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EdTech Situation Room Episode 56

Welcome to episode 56 of the EdTech Situation Room from June 19, 2017, where technology news meets educational analysis. Visit https://edtechsr.com/links to access all referenced links from our show. This week Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Wes Fryer (@wfryer) were back after several weeks apart, which included some international travel for Jason to Sweden. This week discussion topics included the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on “a right to social media access” as part of 1st Amendment rights, and recent announcements from Apple at WWDC including new iPads, the iMac Pro and HomePod speakers. The proposed purchase of Whole Foods by Amazon, the degree to which we can societally prepare for job displacement from automation, and efforts by Amazon and Google to address offensive content as well as terrorist-related media using human moderators were also discussed. An amazing (but apparently true) event in Ethiopia was also discussed, in which the nation shut down the entire Internet for several days to prevent cheating on high school student end-of-year exams. Several surveillance and security related news articles were also addressed. Geeks of the Week included the Podcast App, 60db (by Jason) and two from Wes: SiteSucker for macOS and the Eclipse Megamovie Project. Be sure to follow us on Twitter @edtechSR to stay up to date on upcoming shows! Next week we’ll attempt a live show from ISTE in San Antonio on Monday evening, June 26th.

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. Survey finds 1/3 of people interested in Apple’s HomePod, still more likely to buy Amazon Echo (AppleInsider, 13 June 2017)
  9. The Supreme Court Just Protected Your Right To Facebook (Wired; 19 June 2017)
  10. [VIDEO] How many jobs will robots actually take? (2 min, 30 sec – @axios, 5 June 2017)
  11. Amazon buys Whole Foods for $13.7 billion (ArsTechnica, 16 June 2017)
  12. John McCain at Senate hearing: We’re living an ‘Orwellian existence’ (CNBC @jacobpramuk, 7 June 2017)
  13. Activists and Journalists in Mexico Complain of Government Spying (New York Times, 19 June 2017)
  14. Why I won’t recommend Signal anymore (@VenemaSander, Nov 2016) 
  15. Weapons of Mass Surveillance (BBC World Service, 17 June 2017)
  16. Revealed: Facebook’s internal rulebook on sex, terrorism and violence (Guardian, 21 May 2017)
  17. Facebook sics AI on terrorist posts, but humans still do the dirty work (ArsTechnica, 16 June 2017) 18 June 2017)
  18. Four steps we’re taking today to fight online terror (@Google, 18 June 2017)
  19. Microsoft releases additional updates 4 older platforms to protect against potential nation-state activity (Microsoft TechNet, 13 June 2017)
  20. Defence Secretary unable to deny Trident nuclear submarines run on same outdated software hackers exploited to cripple NHS systems [Windows XP] (@montaukian @Independent, 14 May 2017)
  21. Ethiopia turns off internet nationwide as students sit exams (@guardian, 31 May 2017)
  22. President Trump wants a ‘sweeping transformation’ of government tech, he says at a White House meeting with execs (Re/code, 19 June 2017)
  23. Jason’s Geek of the Week: Podcast App, 60db, https://60db.co/  
  24. Wes’ Geeks of the Week: SiteSucker for macOS (make static HTML versions of WordPress & other websites!) via @cogdog and Eclipse Megamovie Project (more info from Newsweek)

EdTech Situation Room Episode 55

Welcome to episode 55 of the EdTech Situation Room from June 7, 2017, where technology news meets educational analysis. Visit https://edtechsr.com/links to access all referenced links from our show. This week while Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) was out on assignment in Sweden, special guest Dr. Scott McLeod (@mcleod) joined Wes Fryer (@wfryer) to discuss cyberattacks in Qatar and the Middle East, new iPad features announced at Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) in California, and the possible legal limits on public figures to block followers on social media platforms like Twitter. They also discussed a new book by CRISPR co-inventor Jennifer Doudna, insights into the rise of our artificial intelligence golden age from Alphabet CEO Eric Schmidt, and students admitted to Harvard denied admission over inappropriate Internet memes shared over social media. Geeks of the Week included Mary Meeker’s Internet Trends 2017 presentation (355 slides!) by Scott and Story Map (including a Story Map of 2017 Terrorist attacks) by Wes. Be sure to follow us on Twitter @edtechSR to stay up to date on upcoming shows!

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. Dr. Scott McLeod (@mcleod) – blog: dangerouslyirrelevant.org
  7. Wes Fryer (@wfryer) – blog: speedofcreativity.org
  8. [VIDEO] Everything Apple Announced at WWDC 2017 in 7 Minutes (MacRumors, 5 June 2017)
  9. Apple Beefs Up iMac and MacBook Lines, Teases the iMac Pro (TidBits, 6 June 2017)
  10. Three potential motives behind the tension between Qatar and its Gulf neighbours via @AnupKaphle (Middle East Eye, 6 June 2017)
  11. Twitter users blocked by Trump seek reprieve, citing First Amendment (New York Times, 6 June 2017)
  12. Trump’s not the only one blocking constituents on Twitter (ProPublica, 7 June 2017)
  13. Restrictions eased for federal agencies that use Twitter, blogs, wikis (NYTimes, April 2010)
  14. [VIDEO] Google’s Great AI Awakening: We didn’t even know we hired the best AI Scientists in Google (Interview with Eric Schmidt, RSA Conference, May 2, 2017, 40 min)
  15. One of Crispr’s Creators Faces Her Fears (Bloomberg, 1 June 2017)
  16. Harvard rescinds offers to incoming freshmen over hateful memes (CNN, 5 June 2017)
  17. Amazon refunding $70M of kids’ unauthorized in-app purchases (ArsTechnica, 31 May 2017)
  18. The disappearing computer (Recode, 25 May 2017)
  19. The Internet of Things connectivity binge: What are the implications? (Pew Research Center, 6 June 2017)
  20. Court: Dead daughter’s parents have no right to access her Facebook account (ArsTechnica, 31 May 2017)
  21. Trump Lies. China Thrives. (NYTimes, Tom Friedman, 7 June 2017)
  22. Scott’s Geek of the Week: Mary Meeker’s Internet Trends 2017 presentation (355 slides!) (KPCB, 31 May 2017)
  23. Wes’ Geek of the Week: Story Maps (Example: 2017 Terrorist Attacks)

EdTech Situation Room Episode 48

Welcome to episode 48 of the EdTech Situation Room from April 19, 2017, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Wes Fryer (@wfryer) discussed the implications of Apple’s announcement to make all iLife apps free for both MacOS and iOS, Microsoft’s new licensing strategy for Windows 10 and the “Creator’s Update,” and the potential for Google’s AutoDraw website to be used for sketchnoting inside and outside the classroom. Additional topics included a recent study suggesting kids who use touchscreen devices sleep less at night, a New York Times article on a paper suggesting social media is NOT contributing significantly to political polarization, and the X-Prize victory by an underdog family team who created a “tri-corder” to accurately diagnose thirteen different medical conditions. Jason and Wes also discussed two cell phone company related articles, including Verizon’s announcement to purchase tons of new fiber and bring 1 Gbps connectivity to homes via 5G wireless technology, and T-Mobile’s recent spectrum purchases boosting their LTE network coverage. Geeks of the week included a new Chromebook for Jason (HP Chromebook 13 G1) and upcoming creativity strand presentations for the K-12 Online Conference by Wes. Despite some Fryer home connectivity challenges tonight we made it through the show! Thanks to Peggy, Ben and Simon who joined us live from Arizona, Colorado and Australia! Next week Wes will be “out on assignment” but Jason will carry on with some special guests. Please follow @edtechSR on Twitter to stay up to date about our upcoming show schedule. Thanks for listening (and possibly watching) the EdTech Situation Room!

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. Wesley Fryer (@wfryer) – blog: speedofcreativity.org
  8. iWork and iLife apps are now free for old and new Mac and iOS users (18 April 2017, ArsTechica)
  9. All the Coolest New Features in the Windows 10 Creators Update (11 April 2017, Lifehacker)
  10. Microsoft Releases the Windows 10 “Creator’s Update:” Here’s What’s In Store (Jason’s Blog Article at the NCCE Tech-Savvy Teacher Blog)
  11. Fast Drawing for Everyone (11 April 2017, Google Blog)
  12. Using Google AutoDraw for Sketchnotes, Infographics, Drawings, and More (13 April 2017, by @ericcurts)
  13. Majority of consumers fear engaging with AI (18 April 2017, Information Management)
  14. Social Media Is Not Contributing Significantly to Political Polarization, Paper Says (New York Times, 13 April 2017)
  15. Kids Who Use Touchscreen Devices Sleep Less at Night (Gizmodo, 13 April 2017); the actual study appears here behind a paywall
  16. Underdog team wins millions in competition to make real-life tricorder (14 April 2017, ArsTechnica)
  17. Verizon buying 37 million miles of fiber to boost its wireless network (18 April 2017, ArsTechnica)
  18. T-Mobile dominates spectrum auction, will boost LTE network across US (13 April 2017, ArsTechnica)
  19. Why the politics of the future is technology and technology is the future of politics (22 March 2017, Nikola Danaylov @singularityblog)
  20. Jason’s Geek of the Week:  HP Chromebook 13 G1
  21. Wes’ Geek of the Week #1: K12Online Creativity Strand Presentations from Educators in Australia, Austria, China, Laos, Norway, & the USA: April 24 and 29
  22. Wes’ Geek of the Week #2: Picture Book – Lost and Found Cat: The True Story of Kunkush’s Incredible Journey (Video: The epic journey of a refugee cat to find its family)