Welcome to episode 178 (“Anticipating a Fluid Future”) of the EdTech Situation Room from May 20, 2020, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Wesley Fryer (@wfryer) discussed Microsoft’s revolutionary “Fluid” Office document format, privacy and surveillance in the COVID-19 era, and a new Mozilla VPN service. Passwords for sale on the dark web, Equifax’s failure to provide consumer compensation payments for the 2017 data breach, and conspiracy theory psychology were also highlighted. Rumors of forthcoming Apple Glasses for AR/.VR, tips for. addressing slow Internet speeds at home, SpaceX’s promises for low latency satellite connectivity, and tips for better videoconferencing were topics rounding out the show. Geeks of the Week included the Unsplash Images GSuite Marketplace App, the Rabbit Hole Podcast from the New York Times, and a DIY hack to breathe new memory life into an old iPod Classic. Our show was live streamed and archived simultaneously on YouTube Live as well as our Facebook Live page via StreamYard.com. Please follow us on Twitter @edtechSR for updates, and join us LIVE on Wednesday nights (normally) if you can at 10 pm Eastern / 9 pm Central / 8 pm Mountain / 7 pm Pacific or 3 am UTC. All shownotes are available on http://edtechSR.com/links.
Welcome to episode 177 (“COVID-19 May Change Colleges and Schools Forever”) of the EdTech Situation Room from May 13, 2020, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Wesley Fryer (@wfryer) discussed predictions for how the COVID-19 pandemic may significantly disrupt higher education to the benefit of “top tier” universities, the glaring inequities in educational opportunities laid bare by mandated “remote learning” / learning at home today, and Congressional initiatives to expand broadband funding. The impact of paranoia of cheating on remote learning, and the “teachable moment” provided by the disinformation video “Plandemic” for media literacy, were discussed. On the security front, a major security flaw involving “Thunderbolt” computer ports, National Password Day, and an unfortunate disruption of an Oklahoma college graduation by a racist troll were highlighted. Privacy issues with smartphones in the COVID-19 pandemic was briefly discussed, and will be addressed at greater length in a future episode. Geeks of the Week included Goosechase mobile media scavenger hunt free upgrades for teachers, disinformation and social media visualization tools, a free 3 hour media literacy course on the “SIFT” framework, and a new way to run 1.5 million Android apps and games on your PC or Mac. Our show was live streamed and archived simultaneously on YouTube Live as well as our Facebook Live page via StreamYard.com. Thanks to everyone who joined us live and shared comments in our live chat! Please follow us on Twitter @edtechSR for updates, and join us LIVE on Wednesday nights (normally) if you can at 10 pm Eastern / 9 pm Central / 8 pm Mountain / 7 pm Pacific or 3 am UTC. All shownotes are available on http://edtechSR.com/links.
Welcome to episode 176 (“Choose Your Digital Platform Investments Carefully”) of the EdTech Situation Room from May 6, 2020, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Wesley Fryer (@wfryer) discussed updates from Apple including more predicted “opening” to third party platforms on iOS and MacOS, FaceID and masks, and prescient words from Tim Cook in the latest Apple earnings call. On the Microsoft front, Windows 10X progress as as a Chromebook competitor, Slack and Microsoft teams as collaboration tools were mentioned. On the Google side of platforms, the outstanding “Teach from Home” Google resource website, PewDiePie’s exclusive live-streaming deal with YouTube, the spike in user-created “everyday with me” videos, and excellent screenshot improvements for ChromeOS as well as Chromeshot extensions were discussed. On COVID-19 related issues, the challenge of engaging social media followers and friends over disinformation videos / articles, a very insightful (and troubling) article from Harvard professor Fernando M. Reimers on the global impact of pandemic, and “An Open Letter to Independent School Leaders” by Ben Scafidi and Eric Wearne were discussed by Jason and Wes. Geeks of the Week included the upcoming June 9-11 On Air KS G-Summit, a COVID-19 scenario visualizer and simulator, a “choose your own adventure” digital story called “57 North,” new “deep fake” videos using Chris Pratt images on Harrison Ford / Indiana Jones movie clips, the July 14-19, 2020 Summer Institute on Digital Literacy, and the Home Depot 62 in. Adjustable Height Work Bench Table as a home office desk. Our show was live streamed and archived simultaneously on YouTube Live as well as our Facebook Live page via StreamYard.com. Thanks to everyone who joined us live and shared comments in our live chat! Please follow us on Twitter @edtechSR for updates, and join us LIVE on Wednesday nights (normally) if you can at 10 pm Eastern / 9 pm Central / 8 pm Mountain / 7 pm Pacific or 3 am UTC. All shownotes are available on http://edtechSR.com/links.
Welcome to episode 175 (“Don’t Close Your Streamyard Tab”) of the EdTech Situation Room from April 29, 2020, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Wesley Fryer (@wfryer) discussed several Google Updates: the availability of Google’s Hangouts Meet videoconferencing platform for consumer Google accounts, a way to extend the life of your Chromebook’s browser, and updates to GSuite’s sharing dialog. An amusing rant by a judge over a lawyers’ poor attire choices during a trial by videoconference, the psychology of lifting the lockdown, the growth of telemedicine during COVID19, and the proliferation of stimulus check scams were also highlighted. Recommended media literacy books on “information pollution” and dives into the world of online radicalization, the Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision to prevent annotations to Georgia’s state laws by state officials from remaining behind a paywall, and reported productivity challenges for remote working rounded out the show’s topics. Geeks of the Week included a new ChromeOS installer for Windows users, Jason’s “Live from NCCE” presentation video from last week on remote learning / teaching / working tips, a great digital video tribute from Reuters to journalists around the world, upcoming Oklahoma USAF flyby tributes to medical professionals, and two excellent online book publishing platforms. Our show was live streamed and archived simultaneously on YouTube Live as well as our Facebook Live page via StreamYard.com. Thanks to everyone who joined us live and shared comments in our live chat! Please follow us on Twitter @edtechSR for updates, and join us LIVE on Wednesday nights (normally) if you can at 10 pm Eastern / 9 pm Central / 8 pm Mountain / 7 pm Pacific or 3 am UTC. All shownotes are available on http://edtechSR.com/links.
Welcome to episode 174 (“The Eye of Sauron Briefly Appears”) of the EdTech Situation Room from April 22, 2020, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Wesley Fryer (@wfryer) discussed Tab Groups in Google Chrome, disinformation stories inspired (is that the right word?!) by the neo-coronavirus, updates to videoconferencing tools WhatsApp and Hangouts Meet, digital divide realities made more visible by the COVID-19 pandemic, and announcements for Montana and Oklahoma that the states will be “opening for business” again soon after weeks of lock down. Renamed Office365 (now just “Microsoft365,”) inspiring stories of 3D printing collaborative efforts to build COVID-19 PPE (personal protective equipment,) and the ongoing radicalization potential of YouTube were also discussed. Our show was live streamed and archived simultaneously on YouTube Live as well as our Facebook Live page via StreamYard.com. Thanks to everyone who joined us live and shared comments in our live chat! Please follow us on Twitter @edtechSR for updates, and join us LIVE on Wednesday nights (normally) if you can at 10 pm Eastern / 9 pm Central / 8 pm Mountain / 7 pm Pacific or 3 am UTC. All shownotes are available on http://edtechSR.com/links.
Welcome to episode 173 (“Skip That Facebook Quiz”) of the EdTech Situation Room from April 15, 2020, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Wesley Fryer (@wfryer) discussed the ongoing impact of the neo-coronavirus pandemic on schools, Google Chrome Tab Groups, Google Drive Workspaces, and a free extension which can “Zoomify” Google Hangouts Meet videoconferences (in one way). Apple’s announcements of the more-affordable iPhone SE and a pretty amazing keyboard with integrated trackpad for the iPad Pro, why taking Facebook quizzes is a bad idea, dangerous VPN apps, and password manager comparisons were also discussed in the show. Geeks of the Week included software to turn your smartphone into a webcam, ways to control multiple computers with one keyboard and mouse, “DownDetector” to find out the extent of an Internet service outage, Google’s “Teach from Home” resource hub, the “Jumbo” privacy setting assistant app, and a list of recommended “live teaching tools” for remote learning. Our show was live streamed and archived simultaneously on YouTube Live as well as our Facebook Live page via StreamYard.com. Thanks to everyone who joined us live and shared comments in our live chat! Please follow us on Twitter @edtechSR for updates, and join us LIVE on Wednesday nights (normally) if you can at 10 pm Eastern / 9 pm Central / 8 pm Mountain / 7 pm Pacific or 3 am UTC. All shownotes are available on http://edtechSR.com/links.
Welcome to episode 172 (“Don’t Jack with My Zoom”) of the EdTech Situation Room from April 8, 2020, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Wesley Fryer (@wfryer) continued to discuss the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on teachers, students, and parents, but also highlighted some recent technology headlines involving zoomjacking, remote learning, disinformation, YouTube influencers in the neo-coronavirus era, and “the technology correction.” They also brainstormed “Best Tools and Strategies for Live Teaching” and software for “Virtual Backgrounds for Videoconferencing.” If you have any options which should be included on these lists, please reach out to Jason or Wes on Twitter! Access archived MP3 audio and smaller 360P video archives of this and past shows on edtechSR.com. Our show was live streamed and archived simultaneously on YouTube Live as well as our Facebook Live page via StreamYard.com. Thanks to everyone who joined us live and shared comments in our live chat! Please follow us on Twitter @edtechSR for updates, and join us LIVE on Wednesday nights (normally) if you can at 10 pm Eastern / 9 pm Central / 8 pm Mountain / 7 pm Pacific or 3 am UTC. All shownotes are available on http://edtechSR.com/links.
Welcome to episode 171 of the EdTech Situation Room from April 1, 2020, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Wesley Fryer (@wfryer) continued to discuss the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on teachers, students, and parents, but also highlighted some recent technology headlines involving security, media literacy, and other issues. Those included the completion of the T-Mobile and Sprint merger, PBS Learning Media Resources for Home Learning integrating with Google Classroom, the recent FBI warning to teachers and school administrators to avoid “Zoom-jacking,” and some helpful articles / tips about videoconferencing from home, including updating your home WiFi access points. (Wes recommends Google Nest!) Access archived MP3 audio and smaller 360P video archives of this and past shows on edtechSR.com. Our show was live streamed and archived simultaneously on YouTube Live as well as our Facebook Live page via StreamYard.com. Thanks to everyone who joined us live and shared comments in our live chat! Please follow us on Twitter @edtechSR for updates, and join us LIVE on Wednesday nights (normally) if you can at 10 pm Eastern / 9 pm Central / 8 pm Mountain / 7 pm Pacific or 3 am UTC. All shownotes are available on http://edtechSR.com/links.
Welcome to episode 170 of the EdTech Situation Room from March 25, 2020, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Wesley Fryer (@wfryer) welcomed Eric Langhorst (@elanghorst) back as a special guest. Topics for the show included ongoing impacts of COVID-19 on schools, teachers and students, new product announcements from Apple, a discussion on whether or not home workers should leave smart speakers turned on, and more. Helpful and practical suggestions for remote teaching / online teaching for K-12 as well as university instructors / faculty from Carl Hooker (@mrhooker) and Jose Bowen (@josebowen) were highlighted. Geeks of the Week included Masterclass courses (including an AMAZING one about Space by Commander Chris Hadfield, Virtual Learning Leadership Alliance resources for remote teaching during the COVID-19 crisis, the CloudReady from Neverware ChromeOS operating system (free for home use.) Additional Geeks of the Week were an ongoing blog post series about educational technology and COVID-19 by Wes, Google Nest WiFi, and an upcoming free webinar on “Protecting Yourself and Your Family Online.” Peggy George (@pgeorge) shared some excellent links during our show as well, including a new daily email newsletter with 10 helpful covid19EDU links (nuzzel.com/pgeorge). Access archived MP3 audio and smaller 360P video archives of this and past shows on edtechSR.com. Our show was live streamed and archived simultaneously on YouTube Live as well as our Facebook Live page via StreamYard.com. Please follow us on Twitter @edtechSR for updates, and join us LIVE on Wednesday nights (normally) if you can at 10 pm Eastern / 9 pm Central / 8 pm Mountain / 7 pm Pacific or 3 am UTC. All shownotes are available on http://edtechSR.com/links.
VLLA Members Provide Assistance to Teachers, Schools, and Districts Looking to Enhance Technology-Driven Remote Teaching. Visit the VLLA website for more information!https://t.co/3Ar8yfM0Tw
— Virtual Learning Leadership Alliance (@vllaonline) March 25, 2020
Welcome to episode 169 of the EdTech Situation Room from March 18, 2020, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Wesley Fryer (@wfryer) discussed the exceptional week of neo-coronavirus / COVID-19 announcements, closures, and news we’ve experienced globally in the past seven days. We also discussed a few recent technology headlines, which (as usual) are linked in the shownotes, but most of our conversation focused on ways we can adapt and adjust as more people than ever are working from home, teaching from home, and learning from home. Access archived MP3 audio and smaller 360P video archives of this and past shows on edtechSR.com. Our show was live streamed and archived simultaneously on YouTube Live as well as our Facebook Live page via StreamYard.com. Please follow us on Twitter @edtechSR for updates, and join us LIVE on Wednesday nights (normally) if you can at 10 pm Eastern / 9 pm Central / 8 pm Mountain / 7 pm Pacific or 3 am UTC. All shownotes are available on http://edtechSR.com/links.
