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EdTech Situation Room Episode 85

Welcome to episode 85 of the EdTech Situation Room from February 7, 2018, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Wes Fryer (@wfryer) discussed Chrome blocking autoplay videos, Smartwatch privacy issues, amazing LIDAR discoveries in Guatemalan jungles, work by the Center for Humane Technology, and changing norms with Smartphone memory capacity. Additional topics included Apple’s HomePod release and Apple’s AI lag behind Google and Amazon, new smart glasses from Intel, Best Buy discontinuing CD sales, expected impacts of 5G cellular wireless, and recommendations for home mesh routers. Geeks of the week included the Common Voice Project by Mozilla (from Wes) and “Android Lite” apps for situations with poor connectivity (Jason). Note we will NOT have a show next week on February 14th / Valentine’s Day, but will return on our regular schedule February 21st, Check out all our shownotes (including articles we did not have time to discuss this week) on http://edtechSR.com – Stay safe and stay savvy, friends!

Shownotes:

  1. EdTech Situation Room Listener Survey: wfryer.me/edtechsr
  2. Follow @edtechSR on Twitter!
  3. Audio podcast feed (Subscribe with iTunes or Stitcher)
  4. Video version on YouTube
  5. Check out our video podcast feed and subscribe to our YouTube Channel (episodes also in this YouTube playlist)
  6. Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) – blog: blog.ncce.org
  7. Wes Fryer (@wfryer) – blog: speedofcreativity.org
  8. Google Chrome now lets you permanently mute annoying websites (Verge, 25 Jan 2018)
  9. Facebook should shut down Messenger Kids, child advocates say (30 January 2018)
  10. Laser Scans Reveal Maya “Megalopolis” Below Guatemalan Jungle (National Geographic, 2 February 2018)
  11. Center for Humane Technology (@HumaneTech_)
  12. Apple Homepod Review: Locked In (The Verge, 7 February 2018)
  13. 64GB phones aren’t big enough for me anymore (The Verge, 29 January 2018)
  14. Shout out to TIDE Podcast 95 (@TIDEpodcast) and the Amazfit Bip smartwatch ($60)
  15. LG Urbane Urbane Smartwatch
  16. Pentagon reviews policy after fitness app reveals military locations (Engadget, 29 January 2018)
  17. Pebble is dead and hardware buttons are going with it (The Verge, 27 January 2018)
  18. ProHDR App for Android and Pro HDR X App for iOS
  19. Intel Made Smart Glasses That Look Normal (The Verge, 5 February 2018)
  20. Google Glass (English WikiPedia)
  21. Best Buy will stop selling CDs — good riddance (The Next Web, 5 February 2018)
  22. How 5G could change everything from music to medicine (CNN, 5 February 2018)
  23. The Best Wi-Fi Mesh-Networking Kits for Most People (Wirecutter by NYT, 22 Jan 2018)
  24. Windows 10 S becoming a mode, not a version, as Microsoft shakes up its pricing (Arts Technica, 5 February 2018)
  25. Wes’ Geek of the Week: Common Voice Project by Mozilla
  26. Jason’s Geek of the Week: Bad Network? These Lite Android Apps Will Still Work (Make Use Of, 5 February 2018)

EdTech Situation Room Episode 83

Welcome to episode 83 of the EdTech Situation Room from January 24, 2018, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Wes Fryer (@wfryer) discussed the Montana governor’s announcement to require net neutrality respect from ISPs with state contracts, the Hawaii governor’s Twitter password gaffe during the recent false ICBM alert incident, and a series of new Google announcements relating to an IT certification program and cybersecurity spinoff company. Additional topics included new affordable laptops from Lenovo, Acer, and Microsoft targeting the education market, wifi issues with Chromecast and Google Home devices, and some Apple updates on battery throttling, HomePod, and the Siri Assistant who can new read daily news briefings like Google Home and Alexa. The show rounded out with a discussion of new YouTube changes to channel monetization eligibility, the issues raised around “YouTube pranking culture” by the Logan Paul Japan suicide video, and a shout out to Ben Wilkoff’s new “Educator and Student Youtube 1000 List.” Please follow us on Twitter for updates and links to our live shows on Wednesday night on YouTube. Check out the full list of links, including some we did not cover in this episode, on http://edtechSR.com/links.

Shownotes:

  1. EdTech Situation Room Listener Survey: wfryer.me/edtechsr
  2. Follow @edtechSR on Twitter!
  3. Audio podcast feed (Subscribe with iTunes or Stitcher)
  4. Video version on YouTube
  5. Check out our video podcast feed and subscribe to our YouTube Channel (episodes also in this YouTube playlist)
  6. Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) – blog: blog.ncce.org
  7. Wes Fryer (@wfryer) – blog: speedofcreativity.org
  8. Montana governor signs executive order to keep net neutrality in the state (The Verge; 22 January 2018)
  9. Hawaii governor forgot Twitter password during false missile alert crisis (The Verge; 23 January 2018)
  10. Google Launches New IT Course, Offers Access to Jobs and Scholarships (Fortune, 16 Jan 2018)
  11. Google finds STEM skills aren’t the most important skills (Michigan Future, 5 Jan 2018)
  12. Alphabet’s Latest Moonshot Graduate Is Tackling Cybersecurity (Fortune, 24 Jan 2018)
  13. Graduation Day: Introducing Chronicle – Cybersecurity needs a moonshot (@AstroTeller, 24 Jan 2018)
  14. What is Google’s Fuchsia OS, anyway? (9 to 5 Google, 23 January 2018)
  15. Google teases I/O 2018 with a pineapple cake and a series of riddles (Verge, 24 Jan 2018)
  16. Over 90 percent of Gmail users still don’t use two-factor authentication (Verge, 23 Jan 2018)
  17. Lenovo Expands Educational Chromebook Lineup (Chrome Unboxed; 22 January 2018)
  18. Acer Announces A New Chromebox and 2 New Chromebooks (23 January 2018)
  19. Microsoft challenges Chromebooks with $189 Windows 10 laptops for schools (The Verge; 22 January 2018)
  20. [Update] Google’s Chromecast and Home devices can cause temporary Wi-Fi outages, here’s why (9 to 5 Google, 15 January 2018)
  21. Have you experienced Google Home- or Chromecast-related Wi-Fi outages? [Poll] (9 to 5 Google, 16 January 2018)
  22. Apple confirms iOS 11.3 will let you turn off controversial throttling of older iPhones (The Verge 24 January 2018)
  23. Apple’s Siri-equipped HomePod comes to your home on February 9 (ArsTechnica, 23 Jan 2018)
  24. Apple CEO Tim Cook Explains Why You’ll Want the HomePod (Fortune, 24 Jan 2018)
  25. iPhone users can now ask Siri to read daily news podcasts (Verge, 23 Jan 2018)
  26. Apple is adding a new Privacy icon to iOS and macOS to prevent iCloud password phishing (Verge, 24 Jan 2018)
  27. Jason’s Geek of the Week: The New York Times Podcast Club
  28. Wes’ Geeks of the Week: “The Secret of Tuxedo Park” (@AmExperiencePBS documentary) and Flixable (Flixable Helps You Find the Perfect Thing to Watch on Netflix – Lifehacker, 23 Jan 2018)

ICBM by nerd_gold, on Flickr
“ICBM” (CC BY 2.0) by nerd_gold

EdTech Situation Room Episode 77

Welcome to episode 77 of the EdTech Situation Room from December 13, 2017, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Wes Fryer (@wfryer) discussed Google’s recent announcement to discontinue web store apps, the importance of the open web, and the upcoming net neutrality vote by the FCC. Additional topics included the prevalence of email tracking and whether or not this surveillance is something to be concerned about, the upcoming shutdown of Storify, Google Assistant coming to older Android devices, and a recent PBS Frontline Special (“Putin’s Revenge”) as well as Guardian article about the weaponization of the web by Russia. Geeks of the week included a recent article about going anonymous online with the Tor browser (Jason) and the expensive, hybrid human/digital assistant “Fin” (Wes). Please check out all our shownotes (including articles we did not have time to address in this week’s show) on http://edtechSR.com/links and follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/edtechSR for updates.

Shownotes:

  1. EdTech Situation Room Listener Survey: wfryer.me/edtechsr
  2. Follow @edtechSR on Twitter!
  3. Audio podcast feed (Subscribe with iTunes or Stitcher)
  4. Video version on YouTube
  5. Check out our video podcast feed and subscribe to our YouTube Channel (episodes also in this YouTube playlist)
  6. Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) – blog: blog.ncce.org
  7. Wes Fryer (@wfryer) – blog: speedofcreativity.org
  8. Google Kills Apps In Web Store For Mac and Windows: Some Thoughts (Chrome Unboxed; 13 December 2017)
  9. Chrome OS Fighting To Keep Control Of US Education Market (Android Headlines; 7 December 2017)
  10. How Email Open Tracking Quietly Took Over the Web (Wired, 11 December 2017)
  11. Storify is shutting down and will delete all posts next May (The Verge; 12 December 2017)
  12. Concerns grow among YouTubers, Twitch personalities as net neutrality vote looms (Polygon, 13 December 2017)
  13. Let’s calm down. No matter what happens with net neutrality, an open internet isn’t going anywhere. (Recode, 13 December 2017)
  14. The FCC is voting to repeal net neutrality on Thursday. Here’s how to watch live. (Recode; 13 December 2017)
  15. Google Assistant finally rolling out to Android tablets, expands phone support to 5.0 Lollipop (9-5 Google, 13 December 2017)
  16. Fake news and botnets: how Russia weaponised the web (Guardian, 2 December 2017)
  17. Putin’s Revenge on PBS Frontline (@frontlinepbs)
  18. Jason’s Geek of the Week: The Grand Tor: How To Go Anonymous Online (Wired; 9 December 2017)
  19. Wes’ Geek of the Week: Fin (@finexploration) via Drop.io WikiPedia article & @lessin

EdTech Situation Room Episode 75

Welcome to episode 75 of the EdTech Situation Room from November 29, 2017, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Wes Fryer (@wfryer) discussed rumors on other edtech podcasts that they are “a bit nerdy,” recent Apple security issues with the default root user account, and YouTube with respect to protecting kids and restricting content. Additional topics included the state of email in 2017 and useful apps / email workflow strategies, the amazingly fast new FireFox browser from Mozilla, exciting new announcements for more Android apps on Chromebooks, and the continued march of automation via AI, especially involving trucking. Geeks of the week included the upcoming December 15-31 “Ditch that Textook Digital Summit” (from Wes) and Google Voice (from Jason.) Refer to our podcast shownotes for all referenced news articles and links. Please follow us on Twitter @edtechSR to stay updated, and join us LIVE for a future show at 9 pm Central / 8 pm Mountain most weeks on Wednesday night. Check all our shownotes on http://edtechSR.com/links

Shownotes:

  1. EdTech Situation Room Listener Survey: wfryer.me/edtechsr
  2. Follow @edtechSR on Twitter!
  3. Audio podcast feed (Subscribe with iTunes or Stitcher)
  4. Video version on YouTube
  5. Check out our video podcast feed and subscribe to our YouTube Channel (episodes also in this YouTube playlist)
  6. Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) – blog: blog.ncce.org
  7. Wes Fryer (@wfryer) – blog: speedofcreativity.org
  8. Wes and Jason called “a bit nerdy:” EdTech Take Out, Episode 35
  9. Anyone Can Hack Macos High Sierra Just By Typing “Root” (Wired; 28 November 2017)
  10. Apple releases update to fix critical macOS High Sierra security issue (The Verge, 29 November 2017)
  11. YouTube is not for kids (TechCrunch; 29 November 2017)
  12. YouTube advertisers quit over predatory child videos (USA Today; 24 November 2017)
  13. Jellies is a kid-friendly, parent-approved alternative to YouTube Kids (TechCrunch, 27 Nov 2017)
  14. YouTube Kids app (for iOS and Android)
  15. Block YouTube Ads in your Browser: UBlock Origin for Chrome and for FireFox
  16. YouTube Red
  17. Turn on YouTube Restricted Mode for Kids
  18. Email sucks, right?  Email Is Broken. Can Anyone Fix It? (Wired; 27 November 2017)
  19. Hop for Email: https://gethop.com
  20. Google/Apache Wave
  21. David Allen’s Getting Things Done
  22. InBox Zero [VIDEO] (Merlin Mann at Google Talks in 2007)
  23. Introducing the New Firefox: Firefox Quantum (Mozilla, 14 Nov 2017)
  24. Ciao, Chrome: Firefox Quantum Is The Browser Built For 2017 (Wired; 25 November 2017)
  25. Firefox Quantum Isn’t Just “Copying” Chrome: It’s Much More Powerful (How-to Geek; 25 November 2017)
  26. https://www.w3counter.com/globalstats.php
  27. Chrome is the most popular web browser of all (ZDNet, Jan 2017)
  28. Nearly 60 Chromebooks now have Android apps enabled with more on the way (9 to 5 Google; 15 November 2017)
  29. Microsoft Office Lands on Chromebooks Everywhere (Chrome Unboxed; 22 November 2017)
  30. Will Tesla’s Automated Truck Kill Trucking Jobs? (Wired, 17 Nov 2017)
  31. VIDEO: How job surveillance is transforming trucking in America (Vox, 20 Nov 2017)
  32. Automation could kill 73 million U.S. jobs by 2030 (USA Today; 28 November 2017)