iPads, MakerEd and More in Education

Video calls can be a harsh reminder of the sudden changes in your child's life.

You have probably seen people in your meetings that look like they are at the beach or in a fancy office. More than likely though, they are in their messy living room using a virtual background. A virtual background is an image that you insert behind you when you are participating in a virtual meeting. It can be a still image or a video.

Why would anyone want to do this? The best reason I have heard from an educational perspective is that students may not want their peers to see their home. Allowing them to use a virtual background prevents others from seeing their living space, including any of their family members. Their home is their private space and they may want to keep it private. Plus, using a virtual background can be fun, too, a way to creatively express your current mood or thoughts.

I think it’s great that everyone is now turning to virtual chat services to stay in touch with their friends and loved ones—everything from regular catch-ups, to awkward dinner hangouts, to Dungeons & Dragons games. What’s not so fun is when someone jumps into a Zoom call, public or otherwise, and starts screen-sharing porn to all the meetings’ recipients.