Welcome to episode 297 (“Exciting Apple Announcements”) of the EdTech Situation Room from June 7, 2023, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week, Dr. Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Wesley Fryer (wesfryer.com/after) discussed the latest Apple announcements, including the new 15-inch MacBook Air with impressive features and an affordable price. They also explored the new Mac Pro and Mac Studio models, highlighting their upgradeability and performance capabilities. The unveiling of the Vision Pro, an augmented reality (AR) headset, sparked excitement about its potential applications in various fields. The hosts also touched on Apple’s entry into the virtual reality (VR) space, discussing its potential impact on education and other sectors. They further delved into the use of iPads in education, concerns about election misinformation on YouTube, the removal of malicious Chrome extensions, the risks associated with Chromebook extensions, and the challenges surrounding AI technology, particularly chatbots. The importance of media literacy and integrating lessons on AI and social media in classrooms was emphasized. In addition, Jason and Wes discussed the importance of clear rules and guidelines for device use in the classroom. They emphasized the need for effective classroom management in the digital age and suggested involving students in the conversation. They promoted interactive instruction and meaningful engagement with material. Wrapping up the episode, the hosts shared their “Geeks of the Week,” which included ChatPDF, Mark Rober’s recent commencement address at MIT, and a podcast episode about AI from Wes’ North Carolina school. The show was live-streamed and archived simultaneously on YouTube Live as well as Facebook Live via StreamYard.com. Please follow @edtechSR on Twitter and @edtechsr@mastodon.education on Mastodon for updates, and join LIVE on Wednesday nights if you can. All shownotes are available on edtechSR.com/links. AI Disclosure: This summary was partly generated using summarize.tech.
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- Jason Neiffer (Mastodon: mastodon.cloud/@neif – Twitter: @techsavvyteach) – blog: blog.ncce.org
- Wes Fryer (Mastodon: mastodon.cloud/@wfryer Twitter: @wfryer) – wesfryer.com/after
- A Chatbot Was Designed to Help Prevent Eating Disorders. Then It Gave Dieting Tips (WSJ; 1 June 2023)
- Can a chatbot help people with eating disorders as well as another human? (NPR; 24 May 2023)
- What will stop AI from flooding the internet with fake images? (Vox; 3 June 2023)
- OpenAI still not training GPT-5, Sam Altman says (TechCrunch; 7 June 2023)
- A professor accused his class of using ChatGPT, putting diplomas in jeopardy (Washington Post, 18 May 2023)
- Here’s What Happens When Your Lawyer Uses ChatGPT (NYTimes, 27 May 2023)
- Teachers are on the front lines of a battle to change how teens use social media (CNN Business; 3 June 2023)
- YouTube rolls back its rules against election misinformation (TechCrunch, 3 June 2023)
- Apple introduces the 15‑inch MacBook Air (Apple PR)
- Apple unveils new Mac Studio and brings Apple silicon to Mac Pro (Apple PR)
- Apple’s $3,499 Vision Pro Headset Will Test Marketing Might (Bloomberg; 6 April 2023) – free from Yahoo Finance: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/apple-debuts-3-499-vision-211946203.html
- Malicious Chrome extensions with 75M installs removed from Web Store (Bleeping Computer, 2 June 2023)
- Google Assistant kills off support for third-party note apps (ArsTechnica, 1 June 2023)
- Jason’s Geek of the Week: www.chatpdf.com
- Wes’ Geeks of the Week: Mark Rober tells MIT graduates to throw themselves into the unknown (MIT News, 1 June 2023) and “Demystifying A.I.” on From the Horse’s Mouth
