Chad's Instructional Tech Update

With February here we'll probably be seeing more snow days. But have no fear, if you need something to do (there's a little joke for you) I have all of my newsletters located on my website in case anyone would like to go back and look for something specific. They are all in PDF format so any videos won't work but at least you have the information available to you.

So take a look, maybe you missed something important.

When looking into using a new piece of software to use with your classes, be sure to take a look at the privacy policies. It's important to remember that since our students aren't over 18, certain conditions must apply in order for them to safely use any software.

A couple of things to look for:

• Is there a way for students to chat or send messages to anyone outside of the district? If so, this could be a problem since we can't confirm that they are actually talking to students.
• What information does the service collect about the student? There are special rules and regulations put into place for the United States that companies must adhere to. But not all companies are located in the US so they may not stick to these rules.
• Is parent consent required for students who are under 18? If so, then you'll need to let parents know that their child is using the service. Some sites even make the teacher or school district take the place of a guardian. So you may be responsible if a student does something wrong in that case.
• Some services aren't even supposed to be used by children under 18 and will specifically say this in their terms of service. I've known of teachers who will use a service without this knowledge and become upset when it has to be blocked because of this.
• What information is shared with third parties? Some businesses share account information for a profit. This may include a student's information which isn't something that we would want.

The above represent just a couple of things that you should be looking for. Even if a company states that they do things the right way, it still may not meet the standards the district requires. If you're ever in doubt, contact your ITC or get another's opinion.

A new review of older software products can sometimes yield interesting results.

Recently WeVideo ran a beta test of a new way to use their online editor. It incorporated a way to have students, with the premium version, join classes that you as the teacher would set up. Once the students joined, they could be placed into groups either determined by themselves or by you the teacher. You even had the power to rearrange if needed.

On the teacher's side of things, each group or student's project was visible. This way you could see the progress being made and have one location where you could see everything.

Students are able to work collaboratively on the same project which was always a problem in WeVideo prior to this change. The video editor is also watered down to make things a bit easier for projects so that the students don't get lost in what they are doing.

If you or the students want to still use WeVideo without this classroom feature you can. You just choose to work on a personal project and it will work like you may be used to.

This beta feature of WeVideo is now open for anyone with a premium license to use. If you work in our district we already pay for WeVideo. If you are interested in trying out the features and need help or need access to the paid version, feel free to let me know.

If you schedule meetings with others on a regular basis, or even occasionally, you may need to be able to find a meeting time that will work for everyone. If you use the Find a Time option in Google Calendar you can look to see when everyone has an opening so that you can hold your meeting. The video below walks you through these steps.

(I just clicked on the day beforehand for the meeting but you can click on the actual day too.)

A UnisonEDU member.

Email: fisherc@fcpsk12.net
Website: https://jwhstechhelp.fcpsk12.net/
Phone: 84265
Twitter: @Chad_the_ITC

“In education, technology can be a life-changer, a game changer, for kids who are both in school and out of school... It can bridge the quality gaps." -Queen Rania of Jordan