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Howdy, folks! Welcome to another in a series of periodic ed tech news roundups. We hope you enjoy this one, and if you have a story you’d like to see included, let us know.
Big Ideas Around Remote Learning
Remote education has shaken up much of the routine of schooling. As with any time of sudden change, there’s plenty to reflect on. Here are some of the big ideas floating around the education industry as much of the US shelters in place.
- The Brookings Institution reports on “school closures, government responses, and learning inequality around the world during COVID-19.” [Brookings]
- New York magazine’s The Cut profiles the changes and challenges in the life of New York City English teacher Samantha Elkaim. [The Cut]
- EdSurge editor Jeffrey R. Young offers advice to newly-remote teachers. [EdSurge]
- Also from EdSurge: The three biggest problems in remote teaching. [EdSurge]
- Remote teaching can also highlight disparities, according to The Atlantic. [The Atlantic]
- In higher education, some are looking into the long-term effects of teaching and learning at a distance. [Inside Higher Ed]
Hands-on, at a Distance
Many elective courses, like fine arts and physical education, are facing the challenges of instruction and teaching without face-to-face interactions, as are some academic areas like science labs.
- Former university president Michael T. Nietzel discusses how students are looking to “the finer things in life”—art, music, and nature—during lockdown. [Forbes]
- Even academic subjects, like many sciences, have to adapt to instruction without hands-on learning. [Nature]
- For those courses and subjects that might feel constrained by remote learning, however, there is some hope in the form of novel and creative ways of remote teaching. [Inside Higher Ed]
Attendance Issues
The switch to remote teaching has left some school districts struggling to ensure students not only have time and access to remote learning, but also figuring out how to make sure students show up, even when school is on a screen.
- San Antonio ISD has found that, in the first week of teaching remotely, “more than 19 percent of them had not completed online work, responded to inquiries either online or by phone, or picked up devices at schools.” [Express-News]
- Meanwhile, two weeks into Austin’s remote teaching experience, AISD states that “more than half of the students who told the district that they needed a Chromebook gave a different address than the one they have in the district’s system.” [American-Statesman]
Student Voice
And how are students reacting to this new world of online learning? Some new outlets are digging in.
- The New York Times dives into a discussion with students about their reflections on the current changes to their education. [The New York Times]
- In California, a review of student and teacher responses shows an array of experiences. [EdSource]
Learning Hubs
Don’t forget, many apps, companies, and organizations (including TCEA) are putting together remote learning resources on easy-to-access hub pages. Here are a few worth checking out, if you haven’t already.
Photo: Helena Lopes
You have probably already heard of Flipgrid and perhaps even started using it, at least to some degree. It definitely seems to be the perfect tool to support students in many ways, not to mention using it as a way to provide peer- and content-support to teachers. 
Begin by making sure that your profile is updated. Don’t be shy. This will allow others to better connect with you. Click on your image in the top right and select Profile. Select a photo or avatar for your profile picture. If you have a picture that has a busy background or you want to use a quick editing tool to remove the background (as I did on my 
GridPals is, as you may have deduced, Flipgrid’s version of pen pals. It’s a super easy way to connect with other educators and enthusiasts to further learning and improve education. 
Featured Disco Playlists are sets of topic templates provided by various organizations such as 
No, this isn’t creating mixtapes on cassettes like we might have done back in the ’80s and ’90s to give to someone special. This is a whole new way of sharing — but based on the same principle. 
So how do you use Flipgrid? Which feature(s) have you found to be the most impactful? Even if you haven’t had a chance to use Flipgrid, have you come across an innovative way to incorporate it in the teaching and learning process or in professional development? We’d love to hear from you! 