Examining

In this episode, Erik and Kris reflect on their 2021 education predictions to see what they got right and wrong. We'd like to give a big shout-out to our Audio Producer Chris Hoang who helped us develop this list for 2021. Our co-hosts also revised the forecast list for 2022.

SHOW NOTES:

2022 Forecast

CONTACT:

Website: edtechexamined.com

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @EdTechExamined

TEAM INFORMATION:

Erik Christiansen, Co-Founder & Co-Host

Website:  erikchristiansen.net

Twitter: @egchristiansen

Blog: tech-bytes.net

Kris Hans, Co-Founder & Co-Host

Website: krishans.ca

Twitter:  @KrisHans

Market Grade:  marketgrade.com

Christopher Hoang, Audio Producer & Sound Engineer

Website: chrishoang.ca

This interview was originally published on August 25, 2020.

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In this episode, Kris and Erik interview Dr. Jason Wiens, a Senior Instructor and Associate Head of Undergraduate Student Affairs at the University of Calgary’s Department of English. Jason discusses the nature of online pedagogy in the humanities and the field of English, including his infamous archive and digital audio assignments. Due to his experience and breadth of knowledge, Jason offers insights from both administrator and instructor perspectives. Some former students also share thoughts on the benefit of Jason’s unique assignments and his pedagogical methods and have graciously shared their papers with us - linked below.
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SHOW NOTES:
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Christopher Hoang Archive Assignment: https://www.chrishoang.ca/art-literature/modernist-poetry-from-a-modern-perspective-1
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Christopher Hoang Close Listening Assignment: https://www.chrishoang.ca/art-literature/on-christian-bks-the-doomsday-songsfor-friedrich-nietzsche-upon-the-death-of-superman
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Danielle Wong Archive Assignment: https://www.chrishoang.ca/art-literature/bpnichol-danielle-wong\
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Danielle Wong Close Listening Assignment: https://www.chrishoang.ca/art-literature/winds-of-unity-danielle-wong
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Michelle Tang Archive Assignment: https://www.chrishoang.ca/art-literature/alice-munro-by-michelle-tang
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Michelle Tang Close Listening Assignment: https://www.chrishoang.ca/art-literature/alden-nowlan-fireworks-michelle-tang
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GUEST INFORMATION:
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Dr. Jason Wiens, University of Calgary Profile: https://english.ucalgary.ca/manageprofile/profiles/jason-wiens
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CONTACT:
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Website: edtechexamined.com
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Email: [email protected]
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Twitter: @EdTechExamined
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TEAM INFORMATION:
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Erik Christiansen, Co-Founder & Co-Host
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Website:  erikchristiansen.net
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Twitter: @egchristiansen
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Blog: tech-bytes.net
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Kris Hans, Co-Founder & Co-Host
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Website: krishans.ca
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Twitter:  @KrisHans
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Market Grade:  marketgrade.com
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Christopher Hoang, Audio Producer & Sound Engineer
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Website: chrishoang.ca

In this episode, Kris reviews the M1 Mac mini and talks about his new 'work from home' setup. Our co-hosts talk about the Mac mini's exceptional value as a computer for students and educators.

SHOW NOTES

Hardware mentioned
*M1 Mac Mini
*Education Pricing Link: https://www.apple.com/ca_edu_93120/shop/buy-mac/mac-mini
*27" Apple LED Cinema Display
*27" Apple Thunderbolt Display
*Thunderbolt 3 (USB-c) to Thunderbold 2 Adapter

Software mentions
*DisplayLink Manager
*Mactracker

EDTECH EXAMINED CONTACT:
Website: edtechexamined.com
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @EdTechExamined

TEAM INFORMATION

Erik Christiansen, Co-Founder & Co-Host
Website: erikchristiansen.net
Twitter: @egchristiansen
Blog: tech-bytes.net

Kris Hans, Co-Founder & Co-Host
Website: krishans.ca
Twitter:  @KrisHans
Market Grade: marketgrade.com

Christopher Hoang, Audio Producer & Sound Engineer
Website: chrishoang.ca

In this episode, Kris and Erik return after their Winter break 'sabbatical.' Kris gives an update on the latest books he's read on work productivity, specifically those that force us to re-think how we work. Our co-hosts also discuss their work resolutions/goals for using technology and being productive.

SHOW NOTES

Books
*The Four Hour Work Week - Tim Ferriss
*ReWork - Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson
*Remote - Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson
*Make Time - Jake Knapp, John Zeratsky

Tools mentioned
*Pinboard
*IFTTT
*Day One
*No code tools

EDTECH EXAMINED CONTACT:
Website: edtechexamined.com
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @EdTechExamined

TEAM INFORMATION

Erik Christiansen, Co-Founder & Co-Host
Website: erikchristiansen.net
Twitter: @egchristiansen
Blog: tech-bytes.net

Kris Hans, Co-Founder & Co-Host
Website: krishans.ca
Twitter:  @KrisHans
Market Grade: marketgrade.com

Christopher Hoang, Audio Producer & Sound Engineer
Website: chrishoang.ca

Kris does a deep dive into the workings of Google Classroom and describes how he uses the platform for his online Creativity in the Workplace course.

SHOW NOTES

Course: Creativity in the Workplace, Mount Royal University
*Online readings
*Course description

EDTECH EXAMINED CONTACT:
Website: edtechexamined.com
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @EdTechExamined

TEAM INFORMATION

Erik Christiansen, Co-Founder & Co-Host
Website: erikchristiansen.net
Twitter: @egchristiansen
Blog: tech-bytes.net

Kris Hans, Co-Founder & Co-Host
Website: krishans.ca
Twitter:  @KrisHans
Market Grade: marketgrade.com

Christopher Hoang, Audio Producer & Sound Engineer
Website: chrishoang.ca

Kris and Erik provide several tips, including an update on Erik's notes project (see ep. 34), the new Raspberry Pi Zero 2 (for makers), and the new iPhones and Android phones. News coverage was ample this week, with our co-hosts talking about the new MacBook Pros and if you need one, retro computers with personal data, Udemy IPO, Facebook going 'Meta', and more.

SHOW NOTES

#EdTech Office Hours
*Obsidian notes instead of Notion
*Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W

News

2021 MacBook Pros
*Ars Technica review
*Erik's blog post

Wired: Retro collectors are uncovering hoards of old data

Elon's tweet

Reuters: Udemy files for U.S. IPO

EdSurge: As Facebook Changes Name to Meta, Company Wants to Pull Education Into Its ‘Metaverse’

Inside HigherEd: Faculty Confidence in Online Learning Grows

Inside HigherEd: Half of All College Students Take Online Courses

McGraw Hill talk: Higher Education Trends that Will Outlast the Pandemic

Bonus
*Otter.ai transcription

EDTECH EXAMINED CONTACT:
Website: edtechexamined.com
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @EdTechExamined

TEAM INFORMATION

Erik Christiansen, Co-Founder & Co-Host
Website: erikchristiansen.net
Twitter: @egchristiansen
Blog: tech-bytes.net

Kris Hans, Co-Founder & Co-Host
Website: krishans.ca
Twitter:  @KrisHans
Market Grade: marketgrade.com

Christopher Hoang, Audio Producer & Sound Engineer
Website: chrishoang.ca

In this episode, Erik discusses his secret summer project - implementing a new note-taking strategy. Erik discusses the zettelkasten (German for "slip box") note-taking method which is a bidirectional note-taking system designed to overcome writer’s block or “the blank page effect.” This system could be useful for a student or instructor who struggles getting started writing, or anyone who wants a new way to connect the notes they’ve taken. Zettelkasten is like your second brain.

SHOW NOTES

Zettelkasten method
*Wikipedia
*Zettelkasten.de
*The ultimate guide

Tools for implementation
*Bidirectional note-taking apps
*Zettelkasten using Notion
*Zettelkasten using Obsidian
 
EDTECH EXAMINED CONTACT:
Website: edtechexamined.com
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @EdTechExamined

TEAM INFORMATION

Erik Christiansen, Co-Founder & Co-Host
Website: erikchristiansen.net
Twitter: @egchristiansen
Blog: tech-bytes.net

Kris Hans, Co-Founder & Co-Host
Website: krishans.ca
Twitter:  @KrisHans
Market Grade: marketgrade.com

Christopher Hoang, Audio Producer & Sound Engineer
Website: chrishoang.ca

In this episode, Erik and Kris interview Dr. Anthony (Tony) Chaston, an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Mount Royal University, in Calgary, Canada. Tony teaches Sensation & Perception and Research Methods. His research interests include visual perception and cognition, as well as the use of virtual reality for reducing anxiety.

This episode was originally published on October 15, 2020. At that time, we discussed Tony's interest in virtual reality and the development of a psychology course to be taught completely in VR. Since our discussion, Tony's VR course has launched at MRU: "The Digital Frontier: Perception, Virtual Reality, and AI in Psychology." Tony built the course using the AltspaceVR platform and Unity. The course had gained media attention in Canada, so we felt it was appropriate to return to this special interview.

GUEST INFORMATION:

Dr. Anthony (Tony) Chaston, Mount Royal University
Faculty Profile
AltSpaceVR username: VizWig
YouTube Channel
Educators in VR AltSpaceVR group
Tony's research presentation for Educator's in VR: Using 360 Nature Videos to Lower Stress

Media coverage

*CTV, Dave Dormer: First-ever virtual reality virtual reality class launches at Mount Royal University in Calgary

*Peter Glenn, MRU: Bell rings for first virtual reality class at Mount Royal University

CONTACT:
Website: edtechexamined.com
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @EdTechExamined

TEAM INFORMATION:

Erik Christiansen, Co-Founder & Co-Host
Website:  erikchristiansen.net
Twitter: @egchristiansen
Blog: tech-bytes.net

Kris Hans, Co-Founder & Co-Host
Website: krishans.ca
Twitter:  @KrisHans
Market Grade:  marketgrade.com

Christopher Hoang, Audio Producer & Sound Engineer
Website: chrishoang.ca

In this deep dive episode, Kris and Erik discuss Cal Newport's most recent book "A World Without Email." Newport argues that email and messaging apps (asynchronous communication) have led to what he calls "the hyperactive hive mind." Newport explains that email is taking up too much of our time at work and proposes several solutions to make us more efficient.

SHOW NOTES

Key concepts:

*Email is abused and we spend too much time writing emails

*We often offload our brains using email. It's easier to ask questions via email than find answers ourselves.

*Email, like physical mail and instant messaging, is a form of asynchronous communication. 

*Our work has become more reactive than proactive. Newport says email and messaging apps have led to the "hyperactive hive mind" approach to work.

*Boundaries around email can be implemented on a personal basis (i.e. Deep Work strategies), but real change has to be institutional (processes and expectations).

Other books by Cal Newport:
*Deep Work
*Digital Minimalism

Tools for collaboration:
*Trello
*ITP Metrics
 
EDTECH EXAMINED CONTACT:
Website: edtechexamined.com
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @EdTechExamined

TEAM INFORMATION

Erik Christiansen, Co-Founder & Co-Host
Website: erikchristiansen.net
Twitter: @egchristiansen
Blog: tech-bytes.net

Kris Hans, Co-Founder & Co-Host
Website: krishans.ca
Twitter:  @KrisHans
Market Grade: marketgrade.com

Christopher Hoang, Audio Producer & Sound Engineer
Website: chrishoang.ca

Erik and Kris discuss provide their "back to school" tech recommendations for the 2021 academic year. Listen for recommendations on laptops, tablets, computer accessories, essential apps, and some analog bonuses. This conversation included several digressions.

SHOW NOTES

Windows Laptops
*Dell XPS 13 (16 gigs ram)

*Microsoft surface laptop 4

*Also great: Framework - https://frame.work/products/laptop/configuration/edit 

Mac Laptop
*Macbook Air M1 (might update soon)

Tablet

*iPad (might update soon)

*iPad Air (might update soon)

For Apple product life cycles check https://buyersguide.macrumors.com/#ios

Keyboard

*Logitech K780

*Logitech Ergonomic K860

*Microsoft Sculpt ergonomic (not available through Microsoft store. They now sell 'Surface' economic keyboard and mouse)

Mice

*Logitech MX Vertical https://www.logitech.com/en-ca/products/mice/mx-vertical-ergonomic-mouse.910-005447.html / MX Master / Logitech Triathlon

*Evoluent (for uber ergos out there)

Software
*Password Manager: 1Password, LastPass, BitWarden (open source)

Desk lamp
*Taotronics LED Desk Lamp 38 
*IKEA Forså

Water Bottle
*Hydro Flask

Backpack
*Tumbuk2 authority Laptop bag

Notebooks (analog alert!)
*Field Notes

Charging accessories and cables
*Check out Anker (PowerPort Series with USB A and C, cables, etc.)

Recommended Software

EDTECH EXAMINED CONTACT:
Website: edtechexamined.com
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @EdTechExamined

TEAM INFORMATION

Erik Christiansen, Co-Founder & Co-Host
Website: erikchristiansen.net
Twitter: @egchristiansen
Blog: tech-bytes.net

Kris Hans, Co-Founder & Co-Host
Website: krishans.ca
Twitter:  @KrisHans
Market Grade: marketgrade.com

Christopher Hoang, Audio Producer & Sound Engineer
Website: chrishoang.ca