What’s new in edtech? In this episode, I break down Google’s new parent permission requirements, an awesome Google Classroom add-on, and Screencastify’s expanded free plan. Science teachers, you’ll want to hear about PhET Simulations inside Quizizz, and we’ll discuss Common Sense Media’s latest report on AI in education. Plus, I’ll wrap up with a thought-provoking book that challenges how we create change in schools and communities. Tune in for all the updates and insights!
#EduDuctTape Episode 119 - Google TOS Privacy Changes, Magic Exercise Book, Screencastify, Quizizz x PhET, and more
Edu News I’ve Got My Peepers On:
- 0:00:00 INTRO
- 0:03:45 1. Google’s New Parent Permission Requirements for Certain Apps - https://workspace.google.com/terms/education_terms/
- 0:06:10 2. Magic Exercise Book for Google Classroom - https://www.notsomagicapps.com/magic-exercise-book
- 0:07:44 3. Screencastify’s Free Plan Just Got an Upgrade - https://www.screencastify.com/pricing
- 0:10:59 4. Common Sense Media’s AI in K-12 White Paper - https://www.commonsensemedia.org/research/generative-ai-in-k-12-education-challenges-and-opportunities
- 0:12:57 5. Quizizz x PhET Simulations = Interactive Science Learning - https://support.quizizz.com/hc/en-us/articles/41431781875225-Use-PhET-Simulations-with-Quizizz
- 0:16:01 6. Book Recommendation – Change the Wallpaper - https://ssir.org/books/excerpts/entry/change-the-wallpaper-nilanjana-dasgupta#
- 0:18:37 CLOSING
Be a part of the discussion!
#EduDuctTape on Social Media
Speakpipe.com/EduDuctTape
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:02):
Today on the Educational DuctTape Podcast, we are tackling
some major edtech updates and afascinating book recommendation.
We will dive into Google's newparent Permission Rules, a Google
Classroom add-on that lets you editassignments after sending them out.
And Screencastify's big freeplan upgrades, plus Quizizz, just
teamed up with PhET simulations forinteractive science learning and
(00:24):
common sense media has a must readreport on AI in K through 12 schools.
And before we wrap up, I'll sharea book that's got me thinking.
Let's get into it.
Welcome.
Welcome in everybody.
Welcome into the EducationalDuct Tape podcast.
(00:46):
My name is Jake.
I am a personalized learning and edtech specialist here in Ohio, and you
are listening to the EDU Duct Tapeor Educational Duct Tape Podcast.
A podcast that focuses on solvingclassroom problems, meeting classroom
goals, addressing classroom needs,using educational technology as a tool.
(01:07):
So we view educationaltechnology like duct tape.
It's a tool that solves problems.
It's never our goal to use duct tape.
It's our goal to solve the problem or meetthe goal or address the learning standard.
Similarly, our goal is not to runout and use educational technology.
It's to achieve specific things in ourclassrooms, and often, but not always.
Educational technology is theperfect tool for doing that.
(01:28):
So typically we rotate between episodeswith a guest and episodes where I
share some updates from the educationand educational technology space.
Last week we had one of those updates, uh,episodes and so today should be a guest
interview episode, but I reached out to mynext three guests about being on the show.
(01:49):
They all are totally in forappearing, but we have not
scheduled those interviews just yet.
We're working on that, so didn't get aninterview done in time for today's show.
Hopefully we'll have one of thosedone and ready to go for next week.
And then after that we'll have an updatesepisode, and then after that we'll have a
interview episode and so on and so forth.
Riding off into thesunsets of our educational.
Career.
(02:09):
So today I've got five educationaltechnology updates and one just
regular education update for you.
And then again, next week we'llhave an amazing visitor in to
talk about a certain question, aneducational duct tape question.
Before we dive into today's item, I dowanna request again like I did last week.
Please help spread theword about the show.
Um, I'm doing this to help andsome of you reached out after last
(02:31):
episode and said, thanks, Jake.
This does help.
You're informing things that I knowabout for my classroom or recommend
for teachers in my schools if maybethey're a technology leadership team.
So people did reach out and say,thank you for doing the show.
We appreciate it and I'm gonnakeep going just for those people.
If there's five people listening,uh, I'm gonna keep going.
If there's four, I'm gonna keep going.
There's a lot more than four or five.
Uh, but I want.
To support as many educators as possible.
(02:53):
So please tell the educators inyour life tune into the show.
He gives you some updates.
Uh, he'll tell, tell some cheesy jokes.
Uh, you could tell them in person.
You could write them a handwritten letter.
You could spray paint it onan overpass in your community.
Um, spring break's coming up, youcould pull it from the back of a, um.
Airplane flying over the beach.
You can get some of that paint the kidsuse to paint their cars, um, on homecoming
(03:17):
week for homecoming to celebrate or whenthey're going to the state championship.
You could, uh, paint on there.
Watch the listen to theEducational Duct Tape podcast.
Whatever you gotta do.
I appreciate you support your support.
If you know somebody who you thinkwould benefit from the show, please
tell 'em about it or share on socialmedia or, uh, review rate, and
review the show on Apple Podcasts orSpotify or anywhere where ratings.
(03:40):
Are an option so that people can findthe show and learn more about it.
Okay, let's get intoour updates for today.
First up in today's edition ofWell-Intentioned Things that Are An
Inconvenience, Google Workspace forEducation has changed its terms of
service to comply with privacy laws.
So these changes went into effecton March 1st, a couple of days ago.
(04:03):
A little background info, the GoogleWorkspace for Education Agreement
that schools agree to covers certainthings, uh, that they call core tools
like Google Classroom Docs, slides andDrive and then there are other Google
tools that are often used in schoolslike Maps and Translate, Google Earth,
Google Arts and Culture, even theChrome Web store in your Chromebooks.
(04:24):
And these aren't explicitlycovered under that Google Workspace
for Education agreement 'causethey're not considered core tools.
So with this terms of service change,any of those tools that are not
considered core tools are now blockedfor students unless schools obtain
specific parent permission for them.
The good news first, again, core toolslike docs, slides, drive, classroom.
(04:49):
The main ones you're using are still fine.
Second, once the school hasobtained that parent permission,
others will be fine as well.
So it doesn't mean the end of usingGoogle Earth, for example, in schools.
It just means you're gonna haveto receive or obtain specific
permission for doing so.
And third, while this is annoying.
This is inconvenient for sure.
It's in the interest of improvedstudent privacy, so that's a good thing.
(05:12):
Uh, so this is all about compliancein terms of that privacy, specifically
with COPPA, the Children's OnlinePrivacy Protection Act, and with similar
global regulations, I assume as well.
But for teachers and edtech leaders, it means that.
Some go-to tools might suddenly beunavailable for students since this
happened a few days ago on March 1st.
(05:33):
You are probably alreadyaware of how this impacts you.
So I'm curious, did it impact you?
I'd love to hear from you aboutwhat happened on March 1st when
you came to school on that day.
It was a weekend, it was a Saturday.
So I guess when you came onMonday, on March 3rd, uh, were
you, were there surprises?
Were there things they're missing?
Did you go to use a certain thing in alesson and you had to pivot and change?
Did you know what was coming?
Did you not know it was coming?
(05:54):
Uh, what's your school doingto address this change?
I'd love to hear about it.
Let me know on x orBluesky at #EduDuctTape.
Or you could drop in a voice message tothe show at speakpipe.com/eduDuctTape.
Have you ever assigned something inGoogle Classroom and then immediately
realized, oh, I forgot a page.
(06:16):
Or halfway through the unit youthink, oh, I really wish I could add a
reflection slide to every student's work.
Wouldn't that be great?
Or maybe you've dreamed of a singledocument or slideshow for an entire
unit's guided notes, but let's be real.
You didn't have them already on day one.
Uh, I've been there.
Well, good news.
There's a new Googleadd-on that could do that.
(06:37):
Now.
It's called Magic Exercise Book,and it comes from a UK based
company called Not So Magic Apps.
This tool lets you add pages or slidesto every student's Google Doc or slides
assignment, even after you've alreadyassigned it to Google Classroom.
No need to manually open eachstudent's work and copy paste updates.
Just launch the add-on.
(06:57):
Select your update and pushit to all students at once.
Sounds like magic to me, butthey do call their company not so
magic apps, so I guess it's notmagic, it's just good technology.
Maybe we'll just call it awesome.
Now I know privacy is always a bigquestion with third party tools.
So here's the deal, having peaked attheir privacy policy, magic exercise
(07:18):
book collects no user data and does notaccess students' docs or slides directly.
It just processes updatesin Google Classroom.
If you try it out, I'dlove to hear how it goes.
Or if you have another tool that youuse for this use case that you feel
that can do it better, let me know.
Find me on X or Bluesky #EduDuctTape.
(07:38):
Or leave a voice message for theshow at speakpipe.com/eduDuctTape.
Let's shift from Google to whatseems to be the most commonly used
screen recorder in Google schools.
Screencastify, because they just madesome big changes to their free plan.
For the most part, it's goodnews, but there are some caveats.
(07:59):
So Screencastify freeplan now includes some.
Pretty powerful features for afree plan, some of which used to
be locked behind a paywall, someof which are just new features.
You can now get access to their AIassistant, which could do things
like generate video summariesand transcripts for your videos.
Um, also you get captions, whichcan now be translated into over 50
(08:20):
languages, making your videos moreaccessible for all learners, as
well as for multilingual learners.
Plus you get viewer analytics, so youcould track who's watching your videos
and how they're engaging with the content.
And there are also two new export options.
You can now download recordingsas MP4 files or MP3 files.
The free plan also includes, this isthe big one in my opinion, unlimited
(08:44):
Screencastify submit assignments,meaning as many times as you want
to send out Screencastify submitassignments and have students
record responses, you can do that.
So if you're looking for yourreplacement to flip previously known
as Flipgrid, this might be it becausefor free, at least for now, you could
do as many of those Screencastifysubmit, uh, assignments as you want.
(09:05):
Of course, while that submit featureis now unlimited, there are still
limitations, uh, elsewhere onScreencastify on the free plan.
So first, the free plan is cappedat 10 video recordings total.
Now, that's different from yourScreencastify submit assignments.
It's just 10 videos that you make,and each of those videos can be
no longer than 30 minutes long.
You also get 10 video captions andtranslations, 10 quizzes 'cause they can
(09:31):
now add quizzes to videos and 10 uses ofthat AI assistant before you hit a limit.
If you upgrade to the starter plan,you get unlimited videos, longer
recording times up to 60 minutes each.
Uh and unlimited video quizzes, plusextra features like a premium library
of videos and more editing exports.
And then there's also a pro plan andspecial plans for schools and districts
(09:53):
that give you even more features, butstill those additions to the free plan:
access to an AI assistant, captions,translated captions, viewer analytics,
downloading MP4 or MP3 files and unlimitedScreencastify submit assignments.
Those sound pretty great.
Now, whenever a tool is handlingvideos and student submissions,
privacy is always a concern.
(10:15):
So, uh, checked around on theirwebsite, Screencastify makes it clear
that they don't own your videos.
They don't sell your data andthey don't show you ads at all.
Their entire business model, they sayon the site is subscription based,
meaning they make money from paidplans, so they don't need to make
money from collecting or monetizingyour information or showing you ads.
(10:36):
They're also certified coppa, FERPA,and SOPPA compliant, and state that
they collect only the minimum amountof data needed to operate the software.
So if you're already a Screencastify user.
Did these updates to the freeplan make a difference for you?
Did they give you new thingsyou didn't have before?
Did you lose things?
Which free offering is your favorite?
Let us know on X or Blueskyor the SpeakPipe for the show.
(11:01):
If you're here listening to me,you probably have the same thoughts
as me about AI and education.
We see the potential, we see theadvantages, but we also see the risks.
And if you're like me, you're alsowondering what does AI implementation
actually look like in schools across thecountry, aside from the ones that I'm in.
Well, common Sense Media recentlyreleased a white paper called
(11:23):
Generative AI in K through 12education Challenges and opportunities.
It dives into how AI is alreadybeing used in schools, what risks it
brings, and how educators can navigatethis rapidly evolving landscape.
A few key takeaways from the report.
Number one, most schools don't yethave clear AI policies, which let's be
honest, is something we all suspected.
(11:45):
Second, AI powered tools are alreadyin classrooms helping with lesson
planning, grading feedback, butmany districts are still figuring
out how to regulate AI responsibly.
Also, we probably saw that one comingthird takeaway, some of the risks that
they mentioned include AI's tendency togenerate inaccurate or biased content,
(12:05):
privacy concerns, and of course, thebig question of cheating and plagiarism.
No surprises here either.
And fourth, they point out thatAI also presents opportunities
like personalizing, learning,translation support, and reducing
administrative workload for teachers.
You know this because you've heardme and my guests talk about a lot of
these things before too, so not a lotof surprises here, but it's valuable
(12:29):
to have a researched white paper thattakes this from what we suspected
to something that we can confirmand more importantly, we can act on.
The report also highlights how someschools are actively incorporating AI into
their curriculum, as well as how othersare taking a much more cautious approach.
If you want to dive deeper intothis report, which I recommend, I'll
drop the link in the show notes.
(12:50):
If you read it, I'd loveto hear your thoughts.
Were there any surprises in this report?
Let us know.
On social media or on SpeakPipe.
Alright, science teachers,this one is for you.
If you've used PhET interactivesimulations before, that's PhET
PhET Interactive Simulations.
You already know how amazing they are.
They're so good at helping studentsexplore physics and chemistry
(13:12):
concepts, things you normallycan't do in the classroom.
Uh, and explore them visually sothat they could be almost hands-on.
And if you haven't used PhETsimulations yet, and you're a science
teacher, pause this, check themout, and then come back to the show.
Are you back now that you're in lovewith PhET, which I'm sure you are,
(13:32):
if you went and looked at it, you'regoing to be in love with this news.
Quizizz has teamed up with PhET tobring something really valuable to
science classrooms built in formativeassessment and self-assessment tools
for these incredible simulations.
So now, instead of students justinteracting with a PhET simulation and
you hoping they understand the concept,or them filling out maybe a worksheet
(13:54):
on the side while they're doing it,you can embed Quizizz, questions
directly alongside the simulation tocheck for understanding in real time.
This means that students can exploreand test ideas in the simulations
and get immediate feedback ontheir learning all in one place.
And they can act on that feedbackbecause there's an auto grading
(14:14):
option, and you can get some formativeassessment data out of it too.
And here's the best part, I. Thisintegration is available to everyone.
Any Quizizz user can find and useready-made simulation sets from the
Quizizz library, and even createtheir own simulation-based sets.
So originally they said free userscould use the ones that existed.
(14:36):
Paid users could alsocreate their own sets.
Now they said, you know what?
Everybody could do this for free.
You could both use and find, uh,PhET simulations inside of Quizizz
with questions already built,or you could build your own.
Now paid Quizizz, school and districtplans do unlock some additional
question types as always, uh, but thebasic question types are available
(14:57):
with the PhET simulations for free.
Um, otherwise all users haveaccess to this collaboration.
Also, I will point out on thatpoint, if you're using the free
Quizizz plan, you'll want to keepan eye on your activity limit.
You can, from what I've been told, onlyhave up to 20 activities at a time.
But you can archive old onesto make room for new content.
As you can tell, I've been being mindfullately about also sharing EdTech tools,
(15:21):
privacy and data security policies.
So Quizizz states that they adhere tofederal, state and privacy laws like
FERPA and COPPA, and meet strict statelevel privacy requirements for places
like California and Texas and New York.
As well as others.
They're also members of the SchoolData Privacy Consortium, SDPC,
and Access for Learning A4L.
(15:42):
Uh, so they're working to meetas many district specific privacy
requirements as possible.
Okay, science teachers, I needto hear from you on this one.
If you try this out in Quizizz,let me know what you think of it.
How'd it go?
Share on X or Bluesky or on SpeakPipe.
Links and details are in the show notes.
Alright, this next one is not ed tech,but it's a book that caught my attention
(16:05):
while I was looking on technology.
So maybe it kind of counts and Ithink a lot of you anyhow are gonna
like this book recommendation andfind it just as interesting as I did.
I first heard about it on Blueskyfrom Rick Wormeli and after reading
an excerpt of the book online, I'meager to dive into the full book.
Haven't yet, but I'm really eagerto, I read the entire excerpt.
I, I thought I was just gonna take aquick peek at it, but I ended up reading
(16:26):
the whole thing 'cause I was so into it.
It is called Change the Wallpaper: Transforming Cultural Patterns (16:28):
undefined
to Build More Just Communitiesand it is by Nilanjana Dasgupta.
Uh, the premise is fascinating, and it'salso timely as there are shifts happening
in our country right now that, uh, well,I, I won't even go there, but by saying
(16:50):
I'm interested in this book, you'llknow where I stand on other things too.
Anyhow, let me get away from that topic.
This book is all about how smallshifts in our everyday environments
can lead to real structural change inour communities and our workplaces, and
most importantly for us, our schools.
So Dasgupta, a social psychologist, arguesthat instead of relying on things like
(17:13):
bias training or symbolic acts, we shouldfocus on changing the wallpaper around us.
Now, I'm not a fan of actual wallpaper,but I am a fan of this metaphor.
When she says wallpaper, what she meansis kind of our surroundings, the local
cultures that we interact with every day.
She suggests rethinking how ourphysical spaces representation
(17:36):
and social norms shape inequality.
Often in ways we don't even notice.
But the good news is that this book setsout to disrupt those patterns, change
that wallpaper and intentionally designenvironments that foster inclusion.
Understanding and collective action.
Dasgupta says that she is drawing onresearch across 10 different disciplines,
(17:57):
from psychology and education to urbanplanning and sociology, so that she
could show us exactly how cultural forcespush us apart or bring us together,
and most importantly, how we couldshift towards bringing us together.
Using changes in the wallpaper.
If you're someone who's interestedin creating more equitable classrooms
(18:18):
or schools or communities, thisone might be worth checking out.
I'll drop a link to the excerpt I readin the show notes, but if you do end
up reading the full book as I planto, let me know what you think of it.
Again, you could share about thaton X or Bluesky #EduDuctTape.
Or head over to the speakpipeat speakpipe.com/EduDuctTape.
Alright folks, that's all I've got for youtoday in today's education update roundup.
(18:42):
I really want to hear fromyou about these updates.
You know the drill, reach out on Blueskyor X using #EduDuctTape or record a voice
message at speakpipe.com/eduDuctTape.
Please consider sharing aboutthe show, uh, to the education
friends in your life who you thinkwould benefit from these updates.
Please make sure you're subscribed so youhear next week's episode, which hopefully
(19:03):
will have one of the amazing, uh, guests.
That I'm featuring inthe next few episodes.
Hopefully we'll have that interviewrecorded and ready to go for you.
So make sure you're subscribed inwhatever your favorite podcast
app is so that you don't miss it.
Hopefully you'll be here.
But most of all, thanks foreverything you do for learners.
Um, I appreciate you.
Thanks for being here, andI'll see you next week.
Today on the Educational DuctTape Podcast, we are tackling
some major edtech updates and afascinating book recommendation.
We will dive into Google's newparent Permission Rules, a Google
Classroom add-on that lets you editassignments after sending them out.
And Screencastify's big freeplan upgrades, plus Quizizz, just
teamed up with PhET simulations forinteractive science learning and
(00:24):
common sense media has a must readreport on AI in K through 12 schools.
And before we wrap up, I'll sharea book that's got me thinking.
Let's get into it.
Welcome.
Welcome in everybody.
Welcome into the EducationalDuct Tape podcast.
(00:46):
My name is Jake.
I am a personalized learning and edtech specialist here in Ohio, and you
are listening to the EDU Duct Tapeor Educational Duct Tape Podcast.
A podcast that focuses on solvingclassroom problems, meeting classroom
goals, addressing classroom needs,using educational technology as a tool.
(01:07):
So we view educationaltechnology like duct tape.
It's a tool that solves problems.
It's never our goal to use duct tape.
It's our goal to solve the problem or meetthe goal or address the learning standard.
Similarly, our goal is not to runout and use educational technology.
It's to achieve specific things in ourclassrooms, and often, but not always.
Educational technology is theperfect tool for doing that.
(01:28):
So typically we rotate between episodeswith a guest and episodes where I
share some updates from the educationand educational technology space.
Last week we had one of those updates, uh,episodes and so today should be a guest
interview episode, but I reached out to mynext three guests about being on the show.
(01:49):
They all are totally in forappearing, but we have not
scheduled those interviews just yet.
We're working on that, so didn't get aninterview done in time for today's show.
Hopefully we'll have one of thosedone and ready to go for next week.
And then after that we'll have an updatesepisode, and then after that we'll have a
interview episode and so on and so forth.
Riding off into thesunsets of our educational.
Career.
(02:09):
So today I've got five educationaltechnology updates and one just
regular education update for you.
And then again, next week we'llhave an amazing visitor in to
talk about a certain question, aneducational duct tape question.
Before we dive into today's item, I dowanna request again like I did last week.
Please help spread theword about the show.
Um, I'm doing this to help andsome of you reached out after last
(02:31):
episode and said, thanks, Jake.
This does help.
You're informing things that I knowabout for my classroom or recommend
for teachers in my schools if maybethey're a technology leadership team.
So people did reach out and say,thank you for doing the show.
We appreciate it and I'm gonnakeep going just for those people.
If there's five people listening,uh, I'm gonna keep going.
If there's four, I'm gonna keep going.
There's a lot more than four or five.
Uh, but I want.
To support as many educators as possible.
(02:53):
So please tell the educators inyour life tune into the show.
He gives you some updates.
Uh, he'll tell, tell some cheesy jokes.
Uh, you could tell them in person.
You could write them a handwritten letter.
You could spray paint it onan overpass in your community.
Um, spring break's coming up, youcould pull it from the back of a, um.
Airplane flying over the beach.
You can get some of that paint the kidsuse to paint their cars, um, on homecoming
(03:17):
week for homecoming to celebrate or whenthey're going to the state championship.
You could, uh, paint on there.
Watch the listen to theEducational Duct Tape podcast.
Whatever you gotta do.
I appreciate you support your support.
If you know somebody who you thinkwould benefit from the show, please
tell 'em about it or share on socialmedia or, uh, review rate, and
review the show on Apple Podcasts orSpotify or anywhere where ratings.
(03:40):
Are an option so that people can findthe show and learn more about it.
Okay, let's get intoour updates for today.
First up in today's edition ofWell-Intentioned Things that Are An
Inconvenience, Google Workspace forEducation has changed its terms of
service to comply with privacy laws.
So these changes went into effecton March 1st, a couple of days ago.
(04:03):
A little background info, the GoogleWorkspace for Education Agreement
that schools agree to covers certainthings, uh, that they call core tools
like Google Classroom Docs, slides andDrive and then there are other Google
tools that are often used in schoolslike Maps and Translate, Google Earth,
Google Arts and Culture, even theChrome Web store in your Chromebooks.
(04:24):
And these aren't explicitlycovered under that Google Workspace
for Education agreement 'causethey're not considered core tools.
So with this terms of service change,any of those tools that are not
considered core tools are now blockedfor students unless schools obtain
specific parent permission for them.
The good news first, again, core toolslike docs, slides, drive, classroom.
(04:49):
The main ones you're using are still fine.
Second, once the school hasobtained that parent permission,
others will be fine as well.
So it doesn't mean the end of usingGoogle Earth, for example, in schools.
It just means you're gonna haveto receive or obtain specific
permission for doing so.
And third, while this is annoying.
This is inconvenient for sure.
It's in the interest of improvedstudent privacy, so that's a good thing.
(05:12):
Uh, so this is all about compliancein terms of that privacy, specifically
with COPPA, the Children's OnlinePrivacy Protection Act, and with similar
global regulations, I assume as well.
But for teachers and edtech leaders, it means that.
Some go-to tools might suddenly beunavailable for students since this
happened a few days ago on March 1st.
(05:33):
You are probably alreadyaware of how this impacts you.
So I'm curious, did it impact you?
I'd love to hear from you aboutwhat happened on March 1st when
you came to school on that day.
It was a weekend, it was a Saturday.
So I guess when you came onMonday, on March 3rd, uh, were
you, were there surprises?
Were there things they're missing?
Did you go to use a certain thing in alesson and you had to pivot and change?
Did you know what was coming?
Did you not know it was coming?
(05:54):
Uh, what's your school doingto address this change?
I'd love to hear about it.
Let me know on x orBluesky at #EduDuctTape.
Or you could drop in a voice message tothe show at speakpipe.com/eduDuctTape.
Have you ever assigned something inGoogle Classroom and then immediately
realized, oh, I forgot a page.
(06:16):
Or halfway through the unit youthink, oh, I really wish I could add a
reflection slide to every student's work.
Wouldn't that be great?
Or maybe you've dreamed of a singledocument or slideshow for an entire
unit's guided notes, but let's be real.
You didn't have them already on day one.
Uh, I've been there.
Well, good news.
There's a new Googleadd-on that could do that.
(06:37):
Now.
It's called Magic Exercise Book,and it comes from a UK based
company called Not So Magic Apps.
This tool lets you add pages or slidesto every student's Google Doc or slides
assignment, even after you've alreadyassigned it to Google Classroom.
No need to manually open eachstudent's work and copy paste updates.
Just launch the add-on.
(06:57):
Select your update and pushit to all students at once.
Sounds like magic to me, butthey do call their company not so
magic apps, so I guess it's notmagic, it's just good technology.
Maybe we'll just call it awesome.
Now I know privacy is always a bigquestion with third party tools.
So here's the deal, having peaked attheir privacy policy, magic exercise
(07:18):
book collects no user data and does notaccess students' docs or slides directly.
It just processes updatesin Google Classroom.
If you try it out, I'dlove to hear how it goes.
Or if you have another tool that youuse for this use case that you feel
that can do it better, let me know.
Find me on X or Bluesky #EduDuctTape.
(07:38):
Or leave a voice message for theshow at speakpipe.com/eduDuctTape.
Let's shift from Google to whatseems to be the most commonly used
screen recorder in Google schools.
Screencastify, because they just madesome big changes to their free plan.
For the most part, it's goodnews, but there are some caveats.
(07:59):
So Screencastify freeplan now includes some.
Pretty powerful features for afree plan, some of which used to
be locked behind a paywall, someof which are just new features.
You can now get access to their AIassistant, which could do things
like generate video summariesand transcripts for your videos.
Um, also you get captions, whichcan now be translated into over 50
(08:20):
languages, making your videos moreaccessible for all learners, as
well as for multilingual learners.
Plus you get viewer analytics, so youcould track who's watching your videos
and how they're engaging with the content.
And there are also two new export options.
You can now download recordingsas MP4 files or MP3 files.
The free plan also includes, this isthe big one in my opinion, unlimited
(08:44):
Screencastify submit assignments,meaning as many times as you want
to send out Screencastify submitassignments and have students
record responses, you can do that.
So if you're looking for yourreplacement to flip previously known
as Flipgrid, this might be it becausefor free, at least for now, you could
do as many of those Screencastifysubmit, uh, assignments as you want.
(09:05):
Of course, while that submit featureis now unlimited, there are still
limitations, uh, elsewhere onScreencastify on the free plan.
So first, the free plan is cappedat 10 video recordings total.
Now, that's different from yourScreencastify submit assignments.
It's just 10 videos that you make,and each of those videos can be
no longer than 30 minutes long.
You also get 10 video captions andtranslations, 10 quizzes 'cause they can
(09:31):
now add quizzes to videos and 10 uses ofthat AI assistant before you hit a limit.
If you upgrade to the starter plan,you get unlimited videos, longer
recording times up to 60 minutes each.
Uh and unlimited video quizzes, plusextra features like a premium library
of videos and more editing exports.
And then there's also a pro plan andspecial plans for schools and districts
(09:53):
that give you even more features, butstill those additions to the free plan:
access to an AI assistant, captions,translated captions, viewer analytics,
downloading MP4 or MP3 files and unlimitedScreencastify submit assignments.
Those sound pretty great.
Now, whenever a tool is handlingvideos and student submissions,
privacy is always a concern.
(10:15):
So, uh, checked around on theirwebsite, Screencastify makes it clear
that they don't own your videos.
They don't sell your data andthey don't show you ads at all.
Their entire business model, they sayon the site is subscription based,
meaning they make money from paidplans, so they don't need to make
money from collecting or monetizingyour information or showing you ads.
(10:36):
They're also certified coppa, FERPA,and SOPPA compliant, and state that
they collect only the minimum amountof data needed to operate the software.
So if you're already a Screencastify user.
Did these updates to the freeplan make a difference for you?
Did they give you new thingsyou didn't have before?
Did you lose things?
Which free offering is your favorite?
Let us know on X or Blueskyor the SpeakPipe for the show.
(11:01):
If you're here listening to me,you probably have the same thoughts
as me about AI and education.
We see the potential, we see theadvantages, but we also see the risks.
And if you're like me, you're alsowondering what does AI implementation
actually look like in schools across thecountry, aside from the ones that I'm in.
Well, common Sense Media recentlyreleased a white paper called
(11:23):
Generative AI in K through 12education Challenges and opportunities.
It dives into how AI is alreadybeing used in schools, what risks it
brings, and how educators can navigatethis rapidly evolving landscape.
A few key takeaways from the report.
Number one, most schools don't yethave clear AI policies, which let's be
honest, is something we all suspected.
(11:45):
Second, AI powered tools are alreadyin classrooms helping with lesson
planning, grading feedback, butmany districts are still figuring
out how to regulate AI responsibly.
Also, we probably saw that one comingthird takeaway, some of the risks that
they mentioned include AI's tendency togenerate inaccurate or biased content,
(12:05):
privacy concerns, and of course, thebig question of cheating and plagiarism.
No surprises here either.
And fourth, they point out thatAI also presents opportunities
like personalizing, learning,translation support, and reducing
administrative workload for teachers.
You know this because you've heardme and my guests talk about a lot of
these things before too, so not a lotof surprises here, but it's valuable
(12:29):
to have a researched white paper thattakes this from what we suspected
to something that we can confirmand more importantly, we can act on.
The report also highlights how someschools are actively incorporating AI into
their curriculum, as well as how othersare taking a much more cautious approach.
If you want to dive deeper intothis report, which I recommend, I'll
drop the link in the show notes.
(12:50):
If you read it, I'd loveto hear your thoughts.
Were there any surprises in this report?
Let us know.
On social media or on SpeakPipe.
Alright, science teachers,this one is for you.
If you've used PhET interactivesimulations before, that's PhET
PhET Interactive Simulations.
You already know how amazing they are.
They're so good at helping studentsexplore physics and chemistry
(13:12):
concepts, things you normallycan't do in the classroom.
Uh, and explore them visually sothat they could be almost hands-on.
And if you haven't used PhETsimulations yet, and you're a science
teacher, pause this, check themout, and then come back to the show.
Are you back now that you're in lovewith PhET, which I'm sure you are,
(13:32):
if you went and looked at it, you'regoing to be in love with this news.
Quizizz has teamed up with PhET tobring something really valuable to
science classrooms built in formativeassessment and self-assessment tools
for these incredible simulations.
So now, instead of students justinteracting with a PhET simulation and
you hoping they understand the concept,or them filling out maybe a worksheet
(13:54):
on the side while they're doing it,you can embed Quizizz, questions
directly alongside the simulation tocheck for understanding in real time.
This means that students can exploreand test ideas in the simulations
and get immediate feedback ontheir learning all in one place.
And they can act on that feedbackbecause there's an auto grading
(14:14):
option, and you can get some formativeassessment data out of it too.
And here's the best part, I. Thisintegration is available to everyone.
Any Quizizz user can find and useready-made simulation sets from the
Quizizz library, and even createtheir own simulation-based sets.
So originally they said free userscould use the ones that existed.
(14:36):
Paid users could alsocreate their own sets.
Now they said, you know what?
Everybody could do this for free.
You could both use and find, uh,PhET simulations inside of Quizizz
with questions already built,or you could build your own.
Now paid Quizizz, school and districtplans do unlock some additional
question types as always, uh, but thebasic question types are available
(14:57):
with the PhET simulations for free.
Um, otherwise all users haveaccess to this collaboration.
Also, I will point out on thatpoint, if you're using the free
Quizizz plan, you'll want to keepan eye on your activity limit.
You can, from what I've been told, onlyhave up to 20 activities at a time.
But you can archive old onesto make room for new content.
As you can tell, I've been being mindfullately about also sharing EdTech tools,
(15:21):
privacy and data security policies.
So Quizizz states that they adhere tofederal, state and privacy laws like
FERPA and COPPA, and meet strict statelevel privacy requirements for places
like California and Texas and New York.
As well as others.
They're also members of the SchoolData Privacy Consortium, SDPC,
and Access for Learning A4L.
(15:42):
Uh, so they're working to meetas many district specific privacy
requirements as possible.
Okay, science teachers, I needto hear from you on this one.
If you try this out in Quizizz,let me know what you think of it.
How'd it go?
Share on X or Bluesky or on SpeakPipe.
Links and details are in the show notes.
Alright, this next one is not ed tech,but it's a book that caught my attention
(16:05):
while I was looking on technology.
So maybe it kind of counts and Ithink a lot of you anyhow are gonna
like this book recommendation andfind it just as interesting as I did.
I first heard about it on Blueskyfrom Rick Wormeli and after reading
an excerpt of the book online, I'meager to dive into the full book.
Haven't yet, but I'm really eagerto, I read the entire excerpt.
I, I thought I was just gonna take aquick peek at it, but I ended up reading
(16:26):
the whole thing 'cause I was so into it.
It is called Change the Wallpaper: Transforming Cultural Patterns (16:28):
undefined
to Build More Just Communitiesand it is by Nilanjana Dasgupta.
Uh, the premise is fascinating, and it'salso timely as there are shifts happening
in our country right now that, uh, well,I, I won't even go there, but by saying
(16:50):
I'm interested in this book, you'llknow where I stand on other things too.
Anyhow, let me get away from that topic.
This book is all about how smallshifts in our everyday environments
can lead to real structural change inour communities and our workplaces, and
most importantly for us, our schools.
So Dasgupta, a social psychologist, arguesthat instead of relying on things like
(17:13):
bias training or symbolic acts, we shouldfocus on changing the wallpaper around us.
Now, I'm not a fan of actual wallpaper,but I am a fan of this metaphor.
When she says wallpaper, what she meansis kind of our surroundings, the local
cultures that we interact with every day.
She suggests rethinking how ourphysical spaces representation
(17:36):
and social norms shape inequality.
Often in ways we don't even notice.
But the good news is that this book setsout to disrupt those patterns, change
that wallpaper and intentionally designenvironments that foster inclusion.
Understanding and collective action.
Dasgupta says that she is drawing onresearch across 10 different disciplines,
(17:57):
from psychology and education to urbanplanning and sociology, so that she
could show us exactly how cultural forcespush us apart or bring us together,
and most importantly, how we couldshift towards bringing us together.
Using changes in the wallpaper.
If you're someone who's interestedin creating more equitable classrooms
(18:18):
or schools or communities, thisone might be worth checking out.
I'll drop a link to the excerpt I readin the show notes, but if you do end
up reading the full book as I planto, let me know what you think of it.
Again, you could share about thaton X or Bluesky #EduDuctTape.
Or head over to the speakpipeat speakpipe.com/EduDuctTape.
Alright folks, that's all I've got for youtoday in today's education update roundup.
(18:42):
I really want to hear fromyou about these updates.
You know the drill, reach out on Blueskyor X using #EduDuctTape or record a voice
message at speakpipe.com/eduDuctTape.
Please consider sharing aboutthe show, uh, to the education
friends in your life who you thinkwould benefit from these updates.
Please make sure you're subscribed so youhear next week's episode, which hopefully
(19:03):
will have one of the amazing, uh, guests.
That I'm featuring inthe next few episodes.
Hopefully we'll have that interviewrecorded and ready to go for you.
So make sure you're subscribed inwhatever your favorite podcast
app is so that you don't miss it.
Hopefully you'll be here.
But most of all, thanks foreverything you do for learners.
Um, I appreciate you.
Thanks for being here, andI'll see you next week.
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