Way Beyond Virtual Field Trips: The Surprising & Incredible Ways Educators Are Using ClassVR Virtual Reality in Schools

Join us as we dig in to the “endless” ways ClassVR virtual reality headsets are helping educators get students excited about learning — and some incredible and surprising benefits of using ClassVR in schools, particularly for special education students, students with autism, and those with limited mobility.

Guests are digital learning specialist Charley Suter from Spaulding Academy & Family Services, a small, nonprofit special-education school in Northfield, New Hampshire, and Michael “GoogleMan” Jaber, instructional technology coordinator at Sheboygan Area School District in Wisconsin.

Jaber and Suter explain their vetting process and why they settled on ClassVR headsets, the training and set-up required for teachers to start using them in classrooms, how easy it is for educators to create custom content, and the endless possibilities for using ClassVR headsets to boost learning outcomes, particularly among special-needs students.

THE Journal Insider podcast explores current ed tech trends and issues impacting K–12 educators, IT professionals, instructional technologists, education leaders, and ed tech providers. Listen in as THE Journal Editor Kristal Kuykendall chats with ed tech experts, educators, and industry leaders about how they are 'meeting the moment' in the U.S. public education system. Find all podcast episodes as well as K–12 ed tech news updated daily at THEJournal.com.

Resource links:

• ClassVR

• ClassVR Ideas for Educators blog

• Avantis World

• CoSpaces

• ThingLink

Music by LemonMusicStudio from Pixabay

Duration: 34 minutes

Why Student Data Breaches Are Dangerous & How They May Alter the Ed Tech Marketplace

Since January, two reported cyberattacks targeting ed tech providers have resulted in the breach of private information of more than 3.5 million U.S. K–12 students — and likely millions more. No one knows for certain how many students had their personal data compromised, and it’s probable that we will never know.

Such data breaches — even if they don’t include a Social Security number — are very dangerous for students and can impact their financial futures for many years to come, explains podcast guest Doug Levin, national director of K12 Security Information Exchange, the leading nonprofit advocate for K–12 cybersecurity resources in the United States. Levin discusses the expanding impact of recent ed tech data breaches, what it means for public school leaders and parents, and what policy changes K12SIX is advocating for to protect students.

Data privacy is also an important consideration in school district procurement, and podcast guest Dr. Tim Clark, Vice President of K12 Programs at 1EdTech, explains how their ed tech marketplace for school districts might soon see some changes to address growing concerns about student data privacy.

Resource links:

• K12 Security Information Exchange, aka K12SIX
• 1EdTech (formerly known as IMS Global)
• TrustedApps.org
• Illuminate Education Breach Included Los Angeles Unified & Riverside County Districts, Pushing Total Impacted to Over 3M

Music by AudioCoffee from Pixabay