Hashtag Trending – Apple unveils reopening plans; Google Classroom; and another COVID-19 conspiracy theory

Apple unveils its reopening plans, thousands of students take their anger to social media after they get Google Classroom notifications on a holiday, and hey look, it’s another preposterous COVID-19 conspiracy theory making its rounds on social media.

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Apple says it plans to reopen several North American stores this week that had been shut due to the pandemic. This will include 12 stores in Canada and more than 25 across the U.S. Apple says it has reopened nearly 100 of its retail locations around the world as restrictions have eased, but some are only offering curbside or storefront service, a tactic being used by an increasing number of other small businesses. According to its new blueprint, all Apple stores will allow customers to make Genius Bar reservations, and those reopening will require face coverings and temperature checks.

As most of us tried to enjoy the long weekend, thousands of angry students took to social media to vent their frustrations about Google Classroom notifications, leading to what many students have described as a ‘serious buzz kill.’ Google Classroom is a popular way for educators in Canada to teach online. Other popular tools used by both teachers and students include Microsoft Teams and Cisco Webex. Because COVID-19 affects every province differently, no one can reach a consensus on when classrooms will return to normal. In the meantime, students and educators across Canada are having a hard time adapting to online classrooms.

And lastly, a video being shared widely shows a man allegedly holding telecoms equipment marked “COV-19,” which he claims is part of a kit for erecting 5G masts. Reuters fact-checked the claims and spoke to Virgin Media, who said that the equipment shown is not a 5G telecoms kit. They believe that the circuit board was taken from an old TV box. The footage emerged recently and has been shared on most social networks. Remember everyone, double-check your facts, cross reference, and stick to trusted sources.

That’s all the tech news that’s trending right now. Hashtag Trending is a part of the ITWC Podcast network. Add us to your Alexa Flash Briefing or your Google Home daily briefing.

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Jim Love, Chief Content Officer, IT World Canada

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