HiTech Podcast

Episode 169, we continue Season 8 by discussing the importance of online collaboration and writing-first approaches. In this thought-provoking conversation, we explore why reflection and taking time to think first are crucial in both professional and educational settings. Prioritizing written communication can help avoid excessive meetings where we talk about work rather than doing it. In classroo...

Episode 168 we kick off Season 8 with Bryan Ollendyke, a web developer and educator from Penn State, discussing his innovative movement HAX (https://hax.psu.edu/). In this enlightening conversation, we explore HAX's mission for Web Ubiquity - making internet content creation and presentation accessible and portable for everyone. While primarily designed for OER and online course environments, HAX...

In Episode 167 of the Hitech podcast, we're roasting big tech's wasteful practices that force us to spend more and create tech waste. But fear not! We're also praising  @FrameworkComputer  for their easily upgradable and fixable laptops. Join us for a snarky celebration of owning your tech instead of being a slave to forced obsolescence! ;) For more on our conversation, check out the episode page ...

Episode 166 features a good friend of the podcast, Sophie Youngs from the Under the Hat Podcast! In this exciting discussion, we explore Sophie's innovative QR multi-modal adventure activity idea designed to boost engagement and send learners on a quest. Sophie shares her creative process and explains how she leveraged Canva to develop stunning student templates. We delve into the potential applic...

In Episode 165, we tackle the question: Can evaluation be done without an instructor, and if so, how? Will and Josh discuss the importance of instructors while exploring alternative evaluation methods. They delve into scenario-based learning, knowledge checks, and self-evaluation as ways to assess learning in a course. Additionally, they introduce Typeform as a powerful tool for evaluation. For mo...

Episode 164 features our Social Media Manager, Chris Crosdale again! In this thought-provoking discussion, we dive deep into the controversial topic: "Is social media ruining the world, or are we the problem?" Chris shares his expert insights on the impact of social media on society, exploring both its benefits and potential drawbacks. We examine how user behavior, algorithm design, and...

Episode 163 features our friend and newest team member, Chris Crosdale. We discuss Chris's experience in social media, how he used technology to find our voice and brand, how  @Hootsuite  and  @StreamYard  saves him hours of work, and how we can be more authentic on social media platforms. For more on our conversation, check out the episode page ⁠⁠here⁠⁠. Want to build your business like we ha...

In episode 162 of the Hitech Podcast, we dive deep into our three-week journey of creating an engaging and fun learning experience we call the “Smoothie Overlord.” It is a fun, gamified space journey that teaches learners how to make a great smoothie. We share how we storyboarded the experience, prioritized features, and managed the project to complete this learning experience in just two weeks. W...

In this episode of the Hitech Podcast, we sit down with Michael Smith, known as the Dadsigner, to explore his agile collaboration techniques in digital design. We discuss our recent collaborative experience with Michael, where he helped us create a new brand for the podcast in a month. We also delve into his client process from onboarding to project completion, and get a firsthand look at how he u...

In Episode 160 of the HiTech Podcast, we are thrilled to welcome back Renee Dawson.. This time around, Renee delves deeper into her rich and varied experiences as a consultant in the ever-evolving ed-tech world, highlighting the significant and positive impact she has been able to make in this dynamic field. She generously shares insights into how she initially embarked on her career path, detaili...

In Episode 159 of the HiTech Podcast, we host our first Old Tech Wars! We dive into a friendly competition with our old friend, Steven Miletto, the host of Teaching Learning Leading K12. Together, we embark on a quest to uncover the best old technology and explore how it has shaped our world, education, and learning. From vintage projectors to retro gadgets, we examine the innovations of the past...

In the final episode of our 5-part series on reducing anxiety with key productivity practices and tools, we delve into the crucial topic of prioritization. Often, people try to do too much at once, leading to overwhelm and inaction. It also causes people to split time and resources between too many things, resulting in little to no progress. In this episode, we emphasize the importance of identify...

In episode 157, we continue our 5-part series on reducing anxiety with key productivity practices and tools. Too often we have seen people who try to manage their tasks, documents, and more all in their inbox. They live there and too often things get lost, people get overwhelmed, and inevitably things don't get done. From dedicated task management apps to effective prioritization systems, we c...

Episode 156 continues our 5-part series on reducing anxiety with key productivity practices and tools. Over the years, we have discovered game-changing practices, systems, and tools that help us get through our weeks, and we are sharing all of them in this series. So far, we have covered how productivity starts with a system and what types of tools you need to be productive and reduce anxiety. In...

Episode 155 continues our 5-part series on reducing anxiety with key productivity practices and tools. Over the years, we have discovered game-changing practices, systems, and tools that help us get through our weeks, and we are sharing all of them in this series. In this second episode, we talk about the key tools we think we could all use to reduce anxiety and up productivity. We also share how...

Episode 154 kicks off our 5-part series on reducing anxiety with key productivity practices and tools. Over the years, we have discovered game-changing practices, systems, and tools that help us get through our weeks, and we are sharing all of them in this series. In this first episode, we talk about how technology and tools won't just make us productive; it all starts with picking a system yo...

Season 7 is finally here, and so is the new HiTech Podcast! In this episode, we finally tell you about the business we started last year, and we discuss why we are expanding our discussions to go beyond just education. That's right, the podcast is going to start talking about more than just education, but with the same vibe we have always had and you can be sure to learn new tech every week. L...

In this episode of the Hitech Podcast, we dive into the critical issue of retaining teachers and staff in educational institutions. We explore how retention goes beyond competitive salaries and delves into the importance of genuinely caring for your employees. Discover strategies for supporting and investing in the professional development and well-being of your team. Plus, we take a closer look a...

Feeling overwhelmed by constant notifications? In this episode, we tackle the #stress and #chaos caused by notifications and share strategies to regain control. Learn how curating only the most important alerts and setting up a clear system for processing notifications can reduce stress and improve productivity. Discover Josh's daily review technique for managing tasks and the importance of tu...

In this episode of the HiTech Podcast, we sit down with Daniel Liebeskind, the CEO of @Topiaio  to explore how his passion for gaming and vision for a more human internet led to the creation of Topia. Discover how Topia is revolutionizing online education by helping schools build unique, customizable worlds that foster real connections through spatial video and interactive content. Daniel shares i...

In this week's episode of the Hitech Podcast, we explore the effectiveness of  @turnitin  #plagiarism and #ai checkers. We question whether they truly deliver on their promises and if they are worth the investment. Then, we delve into Lucidspark and its role in enhancing online learning. For more on our conversation, check out the episode page ⁠⁠ here⁠⁠ . Want to build your business like we ha...

On this week's episode of the Hitech Podcast, debrief on Will's experience with remote proctoring for an online exam and we discuss whether we think this practice is actually more harmful to learning or not. We also then share three apps we both use regularly to create learning content for online environments, Vectormagic, unDraw, & Coolors.co. For more on our conversation, check out t...

On this week's episode of the Hitech Podcast, we have the pleasure of hosting Simon Nicholas from Archer. Simon is revolutionizing the world of math tutoring, striving for greater equity with the help of his AI math tutor, Archer. This remarkable program provides live feedback during homework and exams, allowing students to grapple with math problems while offering timely hints or feedback to...

In this episode of the Hitech Podcast, we're delighted to welcome back Christie Cloud, an experienced educator and friend of the show. We kick off our conversation with a shared love for Brandon Sanderson's works, before diving into the heart of the matter. Christie recently won a grant to purchase podcasting equipment for her class, and she shares what this journey looked like. Listen in...

Get ready for a fun episode of the Hitech Podcast this week! We have the pleasure of chatting with Trevor Goertzen from  @schoolai  .Trevor, a former teacher/principal (who has an amazing tornado story 🌪️ to share!), walks us through his journey into SchoolAI. What really piqued our interest was his unique take on an AI space. At SchoolAI, Trevor explains how teachers can craft their very own cust...