Welcome to episode 308 (“Exploring AI in Education”) of the EdTech Situation Room from October 25, 2023, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week, Dr. Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Dr. Wesley Fryer (wesfryer.com/after) discussed a range of topics, focusing on the integration and implications of AI in education. Wes Fryer shared insights from his teaching experiences in Matthews, North Carolina, covering web design, computer applications, media literacy, and computer programming. Jason Neiffer talked about his involvement in meetings for the Montana Digital Academy discussing distance learning and AI, emphasizing the necessity for educators to engage with AI tools. Key discussions revolved around AI, including teachers’ awareness and concerns, and the need to focus on the learning process with AI in classrooms. The conversation touched upon technology news, AI experiments, and the ethical challenges posed by AI in educational settings. Social media’s influence on students and legal issues surrounding Meta were also discussed, along with the time teens spend on social media and the critical role of parental involvement. The episode featured conversations about AI’s role in generating academic content, and its integration in tools like Gmail for better email management. The episode concluded with a focus on Google’s AI-enhanced search features and the significant challenges AI presents in the educational landscape. “Geeks of the Week” included the Duck Duck Go web browser, Native iOS Voice Dictation in Chrome, Google’s SGE, a “Minecraft Mars Colony” coding project, Wes’ new background video, and Wes’ AI Tips and Tricks Google Doc. Our show was live-streamed and archived simultaneously on YouTube Live as well as Facebook Live via StreamYard.com. Please follow @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: An initial draft of this episode summary was generated using youtubetranscript.com and a custom GPT on ChatGPT 4, as well as options for our show title! Stay savvy and safe!
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- Jason Neiffer (Mastodon: mastodon.cloud/@neif – Twitter: @techsavvyteach) – blog: blog.ncce.org
- Wes Fryer (Mastodon: mastodon.cloud/@wfryer) – wesfryer.com/after
- Wes Experiments with AI: (student) Gamma.app Generated Websites
- ISTE’s Stretch AI: https://info.iste.org/stretch-ai
- Bard can now connect to your Google apps and services (Google Blog, 19 Sept 2023)
- 33 States Sue Meta, Say It Knowingly Addicted Kids to Social Media (Gizmodo, 24 Oct 2023)
- Teens Spend Average of 4.8 Hours on Social Media Per Day (Gallup; 13 October 2023)
- Jim Jordan’s Conspiratorial Quest for Power: How the Ohio Republican built an insurgent bid for Speaker on the lies of Donald Trump. (New Yorker, 21 Oct 2023)
- Google’s AI-powered search experience can now generate images, write drafts (TechCrunch, 12 Oct 2023)
- Qualcomm will try to have its Apple Silicon moment in PCs with “Snapdragon X” (Ars Technica; 11 October 2023)
- Jason’s Geek of the Week: DuckDuckGo Browser, for Windows and Mac
- Wes’ Geeks of the Week: Native iOS Voice Dictation in Chrome – Google’s SGE – Minecraft Mars Colony – Wes’ new background video – Wes’ AI Tips and Tricks
