Welcome to episode 94 of the EdTech Situation Room from May 9, 2018, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week newly minted Ph.D. Dr. Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Dr. Wesley Fryer (@wfryer) discussed lots of news from the Google IO developer’s conference, as well as news from the Microsoft Build Conference. The continued march of artificial intelligence is evident in the forthcoming release of Google Duplex, which was demonstrated at Google IO and allows your Google Assistant to make phone calls to real people and book appointments for things like haircuts and restaurant reservations. Google’s new Android P operating system will focus on wellness and greater awareness of screentime to promote healthy living. They also discussed Facebook’s “Sauron Alert” feature for employees, now called “Security Watchdog,” which is not available publicly but warns when someone is using content or personal information in unauthorized ways on the platform. Microsoft’s announcements for WindowsOS features which integrate with both Android phones as well as iPhones were discussed, as well as their efforts to bring machine learning benefits to all their applications. The use of AI technologies to potentially open up access to the Vatican’s Secret Library was highlighted, along with an older article (September 2017) from “The Conversation” about how software licensing restrictions affecting objects we purchase for our homes is bringing a property rights / intellectual property rights situation into our lives which is regressive and feudal in nature. Geeks of the week included open source software for DVD ripping (Handbrake) and YouTube video downloading (y2mate), as well as software for identifying and installing optimal Windows OS drivers on older computer systems (Snappy Driver Installer). Check out our shownotes for links to all referenced resources, and links to articles we didn’t have time to discuss in this week’s show on edtechSR.com/links. Please follow us on Twitter @edtechSR for updates, and join us live weekly on Wednesday nights at 10 pm Eastern / 9 pm Central / 8 pm Mountain / 7 pm Pacific.

Shownotes:

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6. Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) – blog: blog.ncce.org
7. Wes Fryer (@wfryer) – blog: speedofcreativity.org
8. Android P: An Exclusive First Look At Google’s Most Ambitious Update In Years (Verge, 8 May 2018)
9. The 10 biggest announcements from Google I/O 2018 (The Verge, 8 May 2018)
10. Google Duplex Is Mesmerizing, Terrifying (Chrome Unboxed, 9 May 2018)
11. Google Assistant making calls on your behalf (Nathan Sichilongo, 8 May 2018)
12. Google Maps is getting augmented reality directions and recommendation features (Verge, 8 May 2018)
13. For Facebook, Change Is Political. For Google, It’s Personal (Variety, 8 May 2018)
14. 4 Big Takeaways From Google’s I/O Developer Conference Today (Fortune, 8 May 2018)
15. Here’s everything Google unveiled at its biggest conference of the year (TechInsider, 9 May 2018)
16. Facebook Has a ‘Sauron Alert’ to Protect Employees’ Privacy—But Not Yours (Gizmodo, 4 May 2018)
17. Here’s how your iPhone, Android phone will work with Windows 10 PCs (CNET, 8 May 2018)
18. Microsoft undercuts Apple and Google to offer Windows 10 app developers more money (The Verge, 8 May 2018)
19. Microsoft continues its quest to bring machine learning to every application (Arts Technica, 7 May 2018)
20. Microsoft Build: All the News You Need To Know (PC Magazine, 7 May 2018)
21. Artificial Intelligence Is Cracking Open the Vatican’s Secret Archives (The Atlantic, 30 April 2018)
22. The ‘internet of things’ is sending us back to the Middle Ages (The Conversation, 5 September 2017)
23. Jason’s Geek of the Week: Snappy Driver Installer
24. Wes’ Geeks of the Week: Handbrake (for DVD ripping) and Y2Mate (YouTube video downloading)

Google Assistant making calls on your behalf. #GoogleIO pic.twitter.com/ah4T37SJVE

— Nathan Sichilongo (@mynameisnado) May 8, 2018

“2014 Google I/O” (CC BY 2.0) by pestoverde