Ed Tech in HE Reflections

     Nearly every student from middle school up through college is walking around with a smartphone in their hand these days. This generation has no idea how it is to not have one. Yes, at times they can be a distraction, but smartphone’s could have academic use in the classroom. Other forms of mobile devices are allowed in the class as a way to take notes or for other academic purposes. This is true, however, smartphones can do the same things and sometimes more. Smartphone’s have Microsoft tools just like laptops for note-taking. They also have a variety of other apps that can replace the old paper and pencil methods. Echo 360 is one app that is mobile compatible. Allowing students to use their smartphone's to access Echo 360 can improve classroom discussions and student engagement. Smartphone's are also easier to carry around and they allow students to snap photos of charts, pictures, and they give students the ability to record in-class lectures which is great e...

Before you record, make sure they are on board! Technology is being used for presentations, podcasts, recorded classroom lectures, etc. While these things are important and will very likely increase student learning, it is crucial to be in compliance with student privacy laws while doing so. Many times these laws are not thought of when doing these types of things in the classroom. The most basic way to protect student privacy in the classroom is to only record the instructor. According to student privacy laws, their maybe scenarios where student written consent is required for video recording, photography, or anything else that involves student presence. Capturing student voices is not typically an issue and does not require student consent as long as their names are not being said and no personally identifying information is presented, including their image. Below is a list of Best Practices that can help protect against privacy violations when using multimedia in your classr...

Needing to update your students on the fly? Class Updates is a fantastic free app that allows instructors to stay connected with their students. Class updates can be used to keep students up-to-date on deadlines, tests, important dates, class cancellations, emergency's, etc. Class Updates is available for both Android and Apple mobile devices. Class Updates is easy to setup. Simply download the app, fill out your profile, and create your class. Students will need to simply download the app, create their profile, and select their class. Students do not typically check their emails as frequently as instructors do, so start using Class Updates today!  Download app from iTunes Download app from Google Play  For more information: