Our VPN provider has informed us that due to the upcoming CPC National Congress, they must comply with government regulations limiting access to overseas websites from October 9 to October 28. During this time, the following services will not be available on the school network:
- YouTube
- Line
- Instagram
Other overseas websites, including Google Search and Gmail, will not be affected.
While you probably don’t use the above tools in your classes, you may miss YouTube for showing educational videos. To work around this, consider
- Contacting Dianne in the library. She has curated a great selection of subscription academic resources that she would be happy to show you.
- Using ClipGrab (www.clipgrab.de) to download YouTube videos ahead of time
- Using Stream, part of Office 365, to upload those videos so that they are accessible to students. You can also upload them to Canvas, but you may get better performance from stream.
- TeacherTube (https://www.teachertube.com/) is full of educational videos
Also be aware that ExpressVPN may be blocked or severely limited from Oct 9 to 28. We have not received any specific information about this, but in the past the government has cracked down on foreign VPN services during sensitive times. One workaround to let you access your personal Gmail account is to add it to the Outlook app on your smartphone. Outlook checks your Gmail through Microsoft’s servers, meaning that you can access your Gmail without a VPN if you use the Outlook app.