Welcome to episode 187 (“Embrace CloudReady in Our Pandemic”) of the EdTech Situation Room from August 12, 2020, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Wesley Fryer (@wfryer) discussed Russia’s announcement to skip phases 2 and 3 in rushed vaccine trial, Chromebook and device shipment delays for schools and individuals, and the wonders of Neverware’s CloudReady software for running ChromeOS on older Intel-based computer hardware. Microsoft’s new Surface Duo laptop, changes to Google Play Music, and screentime for kids (and adults) during the pandemic were also discussed. Additional topics included the limits of home connectivity bandwidth, the importance of “filtering the exoflood” of polluted information around us, and recent government initiated interruptions in Internet connectivity and social media platform access in Belarus following a contested election. Tips for upgrading a 2020 iMac, a recent webinar on “Know Your Power: Know Your Rights” (shared by Peggy George,) and Charter Telecom’s push for residential Internet data caps with the FCC were also highlighted. 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 182 (“Awash in Digital News”) of the EdTech Situation Room from July 1, 2020, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Wesley Fryer (@wfryer) discussed our need for media literacy and information filtering strategies, and our ongoing “technology correction” reflected in advertiser protest pressure on Facebook for content moderation. The exciting announcement by Microsoft to offer a public beta of Minecraft Education Edition on Chromebooks, significant announcements by Apple at WWDC 2020 last week, Google’s privacy changes for new users, and potential dangers of CRISPR human genome editing were other topics addressed in the show. Wes’ Geeks of the Week included a support article about providing handwritten feedback on Google Docs via an iPad and Google Classroom, Google Meet tips and tricks, and Kast (a software program for watching web videos together). Jason’s Geek of the Week was a new “undelete” utility for Windows10 users. 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 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 146 of the EdTech Situation Room from September 4, 2019, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Wesley Fryer (@wfryer) discussed the release of Android 10, Carl Hooker’s (@mrhooker) recent Twitter conversation and blog post on why banning smartphones in the classroom is a bad idea, and lessons we should all learn about security following the hack of Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey’s account. Imposter sellers and FCC-illegal cell phone signal boosters on Amazon, Apple’s forthcoming September 10th event with rumors of a new iPhone, and the “deep fake” Zao iOS app craze in China were also highlighted. Microsoft’s October 2 Surface event and more warnings for Windows10 updates were topics rounding out the show. Geeks of the week included the amazing app “Genius Scan” for both Android and iOS, Wes’ free Flipboard magazine “iReading,” and Wonder Links shared on Wes’ new curriculum and lesson website for school. Our show was live streamed and archived simultaneously on YouTube Live as well as Facebook Live via StreamYard.com and Restream.io . Please follow us on Twitter @edtechSR for updates, and join us LIVE on Wednesday nights if you can (normally) 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.
Screens are like heroin? Silicon Valley exec parents opt to put their kids in non-tech schools? I tackle these excuses and more in this post – “What Opportunities Are Lost When You Ban Technology” https://t.co/Idod43e6s1
Welcome to episode 142 of the EdTech Situation Room from July 24, 2019, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Wesley Fryer (@wfryer) discussed why data privacy is complicated, the FTC’s $5 billion fine of Facebook, the limitations of SMS for 2 factor authentication (2FA) / multi-factor authentication (MFA), and exciting recent Apollo 11 50 year anniversary moon landing media coverage. Updates to Google’s smartwatch software (WearOS) as well as ChromeOS, Apple’s expected announcement of its new $3000 MacBook portable, the return of MDM-powered parental control apps like MyPact to the iOS App Store, and Apple’s pleas to avoid 25% tariffs on Chinese manufactured electronic components were also highlighted. The increasingly fractured landscape of podcasting (sadly coming to a walled garden paid app near you,) the prospect of “Peak Podcast” time, and Jason’s recent experiences with the wild world of urban electric scooters (where “the repo man” now thrives) were discussed with a remarkable tone of clarity laced with humor. Geeks of the Week included the DarkNet Diaries podcast (@darknetdiaries) and the “Timeline” tool from the Knight Foundation. Please follow us on Twitter @edtechSR for updates, and join us LIVE on Wednesday nights if you can (normally) 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 141 of the EdTech Situation Room from July 17, 2019, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Wesley Fryer (@wfryer) discussed the forthcoming commercial release of Boston Robotics’ “Spot” robot, Jony Ive’s announced departure from Apple, updates to the Apple portable laptops, and Amazon’s policy to basically keep user audio recordings from Alexa forever. Privacy concerns over the new FaceApp smartphone app, kids bullied into spending money in Fortnite, a Citizen’s Guide to Fake News, and the power of social media influencers were also explored. Additional topics included the possible return of Google Glass to help autistic children, YouTube educational playlists without recommended videos, and ‘the toxic potential of YouTube’s feedback loop.’ Please follow us on Twitter @edtechSR for updates, and join us LIVE on Wednesday nights if you can (normally) 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 135 of the EdTech Situation Room from May 22, 2019, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Wesley Fryer (@wfryer) discussed the threat posed by cyberattacks in the airline industry, a recent ransomware attack on Oklahoma City Public Schools (@okcps), and revelations of Google storing passwords as plaintext for over a decade. Wes discussed some of his takeaways from a recent Oklahoma education cybersecurity workshop, the importance of cybersecurity jobs, continued troubles with Microsoft Windows10 updates, and the security value of adding a recovery phone number to your Google account. The announced ban of Chinese telecommunications technologies from the US Government this week affecting Huawei (among other companies), the US Supreme Court ruling against Apple involving their App Store monopoly lawsuit, ChromeOS news from Adobe, and some eye opening statistics about eSports and the earnings of young gamers rounded out the show topics. Geeks of the Week included SuperHosts from AirBnB, TextExpander for Chrome, and a great video from Derek Muller (@veritasium) explaining big changes to the YouTube algorithm affecting creators, viewers, and the overall quality of YouTube video content. Please follow us on Twitter @edtechSR for updates, and join us LIVE on Wednesday nights if you can (normally) 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 121 of the EdTech Situation Room from January 10, 2019, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Wesley Fryer (@wfryer) discussed the implications of Apple’s disappointing earnings projection for the first quarter of 2019, Baratunde Thurston’s Tech Manifesto addressing how we should protect data privacy, and the intense technological as well as economic struggles underway between the United States and China, specifically via the Chinese company Huawei. In addition, Jason highlighted a variety of technology announcements and developments from the 2019 Computer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. Geeks of the week included Tiles and the MacOS program Amphetamine. Please follow us on Twitter @edtechSR for updates, and join us LIVE on Wednesday nights if you can (normally) 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 120 of the EdTech Situation Room from January 3, 2019, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Wesley Fryer (@wfryer) discussed 2018 “Tech Report Cards” from the Verge on Apple, Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Microsoft. The proliferation of bots and fake content online, and the challenges this presents for online media metrics as well as media literacy, was highlighted. The release of thousands of works into the public domain in the United States, thanks to the non-renewal of the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act, and an instance of ground-breaking brain surgery rounded out topics for the show. Geeks of the week included an article sharing tips for getting the most out of your Amazon Kindle eReader, and the open source software Burn for MacOS. Please follow us on Twitter @edtechSR for updates, and join us LIVE on Wednesday nights if you can (normally) 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 107 of the EdTech Situation Room from September 12, 2018, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Wesley Fryer (@wfryer) discussed the days announcements from Cupertino at the special Apple Event including Apple Watch 4 and 3 new iPhone models. The forthcoming iOS 12 and the benefits of the new Apple watch providing ECG / EKG data which is FDA approved was highlighted. Under the heading of “Social Media Correction,” Jason and Wes discussed an fascinating and in-depth article from the New Yorker focusing on the challenges faced by Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook in moderate content for 2.2 billion people worldwide, and specifically the impact that is having on democratic processes and institutions. The banning of Alex Jones by both Apple and Facebook, and the devastating impacts of false rumors spread via social media in Myanmar, India and Brazil were also discussed. The public availability of mind-blowingly high resolution maps of Antarctica, The FCC’s “pause” of the T-Mobile/Sprint merger, the ongoing exploration of our “Red Planet” by robots amidst the challenge of a summer planet-wide dust storm, and Twitter’s release of audio-only broadcasting options rounded out the articles in this week’s shortened show. Check out edtechSR.com/links for all shownotes, including those listed below. Please follow us on Twitter @edtechSR for updates, and join us LIVE on Wednesday nights if you can at 10 pm Eastern / 9 pm Central / 8 pm Mountain / 7 pm Pacific or 3 am UTC.
