Welcome to episode 342 (“Encrypted by Default”) of the EdTech Situation Room from December 18, 2024, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week, Dr. Jason Neiffer (aicentrist.com) and Dr. Wesley Fryer (wesfryer.com) unpacked the FBI’s unprecedented advice urging Americans to use encrypted messaging apps like Signal and WhatsApp, discussing the implications for personal privacy, national security, and school digital literacy. The show also dove into the Justice Department’s surprising push for Google to divest from Chrome, raising questions about the future of ChromeOS and educational tech ecosystems. Wes shared the latest drama from BlueSky’s decentralized moderation challenges, while Jason demoed real-time features of Google Gemini, showcasing just how sentient-like modern AI agents have become. Plus, a flurry of new AI tools from OpenAI and Google — including Sora, NotebookLM, and Gemini 2.0 — led to a creative explosion of possibilities in the classroom. “Geeks of the Week” highlighted an election-focused podcast from Kate Starbird and a budget-friendly combo for running AI locally with Msty and OpenRouter. Our show was live-streamed and archived on YouTube Live via StreamYard.com. Please follow our @EdTechSR page on Facebook, @edtechsr@mastodon.education on Mastodon for updates, and join LIVE on Wednesday nights if you can. All show notes are available at edtechSR.com/links.
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- Jason Neiffer: aicentrist.com
- Wes Fryer: wesfryer.com
- Sora General Availability
- Sora prompt example: “Tockefeller center is overrun by golden retrievers! everywhere you look, there are golden retrievers.” https://openai.com/sora/?shareId=16
- ChatGPT Pro
- ChatGPT Search Widely Available
- Bluesky at a crossroads as users petition to ban Jesse Singal over anti-trans views, harassment (TechCrunch, 13 Dec 2024) – Change.org petition – via Renee DiResta
- Jesse Singal: Bluesky Has a Death Threat Problem (The Free Press, 17 Dec 2024)
- WikiPedia: The Free Press (online newsletter)
- How Wikipedia Became a Propaganda Site (The Free Press, 17 Sept 2024)
- Trump TV Ad Repeats False ‘Border Czar,’ Illegal Immigration Claims (FactCheck.org, 5 Aug 2024)
- U.S. officials urge Americans to use encrypted apps amid unprecedented cyberattack (NBC News, 3 Dec 2024)
- Sell Chrome to end search monopoly, Google told (BBC; 21 November 2024)
- Rumor: Android may take over for ChromeOS on Chromebooks in a massive move (ChromeUnboxed; 18 November 2024)Wes’ Geek of the Week: [PODCAST] Towards Resilience: A Conversation with Kate Starbird About the Future of Online Elections Discourse (8 Dec 2024)
- Jason’s Geek of the Week: Msty + Open Router = Cheap Desktop AI
