HiTech Podcast

Episode two in our series on Accelerated Learning programs finds us chatting with Will's sister-in-law, Casey Bonner, about what it's like to be a student in an Accelerated Learning program. Casey makes a great call-back to HiTech's first episode by talking about how she uses Canva for her work. For more information on these tools and our conversation, check out the episode page here . For all of...

This episode starts our series on Accelerated Learning programs. Josh and Will sit down with Justin Harbin, Ed. D. , to talk about what it's like to teach, design, and learn in an Accelerated Learning program. To wrap it up, we talk about Miro and how it can support your socio-collaborative classroom activities. For more information on these tools and our conversation, check out the episode page h...

Josh and Will discuss whether or not we should use portfolios in education. It's a common practice, but does it have the pedagogical value we think? Then, they take a moment to smash together a bunch of apps that could serve your purpose if you so choose to deliver portfolios. Finally, they end the conversation on a Milanote ... okay, bad pun, but still. This tool serves as a multi-faceted organiz...

We sit down with Chris Morris , Lead 3D Artist at Major Mega , to talk about VR for Education. If you're unfamiliar with this idea, well... tune in. No need to Google it! We talk about Virtual Reality, how some of it gets made, and even what we could dream up for VR in the classroom. Chris leaves us with the awesome tool, SyncSketch , that is a critical tool in the world of digital media. It allow...

All of us use tests; all of us have taken a test at some point in our lives. We beg the question, what would it look like to actually test for learning? Instead of testing for assessment, can we use testing tools to help instigate learning. With our chat behind us, we offer up Socrative as an option for doing this testing for learning methodology. For more information on these tools and our conver...

What should teacher professional development look like? Most of us have had experience the full gamut on this one: bad training sessions, required sessions, great sessions, even life-changing experiences. And yet, there is so much to do in this space for teachers and for professional development creators. After the chat, Josh gives us a deep dive on Calendly and how it can work for your classroom...

Should we standardize online courses? This conversation is a fun ride of ups and downs. Josh and Will have been wrestling with this question for years, and we hope you'll connect with us to share your thoughts . After the wrestling match, we talk about one of our new favorite tools, iorad . This easy-to-use and nearly-automated tutorial building tool is digital gold. Listen in to find out why! For...

We finally tackle the podcasting for education. That is, we discuss how you can use podcasting to create content for your students and how you can get your students to create a podcast as an activity. After the conversation, we talk about the amazing tool we use, Anchor . For more information on these tools and our conversation, check out the episode page here . For all of our episodes and resourc...

Our first interview episode of Season 2 is here. In this episode, Josh and Will connect with Dave Nelson at Equity Maps . If you're not familiar with this tool, head back to Episode 24 and check out our initial scoop on what Equity Maps can do in your classroom. In our conversation, we learn how Equity Maps came to be, what Dave's goals are for the product, and what we can expect in the future. Th...

Will and Josh tackle the tricky idea about proctoring software: is it good or not? Should we use it? This conversation is fun and hopefully challenging for all of us. Then, we open up the conversation about FlipGrid , a completely free-to-use video tool that works wonders for short-form video instruction. For more information on these tools and our conversation, check out the episode page here . F...

Episode 2 of Season 2 brings us an exhilarating conversation with our good friend and colleague, Glen Irvin. Glen is a bigger nerd than us only because he's been doing it a bit longer. Our conversation focuses on the relationship between EdTech in K12 and Higher Ed. Glen's insights help us see what's so different on the K12 side, but ultimately how most of us operate on the same rules of EdTech in...

We're back! Season 2 is spinning up with the question, should we use Teachers Pay Teachers? This conversation is a little spicier than normal, so we hope you enjoy the insights. After that, we talk about Wakelet : the tool everyone's told us to use but that we're just figuring out. For more information on these tools and our conversation, check out the episode page here . For all of our episodes a...

We did it! Not only did we complete our second episode on how we can create virtual classrooms, but we've concluded the first season of the HiTech Podcast. Thanks for all the listens. We hope this has been helpful to you. Season 2 will start back up with Episode 36 in January, 2021. Until then, enjoy this second part as we open up the virtual conversation a bit more and close it down with the most...

Two-parter incoming! In this first episode, we paint the picture of what a virtual classroom could look like. Specifically, we detail how streaming tools like Twitch can be used for implicit or explicit education. Tune in to see how you could start teaching in the virtual world like a pro. For more information on these tools and our conversation, check out the episode page here . For all of our ep...

We set out to answer the question, "How can a course site enhance learning?" Josh and I have been using Learning Management Systems as students and as professionals for quite some time. We think they work; we see how they benefit the learning process. Listen in to see if you agree. Afterwards, we discuss the Wizer app and how it can change your worksheet experience. For more information on th...

In round two of our discussion on gamification, we open up several real examples of instructors using games or gamification strategies in their classrooms. Hopefully these examples provide insights into how gamification can be a one-off or semester-long experience. After that, we skip a formal app to talk about two specific video games and how they work in education. For more information on t...

Will and Josh get to one of their favorite subjects: games. They detail their thoughts on gamification, game-based learning, and some of the methods you can use today in your classroom. Pair that up with PollEverywhere , and you've got a games-for-learning starter pack! For more information on these tools and our conversation, check out the episode page here . For all of our episodes and reso...

In our interview with VoiceThread's Steve Muth , we shared many great ideas and thoughts about the impact of tech on teaching and learning. However, Steve said something that resonated with us: we need to "make the technology disappear" when it comes to integration into the teaching and learning process. Check out this two-part conversation where we investigate what this means and why it is so imp...

In our interview with VoiceThread's Steve Muth , we shared many great ideas and thoughts about the impact of tech on teaching and learning. However, Steve said something that resonated with us: we need to "make the technology disappear" when it comes to integration into the teaching and learning process. Check out this two-part conversation where we investigate what this means and why it is so imp...

Join our conversation with Steve Muth, the president and co-founder of VoiceThread . In this interview, we dive into the deep end of all things virtual media and teaching. Steve not only loves his product and "gets it", but he sees first-hand how tools like his can impact college students like his own kids. For more info, check out the episode page here . Make sure to listen to our original episod...

We're back for more! Part two of our conversation on How to Design for Learning. After the chat, we talk about Rise 360 and how you can use it for designing engaging and effective online learning. For more information on these tools and our conversation, check out the episode page here . For all of our episodes and resources for each app we discuss, head over to our website at hitechpod.us .

Join us for a two-parter! In this short series, we take on what it means to effectively design learning experiences. We hope that this conversation gives you some ideas for how to tackle your next activity or curriculum design. To accomplish some fun and effective designs, consider using H5P for more interactivity and engagement in your online content. For more information on these tools and...

While many of Will's jokes might fall flat, this episode does not! We talk about collaborative learning, what it is how, how to incorporate it, and then detail the collaborative music notation platform Flat . You might not be a music teacher, but stick around for the full conversation in case you might recommend this one to others. For more information on these tools and our conversation, check ou...

An ironically long conversation on the topic of short form instruction. Listen to Josh and Will as they process a technique that we can add into our teaching toolbox. Then, we get a two-for-one episode: in the Honorable Mentions category, AutoDraw and WordClouds.com . Hear how we might use these two smaller tools to augment your teaching. For more information on these tools and our conversation, c...

Get ready to listen to us talk about talking in a talkative and albeit roundaboutly talkable manner: sorry, I'll stop.  This interview finds us chatting with the CEO and Founder of Parlay , Bobby McDonald. During our chat, we hear about the origins of the name of the product, the intentionality behind the product design, and a few hints towards the future. For more info, check out the episode...