EdTech Situation Room Episode 102

Welcome to episode 102 of the EdTech Situation Room from August 8, 2018, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Wesley Fryer (@wfryer) discussed an update to this summer’s MacBook Pro Throttling Controversy, the upcoming death of Flash functionality in 2020, and the importance of being wary when you see pop-up ads to “update flash” and other software on your computer. The recent decisions by Apple, YouTube/Google and Facebook to ban / take down websites and media channels of Alex Jones / InfoWars was also addressed, along with Facebook’s takedown of suspected Russian network pages. Jason shared a shout-out to the helpful updating software “Ninite” for Windows, and Wes shared a shout out to his school’s “Digital Citizenship Conversations” website as well. The perils of digital voting was discussed, along with the ongoing controversy over 3D printable guns. Amy Webb’s recent prediction that “smartphones will be gone in 10 years” and other trends identified through her “Future Today Institute.” The recent news that voice-based phone calls are finally in decline in Britain, Logitech’s purchase of Blue Microphones, a cautionary tale for users of free VPN services whose data is sold to advertisers, and an eye opening Guardian article about Russian hacking forums were also highlighted in the show. Google’s required use of physical identity keys for two step verification and the perils of using SMS as well as app-based verification methods for two step authentication was explored as well. Geeks of the week included Promevo (by Jason) and Explorables (by Wes). Please follow us on Twitter @edtechSR to stay up to date about upcoming shows, and share feedback with us about the show on Twitter or via a comment on our website.

Shownotes:

  1. EdTech Situation Room Listener Survey: wfryer.me/edtechsr
  2. Follow @edtechSR on Twitter!
  3. Audio podcast feed (Subscribe with iTunes or Stitcher)
  4. Video version on YouTube
  5. Check out our video podcast feed and subscribe to our YouTube Channel (episodes also in this YouTube playlist)
  6. Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) – blog: blog.ncce.org
  7. Wes Fryer (@wfryer) – blog: speedofcreativity.org
  8. Update: Apple Addresses MacBook Pro Throttling Controversy After Working With YouTuber Dave Lee (MacRumors; 24 July 2018)
  9. Senator Asks US Government to Remove Flash From Federal Sites, Computers (Bleeping Computer, 25 July 2018)
  10. Ninite: Install and Update All Your Programs at Once
  11. Op-ed – Alex Jones is a crackpot—but banning him from Facebook might be a bad idea (ArsTechnica, 6 Aug 2018)
  12. Facebook confirms discovery of new ‘inauthentic’ social media campaign ahead of US midterm elections (The Verge; 31 July 2018)
  13. Facebook takes down suspected Russian network of pages (CNN; 31 July 2018)
  14. Digital Citizenship Conversations website from Casady School
  15. Experts criticize West Virginia’s plan for smartphone voting (ArsTechnica, 8 Aug 2018)
  16. 3D-printed (and CNC-milled) guns: Nine questions you were too afraid to ask (5 Aug 2018)
  17. Smartphones will be gone in 10 years (Amy Webb in Business Insider, 30 Oct 2017)
  18. 235 Emerging Tech Trends For 2018 (Amy Webb, 25 March 2018)
  19. Amy Webb: Futurist and Author
  20. Future Today Institute
  21. Voice calls drop despite smartphone fever (BBC News; 1 August 2018)
  22. Logitech Buys Blue Microphones (PC Magazine; 31 July 2018)
  23. Be Careful With Free VPNs: Your Data Might Be Going to Advertisers (PC magazine; 31 July 2018)
  24. My terrifying deep dive into one of the largest dark web hacking forums (Guardian, 24 July 2018)
  25. Google – Security Keys Neutralized Employee Phishing (Brian Krebs, 23 July 2018)
  26. Google made the Titan Key to toughen up your online security (CNet; 25 July 2018)
  27. Reddit Breach Highlights Limits of SMS-Based Authentication (Brian Krebs, 1 Aug 2018)
  28. Have I Been Hacked / Pwned (use your email address to check if it was part of historic information hacks)
  29. Jason’s Geek of the Week: Promevo – G Suite and Chromebook Reseller
  30. Wes’ Geek of the Week: “Explorables: snippets of complexity” by @DirkBrockmann

EdTech Situation Room Episode 100

Welcome to episode 100 of the EdTech Situation Room from July 11, 2018, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Wesley Fryer (@wfryer) discussed recent announcements from the 2018 ISTE Conference in Chicago, Microsoft’s new Surface Go budget laptop, and the opening of Pandora’s Box for 3D printed guns. Security articles discussed included the worst cybersecurity breaches of 2018 (so far), the importance of never using a USB from an unknown source (including North Korea summit officials), and the potential danger of discarding a used USB flash drive. Google Chrome articles included the launch of the CTL rugged Chromebook, and Neverware’s “Bring Your Old Device” tour, which included an ISTE vendor hall appearance at the Google booth. On the Amazon front, Jason reminded us to look forward to Amazon Prime Day on July 16th, and to consider why Amazon continues to sell lots of tablets in an otherwise lackluster market. Twitter’s recent efforts to delete fake accounts in advance of 2018 midterm elections in the United States was also highlighted. Geeks of the week included a recent episode of the Wired Educator podcast, Wes’ shared podcast subscriptions from PocketCasts, The Scratch Team’s “Getting Unstuck” campaign for 25 days of creative coding, and the recommendation to restart your router to defeat variants of the “VPNfilter” malware outbreak and also optimize your bandwidth performance. Please follow us on Twitter at @edtechSR for updates and for live join links during our Wednesday night shows. Please reach out to us on Twitter if you enjoy the show and let us know you’re listening!

Shownotes:

  1. EdTech Situation Room Listener Survey: wfryer.me/edtechsr
  2. Follow @edtechSR on Twitter!
  3. Audio podcast feed (Subscribe with iTunes or Stitcher)
  4. Video version on YouTube
  5. Check out our video podcast feed and subscribe to our YouTube Channel (episodes also in this YouTube playlist)
  6. Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) – blog: blog.ncce.org
  7. Wes Fryer (@wfryer) – blog: speedofcreativity.org
  8. All the Upgrades and Updates From Apple, Google and More at ISTE 2018 (EdSurge; 29 June 2018)
  9. Surface Go Is Microsoft’s Big Bet on a Tiny-Computer Future (Wired, 9 July 2018)
  10. A Landmark Legal Shift Opens Pandora’s Box for DIY Guns (Wired, 10 July 2018)
  11. The Worst Cybersecurity Breaches of 2018 So Far (Wired, 9 July 2018)
  12. What was on a USB fan given at the Trump-Kim summit? Security experts say nothing —  but don’t plug it in. (Washington Post; 3 July 2018)
  13. Ready to ditch your old flash drive? Don’t just erase and recycle (USA Today; 5 July 2018)
  14. CTL Launches The Ultra-Rugged Chromebook NL7X (Chrome Unboxed; 22 June 2018)
  15. Neverware Embarks On “Bring Your Old Device” Tour (Chrome Unboxed; 19 June 2018)
  16. Amazon Prime Day is July 16th! (Android & Me, 3 July 2018)
  17. Why Amazon keeps making tablets when the market has been struggling (Washington Post; 5 July 2018)
  18. Twitter is sweeping out fake accounts like never before, putting user growth at risk (Washington Post, 6 July 2018)
  19. Wired Educator Podcast 105: Wes Molyneux on How to Rock 1:1 Deployment and Professional Development (@WiredEducator)
  20. Wes’ Podcast Subscriptions via PocketCasts
  21. Getting Unstuck: 25 Days of Scratch Challenges
  22. Remember to periodically reboot your home router!