Welcome to Episode 302 (“AI Ethics Examined”) of the EdTech Situation Room from August 23, 2023, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week, Dr. Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Dr. Wesley Fryer (wesfryer.com/after) discussed a variety of AI-related news stories and developments. They covered an Iowa school district’s controversial use of ChatGPT to identify books with sexual content, as well as concerns around the hacking of AI chatbots at the Defcon security conference. The hosts also talked about reconstructing songs from neural data, Dungeons & Dragons banning AI art, and the high costs associated with running AI models like ChatGPT. Jason and Wes further explored Apple’s stances on right-to-repair legislation, the company’s long history of planning for augmented reality headsets, and regulations in Europe and some US states aimed at curbing social media use and smartphone addiction among teenagers. In addition, they highlighted an upcoming floating workspaces feature in Chrome OS that could benefit classroom workflows. The episode wrapped up with the hosts sharing their “Geeks of the Week,” including an AI class offered by Jason’s school, using custom instructions to control ChatGPT’s verbosity, and a neurotechnology podcast that Wes recommended. The show was live-streamed and archived simultaneously on YouTube Live as well as Facebook Live via StreamYard.com. Please follow @edtechSR on Twitter and @edtechsr@mastodon.education on Mastodon for updates, and join LIVE on Wednesday nights if you can. All shownotes are available on edtechSR.com/links. AI Disclosure: An initial draft of this episode summary was generated using youtubetranscript.com and claude.ai, as well as options for our show title!
Welcome to Episode 300 (“Educators Eye AI Ethics”) of the EdTech Situation Room from August 2, 2023, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week, Dr. Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Wesley Fryer (wesfryer.com/after) welcomed viewers to the milestone 300th episode of the EdTech Situation Room on August 2, 2023. They discussed technology’s rapid advancements, particularly in artificial intelligence (AI), and how educators can thoughtfully integrate new tools into the classroom. The hosts reflected on the show’s history analyzing educational technology news over 299 prior episodes. They outlined the main topics to be covered, including AI, tech policy, Apple, Google, social media, and their weekly “Geeks of the Week” recommendations. Jason and Wes delved into several Google Chrome updates, examining their implications for users and schools. They critiqued proposed regulations cracking down on tech giants in Canada and Europe as going too far in restricting online linking and personalized ads. However, the hosts agreed greater privacy protections are needed in the U.S. Shifting to AI, the hosts were excited by Claude, Anthropic’s new AI chatbot alternative to ChatGPT. They were impressed with Claude’s ability to mimic a user’s writing style when provided samples and to generate content based on analyzing uploaded PDFs. Jason and Wes discussed AI’s potential to transform assessments, emphasizing the need for educators to thoughtfully integrate it into their practice. They also covered several other AI topics, including ethical AI development, using AI in Hollywood productions, and the Worldcoin project linking cryptocurrency to biometric facial/retinal scanning. In closing, Jason and Wes shared their “Geeks of the Week,” including downloadable instructions for 6800 Lego kits and the Google Robotics Lab Segment of the July 28th New York Times Hard Fork Podcast. The show was live-streamed and archived simultaneously on YouTube Live as well as Facebook Live via StreamYard.com. Please follow @edtechSR on Twitter and @edtechsr@mastodon.education on Mastodon for updates, and join LIVE on Wednesday nights if you can. All shownotes are available on edtechSR.com/links. AI Disclosure: An initial draft of this episode summary was generated using youtubetranscript.com and claude.ai, as well as options for our show title!
Welcome to episode 293 (“AI’s Ethical Implications”) of the EdTech Situation Room from May 10, 2023, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Wesley Fryer (@wfryer@mastodon.cloud) discuss the use of remote workers to improve generative AI tools such as ChatGPT. Although these tools require human intervention to provide feedback and improve error outputs, the use of often underpaid workers in developing countries raises ethical concerns. The hosts also explore potential AI tools for grading and providing specific feedback to students and the limitations of these tools. They also look at the implications of AI technology on children and the challenges it poses to teachers and parents. They discuss the integration of Chat GPT into Microsoft and Google Search, the limitations of human creativity, and the importance of precise and accurate directions to AI systems. In addition, Jason and Wes discuss the recent cyberattack by Kremlin-based hackers, Turla or Snake, on various countries’ communications and critical infrastructure. This attack was successfully countered by US Security Forces using a solution comparable to Stuxnet. The importance of multi-factor authentication (MFA) in cybersecurity was emphasized, and other security measures like zero trust principles, identity governance, and secure MFA enrollment were recommended to decrease the risk of loss. The hosts also highlighted the use of Pass Key Only by tech companies like Google and Microsoft and recommended the use of physical keys to log in, especially for high-level targets, to avoid hacking. Useful resources for educators were also shared in the Geek of the Week segment. (AI Attribution: This podcast / video summary was initially generated with summarize.tech and slightly edited.) The show was live streamed and archived simultaneously on YouTube Live as well as our Facebook Live page via StreamYard.com, and compressed to a smaller video version (about 100MB) on AmazonS3 using Handbrake software. Please follow @edtechSR on Twitter and @edtechsr@mastodon.education on Mastodon for updates, and join us LIVE on Wednesday nights (normally) if you can at 9 pm Eastern / 8 pm Central / 7 pm Mountain / 7 pm Pacific or 3 am UTC. All shownotes are available on http://edtechSR.com/links. Stay savvy and safe!
Welcome to episode 106 of the EdTech Situation Room from September 5, 2018, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Wesley Fryer (@wfryer) reflected on the 20th anniversary of Google and the 10th anniversary of the Chrome web browser, and the long way we’ve come in the ensuing years. Other topics included “the technology correction” with an excellent article arguing for the breakup of Facebook based on current U.S. anti-trust law, proposed revisions to anti-trust law which could be applied to large technology companies including Facebook, Amazon, Google and Apple, and this week’s Congressional testimony by technology leaders in Washington D.C. The ethical dimensions of corporate developed and sold spyware, the question of liability for developers when their spyware is used by governments against human rights advocates and political opponents, and the ongoing advocacy by Western governments for security “back doors” in technology platforms were also discussed. The threat posed by new European copyright laws to the open Internet, Apple’s upcoming event on September 12th and leaks suggesting new iPhone models and a 4th generation Apple watch, and the success of the Google Pixelbook in sparking the availability of higher end Chromebooks rounded out the show’s articles. Geeks of the Week included the GeoMap website and application Relive, and CloudReady by Neverware for breathing new Chrome life into older computers. 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.
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 http://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 86 of the EdTech Situation Room from February 21, 2018, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Wes Fryer (@wfryer) discussed Apple’s HomePod and the generally negative reviews it hass received in the technology press, Chrome news including PWAs (progressive web apps), and social media’s dark side revealed through the Parkland, Florida, school shooting incident. Additional topics included the need for ethics in artificial intelligence (AI), a recent historical look at AI’s ascendency at Google, and Facebook’s role in the Russia probe / election hack over time. Geeks of the week included Reply, by Google and Textra SMS (from Jason) and Twitter Moments (from Wes). Subscribe to @edtechSR on Twitter for updates.
Welcome to episode 82 of the EdTech Situation Room from January 17, 2018, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Wes Fryer (@wfryer) discussed upcoming changes to the Facebook news feed, the performance impact of software patches for Meltdown and Spectre, our human tendency to anthropomorphize technologies, and new highlights from CES 2018. Geeks of the week included Google’s Art App (Jason), the Microsoft Launcher for Android and the YouTube Safety Center (Wes). Check out all our links and shownotes, including many articles we didn’t have time to address in this week’s show, on http://edtechSR.com/links – Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/edtechSR to stay up to date on upcoming shows. Please consider leaving us a review on iTunes and anywhere else you find us! Remember you can listen to our latest episode on Google Home by simply saying, “Hey Google, play the latest episode of The EdTech Situation Room podcast!”
Welcome to episode 67 of the EdTech Situation Room from September 27, 2017, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Wes Fryer (@wfryer) discussed prison time given to a Volkswagon engineer who wrote the emissions test dodging car code, updates to Google Slides, Team Drives for G Suite users, and G Suite’s new File Stream app for offline file access. Additional topics included the recent war of words between Donald Trump and Mark Zuckerberg, Doug Belshaw’s post about why he deleted all his past Twitter likes/favorites as well as most of his tweets, and an alleged $5 million purchase by Mexico of Israeli technology which permits monitoring of anyone’s cell phone location, text messages and phone calls by just using their phone number or phone IMEI number. (This article prompted Wes’ tin foil hat for part of the show.) The possible risks of biometric smartphone security was discussed, along with a slew of new product announcements from Amazon bring the menu of Alexa-powered devices to eight. (Wes is still not ready to purchase any of them for home use, however.) It’s Happy Birthday time for Google, and apparently time for the U.S. Congress to fire the current chairman of the FCC,Ajit Pai. Geeks of the week included Gazelle (a smartphone reseller to consider using when upgrading), the free iPad app “TextingStory Chat Story Maker,” and the upcoming “Google Camp OKC” $25 PD event on Saturday, November 4, 2017 in Oklahoma City (@googlecampOKC). Please follow us on Twitter @edtechSR for updates, and reach out to us if you listen to the show! If a particular article or topic is especially thought provoking or interesting to you, please let us know. The EdTech Situation Room is produced live each week (almost) on Wednesday nights at 9 pm Central / 8 pm Mountain time. Thanks for tuning in. Stay safe and stay savvy!
