Welcome to episode 343 (“Clickbait and Chrome”) of the EdTech Situation Room from January 1, 2025, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week, Dr. Jason Neiffer (aicentrist.com) and Dr. Wesley Fryer (wesfryer.com) rang in the new year with a lively discussion on AI-driven schools, content creation ethics, and platform accountability. They examined Arizona’s bold move to pilot an AI-led curriculum, the growing influence of tools like Khanmigo, and how content monetization is reshaping the web — from affiliate link scandals to the rise of short-form video. The hosts reflected on Chrome extension privacy concerns, including Honey’s controversial practices, and unpacked Google’s culture of concealment amid antitrust scrutiny. Also on tap: the media’s evolving role in political influence, the explosion of educator activity on BlueSky, and the critical importance of visual and AI literacy in classrooms today. 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.
Shownotes
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- Jason Neiffer: aicentrist.com
- Wes Fryer: wesfryer.com
- Arizona’s getting an online charter school taught entirely by AI (TechCrunch, 20 Dec 2024)
- How Google Spent 15 Years Creating a Culture of Concealment (NYTimes, 20 Nov 2024) #GiftLink (“Vegas”)
- Inside South Korea’s right-wing YouTube world openly embraced by Yoon (Reuters, 16 Dec 2024) – BlueSky quote
- Is Bluesky the New Twitter for Teachers? (Education Week, 17 Dec 2024)
- Video Accuses Honey Browser Extension of Shady Business Practices and We Found Some Truth to It (Snopes, 30 Dec 2024)
- The Honey Scam and the Ridiculous Mess of Affiliate Marketing (Hank Green [VIDEO}, 24 Dec 2024)
- Some of the Best Reuters Photos of 2024, and the Stories Behind Them (Wider Image, 17 Dec 2024)
- Jason’s Geek of the Week: ChromeBook Recommendation: Dell Enterprise 5430 Chromebook
- Wes’ Geeks of the Week: Show Clips via SubStack – Terms of Service – Didn’t Read – Upcoming MediaEd Webinars – Dangerous Ideas with Wes Fryer
