EdTechSR Ep 303 Happy Birthday Google!

Welcome to Episode 303 (“Happy Birthday Google!”) of the EdTech Situation Room from August 30, 2023, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week, Dr. Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Dr. Wesley Fryer (wesfryer.com/after) discussed a range of technology topics, analyizing the latest news at the intersection of education and technology. They covered the 25th Birthday of Google, developments in artificial intelligence, including Google’s new image generation tool in Google Slides, a watermarking technique from Google to help track AI-generated images, and Ideogram, a powerful new free AI image generation tool Neiffer discovered. Fryer shared insights on military AI, highlighting the US Air Force’s plans to use autonomous drone “wingmen” alongside human pilots. The hosts also talked about upcoming Apple announcements, anticipating the likely release of the iPhone 15. They weighed the potential benefits of switching to USB-C charging and the need for schools to adapt. Social media topics included Facebook’s staff cuts impacting content moderation, lawsuits against tech companies related to student mental health, and the risks of election misinformation with weakened oversight. In other news, hosts highlighted the new US Cybersecurity Trustmark for IoT devices and Google’s plans to integrate AI writing assistance across Chromebooks. For their “Geeks of the Week,” Fryer shared a tutorial on using Voice Memos for student oral history projects, and Neiffer highlighted a deal on the MacBook Air M1, praising its speed and value. 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!

Shownotes

  1. Subscribe to our EdTechSR Substack Newsletter!
  2. EdTech Situation Room Listener Survey: wfryer.me/edtechsr
  3. Follow @edtechSR on Twitter and on Mastodon!
  4. Audio podcast feed (Subscribe with iTunes or Stitcher)
  5. Video version on YouTube
  6. Check out our video podcast feed and subscribe to our YouTube Channel (episodes also in this YouTube playlist)
  7. Jason Neiffer (Mastodon: @neif@mastodon.cloud – Twitter: @techsavvyteach) – blog: blog.ncce.org
  8. Wes Fryer – wesfryer.com/after
  9. OMG APPLE EVENT
  10. Google is 25 Years Old!!! (Android Police; 8 August 2023)
  11. AI images are getting harder to spot. Google thinks it has a solution (The Washington Post; 29 August 2032)🎁Link
  12. Guy Puts Artist Back Into AI System After He Begs to Be Removed (Futurism , 2 Aug 2023)
  13. Stephen Wolfram on Computational Thinking (Wes’ blog post from 7 Aug 2023)
  14. A.I. Brings the Robot Wingman to Aerial Combat (NY Times, 27 Aug 2023) 🎁Link
  15. AI Image Generation in Google Slides is Here (Flipped Classroom via YouTube)
  16. Google’s “Help Me Write” AI is coming to Chromebooks on a system-wide level (Chrome Unboxed; 25 August 2023)
  17. Following Elon Musk’s lead, Big Tech is surrendering to disinformation (Washington Post, 25 Aug 2023) 🎁Link
  18. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education sues social media companies over mental health impacts (25 Aug 2023) 
  19. The ‘US Cyber Trust Mark’ finally gives device makers a reason to spend big on security (TechCrunch, 23 Aug 2023)
  20. Jason’s Geek of the Week: MacBook Air M1 on Sale! 
  21. Wes’ Geek of the Week: [VIDEO] Sharing Voice Memos (Family Oral History Project)full lesson
Google Birthday Box!” (CC BY 2.0) by clevercupcakes

EdTechSR Ep 291 Refresh That Chromebook

Welcome to episode 291 (“Refresh That Chromebook”) of the EdTech Situation Room from April 26, 2023, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Wesley Fryer (@wfryer@mastodon.cloud) discussed a variety of topics such as the use of AI tools like ChatGPT in education, AI-powered presentations, and music production, while addressing artists’ rights, online platform dangers for young people, and the importance of device durability. They also covered the recent iPhone 14 incident where its satellite connectivity helped save two stranded individuals and mentioned their “Geek of the Week” features like Scratch day and a new Google search feature. Additionally, the hosts promoted the upcoming Innovation Symposium in Montana, discussed high fees charged by Twitter and Facebook for verification checks, and invited listeners to join their live podcast. The episode encouraged educators and listeners to stay current with technology, carefully consider AI usage, and remain safe and tech-savvy. (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!

Shownotes

  1. Subscribe to our EdTechSR Substack Newsletter!
  2. EdTech Situation Room Listener Survey: wfryer.me/edtechsr
  3. Follow @edtechSR on Twitter and on Mastodon!
  4. Audio podcast feed (Subscribe with iTunes or Stitcher)
  5. Video version on YouTube – AI generated summary
  6. Check out our video podcast feed and subscribe to our YouTube Channel (episodes also in this YouTube playlist)
  7. Jason Neiffer (Mastodon: @neif@mastodon.cloud – Twitter: @techsavvyteach) – blog: blog.ncce.org
  8. Wes Fryer (Mastodon: @wfryer@mastodon.cloud – Twitter: @wfryer ) – wesfryer.com/after
  9. Discord member details how documents leaked from closed chat group (Washington Post, 12 April 2023) gift link
  10. From DrakeGPT to Infinite Grimes, AI-generated music strikes a chord (Tech Crunch; 26 April 2023)
  11. Google will reportedly release new AI-powered search tools next month (The Verge; 17 April 2023)
  12. iPhone 14’s Emergency SOS via Satellite saves the day for Utah college kids trapped in 500-foot deep canyon (9to5Mac, 24 Apr 2023)
  13. Chinese Company Ditches Human Creatives for ChatGPT-Style AI (PC Magazine, 15 Apr 2023)
  14. OpenAI will let you turn off your chat history in ChatGPT (The Verge; 25 April 2023)
  15. [VIDEO] AI Required: Teaching in a New World with Ethan Mollick (YouTube: ASU+GSV 2023, 23 April 2023)
  16. Padlet-generated art to accompany student poetry
  17. Schools bought millions of Chromebooks in 2020 — and three years later, they’re starting to break (The Verge; 21 April 2023)
  18. Google may stop forcing Android apps on Chromebooks out of the box (Chrome Unboxed; 3 April 2023)
  19. We’s Geeks of the Week: Scratch Day – 13 May 2023!Google Search “3 Dots Trick”
  20. Jason’s Geeks of the Week: Eightify AI and Innovation Runs Through It
Chromebook Cart Setup” (CC BY 2.0) by Wesley Fryer

EdTechSR Ep 272 Metaverse Confusion Likely

Welcome to episode 272 (“Metaverse Confusion Likely”) of the EdTech Situation Room from October 12, 2022, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Wesley Fryer (@wfryer) discussed the 2022 “Hype Cycle” for educational technology in the United States, the merger of ISTE and ASCD, Tim Cook’s view of the metaverse, the new $1500 VR headset from Meta / Facebook, and Microsoft prescience in creating its tablet computer series. Web apps as a leading attack vector for security attacks, election worker cyber-attacks, and another Alex Jones civil trial judgement were also discussed topics. Geeks of the Week included software enabling MacOS updates for older hardware systems, FEMA’s “Build a Kit” website for emergency preparedness, a $22 portable Chinese-manufactured HAM radio, and a power meter tester for USB-C devices. Our 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 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. Stay savvy and safe!

Shownotes

  1. Subscribe to our EdTechSR Substack Newsletter!
  2. EdTech Situation Room Listener Survey: wfryer.me/edtechsr
  3. Follow @edtechSR on Twitter!
  4. Audio podcast feed (Subscribe with iTunes or Stitcher)
  5. Video version on YouTube
  6. Check out our video podcast feed and subscribe to our YouTube Channel (episodes also in this YouTube playlist)
  7. Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) – blog: blog.ncce.org
  8. Wes Fryer (@wfryer) – wesfryer.com/after
  9. Microsoft was right all along (The Verge; 14 September 2022)
  10. Hype Cycle for K-12 Education, 2022 (Gartner; 19 July 2022)
  11. Education Professional Development Superpower? ISTE and ASCD Set to Merge (Education Week, 29 Sept 2022)
  12. Tim Cook in new interview: ‘I’m really not sure the average person can tell you what the metaverse is’ (9 to 5 Mac; 30 September 2022)
  13. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg debuts Meta Quest Pro VR headset that will cost $1,500 (MSNBC, 11 Oct 2022)
  14. Meta hasn’t “really learned the right lesson,” whistleblower Frances Haugen says (Vox; 6 September 2022)
  15. Why web apps are one of this year’s leading attack vectors (Venture Beat; 7 October 2022)
  16. Election officials worry about potential poll worker interference this November (NPR, 9 Oct 2022)
  17. Malicious Emails Surged for Election Workers in 2 Battleground States Ahead of Primaries (NextGov, 12 Oct 2022)
  18. Alex Jones ordered to pay $965 million for Sandy Hook lies (AP, 12 Oct 2022)
  19. Wes’ Geeks of the Week: OpenCore Legacy Patcher (h/t Jason!) – FEMA Ready.org “Build a Kit”BAOFENG UV-5R
  20. Jason’s Geek of the Week: Plugable USB C Power Meter Tester for Monitoring USB-C Connections – Digital Multimeter for USB-C Cables, Laptops, Phones and Chargers

EdTechSR Ep 258 Facebook Kills Podcasts

Welcome to episode 258 (“Facebook Kills Podcasts”) of the EdTech Situation Room from May 4, 2022, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Wesley Fryer (@wfryer) discussed Google news, Microsoft news, privacy issues, the end of Facebook / Meta’s podcasting platform, Wordle’s impact on New York Times subscription rates, TMobile’s tempting home connectivity offer, and more! Geeks of the Week included “How to view your internal Chrome OS engagement metrics,” a podcast audio recording of Wes’ recent ATLIS presentation, “Teaching About Conspiracy Theories And Media Literacy,” and Google’s Teachable Machine. Check out our shownotes for links to all the articles we discussed, and subscribe to our Substack to receive all the links we discussed and also didn’t have time to talk about in this week’s show in your email inbox! Our 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 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. Stay savvy and safe!

Shownotes

  1. Subscribe to our EdTechSR Substack Newsletter!
  2. EdTech Situation Room Listener Survey: wfryer.me/edtechsr
  3. Follow @edtechSR on Twitter!
  4. Audio podcast feed (Subscribe with iTunes or Stitcher)
  5. Video version on YouTube
  6. Check out our video podcast feed and subscribe to our YouTube Channel (episodes also in this YouTube playlist)
  7. Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) – blog: blog.ncce.org
  8. Wes Fryer (@wfryer) – wesfryer.com/after
  9. Google Docs’ updated tables are designed for project management (The Verge; 3 May 2022)
  10. YouTube fully rolls out Super Thanks, here’s how to enable it for your channel (9 to 5 Google; 26 April 2022)
  11. Google Docs is reorganizing and shrinking toolbar menus on the web (9 to 5 Google; 26 April 2022)
  12. Google previews I/O 2022 schedule, ‘What’s new’ keynotes, and sessions (9 to 5 Google; 28 April 2022)
  13. Google fires another AI researcher who reportedly challenged findings (updated) (Engadget, 2 May 2022)
  14. Windows 11 is getting a big security upgrade — may require OS reinstall (Tom’s Guide; 7 April 2022)
  15. Could Windows 12 become Microsoft’s first cloud-based operating system? (Tech Radar; 11 April 2022)
  16. T-Mobile 5G Home Internet promises $50/month lifetime rate, $20 off for phone subscribers, covering fees for switchers (9 to 5 Mac; 4 May 2022)
  17. Mental health apps have terrible privacy protections, report finds (The Verge; 2 May 2022)
  18. What Your Period Tracker App Knows About You (Consumer Reports, 28 Jan 2020)
  19. Data Broker Is Selling Location Data of People Who Visit Abortion Clinics (Motherboard, 3 May 2022)
  20. Why You Should Buy the Dumbest TV You Can Find (LifeHacker; 8 April 2022)
  21. Facebook is shutting down its podcast platform after less than a year (The Verge; 3 May 2022)
  22. Buying Wordle brought ‘tens of millions of new users’ to The New York Times (The Verge; 4 May 2022)
  23. Jason’s Geek of the Week: How to view your internal Chrome OS engagement metrics (About Chromebooks)
  24. Wes’ Geeks of the Week: Podcast – Teaching About Conspiracy Theories And Media Literacy and Google’s Teachable Machine

EdTechSR Ep 255 Facebook Hates TikTok

Welcome to episode 255 (“Facebook Hates TikTok”) of the EdTech Situation Room from April 6, 2022, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Wesley Fryer (@wfryer) discussed Twitter news, BigTech / the “Technology Correction,” Microsoft news, Google news, some “tales from family IT support,” and what we might learn from Flat Earther conspiracy theorists. Geeks of the Week included web-based alternatives to popular software applications and a tutorial video on creating print-on-demand paperback books from BookCreator.com eBooks. Check out our shownotes for links to all the articles we discussed, and subscribe to our Substack to receive all the links we discussed and also didn’t have time to talk about in this week’s show in your email inbox! Our 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 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. Stay savvy and safe!

Shownotes

  1. Subscribe to our EdTechSR Substack Newsletter!
  2. EdTech Situation Room Listener Survey: wfryer.me/edtechsr
  3. Follow @edtechSR on Twitter!
  4. Audio podcast feed (Subscribe with iTunes or Stitcher)
  5. Video version on YouTube
  6. Check out our video podcast feed and subscribe to our YouTube Channel (episodes also in this YouTube playlist)
  7. Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) – blog: blog.ncce.org
  8. Wes Fryer (@wfryer) – wesfryer.com/after
  9. Twitter is adding an edit button (The Verge; 5 April 2022)
  10. Elon Musk giving ‘serious thought’ to build a new social media platform (Reuters, 26 March 2022)
  11. Trump’s Truth Social app branded a disaster (BBC News, 3 April 2022)
  12. Elizabeth Warren’s plan to break up Big Everything (Recode; 5 April 2022)
  13. Get your facts straight with new Google Search fact-checking features (Chrome Unboxed; 31 March 2022)
  14. How Activists Use Social Media for Good — and You Can Too (cNet; 5 April 2022)
  15. Your Digital Footprint: It’s Bigger Than You Realize (cNet; 4 April 2022)
  16. Opinion: Enough failures. We need a federal privacy law. (Washington Post, 30 March 2022)
  17. Facebook paid GOP firm to malign TikTok (Washington Post, 30 March)
  18. Windows 11’s refreshed File Explorer gets tabs, favorites, and a new homepage (The Verge; 5 April 2022)
  19. Windows 11’s new meeting features improve eye contact, framing, and background blur (The Verge; 5 April 2022)
  20. You can finally set Chrome as your default browser on Windows 11 with one click again (Chrome Unboxed; 1 April 2022)
  21. Google Docs will start nudging some users to write less dumbly (The Verge; 1 April 2022)
  22. Google Docs to get Grammarly-like features in selected Workspace and EDU tiers (Chrome Unboxed; 1 April 2022)
  23. Google Docs gets expanded Markdown autocorrect support (Chrome Unboxed; 30 March 2022)
  24. Chrome’s Side Panel receiving private notes, Reader Mode to be renamed “Read Anything” (Chrome Unboxed; 5 April 2022)
  25. Google Meet will open the flood gates later this year with new YouTube live streaming feature (Chrome Unboxed; 31 March 2022)
  26. New Google ‘highly cited’ label focuses on tackling misinformation, highlighting original reporting (Mashable, 31 March 2022)
  27. Changes to how file downloads are handled in Firefox version 98 (Mozilla Support Blog)
  28. What we can learn from people who take the Flat Earth theory seriously (Grid News, 4 April 2022)
  29. Jason’s Geek of the Week: 30+ Web-Based Alternatives to Traditional Desktop Apps for Chromebooks and PCs (HowToGeek)
  30. Wes’ Geek of the Week: Preparing Book Creator eBooks to Print on Lulu.com (19 min)

EdTechSR Ep 249 AirTag Dangers

Welcome to episode 249 (“AirTag Dangers”) of the EdTech Situation Room from February 16, 2022, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Wesley Fryer (@wfryer) discussed “the technology correction” (the intersection of “Big Tech” / social media and regulation,) Microsoft, Google, Apple, Meta / Facebook, security, and miscellaneous topics relating to educational technology. Geeks of the Week included “5 Free Online Video Editors Without Watermarks or Other Hidden Limitations,” the “Search Smarter by Dorking” resource page by “Exposing the Invisible,” and the Google Chrome extension Tag-a-Doc. Check out our shownotes for links to all the articles we discussed, and subscribe to our Substack to receive all the links we discussed and also didn’t have time to talk about in this week’s show in your email inbox! Our 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 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. Stay savvy and safe!

Shownotes

  1. Subscribe to our EdTechSR Substack Newsletter!
  2. EdTech Situation Room Listener Survey: wfryer.me/edtechsr
  3. Follow @edtechSR on Twitter!
  4. Audio podcast feed (Subscribe with iTunes or Stitcher)
  5. Video version on YouTube
  6. Check out our video podcast feed and subscribe to our YouTube Channel (episodes also in this YouTube playlist)
  7. Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) – blog: blog.ncce.org
  8. Wes Fryer (@wfryer) – wesfryer.com/after
  9. Does banning extremists online work? It depends. (Re/Code; 3 February 2021)
  10. TikTok says it will strengthen policies in effort to prevent spread of hoaxes and dangerous challenges (CNN Business; 8 February 2022)
  11. TikTok is thinking about letting its creators charge subscription fees (The Verge; 20 January 2022)
  12. Facebook Has a Superuser-Supremacy Problem (The Atlantic, 10 Feb 2022)
  13. Windows 11’s first big update arrives with Android apps, taskbar changes, and more (The Verge; 15 February 2022)
  14. Chrome OS Flex brings the Chromebook experience to PC and Mac for free (Chrome Unboxed; 15 February 2022)
  15. Google Drive’s new filters that make search easier are rolling out to everyone (The Verge; 15 February 2022)
  16. Google Docs getting AI-generated summaries, collaborative email templates, and more (9 to 5 Google; 15 February 2022)
  17. Gmail’s redesign is rolling out now for regular Google Account users and here’s how to use it (Chrome Unboxed; 14 February 2022)
  18. YouTube video streaming now using A.I. that mastered chess and Go (Fortune, 11 Feb 2022)
  19. I Used Apple AirTags, Tiles and a GPS Tracker to Watch My Husband’s Every Move (The New York Times; 11 February 2022)
  20. An update on AirTag and unwanted tracking (Apple Newsroom; 10 February 2022)
  21. Apple launches AirTags and Find My detector app for Android, in effort to boost privacy (CNet; 13 December 2021)
  22. Facebook renames its News Feed to just ‘Feed’ (Yahoo Finance, 15 Feb 2022)
  23. Peter Thiel to Exit Meta’s Board to Support Trump-Aligned Candidates (The New York Times; 7 February 2022)
  24. No, that email from Equifax is not a scam. You are entitled to free credit monitoring for four years. (Washington Post, 11 Feb 2022)
  25. Senators: CIA has secret program that collects American data (Washington Post, 11 Feb 2022)
  26. The hacked account and suspicious donations behind the Canadian trucker protests (Grid News, 8 Feb 2022)
  27. Jason’s Geek of the Week: 5 Free Online Video Editors Without Watermarks or Other Hidden Limitations (Make Use Of; 11 February 2022)
  28. Wes’ Geeks of the Week: Search Smarter by Dorking (Exposing the Invisible) and Tag-a-Doc

EdTechSR Ep 248 Rogan Spotify Kerfuffle

Welcome to episode 248 (“Rogan Spotify Kerfuffle”) of the EdTech Situation Room from February 9, 2022, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Wesley Fryer (@wfryer) discussed technology-related news about Microsoft, Apple, The Technology Correction, Google, Security, and Privacy. In this episode, we especially focused on the issues raised with the Joe Rogan and Spotify situation, involving musical artists like Neil Young, who threatened and then removed all their music from Spotify’s library in protest of the platform’s support for Rogan and disinformation. Check out our shownotes for links to all the articles we discussed, and subscribe to our Substack to receive all the links we discussed and also didn’t have time to talk about in this week’s show in your email inbox! Our 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 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. Stay savvy and safe!

Shownotes

  1. Subscribe to our EdTechSR Substack Newsletter!
  2. EdTech Situation Room Listener Survey: wfryer.me/edtechsr
  3. Follow @edtechSR on Twitter!
  4. Audio podcast feed (Subscribe with iTunes or Stitcher)
  5. Video version on YouTube
  6. Check out our video podcast feed and subscribe to our YouTube Channel (episodes also in this YouTube playlist)
  7. Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) – blog: blog.ncce.org
  8. Wes Fryer (@wfryer) – wesfryer.com/after
  9. Microsoft Surface Laptop SE vs Chromebooks: A limited but capable competitor (About Chromebooks; 7 February 2022)
  10. Every M1 Mac is due for a 2022 refresh with faster M2 chip, new designs (MacWorld; 8 February 2022)
  11. Apple will introduce new iPhone, iPad on March 8 (ArsTechnica, 7 Feb 2022)
  12. Meta’s threat to close down Facebook and Instagram in Europe backfires as EU leaders embrace shutdown: ‘Life would be very good without’ (City AM; 9 February 2022)
  13. Facebook loses users for the first time in its history (The Washington Post; 2 February 2022)
  14. FB Stock (Google)
  15. The Spotify-Rogan saga highlights the distinction between publishers and platforms (Tech Crunch; 9 February 2021)
  16. Spotify to Pull Neil Young’s Music After Artist’s Objections to Joe Rogan (Hollywood Reporter, 26 Jan 2022)
  17. Spotify Publishes Content Guidelines in Response to Rogan Kerfluffle
  18. Everything you need to know about the bill that could blow up the app store (The Verge, 9 Feb 2021)
  19. LumaFusion, a popular video editor on iOS, is coming to Android in the ‘first half’ of 2022 (9 5o 5 Google; 9 February 2022)
  20. Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra’s massive screen makes it basically an Android laptop (CNet; 9 February 2022)
  21. Chrome OS 98 Offers A Screen Capture Update, A New Virtual Desk Shortcut, And More (Chrome Unboxed; 8 February 2022)
  22. Reports Of Declined Chromebook Shipments Disregard The Bigger Picture (Chrome Unboxed; 1 February 2022)
  23. Google still thinks 3 years of updates provide a ‘great experience’ ahead of cutting off Pixel 3 (9 to 5 Google; 25 January 2022)
  24. YouTube CEO: More Creators Are Making At Least $10K a Year (Hollywood Reporter, 25 Jan 2022)
  25. Google account hacks drop 50% for 150 million who got 2-factor login (CNet; 8 February 2022)
  26. Hacker Circulates Fake, Malware-Laden Windows 11 Installer (PC Magazine; 9 February 2022)
  27. Russia could cyberattack Ukraine — again — and disrupt the entire world (NPR, 29 Jan 2022)
  28. Phishing Simulation Study Shows Why These Attacks Remain Pervasive (Dark Reading, 7 Feb 2022)
  29. Lawmakers call on feds to drop Clearview AI facial recognition contracts (Verge, 9 Feb 2022)
  30. IRS stops requiring selfies after facial recognition system is widely panned (ArsTechnica, 7 Feb 2022)
  31. Health sites let ads track visitors without telling them (ArsTechnica, 7 Feb 2022)
  32. Wes’ Geeks of the Week: Teach With Chrome Series by ⁦@GoogleForEdu⁩ (free online learning starts Feb 22! – “Coded Bias” Netflix documentaryControl-F Project
  33. Jason’s Geek of the Week: Vista Create

EdTechSR Ep 237 Fixing Social Media

Welcome to episode 237 (“Fixing Social Media”) of the EdTech Situation Room from November 3, 2021, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Wesley Fryer (@wfryer) discussed an amazing Wall Street Journal article featuring 12 Internet and cultural visionaries on “How to Fix Social Media.” Other articles on the social media / “tech correction” topic included “Facebook’s Lost Generation,” Facebook’s name change to “Meta,” the impact of Zuckerberg’s dream to transform the web into a “Ready Player One” VR playground. The financial impact of Apple’s iPhone privacy changes, Google’s policy to remove under-18 photos from search results, the debut of MacOS Monterey, and reasons you do NOT need the new MacBook Pro were also topics of discussion. The long awaited (for Jason) arrival of MacOS M1 processor native Google Drive for Desktop, the death of iMovie Theater, Google’s facilitation of work/life separation on Android devices, and Google Calendar’s option to schedule “Focus Time” were also highlighted. The arrival of Adobe PhotoShop on the web for Chromebook users, powerful, web-based image editing tools, and Geeks of the Week including a new NASA astronaut bio video, a “Parent University” slideshow about online influencers, and the “Mindful Schools” website as “geeks of the week” rounded out this weeks’ show. Our 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 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. Stay savvy and safe!

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) – wesfryer.com/after
  8. How to Fix Social Media (Wall Street Journal, 29 Oct 2021)
  9. Facebook’s Lost Generation (The Verge; 25 October 2021)
  10. Facebook changes its company name to Meta (CNN; 29 October 2021)
  11. Mark Zuckerberg Sets Facebook on Long, Costly Path to Metaverse Reality (WSJ, 26 Oct 2021)
  12. Snap, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube lose nearly $10bn after iPhone privacy changes (Financial Times, 31 Oct 2021)
  13. You can now ask Google to remove images of under-18s from its search results (The Verge; 27 October 2021)
  14. macOS Monterey is now available to download (The Verge; 25 October 2021)
  15. You Don’t Need the New MacBook Pro (LifeHacker; 19 October 2021)
  16. Google Drive for desktop updated with full Apple M1 Mac support (9 5o 5 Google; 22 October 2021)
  17. iMovie no longer supports sharing to iMovie Theater (Apple Support)
  18. Google will make it easier to separate your work and personal life on Android (The Verge; 21 October 2021)
  19. Google Calendar will let you schedule ‘Focus time’ to work uninterrupted (9 to 5 Google; 20 October 2021)
  20. Adobe Photoshop officially comes to the web today w/ public beta, works on Chromebooks (9 5o 5 Google; 26 October 2021)
  21. Image Editing Tools on “Student Authors” page maintained by Wes
  22. Wes’ Geeks of the Week: Meet Artemis Team Member Kayla Barron (3 min NASA video) and “Online Influencers and Social Media”
  23. Jason’s Geek of the Week: Mindful Schools

EdTechSR Ep 234 Regulate Facebook Please

Welcome to episode 234 (“Regulate Facebook Please”) of the EdTech Situation Room from October 6, 2021, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Wesley Fryer (@wfryer) discussed Microsoft news including how to update to Windows 11 without waiting in line, recommended preparatory steps to take BEFORE upgrading to Windows 11, and positive reviews of the new Surface Pro 8 computer. In Google news, the forthcoming Chromebook launcher with smaller icons and folders, the option to create meeting notes directly connected to a Google Calendar event, and YouTube Germany’s suspension of Russia Today’s (RT’s) misinformation plagued channel, were highlighted. Facebook’s mysterious global service outage from this week and the impact of the related WhatsApp’s outage on small businesses were also addressed. Several articles summarizing Frances Haugen’s testimony this week before Congress about the knowing malicious acts of Facebook to favor profits over safety or ethics were discussed. Google’s quest to imagine and invent “the next phase of online search” was the final article discussed in this weeks’ show. Geeks of the Week for Wes included the new app Audm for listening to longform audio versions of news articles, the Project N95 website for ordering COVID masks, and Hope Haley’s (an 8th grade YouTuber at Dr. Fryer’s school) YouTube channel. Jason’s Geek of the Week was the TMobile Google Drive Plan, free for subscribers. Please see our shownotes for links to all these articles and resources! Our 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 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. Stay savvy and safe!

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) – wesfryer.com/after
  8. How to upgrade to Windows 11 without waiting in line (The Verge; 4 October 2021)
  9. Planning to upgrade to Windows 11? A checklist before you do (The Verge; 4 October 2021)
  10. Microsoft Surface Pro 8 Review: The Best Of Both Worlds (The Verge; 5 October 2021)
  11. Smaller Icons And Folders Give The New Chromebook Launcher An Air Of Maturity (Chrome Unboxed; 5 October 2021)
  12. New Google Calendar shortcut lets you quickly create meeting notes in Docs (9 to 5 Google; 5 October 2021)
  13. YouTube deletes RT′s German YouTube channels after COVID misinformation strike (DW News, 28 Sept 2021)
  14. Facebook is back online after a massive outage that also took down Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Oculus (The Verge; 5 October 2021)
  15. Everything You Need To Know From The Facebook Whistleblower Hearing (The Verge; 5 October 2021)
  16. More than social media: The WhatsApp outage affected small businesses worldwide (NPR, 6 Oct 2021)
  17. 9 Horrifying Facts From the Facebook Whistleblower’s New 60 Minutes Interview (Gizmodo; 3 October 2021)
  18. [VIDEO] Facebook Whistleblower Frances Haugen: The 60 Minutes Interview (13.5 minutes)
  19. Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen tells lawmakers that meaningful reform is necessary ‘for our common good’ (Washington Post, 5 Oct 2021)
  20. Google Search’s Next Phase: Context Is King (The Verge; 29 September 2021)
  21. Wes’ Geeks of the Week: Audm – Listen to Longform Journalism You Don’t Have Time to Readshop.projectn95.orgHope Haley on YouTube
  22. Jason’s Geek of the Week: T-Mobile Google Drive Plan

EdTechSR Ep 233 Privacy Protection Prescriptions

Welcome to episode 233 (“Privacy Protection Prescriptions”) of the EdTech Situation Room from September 29, 2021, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Wesley Fryer (@wfryer) discussed Apple updates to its productivity software suite, iPhone 13 stress tests and reviews, and strategies to avoid a Facebook hack. An important new guide to “resetting privacy controls” on your devices from the Washington Post, the NSA and CIA’s behavioral endorsement of ad blockers in our “dangerous” advertising environment, and the inability of anyone to “escape Facebook tracking” today were also discussed. Lithuania’s extreme request to people to throw away Huawei (Chinese made) smartphones, the EFF’s positive announcement that secure website connections (https) have finally been normalized in all popular web browsers, and a questionable password security website were highlighted topics. Jason’s recommendation of the Darknet Diaries podcast, the a data breach in Canada by a vaccine verification app (Portpass), EU warnings to Russia over possible election cyberattacks in Germany, the new Amazon device announcements, and the power of teen influencers on TikTok to disrupt scientific research were articles rounding out this week’s show. Geeks of the Week included former Google CEO Eric Schmidt’s recent interview on “How AI Shapes Our Human Future” (aka “Misinformation Is About to Get So Much Worse”) and the power of “pocket notebooks” (like Field Notes) to boost personal productivity. Please see our shownotes for links to all these articles and resources! Our 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 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. Stay savvy and safe!

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) – wesfryer.com/after
  8. Apple updates free Keynote, Pages and Numbers iWork apps to take on Microsoft Office (CNet; 28 September 2021)
  9. iPhone 13 Pro Max sets record in smartphone battery stress test, with almost ten hours of continuous use (9 to 5 Mac; 24 September 2021)
  10. Apple iPhone 13 Review: The Most Incremental Upgrade Ever (The New York Times; 21 September 2021)
  11. How to Avoid a Facebook Hack – with a personal password audit (Wes Fryer’s SubStack, 27 Sept 2021)
  12. Privacy Reset: A guide to the important settings you should change now (Washington Post, 23 Sept 2021)
  13. The NSA and CIA Use Ad Blockers Because Online Advertising Is So Dangerous (Motherboard; 23 September 2021)
  14. There’s no escape from Facebook, even if you don’t use it (Washington Post, 29 August 2021)
  15. Lithuania urges people to throw away Chinese phones (BBC News, 22 Sept 2021)
  16. Electronic Frontier Foundation will deprecate HTTPS Everywhere plugin (ArsTechnica, 27 Sept 2021)
  17. Not sure about the safety of this site: www.xposedornot.com
  18. Darknet Diaries (podcast recommendation from Jason)
  19. Portpass app may have exposed hundreds of thousands of users’ personal data (CBC News, 28 Sept 2021)
  20. EU warns Russia over cyberattacks ahead of German elections (AP, 24 Sept 2021)
  21. Everything to know about 3 new Amazon devices unveiled on Tuesday (Fortune, 28 Sept 2021)
  22. A teenager on TikTok disrupted thousands of scientific studies with a single video (Verge, 24 Sept 2021)
  23. Wes’ Geeks of the Week: [VIDEO] How AI Shapes Our Human Future (Eric Schmidt, 19.5 min) – Transcript titled “Misinformation Is About to Get So Much Worse” and NASA’s Artemis Rover to Land Near Nobile Region of Moon’s South Pole (2:45 video)
  24. Jason’s Geek of the Week: A Pocket Notebook Is the Best Productivity Booster (LifeSavvy; 20 September 2021) – Field NotesMuch Cheaper Alternative