Welcome to episode 101 of the EdTech Situation Room from July 25, 2018, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Wesley Fryer (@wfryer) discussed automation and the technological trajectory of our society, potentially toward dystopia, informed by Douglass Rushkoff’s “Survival of the Richest” article shared in early July. This led to discussions about the weaponization of news via social media, as highlighted by danah boyd in a recent lecture in Detroit available on YouTube, recent revelations about voting machine vulnerabilities to hackers via remote access, and the cautionary tale provided by Ukraine in recent years on Russian hackers’ capabilities to bring a society’s institutions to a standstill via cyberwarfare. On the less depressing technology news front, Jason and Wes discussed the recent hoopla of Apple throttling MacBook Pro laptops revealed by a user on YouTube, and Apple’s release of an iOS version which provides better support for privacy and travelers passing through customs inspections where equipment may be used to copy iPhone data via USB tools. On the Google front, Jason discussed identified speed issues with web browsers and the YouTube website, the recent EU fine of Google for anti-trust legal violations, the opinion that Android has (positively) created more choice in the global smartphone market, and an update on Google’s Chromecast technology which celebrated its 5th birthday. Facebook’s legal challenges and potential fines in Great Britain over Brexit, rumors of a Microsoft-branded smartphone, updates to Microsoft Teams software, slow growth in the PC industry, and the continued revelation of more backdoors in Cisco routers (5 at this point) rounded out this episode’s topics. Geeks of the Week included Loom, a Chrome extension for screencasting, the Apple Magic Pad running on Chrome, Reddit (it’s not just for trolls), DocHub (for PDF annotation and digital signing) and the new documentary “This is AI” by IBM and Discovery. Please follow us on @edtechSR for updates and join us LIVE on Wednesday nights if you can for our show!
Welcome to episode 100 of the EdTech Situation Room from July 11, 2018, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Wesley Fryer (@wfryer) discussed recent announcements from the 2018 ISTE Conference in Chicago, Microsoft’s new Surface Go budget laptop, and the opening of Pandora’s Box for 3D printed guns. Security articles discussed included the worst cybersecurity breaches of 2018 (so far), the importance of never using a USB from an unknown source (including North Korea summit officials), and the potential danger of discarding a used USB flash drive. Google Chrome articles included the launch of the CTL rugged Chromebook, and Neverware’s “Bring Your Old Device” tour, which included an ISTE vendor hall appearance at the Google booth. On the Amazon front, Jason reminded us to look forward to Amazon Prime Day on July 16th, and to consider why Amazon continues to sell lots of tablets in an otherwise lackluster market. Twitter’s recent efforts to delete fake accounts in advance of 2018 midterm elections in the United States was also highlighted. Geeks of the week included a recent episode of the Wired Educator podcast, Wes’ shared podcast subscriptions from PocketCasts, The Scratch Team’s “Getting Unstuck” campaign for 25 days of creative coding, and the recommendation to restart your router to defeat variants of the “VPNfilter” malware outbreak and also optimize your bandwidth performance. Please follow us on Twitter at @edtechSR for updates and for live join links during our Wednesday night shows. Please reach out to us on Twitter if you enjoy the show and let us know you’re listening!
Welcome to episode 99 of the EdTech Situation Room from June 19, 2018, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Wesley Fryer (@wfryer) discussed advice for attendees of the upcoming 2018 ISTE Conference, the AI robot debater from IBM, Facebook and social media privacy settings, and poor home wifi router security. Wes shared a weekly dose of cyberattack doom and gloom (shout out to NPR Fresh Air and their recent interview with author David E. Sanger) and highlighted Apple’s decision to make it harder for border customs officials to quickly copy data off of traveler’s iPhones. Microsoft’s announced purchase of Flipgrid, the demise of freemium platforms Padlet and Tenmarks, and the emergence of “Minecraft Story Mode” remote control game/story videos on Netflix were also highlighted. Jason shared an update on the ZigZag Podcast mentioned last week, and also highlighted two Android apps: Android Messages (now includes a desktop version) and Datally to gain more insight into your smartphone use habits. (Or perhaps addictions). Geeks of the Week included the Adobe Spark App’s port to Android OS, and the “Caliphate Podcast” series from the New York Times. A shout out to Peggy George, the PhotoMyne app, and the Classroom 2.0 Live Bucket List Google Sheet of apps and websites from last Saturday’s show rounded out this 99th episode of EdTechSR. We will NOT have a show next week, but may squeeze in a July 4th show on a day other than Wednesday that week. Follow @edtechSR on Twitter for updates. Stay safe and stay saavy, friends!
Welcome to episode 97 of the EdTech Situation Room from June 6, 2018, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Wesley Fryer (@wfryer) welcomed special guest Michael J. Crawford (@mjcraw). Topics discussed included Mary Meeker’s essential 2018 Internet Trends report and new microcontrols for iOS announced at WWDC 2018 available to developers to potentially exercise more control over user screentime. The value of limiting the length of shared video as well as the availability of those videos for others to watch and interact with them was also discussed. EdSpace Live (www.edspace.live) is Michael’s current product focusing on these questions and potentials. Instagram’s announced launch of a long form video platform to compete with YouTube, and Microsoft’s recently released book “Transforming Education” challenging K12 school leaders to be more thoughtful, deliberate, and intentional in their deployment of technologies in the classroom were also highlighted. Michael shared a shout out to Angela Maiers’ article “Tactical Serendipity” as it relates to the value of teachers being connected and collaborating with each other. New revelations about the VPNFilter router vulnerability which potentially affects half a million routers worldwide, and the FBI is recommendation to reboot your router, was also discussed. Jason provided commentary about a recent article highlighting the privacy differences between the FireFox and Chrome browsers, and Wes recommended an article giving specific instructions about changing default privacy settings on social networks including Facebook. Check out all our links on https://edtechsr.com/links for these and all other referenced resources from the show. Please follow us on Twitter @edtechSR for updates and remember to subscribe with PocketCasts, Stitcher, on YouTube, or wherever you prefer to aggregate your favorite podcasts!
Welcome to episode 96 of the EdTech Situation Room from May 30, 2018, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Wesley Fryer (@wfryer) welcomed special guest Dave Quinn (@EduQuinn) to discuss Amazon Alexa’s latest (and improbable) privacy snafu, Facebook marketing videos to restore public trust, Redit’s ascendency over Facebook to become the number three most popular website in the United States, and the much anticipated release of the Acer Chromebook Spin 13. Additional topics included Europe’s GDPR (General Data Privacy Regulation), Apple’s new patent on an “ultra-flexible ‘living hinge’ laptop design,” the newly refreshed Google News app and it’s “full coverage” feature, and the value of Google’s Custom Search Engines. In the course of conversations Dave also mentioned the excellent work Mike Caulfield (@holden) has done on information literacy and web literacy focusing on “4 Moves,” and a shoutout to Nevada STEM educator Brian Crosby (@bcrosby) for his awesome balloon project “High Hopes” (@HighHopesSTEM). Geeks of the week included the Netflix original movie “Into the Inferno” by Werner Herzog, the 1st Inspired Learning Convention, Hummingbird Robotics Kits, and the value of pre-purchasing GoGo InFlight WiFi credits. Check out all our links on https://edtechsr.com/links for these and all other referenced resources from the show. Please follow us on Twitter @edtechSR for updates and remember to subscribe with PocketCasts, Stitcher, on YouTube, or wherever you prefer to aggregate your favorite podcasts!
Facebook Opens Up About False News (Wired, 23 May 2018) Outstanding 12 minute film by Facebook about Facebook addressing #FakeNews following the 2016 Election hacks)
Welcome to episode 94 of the EdTech Situation Room from May 9, 2018, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week newly minted Ph.D. Dr. Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Dr. Wesley Fryer (@wfryer) discussed lots of news from the Google IO developer’s conference, as well as news from the Microsoft Build Conference. The continued march of artificial intelligence is evident in the forthcoming release of Google Duplex, which was demonstrated at Google IO and allows your Google Assistant to make phone calls to real people and book appointments for things like haircuts and restaurant reservations. Google’s new Android P operating system will focus on wellness and greater awareness of screentime to promote healthy living. They also discussed Facebook’s “Sauron Alert” feature for employees, now called “Security Watchdog,” which is not available publicly but warns when someone is using content or personal information in unauthorized ways on the platform. Microsoft’s announcements for WindowsOS features which integrate with both Android phones as well as iPhones were discussed, as well as their efforts to bring machine learning benefits to all their applications. The use of AI technologies to potentially open up access to the Vatican’s Secret Library was highlighted, along with an older article (September 2017) from “The Conversation” about how software licensing restrictions affecting objects we purchase for our homes is bringing a property rights / intellectual property rights situation into our lives which is regressive and feudal in nature. Geeks of the week included open source software for DVD ripping (Handbrake) and YouTube video downloading (y2mate), as well as software for identifying and installing optimal Windows OS drivers on older computer systems (Snappy Driver Installer). Check out our shownotes for links to all referenced resources, and links to articles we didn’t have time to discuss in this week’s show on edtechSR.com/links. Please follow us on Twitter @edtechSR for updates, and join us live weekly on Wednesday nights at 10 pm Eastern / 9 pm Central / 8 pm Mountain / 7 pm Pacific.
Welcome to episode 90 of the EdTech Situation Room from March 28, 2018, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week special guest Felix Jacomino (@FelixJacomino) and Wes Fryer (@wfryer) discussed a gripping tale of iPhone10 survival on the SheiKra Roller Coaster in Busch Gardens, Apple’s Education Event in Chicago on Tuesday, digital citizenship themes surrounding the Facebook / Cambridge Analytica hoopla as well as Florida school shootings, and the upcoming closure of WikiSpaces. Additional topics included some amazing, recent biotech headlines about protein engineering and the discovery of a new human organ, YouTube’s decision to use WikiPedia links to fight online conspiracy theories, and Google’s launch of a ChromeOS tablet. Geeks of the week included Sketchnoting apps ProCreate (iOS) and ArtFlow (Android) and Branded URL Shortening Service thetinyLINQ.com. Please follow us on Twitter @edtechSR for updates. Refer to the podcast shownotes for links to all our referenced articles and resources. Next week tune in 2 hours early on Wednesday for a conversation with special guests Alice Barr (@alicebarr) and Cheryl Oakes (@cheryloakes50).
Welcome to episode 89 of the EdTech Situation Room from March 22, 2018, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week special guest Carl Hooker (@mrhooker) and Wes Fryer (@wfryer) discussed the transition of iPadPalooza into LearningFest, Virtual Reality at SxSW 2018 and in the classroom, and the upcoming Apple Education Event in Chicago on March 27th. Additional topics included Facebook, Cambridge Analytica, and the response of Mark Zuckerberg to allegations his social media platform has become “a weapon” posing an existential threat to democracies worldwide. Geeks of the week included the forthcoming movie, “Ready Player One,” and a new Cadillac ad, “Future Cars.” Check our shownotes for links to these and additional referenced articles and websites.
Welcome to episode 87 of the EdTech Situation Room from February 28, 2018, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Wes Fryer (@wfryer) discussed news from the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, net neutrality debate in the U.S. Congress, the forthcoming freemium option in Microsoft Teams, and new Chromebooks from Lenovo. Additional topics included Facebook’s facial recognition features, outlier conspiracy theories focusing on the recent Florida school shooting fueled by social media, and YouTube’s reinvigorated policing of videos required to adhere to community guidelines. Challenges for Android OS security, a possible replacement of Android OS by Google (with Flutter), and the prevalence of “credential stuffing” with online accounts rounded out the show’s main topics. Geeks of the week included a new Google MOOC focusing on AI and machine learning, compatibility of Mac Magic trackpads with Chromebooks, and the free Google Docs Add-On “OrangeSlice: Teacher Rubric.” Please follow us on Twitter @edtechSR for updates on our show. Thanks for viewing / listening!
Welcome to episode 84 of the EdTech Situation Room from January 31, 2018, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Wes Fryer (@wfryer) discussed the weaponization of information as propaganda via online advertising and what this portends for open / democratic societies, exhortations from leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos relating to education and artificial intelligence, and the financial impact of Facebook’s recently announced changes to its news feed algorithm. Additional topics included the EU’s GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) and what those privacy directives might mean for schools and educational technology use, Google’s embrace of Neverware, Apple rumors about new processors to power new Macs, dramatic reductions in iPhone 10 production numbers, and Google’s success (as well as struggle) vetting apps and removing those which violate its terms of service. Access all our shownotes (including links to articles we didn’t have time to discuss) on http://edtechSR.com/links and follow us on Twitter @edtechSR for updates. Thanks for tuning in, please shout out to us on Twitter and consider writing a favorable review of us on iTunes or elsewhere online. We love listener feedback!
