Finding new technology so you don't have to
As frequent readers of this blog know, I’m a fan of everyone who has the skill to create scripts that make Canvas better. This post will feature another James Jones script (thank you, James!). Like other scripts, this one uses… Read moreCanvas enhancement: Color border
Here are some handy features in the latest Canvas update. Some of these features needs to be turned on by your Canvas administrator. If you don’t see this feature in your instance of Canvas, ask your Canvas administrator to flip… Read moreCanvas updates: Apply score to ungraded, default due time, speedgrader emoji, & downloading all work
If you have had students who have submitted particularly good work or work that illustrates common errors, you may want to share the work with your current students. Since the students’ names are not on their files—or you have removed… Read moreSharing student work anonymously? The file’s metadata may reveal the name of the student
I wish it would have occurred to someone to call whiteboards “snowboards.” That sounds way more fun. Zoom has had a rudimentary whiteboard as part of its Screenshare menu. For those of you who find that that whiteboard serves your… Read moreNew Zoom whiteboards
Zoom released its latest update today, Monday, April 18, 2022. Below, I’ve listed some of the features that I find particularly useful. You can find the full list here. This update is a manual download. The easiest way to get… Read moreZoom update (5.10.3): Polls, breakout rooms, reactions
I’ve written before about using Tampermonkey scripts for adding functionality to Canvas. If you’re not familiar with Tampermonkey scripts for Canvas, please read that post first. I have another one for my fellow intrepid Canvas users. This one comes from… Read moreCanvas: Tampermonkey script for setting default due time
Why do these webcam videos appear in this particular order? [Source: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362323-Adjusting-your-video-layout-during-a-virtual-meeting] The good folks at the MIT Teaching and Learning Lab have taken serious consideration of the algorithm Zoom uses to determine the order of webcams in Zoom’s gallery… Read moreZoom’s gallery algorithm. Are we inadvertently ignoring some students?
I have a colleague who emailed recently needing a transcript from a podcast episode. How could she get one? It’s surprisingly easy. If you do not already have the file (mp3/m4a/wav—or mp4 if it’s a video), you’ll need to get… Read moreOffice 365: Word has a transcription feature
In Zoom 5.10.0 (released March 21, 2022), we have some new features that instructors and their students might appreciate. This release is a manual download. Get it here. First, animal avatars. You can find the menu next to virtual backgrounds… Read moreZoom update includes animal avatars
For Windows users, there is free collection of utilities called PowerToys that add some functionality to Windows. While there are a dozen tools in PowerToys, there are two I’m particularly enamored with: mouse utilities and video conference mute. Working with… Read moreMS PowerToys