Mike Reading

Commander and Chief at Using Technology Better :: a #Google, #Microsoft, #Apple, #Canva training company with offices in 🇳🇿 🇦🇺 🇲🇾 🇯🇵 serving the 🌏

[Using Technology Better @Usingtechbetter]

Teachers: Want to make tech work for you - not against you?
APL Live is back Jan 19–21 for AU & NZ educators.
Free sessions. Practical strategies. Real classroom impact.
🧵 Here’s what’s coming:
#APL #AppleEducation #ANZTeachers

[Paul Hamilton @PaulHamilton8]

Teachers can now register for Apple Professional Learning Live’s Back to School 2026 sessions. Free, practical workshops focused on classroom-ready ideas for using iPad and Mac. A great way to start the year with fresh ideas.
https://t.co/CbdBloG4nR
@AppleEDU @Usingtechbetter

[Tommy Robinson 🇬🇧 @TRobinsonNewEra]

HELP

[Paul Hamilton @PaulHamilton8]

Just shared in the Apple Education community:
Before the Words: Using Visuals, Soundscapes, and AI Socratic Tools to Spark Writing.
@AppleEDU @Usingtechbetter
https://t.co/JnkVhi07Nv

[Paul Hamilton @PaulHamilton8]

I work a lot with Higher Education and Secondary teachers in the area of Spatial. I always love sharing new FREE tools I come across for 3D creation, and this one is a rip snorter! Create 3D maps of your local area. @Usingtechbetter
https://t.co/EKFXDx4XH5

[Paul Hamilton @PaulHamilton8]

Did you know @MicrosoftEDU @Copilot now has image to 3D creation?? You will find it in the link in the comments. Free and in the Copilot labs section. Great way for students to visualise design concepts in 3D. And it does a pretty good job. @Usingtechbetter

[Mike Reading @MikeReading]

Awesome!

[Paul Hamilton @PaulHamilton8]

On my flight to Melbourne, I used @canva AI (text→video) to make an 8-sec clip of an 80’s bedroom.
Fed it into https://t.co/RC38QKSqyD → got a 3D Gaussian Splat scene I can walk through!
Low-res but amazing for just 8 sec of video. Potential for games, spatial tours… huge!

[Mike Tholfsen @mtholfsen]

Now rolling out globally! Microsoft 365 Copilot and Copilot Chat is now Generally Available for 13+

Rollout will take a week or two to complete 🌍🌎🌏

Details in the link below 👇

[Mike Reading @MikeReading]

This is definitely worth checking out

[Paul Hamilton @PaulHamilton8]

If you’re a teacher looking to make sense of AI—and how it connects to assessment, knowledge, skills, and FAQ, + brilliant resources that bring AI to life in the classroom.
Module 2 has just dropped, focused entirely on student use.
@Usingtechbetter
https://t.co/psNqhPEnLt

[Paul Hamilton @PaulHamilton8]

🎧 Spatial Audio in AR! Preview GarageBand’s Dancefloor Rush loop in AR—each 3D shape holds a unique sound. Drag them around, get closer, and hear audio shift with your movement in AirPods. Opens in Safari if you don’t have @scenery_app on iPhone/iPad.
https://t.co/RrQGwQM74q

[Paul Hamilton @PaulHamilton8]

Just sharing again because it fills my soul. This kind of interactive student tech isn’t about the tools or the end product - it’s about the stories they help tell, and that quiet, powerful hope that our community will feel something real and want to connect. #themaskswewear

[Paul Hamilton @PaulHamilton8]

They said I couldn’t copy/reuse the code from @canva {codeforme}—but I love a challenge. Just discovered a simple hack that unlocked everything. Sometimes the biggest breakthroughs come from the smallest shifts in thinking. @CanvaEdu @Usingtechbetter
https://t.co/H4bIZIIduC

[Using Technology Better @Usingtechbetter]

AI in education is transforming how we teach and learn! 🚀 Huge thanks to the educators, school leaders, and our partners @pbtechnz, @FusionIT_NZ , and @GoogleForEdu for making the #GoogleRoadshow in Auckland a success #EdTech #AIinEducation #UTBAI

[Mike Reading @MikeReading]

A great opportunity for your students

[Using Technology Better @Usingtechbetter]

What if your students could design shelters that save lives? With creativity, innovation, and Canva, they can.

Join Rethinking Shelter: The Ultimate Canva Design Challenge - where students rethink what shelter means. Create. Compete. Inspire. 🧵👇
@PaulHamilton8 @CanvaEdu

[Paul Hamilton @PaulHamilton8]

Hey Aussie Teachers!
We’re thrilled to be teaming up with Canva for an exciting new design competition!
Living in Australia means natural disasters are part of our story — but so is our creativity & resilience. Let’s empower our students to imagine & design. @canva @CanvaEdu

[Paul Hamilton @PaulHamilton8]

In my latest article, I explore how spatial memory connects us to the world around us and how we can bridge the physical and digital through RoomPlan scans. Check it out (only a 2 minute read).... @Apple @AppleEDU @Usingtechbetter
https://t.co/oFnCUUn7xF

[Paul Hamilton @PaulHamilton8]

I have given some examples of how capturing the world in 3D can benefit industries such as design/architecture but what about creative industries? How about taking that roomplan scan & creating a game environment. Made in @splinetool with custom lidar scan mercenary character.

[Adam Grant @AdamMGrant]

Intrinsic motivation isn't taught. It's unleashed.

Kids learn to value wealth, status & fame by observing what their parents prize. But they come to value growth, connection & contribution when they feel supported.

The heart of building character is building caring relationships.

[Paul Hamilton @PaulHamilton8]

A Canva tool that you may not be aware of? Teachers - you'll love this one. Close activities, interactive feedback, check for understanding or even prototyping UI designs. Anything else? Let me introduce you to 'The dropdown'. @Usingtechbetter @CanvaEdu @canva

[Mike Reading @MikeReading]

Wow. Here we go #educators. Keep up 😀

[James Bedford @james_s_bedford]

Soon an ‘AI student agent’ could complete an asynchronous online course autonomously. This isn’t just about using ChatGPT for essays; it’s about handling all course activities from logging into an LMS, submitting assignments w.o any learner intervention.

https://t.co/nGlncrI5nB