https://anchor.fm/hitechpod/episodes/60--Cognitive-Dissonance--Around-e1k5o5b

This Week's App: Around

What is Around?

Around is a video conferencing tool built to help hybrid-remote teams or classrooms collaborate together.

Now we know what you are probably saying…another video conference tool? We have Zoom! You are right we do have Zoom and to be honest, Around is not something revolutionary, it does video-based calls, allows everyone to share screens, and pretty much everything Zoom gives us, but it also adds some spice to meet specific needs.

What can it be used for?

Around’s bread and butter is that it was built for what we call hybrid-remote. This is when you have a video call that has several people in the same room while others are remote. Give you a tool called Echo-prevention, which allows people in the same room to ignore other people's mics. This feature could allow you to let all the students in a class join on their computers so the remote students can see their faces, but not get annoying feedback.

Another great thing about Around is that they have added some focus tools, fun meeting vibes, and other fun social features that can spruce up meetings. To learn more watch the video below:

https://vimeo.com/655168575?embedded=true&source=vimeo_logo&owner=160179564

Around works like a lot of other video conference tools, it is just that it gives you some extra stuff that makes the whole experience a lot better.

How do I get started?

Around, much like Zoom is a freemium tool which means you can use it for free, but you are limited. To learn more check out their pricing page.

Once you do all that you can sign up here to get started. The tool is pretty easy to use so we think you should be good with their basic tutorials in the tool, but if you need more help you can check out their FAQ page.