow students to turn in work directly from Canva into Canvas, such as art projects, etc. 

Google Classroom in Canvas! That’s right, you can assign work in Canvas that is a google doc as though it were Google Classroom, ie where you retain edit rights, can modify the student work, and see students working live! 

 

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Instructional Tech Hub Updates-

Please note that the Instructional Tech Hub is regularly updated with new information regarding our implemented and newly piloted curricula at the secondary level. 

You can access the Hub here, then go to Mid/High Teacher and in the third column, select Secondary Curricula Integrations.

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The Hadley Herald

Spring 2024

Imaged generated from AdobeFirefly, using: “technology infused with springtime and education.”

Contents: 

• Canvas Announcements
  • Archiving
  • Rubric Redesign (coming next year)
  • Getting Ready for Summer
  • Parent/Guardian Enrollment Coming Fall ’24
  • Summer Data Pause Dates
  • Featured Tools
  • A Note on ‘AI Detectors’

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Canvas Updates-

Archiving  

It has become an issue for many educators that in their longer service in our district, have accumulated a long list of past courses in Canvas. This makes it challenging for them to navigate when importing content between courses or from year to year as well as finding key information pertaining to the current year or most recent year. 

I have implemented an archiving system where courses are moved to an “Archive Term” each year, and labeled with the academic year, such as “Mathematics B P2_2022” for the 2021-2022 school year, however, educators still have an overwhelming number of courses and if left as is will create a growing list of never-ending courses. 

To address this, there will be a larger-scale process where teacher enrollments are deactivated from courses older than the previous academic year. For example, as we enter the 2024-2025 academic year, courses from 2023-2024 will remain visible, but older courses will be hidden from teacher’s accounts.

Please note that this process ensures an archive system where you can request the restoration of a course to your account or receive a course export at any time. Courses are not deleted, and there will be no change for students or families.

Below is an example, this user will go from two pages of courses, to one page of visible courses by academic year. The 2024 courses will remain visible, while the 2023 courses move to the Archive, courses from 2021 and prior are removed (but not deleted!) from the teacher’s view. Note also, you can always delete Sandbox courses you own via this process. 

Current view, that will continue to grow: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To this improved view, that will simply roll with the years: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Rubric Redesign (Coming Fall/Winter 2024)

Canvas LMS has been working on their Rubrics interface with a new development for creating, sharing, and organizing rubrics in Canvas. This feature has hit a few delays but is projected, at this time, to be available in production environments in late Fall or Winter of 2024. The new rubrics interface will allow for multiple new design options, grading options in SpeedGrader, sharing of rubrics, printing directly from Canvas, as well as (fingers crossed), an import or migration feature for current rubrics to be converted. A product video can be watched here. For those interested in Proficiency-Based Grading, these new rubrics, aligned to Outcomes (Standards), can be a great tool when collaborating across teams, schools, and departments. 

The full release can be found here. 

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SpeedGrader Update over Summer

Beginning June 1st, 2024 teachers will be able to have SpeedGrader randomize students rather than by name. You will see the option while in SpeedGrader in the settings cog in the upper left of the window. 

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Getting Ready for Summer

It’s hard to imagine that there are only 6 weeks left of the school year. You are almost there! That being said, it’s good to review a few items for summer preparation and planning. If you are a person interested in off-loading Canvas courses into a file format so that you can store them on your computer, Google Drive, USB, etc. you’ll want to follow the IMSCC back-up procedure. This process will allow you to store entire courses in a tidy zip file, note that the zip file cannot be opened unless it is uploaded to an LMS provider such as Canvas, Blackboard, D2L, etc. 

Additionally, it’s a good opportunity to see if grades are syncing, or if you need assistance with syncing now rather than in the last week of school. Syncing resources can be found here, linked from the Instructional Tech Hub in Canvas. 

If you need any assistance with Canvas grades, assignments, or syncing, please file a ticket as soon as possible in order to get ahead of the end-of-year hustle and bustle. 

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Parent/Guardian Enrolling as Observers

We’re streamlining the process to automatically enroll guardian users (Observers) into Canvas and pair them with their students using guardian data from Synergy. Guardians can log in by visiting our Observer login page and using the “Forgot Password” link to set up their password if needed. I’ll be cleaning up our SIS (Synergy) this summer with the help of various stakeholders. This will ease the workload on our buildings and teachers. As long as guardians have a valid contact email in Synergy and appropriate permissions, they will be set up with a Canvas Observer account. I’m excited about making these improvements!

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Summer Data Pause- 

Over summer we systematically pause the data flow from Synergy to our curriculum systems and other vendors. While this does not typically impact staff who do not work over the summer, it’s important to note that no new data will be sent from our SIS after 6/28/2024. Data sent before that date will remain in their systems until our new year rollover, which is different for every curriculum and provider. For the vast majority of our services/curricula, there will be no perceptible change in terms of access. 

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Featured Tools- 

TextBlaze: 

TextBlaze.com is a Chrome extension where you can save keyboard commands via a backslash ‘/’ and a few letters to store large comments or any other message that you use regularly. Even for things like pre-formatted comments and having the cursor automatically move to where you might use a student’s name for personalization etc. This tool is free, and the free services are robust and allow for lots of differentiation! You could use this to speed up your comments in Canvas, emails you send, and everything where you tend to use similar messaging! 

Draft Back: 

Draft Back is a Chrome extension that allows a user who has editing rights to a document to see the revision history in a succinct video or presentation. This is particularly useful when/if a teacher needs to verify the validity of student work as it shows their editing and writing process in a single glance. It also provides a graph showing when edits were made. 

Once installed, it will appear in a Google Doc in the upper right near the Share button. 

 

 

 

 

 

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A note on “AI Detectors”:

Please note that “AI Detectors” are not accurate indicators of the usage of generative AI in a piece of work. AI Detectors simply detect the rate of text that is predictable. If someone writes in a predictive manner, and/or uses a grammar tool such as Grammarly, their text will likely be over-estimated as generated by AI. Using something like DraftBack, Google’s Version History, and similar tools are great ways to see the writing of students, in addition to drafting, editing, and revision practices, providing useful insights into the authenticity of students’ work. 

One student’s story: https://www.edsurge.com/news/2024-04-04-can-using-a-grammar-checker-set-off-ai-detection-software 

 

Wrapping Up: 

As the year winds down I am filled with gratitude towards our wonderful staff that work tirelessly to support our students and community. Thank you for all that you do and sincerely hope you have a moment over the summer to pause, regenerate, and grow. Remember if you need to file a Canvas ticket, please utilize the new form, it allows me to track, much more easily, the needs of our staff. 

Bright and warm wishes to you and your families, 

Nicholas Hadley 

 

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Hadley Herald: January 2024 Edition

Content: 

• Semester 2 Canvas Information
• 4J AI Guidance 
• New Quizzes in Canvas (Updates and Training Options)
• Other Insights/Tips and Tricks

 

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Semester 2 Canvas Information:

Semester 2 Canvas Shells will be released to populate onto Dashboards on Wednesday, January 24th. “Released” means that depending on your individual school’s readiness, they are able to be populated. If a school has not released/pushed schedules out from Synergy, they will not yet flow to Canvas. If you are not seeing your courses by the morning of, Thursday, January 25th, please check with your building registrar, if they have released schedules from Synergy, and it’s been overnight, please contact edtech@eugene4j.freshservice.com with Canvas in the subject line. 

Canvas Templates (Already Available): 

There are a variety of templates already available for import/download in the Canvas Commons. There are templates available in English, Spanish, and French, for both Middle School and High School. Please pay attention closely to the template titles so you import the correct one. Additionally, if you are working with Quarters, just don’t publish the modules you don’t need, and then you can import into Q4 directly from Q3. 

My goals are to include other languages like Mandarin and Japanese in the future. 

Remember if you need assistance setting up your new course there are lots of resources here. 
Consider the following: 

• Cross-listing common preps
• Importing past content
• Canvas Grade Reports
• Deleting a sandbox course
• Setting up curricula integrations and tools
• Assigning work to specific sections (to ease the A/B schedule)

As Semester 1 comes to a close, please be sure to go to your Grade book, and Export all Grades, then email the downloaded file to your building registrar for safe keeping. 

Syncing Grades: 

There are updated, and hopefully, improved, instructions available for setting up the Canvas-Synergy Gradebook Sync. 

 

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4J AI Guidance : 

The tech team has been working on an Artificial Intelligence Guidance document for 4J staff. This document will be updated and changed as we learn more, but it’s a place to start. It provides definitions as to what AI is, how it can be, and already is, used in everyday life, Generative AI, as well as goals we hope to accomplish for training for staff in the future. This document is not an “end-all-be-all” for this venture. If there are those interested in forming some sort of conversational group, please let me know. 

At this time the guidance can be viewed here, we are working toward getting it linked on the 4J website. 

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New Quizzes Training and Resource Course: 

Canvas has provided all its users a free training course on how to use the New Quizzes feature! While there are still bugs with New Quizzes, this resource is available to all of us in Canvas. To access it, click on the Help icon in the lower left corner of Canvas, and then click on the Training Services Portal. 

You will find it as the first element: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Other Insights: 

Have a curious wondering about a piece of technology or software? Please drop me a line any time at hadley_n@4j.lane.edu. 

An article on creating assignments that are harder to do with AI.

MagicAI Tools (for Teachers!) 

 

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[Image generated with AI]

In this edition: 

• Oh no, a Podcast!
• 4J Instructional Tech Hub- Canvas!
• Canvas Updates! 
  • Third Party Integrations (Curriculum Plugins/LTI) 
  • New Quizzes 
    • New Feature- Build on Last Attempt
  • Gradebook Settings (Show Letter Grade Only)
  • Points-Based Grading Scheme
  • Google Assignments!
  • Updated Canvas-Synergy Sync Info (High Schools)

 

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Now in a Podcast!

That’s right! After some feedback from teachers I have developed a podcast that is roughly ten minutes in length outlining all the updates below, including some light instructions or references back to the newsletter. Perhaps we don’t all have time to read what all is available, that’s okay! Now you can listen with it in the background while doing other tasks and “tune in” to the newsletter on important topics as you hear of them. Click the image below!

4J Instructional Tech Hub Canvas Course!

Ever wondered, “hey how do I do that thing in Canvas again?” Don’t worry! More than likely it’s already got instructions available to you in the Instructional Tech Hub in Canvas! This course is pre-loaded on the majority of staff’s dashboards with the following icon: 

If for some reason you don’t see this icon. Please follow this link to get enrolled. Inside the course you will see a variety of options, the most applicable to users receiving this newsletter will be the Mid/High Classroom Teacher Tile. Within that area you’ll see a variety of links to get you started. 

 

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Canvas Updates and Information-

Curriculum Integrations and third-party tools/LTI:

Canvas has a large number of integrations available to it, additionally many users have noticed that some of the ways we interface with these integrations has changed over summer. This is because the world is moving to LTI 1.3 from LTI 1.1, when I say world, yes, I mean world. These Learning Tool Interoperabilities allow for curriculum vendors and other educational providers the ability to import content, grades, and other items into a variety of Learning Management Systems, such as Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, etc. We have a lengthy list of LTI from curriculum vendors in Canvas that are pre-installed. Meaning that you only need to do a small connecting piece at the course-level. This will allows you to, depending on the company, import content, assignments, and have grade passback. For the full list, please see the 4J Instructional Tech Course, Mid/High Classroom Teacher, and in the Advanced column, click on Secondary Curricular Integrations. Below is the current list, but know that it is ever-growing and changing. If you are unsure, please reach out to your curriculum/content specialist, contact info below. 

Content Specialist Contact Info: 

Name	Contact
Adrienne Pierce (MTSS / Secondary TOSA Administrator)	pierce_a@4j.lane.edu
Marina Brisby (Admin. Assistant- Instruction)	brisby_m@4j.lane.edu
Emily Kemp (K-12 Mentor Lead)	kemp_e@4j.lane.edu
Tammy Steeves (ELA/Read180/System44)	steeves_t@4j.lane.edu
Tina Fisher (Health 6-12/PE 6-12)	fisher_t@4j.lane.edu
Drew White (Social Studies 6-12)	white_d@4j.lane.edu
Ed Mendelssohn (CTE and Career Readiness)	mendelssohn_e@4j.lane.edu
Jocelyn Mendelssohn (K-12 TAG)	mendelssohn_j@4j.lane.edu
Lynette Williams (World Lang./DLI K-12)	williams_ly@4j.lane.edu
Sarah Ruggiero [Kirby] (Science 6-12/Outdoor School)	ruggiero_s@4j.lane.edu
Shira Fadeley (Music K-12)	fadeley_s@4j.lane.edu
Tana Shepard (EWEB and Green Programs)	shepard_t@4j.lane.edu

 

New Quizzes Updates

Teachers can now set New Quizzes to build on the last attempt for students, meaning they only answer the questions that they missed! 

More Info Here

Canvas Gradebook Updates

Points-Based Grading Scheme

In the Canvas Gradebook you now have greater flexibility as an instructor in how final grades are viewed by students and families. For example, you can now set the final grade scheme to show a points-based system rather than percentages! For more information click here. 

 

Allowing Letter Grade View Only- Qualitative Data

Teachers can enable at the course-level the ability for students and families to only see a Letter Grade based off of their Final Grade Scheme, rather than points or a percentage. This is called Restricting Quantitative Data, allowing only for Qualitative Data. Click here for more information. 

 

High School Grading Scheme Adjustments

High schools have re-adopted the usage of the “F” as a final grade. As this adoption was issued after the base creation of courses, teachers can update their grading schemes in Canvas to select the Genesis Grading (HS) option to allow for the correction from NP to F. To do this, go to Settings in your course(s), scroll down to Grading Scheme, and select the dropdown menu. Select Genesis Grading (HS) and be sure to click Update Course at the bottom of the screen. 

 

Google Assignments!

This was announced in the late spring of last year, but Canvas now has a full Google Assignment integration. This means that teachers no longer have to use the “make a copy” link feature, but rather Canvas will handle your assignments as though it were through Google Classroom. It will take your original resource, like a Google Doc, copy it out to students, allow you to see their work in real-time and then have student turn in their copies directly to SpeedGrader where you can grade and make comments! 

A full video walkthrough can be found here. 

Canvas-Synergy Gradebook Sync Updates/Clarifications

The Canvas-Synergy Gradebook Sync has been activated for all users as of the end of September. This means that nightly, assignments and grades are pulled from Canvas and then sent to Synergy’s backend server. This process attempts to align grading categories and then send the assignments and grade changes. In other words, Canvas reaches out to Synergy and attempts first to align the Categories by either Name or if the teachers has manually linked categories to Synergy, once the category connection is verified, assignments are sent as long as they meet the criteria below. 

• The assignment has the sync turned on. To double check, go to Assignments and ensure the black X is turned to a green check on the assignment.
• The assignment has a due date and that date has passed. 
• The assignment has received a grade for a student. 

In many cases, either the grading categories have not been linked, resulting in Canvas failing to find matching categories in Synergy, or the assignment sync is turned off. New assignments in Canvas have this feature turned on by default, but when we import assignments from past courses, that is typically turned off. Categories either need to have the same exact naming convention, or the easiest method would be to link them to ensure the connection is secure. Please see full video below for clarification and troubleshooting. 

LOOM LINK

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Contents: 

• Canvas Tasks/Reminders: 
  • Canvas Gradebook
  • Incompletes for Student Grades
  • Course Backup (Optional)
• Digital Services Pause
• Online Safety

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Here’s to hoping everyone has a safe and restful summer break. Thank you all for your grace, patience and continued dedication to our students and community. 

-Nicholas 

 

Canvas Tasks

Canvas Gradebook

• Be sure that all items you intend to have graded for T3 are inputted into the Canvas gradebook and that grades reflect accurately in Synergy either via the sync process or after you have manually entered final grades for students in Grade Reports.

• Export a copy of your Canvas Gradebook and send a copy to your registrar, as well as keep a copy for yourself. Go to Grades, then actions near the top, and Export. Save the file it creates.

   

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Incompletes for High School

Students at the high school level may receive an Incomplete as a final grade and will need extended access to services like Canvas LMS. Though our Google services do not stop over summer break, Clever and Canvas do need to have a pause to allow for the new year rollover to occur. Canvas and Clever services will pause on June 30th, 2023. This means students will be able to still log in to Canvas, but any sort of data transfer will stop. Additionally, those who are enrolled in an “Incomplete” Section will lose access to those courses on that date as well. 

For more information on how to setup access for students for Incomplete grades please see this document. 

 

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Course Backup

Canvas will always let you access past courses and access your data, but having a method to store classes and your work offline is useful for sharing and other storage options. The process can be found here at this link.

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Digital Services Pause

During summer break, June 30th – August 14th, all 4J digital services for student rostering will pause. Students and staff may be able to still log in to certain services like Zimbra, 4J Google, and Canvas LMS, but any courses for Summer School or other programs will not be rostered via these services. Additionally, services rostered via Clever will also be available to students that are currently rostered, no new students will be rostered during the pause. Elementary programs will still be available to currently rostered students. 

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Online Safety

Remember that even over summer your accounts and activity are things you need to protect! Especially when it comes to thing within 4J as many of us have access to sensitive information like student information, grades, addresses, and other files including parent and medical information via our Synergy System. Going into summer take a moment to review some key ways to you can protect yourself and your students. 

• Strong Passwords: Instead of a single word, consider using a passphrase that combines multiple words. Passphrases are easier to remember and can be more secure. For example, “CorrectHorseBatteryStaple” is a stronger password than a simple word. Also avoid patterns like, “1234” or “ABC”, and as much as possible, make sure it’s nothing too personal as a bad actor who has done their research may be able to find the name of a beloved pet or family member that could be a potential password. 
• Use our 4J Secure Wifi network. Especially while working on student information, it’s always best for teachers and staff to be on our secured network. 
• Be sure that your software is regularly updated. Using the “Managed Software Center” on your 4J device will ensure that you receive timely updates, additionally you can go to Settings in your browser and search Update to get Chrome to manually check. 
• Be aware of your machine and documents. It’s easy to accidentally leave a list of usernames or other sensitive information on our desk and get distracted while helping students or others. It is always best to keep sensitive information in a locked cabinet or drawer. In digital terms think about closing your laptop more often, or locking the screen, so it requires your password, or fingerprint, to log back in. Remember, on our Mac devices you can always hit Command+Control+Q on the keyboard to instantly lock your screen. 
• Regularly update or change your passwords: I know it’s not everyone’s preference, but it’s best practices to update your password, at the very least from year to year. 
• Phishing Awareness: Phishing emails are more prevalent then ever, and bad actors are getting better at impersonating links that look like they are from specific organizations. Always be sure when opening email that you recognize the sender, for example, that it does not include the red banner [ STOP.THINK.VERIFY ] that indicates it’s from an email outside our organization. Additionally, even for emails from within our organization, links inside emails can be encoded to look like they are innocuous. For example, it may say 4j.lane.edu but when you hover over it, the lower left corner of your browser will show where the link actually goes (see image below). When in doubt, always forward the email to 4jdesktop@4j.lane.edu for inspection. 

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