Filed under:The event is virtual again this yearMicrosoft has updated its to reveal the dates of Microsoft Build 2021. Per the new listing, the annual conference will take place from May 25th–27th this year. It will also be held , along with many of Microsoft’s 2021 events.A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed the dates to The Verge. “Please stay tuned for more information to come,” the spokesperson said.“Microsoft Build is where developers, architects, start-ups, and students learn, connect, and code together, sharing knowledge and expanding their skillset, while exploring new ways of...…Filed under:The event is virtual again this yearMicrosoft has updated its to reveal the dates of Microsoft Build 2021. Per the new listing, the annual conference will take place from May 25th–27th this year. It will also be held , along with many of Microsoft’s 2021 events.A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed the dates to The Verge. “Please stay tuned for more information to come,” the spokesperson said.“Microsoft Build is where developers, architects, start-ups, and students learn, connect, and code together, sharing knowledge and expanding their skillset, while exploring new ways of...WW…

Filed under:Plus, new screen-reader features and tools for parentsGoogle has announced that a built-in screen recorder is coming to Chrome OS in March. Google hopes the tool will make it easier for students and teachers to record virtual lessons. “Teachers have long recorded lessons to help students do homework and study for tests, but in the past year it’s become downright critical for virtual learning,” reads Google’s .It looks pretty simple. Once you’ve pressed the appropriate button on your Chromebook, you’ll see a countdown in the center of your screen. While your Chromebook is...…Filed under:Plus, new screen-reader features and tools for parentsGoogle has announced that a built-in screen recorder is coming to Chrome OS in March. Google hopes the tool will make it easier for students and teachers to record virtual lessons. “Teachers have long recorded lessons to help students do homework and study for tests, but in the past year it’s become downright critical for virtual learning,” reads Google’s .It looks pretty simple. Once you’ve pressed the appropriate button on your Chromebook, you’ll see a countdown in the center of your screen. While your Chromebook is...WW…

Filed under:A new report urges ExamSoft to change its featuresGabe Teninbaum, a professor at Suffolk University Law School, is calling on ExamSoft to fix a serious bug with its test-taking software: failure to recognize faces. It’s a problem that can delay test takers — or bar them from starting their exams altogether — and per reports, it disproportionately impacts people with dark skin tones.ExamSoft’s software records students while they complete remote exams and monitors for signs of academic dishonesty. addresses an ExamSoft feature called ExamID, which aims to verify that test-takers...…Filed under:A new report urges ExamSoft to change its featuresGabe Teninbaum, a professor at Suffolk University Law School, is calling on ExamSoft to fix a serious bug with its test-taking software: failure to recognize faces. It’s a problem that can delay test takers — or bar them from starting their exams altogether — and per reports, it disproportionately impacts people with dark skin tones.ExamSoft’s software records students while they complete remote exams and monitors for signs of academic dishonesty. addresses an ExamSoft feature called ExamID, which aims to verify that test-takers...WW…

Filed under:Faculty, staff, and students say they’ve had enoughBetween August 23rd and 24th, Ian Linkletter, a learning technology specialist at the University of British Columbia (UBC), made a series of tweets criticizing a software that his school uses. The software was called Proctorio, an online test-proctoring tool that monitors students for suspicious behavior while they take virtual exams. The tweets contained links to unlisted YouTube videos describing various aspects of the program, taken from Proctorio’s help website for instructors.“This video from Proctorio’s YouTube channel...…Filed under:Faculty, staff, and students say they’ve had enoughBetween August 23rd and 24th, Ian Linkletter, a learning technology specialist at the University of British Columbia (UBC), made a series of tweets criticizing a software that his school uses. The software was called Proctorio, an online test-proctoring tool that monitors students for suspicious behavior while they take virtual exams. The tweets contained links to unlisted YouTube videos describing various aspects of the program, taken from Proctorio’s help website for instructors.“This video from Proctorio’s YouTube channel...WW…

It’s not uncommon for households in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, to lose internet for a full day. The last time it happened, back in the spring, Christina Rothermel-Branham connected herself (a professor at Northeastern State University, teaching online) and her son (a kindergartener at Heritage Elementary, learning online) to the hotspot on her phone. Luckily, nobody had a Zoom call scheduled that day; worksheets and YouTube videos proceeded as planned.Rothermel-Branham’s son is now in first grade. He has multiple Zoom sessions per day and takes online classes through Outschool. She doesn’t know...…It’s not uncommon for households in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, to lose internet for a full day. The last time it happened, back in the spring, Christina Rothermel-Branham connected herself (a professor at Northeastern State University, teaching online) and her son (a kindergartener at Heritage Elementary, learning online) to the hotspot on her phone. Luckily, nobody had a Zoom call scheduled that day; worksheets and YouTube videos proceeded as planned.Rothermel-Branham’s son is now in first grade. He has multiple Zoom sessions per day and takes online classes through Outschool. She doesn’t know...WW…

Filed under:You can earn up to 3 percent cash backVenmo has launched its first credit card (the aptly named ). It’s rolling out today to “select customers,” according to the company, but it will be available to everyone in the coming months. You can apply , provided that you’re at least 18, live in the US, and have a Venmo account in good standing that’s been open for at least 30 days.The Visa card can be managed directly in the Venmo app. You’ll be able to view your spending activity, track your rewards, make payments (you can use your Venmo balance to pay off the card), and split...…Filed under:You can earn up to 3 percent cash backVenmo has launched its first credit card (the aptly named ). It’s rolling out today to “select customers,” according to the company, but it will be available to everyone in the coming months. You can apply , provided that you’re at least 18, live in the US, and have a Venmo account in good standing that’s been open for at least 30 days.The Visa card can be managed directly in the Venmo app. You’ll be able to view your spending activity, track your rewards, make payments (you can use your Venmo balance to pay off the card), and split...WW…

Filed under:Plus, a bunch of ThinkBooksLenovo has announced a ThinkPad like no ThinkPad you’ve ever seen before: the ThinkPad X1 Fold. Think , but a 13-inch OLED laptop screen. It’s available for now, starting at $2,499.The idea is that you can use the Fold like a large tablet when it’s fully unfolded (or divide the screen into two adjacent displays). You can prop the Fold up horizontally to use it like a full 13-inch notebook, with an optional detachable keyboard and easel stand. You can fold the thing up 90 degrees, turn it vertically, and use it like a miniature laptop (a touchscreen...…Filed under:Plus, a bunch of ThinkBooksLenovo has announced a ThinkPad like no ThinkPad you’ve ever seen before: the ThinkPad X1 Fold. Think , but a 13-inch OLED laptop screen. It’s available for now, starting at $2,499.The idea is that you can use the Fold like a large tablet when it’s fully unfolded (or divide the screen into two adjacent displays). You can prop the Fold up horizontally to use it like a full 13-inch notebook, with an optional detachable keyboard and easel stand. You can fold the thing up 90 degrees, turn it vertically, and use it like a miniature laptop (a touchscreen...WW…

Caroline Poole was in her off-campus apartment in Maine when a high school friend texted her in a panic. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had released a for the fall 2020 semester: international students who were taking an online course load could not remain in the US.Poole’s college, Bowdoin, was planning to offer an almost entirely virtual semester. Poole — who is from Toronto, Canada — could be deported.“I opened my computer and saw that everything was the worst that I could have imagined,” she said. “It was terrifying.”The ICE guidelines dropped on July 6th, after a number...…Caroline Poole was in her off-campus apartment in Maine when a high school friend texted her in a panic. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had released a for the fall 2020 semester: international students who were taking an online course load could not remain in the US.Poole’s college, Bowdoin, was planning to offer an almost entirely virtual semester. Poole — who is from Toronto, Canada — could be deported.“I opened my computer and saw that everything was the worst that I could have imagined,” she said. “It was terrifying.”The ICE guidelines dropped on July 6th, after a number...WW…

Filed under:Now available in five statesVerizon has announced a new home internet service that uses its 4G LTE wireless network. The service will target rural communities that aren’t currently served by Verizon’s Fios or 5G Home options.The new “broadband” service is now available in Savannah, Georgia; Springfield, Missouri; and the Tri-Cities region of Tennessee, Virginia, and Kentucky. The plan will cost $40 per month for customers who already have a Verizon mobile plan and $60 for everyone else. (You’ll also need an LTE Home router, which costs $240.)“With LTE Home Internet, our most...…Filed under:Now available in five statesVerizon has announced a new home internet service that uses its 4G LTE wireless network. The service will target rural communities that aren’t currently served by Verizon’s Fios or 5G Home options.The new “broadband” service is now available in Savannah, Georgia; Springfield, Missouri; and the Tri-Cities region of Tennessee, Virginia, and Kentucky. The plan will cost $40 per month for customers who already have a Verizon mobile plan and $60 for everyone else. (You’ll also need an LTE Home router, which costs $240.)“With LTE Home Internet, our most...WW…

Filed under:It’s not as exciting as it soundsThe US Supreme Court has upheld a federal ban on robocalls to cellphones from 1991, and it struck down a provision that exempted government-debt collectors.“Americans passionately disagree about many things,” reads the majority written by Justice Brett Kavanaugh. “But they are largely united in their disdain for robocalls.”The ruling concerns the 1991 Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), which prohibited “almost all robocalls to phones.” A 2015 amendment to the TCPA grants an exception to robocalls made solely to collect debt on behalf of...…Filed under:It’s not as exciting as it soundsThe US Supreme Court has upheld a federal ban on robocalls to cellphones from 1991, and it struck down a provision that exempted government-debt collectors.“Americans passionately disagree about many things,” reads the majority written by Justice Brett Kavanaugh. “But they are largely united in their disdain for robocalls.”The ruling concerns the 1991 Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), which prohibited “almost all robocalls to phones.” A 2015 amendment to the TCPA grants an exception to robocalls made solely to collect debt on behalf of...WW…