The Higher EdTech Podcast

Tim & Brent open the new year by looking at some lesser-known features tucked away in Canvas, as well as some new features recently released. Then they look at a long list of conferences that might be of interest to the HigherEdTech Podcast audience.  For show notes, please visit TheHigherEdTechPodcast.com 

If you're looking for last minute gift ideas for the techy teacher in your life (or if you just want to forward this episode to someone who knows YOU are the techy teacher), Brent & Tim explore some options for fun or for productivity. Let us know if we missed anything, and have a great break!

As the end of the semester approaches, Tim & Brent revisit some considerations before you start to wrap up your semester, and explore a few ideas on how you can get your prep on early for the spring semester. 

Class Technologies works to blur the line between synchronous online learning and the physical classroom in a way we sometimes refer to as "Zoom on steroids". With features like in-app collaboration, viewing breakout rooms without entering, student control over who can see them, and more, it works on many problems we struggled with throughout the pandemic. Tim & Brent sit down with Jason Bedford & Sagee Moyal at Class Technologies to discuss the future of online education and how Class.com has responded to the needs of teachers throughout the move to online, and during the shake out as some students return in person and others stay online. 

A recent white paper put out by professors at MIT makes suggestions for what Higher Education institutions might look like in the future. Brent and Tim walk through the good, the bad, and the in-between. 

Tim & Brent sit down with James Taylor at Pronto to discuss the chat service. They talk about the value of an embedded chat platform for building community, increasing communication, creating backchannels, and more. Listen in to hear some ideas and ways Pronto is used at IVC.

Today we're looking at how to prepare when the inevitable happens: Your Tech Dies! Whether it's a full blackout, a blown fuse, glitchy software, unreliable internet, or anything else, you're going to run into a time when your tech dies on you. In today's episode, we're looking at ways you can prepare for the inevitable to lower your stress and keep your class running (relatively) smoothly. Shownotes available at www.thehigheredtechpodcast.com 

Tim & Brent look into some ways that you can use tech to save you time, reestablish your priorities, and possibly use... less tech? Listen in to hear some thoughts on how!

Brent & Tim look at the benefits and drawbacks of different document types, and consider some ways you might think about implementing them in your work life and in your classroom. Believe it or not, there are times when Word is better than Google Docs and vice versa. Listen in if you've had a history of sending out a jpg that should have been a pdf, or tried using a PDF that should have been a Google Doc. http://www.thehigheredtechpodcast.com 

What does it take to build a training center for faculty and staff? Do you need a multi-million dollar budget, or can you swing it with spare furniture and computers that have been tucked away? At IVC, Tim built a zero-cost center with some help from colleagues around campus. Listen in to hear why you might want a training center, considerations in planning it, and how to make it happen.