The Practical Ed Tech Podcast

The Practical Ed Tech Podcast

By Richard ByrneEducationHow To
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The Practical Ed Tech Podcast episodes

  • The Practical Ed Tech Podcast - Episode #20 - Cool Updates and Q&A

    In this episode I share five Google tools updates you might have missed, a new Microsoft Forms option, and a new mapping tool. As always, I answered a handful of questions from readers, listeners, and viewers like you. 


    Bookmark this page for my Thanksgiving sale on professional development webinars https://practicaledtech.com/on-demand-pd/


    Complete show notes here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/19MaY4HPD2f5n2PCt-ZQtjljedSNi3sMPnwnCPBzIsbo/edit?usp=sharing

    27 min
  • The Practical Ed Tech Podcast - Episode #19 - Awesome Google Slides Update and More

    Practical Ed Tech Podcast - Episode #19 - November 15th 2019

    Get the complete show notes here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/13T_i9Up0oCUtgPJL8uIhfn1XAgzhCprvp6VmzLsR40M/edit?usp=sharing


    News & Notes Google Slides audio feature to be available to all users by the end of November. https://www.freetech4teachers.com/2019/11/its-official-google-slides-will-have.html

    I Tweeted that I’m considering an iPhone after a decade of being a loyal Android user. A big part of the motivation for that is my growing concern about the data Google collects through Android OS and how that data is being used. 60 responses to the Tweet seem to be split down the middle. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/11/business/google-ascension-health-data.html

    Other Apple news, they launched a 16” MacBook Pro. You now have a choice of 13” or 16” models. 15” models have gone the way of the CD Rom.

    Other Google news, they’re getting into the banking business with the introduction of a checking account product called “Cache” that will launch next year. https://techcrunch.com/2019/11/13/google-to-offer-checking-accounts-in-partnership-with-banks-starting-next-year/

    Basecamp launched a free version of their popular project management suite. Basecamp Personal is intended for students, freelancers, and small non-profits to manage small projects. https://basecamp.com/personal

    Alan Levine wrote an interesting article about reverse image search through Pixsy (a service I had not heard of). Pixsy looks for copies of your original photographs and where they’ve been used online. They’ll send takedown notices on your behalf, if you choose that option. Read Alan’s take on it at cogdogblog.com https://cogdogblog.com/2019/11/reversing-reverse/

    Thoughts and Reflections

    We had our first snow day of the year. As expected, it threw my freshmen off. Everyone else took it in stride. Because of our alternating block schedule and the Veteran’s Day holiday, I didn’t see some students for over a week. Let students pick interesting to them projects and they’ll take the initiative to do some really interesting things that you might not think to do.

    Questions from Readers & Viewers


    25 min
  • The Practical Ed Tech Podcast - Episode #18

    In this episode I shared a neat resource for teaching elementary school students about primary sources, shared two new presentation tools, and brought back a classic geography website. I also answered some questions about making videos with students, Google Drive layout, and random name pickers. Get the full episode show notes here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KmzYND4ZdingmVD3MVGSVubWONZrWvfHB2zDFytx7Rw/edit?usp=sharing

    23 min
  • The Practical Ed Tech Podcast Episode #17 - Ninjas, Gladiators, and Copyright

    In this episode I address some comments about Twitter chats, discuss copyright, and share my thoughts about having conversations  with students on topics that can be a bit touchy. As always, I also shared some news and notes from the world of ed tech and answered a handful of questions from viewers, readers, and listeners. 

    Find the show notes here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HrAOpbUTh6J4cJGtYuVkVA7LaPT_pB3DrRID0gBpw9w/edit?usp=sharing

    30 min
  • The Practical Ed Tech Podcast - Episode #15 - Featuring Mike Tholfsen from Microsoft EDU

    In this episode of the podcast I talked with Mike Tholfsen. Mike is a Product Manager on the Microsoft EDU team. He works on Immersive Reader, OneNote, and Teams. In the podcast we talked about the many free accessibility tools that Microsoft offers and how those tools can help students and parents. 

    Follow Mike on Twitter: twitter.com/mtholfsen

    Learn more about Immersive Reader through this interactive guide: http://aka.ms/inclusivereader

    Find all of the 3rd party services that utilize Immersive Reader: https://support.office.com/en-us/article/immersive-reader-partners-8ce56191-83cd-490f-9dfc-4e69d4bf5308 

    22 min
  • Practical Ed Tech Podcast Episode #14 - News & Notes, Q&A, and Reflections

    In this episode I share a new Google Slides add-on, updates about Google Slides captioning, and answer a bunch of questions from readers and viewers like you. And I shared a reminder about my age that my students gave me today. Bonus! An easy way for teachers to save 10% when shopping at Zappos (no, that's not a paid placement). 

    Get the complete show notes here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1N5DtEv5Q35HtdN7KERg6jYxrZtwZhJBaP1iJcfwZnJI/edit?usp=sharing 

    26 min
  • The Practical Ed Tech Podcast - Episode #13 - News & Notes, Reflections, and Q&A

    In the first part of this episode of The Practical Ed Tech Podcast I shared some cool new things from Microsoft, a new way to build educational games for your students, and some good digital citizenship handouts. The second section of the podcast features my reflections on my third week of teaching computers. And to wrap-up the episode I answered a handful of questions from readers and listeners. 

    Find the complete show notes in this Google Doc. 

    23 min
  • The Practical Ed Tech Podcast Episode #11 - News & Notes, Q&A, and Reflections on Teaching Computer Science

    Get the full show notes here.

    News & Notes

    • Dark theme for Gmail Android and iOS apps.
    • Google for Education Transformation Reports now available
      • Google’s attempt to show that using G Suite “transforms” education.
      • Dan Russell’s new book, The Joy of Search hit bookshelves this week.
        • https://amzn.to/2lDQ6cl
        • Speaking of books, I published the 2019-20 edition of the Practical Ed Tech Handbook.
          • Get a free copy at Practicaledtech.com/free-handbook/
          • Microsoft has a new “all about Immersive Reader” center.
            • https://education.microsoft.com/courses-and-resources/resources/all-about-immersive-reader
            • Notion.co has a new tool called Nimble Notes that they call the “anti-Evernote.” Might be worth a try for those who are looking for an Evernote alternative.
            • With the news of a possible impeachment proceeding in the news, all the YouTubers were out in force with commentary and explanations. My buddy Tom Richey was one of them.
              • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdbDR28U6Zs&pbjreload=10
              • Open Culture had a great article this week about how bicycles can change lives. Interesting bit about people (including those with children) who have the means to buy cars but choose to use bicycles only.
                • http://www.openculture.com/2019/09/how-bicycles-can-revolutionize-our-lives.html


                • Justin Cahill at Keeping Kids in Motion offers a Halloween-themed fitness program for kids (and adults). You can get the calendar and certificates for free from his site.
                  • https://keepingkidsinmotion.com/
                  • Clif Mims offered a good overview of coding programs “that work.” Designed for introductory lessons on coding.
                    • https://clifmims.com/5-coding-programs-that-work/


                      • 25 min

                    About The Practical Ed Tech Podcast

                    From the publisher's feed

                    Every week I share news and tips about educational technology.