EdTechSR Ep 348 Goodbye Home Button

Welcome to episode 348 (“Goodbye Home Button”) of the EdTech Situation Room from February 19, 2025, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week, Dr. Jason Neiffer (aicentrist.com) and Dr. Wesley Fryer (wesfryer.com) unpacked Apple’s latest hardware evolution as the company officially retires the home button and lightning port, fully embracing USB-C and ushering in a new chapter for iPhones and iPads. The conversation explored the impacts for educators, older adults, and anyone adapting to Apple’s increasingly button-free, AI-enhanced devices. AI took center stage throughout the show, with a thoughtful discussion on the role of generative AI in classrooms, including Microsoft’s recent study suggesting AI reliance may diminish cognitive effort and confidence, and practical examples of using AI as a “thinking partner” rather than a “cheating partner” for student work. Quantum computing made headlines with news of a Microsoft-DARPA collaboration that could pave the way for more compact, powerful quantum chips, with broad implications for security, AI, and even battlefield technology. The hosts also examined Alphabet’s quiet removal of its longstanding promise not to use AI for weapon development, raising new questions about tech ethics and military AI. The episode wrapped with insights on AI-driven research tools from Gemini, Perplexity, and OpenAI, Minecraft-inspired AI-generated worlds, the mixed promise of VR/AR for classrooms, and ongoing hardware challenges for schools adopting emerging technologies. Geeks of the Week included AI-powered transcription with MacWhisper, open-source image upscaling tools, and digital storytelling resources for educators. 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.

Show Notes

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7. Jason Neiffer: aicentrist.com
8. Wes Fryer: wesfryer.com
9. The Impact of Generative AI on Critical Thinking: Self-Reported Reductions in Cognitive Effort and Confidence Effects From a Survey of Knowledge Workers (Microsoft Research)
10. Microsoft shows progress toward real-time AI-generated game worlds (ArsTechnica, 19 Feb 2025)
11. Google pulls Gemini from main search app on iOS (TechCrunch, 19 Feb 2025)
12. Google owner drops promise not to use AI for weapons (The Guardian, 5 Feb 2025) – stopkillerrobots.org
13. 6 unsettling thoughts Google’s former CEO has about artificial intelligence (NPR, 5 Feb 2025)
14. Now you can use Deep Research in Gemini on the Go (Google Blog; 18 February 2025)
15. Apple has officially killed off the Home Button (Apple Insider, 19 Feb 2025) “you cannot purchase any new Apple products that feature a Lightning port”
16. Apple debuts iPhone 16e: A powerful new member of the iPhone 16 family (Apple Newsroom; 19 February 2025)
17. Google says commercial quantum computing applications arriving within five years (Reuters, 5 Feb 2025)
18. Microsoft-DARPA collaboration yields possible quantum chip breakthrough (Defense One, 19 Feb 2025)
19. Microsoft Transitioning Away from HoloLens Mixed Reality Hardware (THE Journal, 18 Feb 2025)
20. AI Inside podcast: https://aiinside.show/ 
21. Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI Kindle Edition by Ethan Mollick
22. Book: “Hunter Killer: The True Story of the Drone Mission That Killed Anwar al-Awlaki” by T. Mark McCurley
23. Jason’s Geeks of the Week: MacWhisper – Google Recorder
24. Wes’ Geeks of the Week: Upscayl – Scrollytelling – Oasis (blog post)