EdTech Situation Room Episode 100

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!

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. All the Upgrades and Updates From Apple, Google and More at ISTE 2018 (EdSurge; 29 June 2018)
  9. Surface Go Is Microsoft’s Big Bet on a Tiny-Computer Future (Wired, 9 July 2018)
  10. A Landmark Legal Shift Opens Pandora’s Box for DIY Guns (Wired, 10 July 2018)
  11. The Worst Cybersecurity Breaches of 2018 So Far (Wired, 9 July 2018)
  12. What was on a USB fan given at the Trump-Kim summit? Security experts say nothing —  but don’t plug it in. (Washington Post; 3 July 2018)
  13. Ready to ditch your old flash drive? Don’t just erase and recycle (USA Today; 5 July 2018)
  14. CTL Launches The Ultra-Rugged Chromebook NL7X (Chrome Unboxed; 22 June 2018)
  15. Neverware Embarks On “Bring Your Old Device” Tour (Chrome Unboxed; 19 June 2018)
  16. Amazon Prime Day is July 16th! (Android & Me, 3 July 2018)
  17. Why Amazon keeps making tablets when the market has been struggling (Washington Post; 5 July 2018)
  18. Twitter is sweeping out fake accounts like never before, putting user growth at risk (Washington Post, 6 July 2018)
  19. Wired Educator Podcast 105: Wes Molyneux on How to Rock 1:1 Deployment and Professional Development (@WiredEducator)
  20. Wes’ Podcast Subscriptions via PocketCasts
  21. Getting Unstuck: 25 Days of Scratch Challenges
  22. Remember to periodically reboot your home router!

EdTech Situation Room Episode 99

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!

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. Tweets from #ISTE18 and #NOTATISTE
  9. What it’s like to watch an IBM AI successfully debate humans (Verge, 18 June 2018)
  10. Known Unknowns (Harpers Magazine, July 2018)
  11. Find Out What Google and Facebook Know About You (Baratunde Thurston via Medium; 4 June 2018)
  12. A New Tech Manifesto (Baratunde Thurston via Medium; 4 June 2018)
  13. HowToGDPR.me (what social media sites store about you and how to change settings)
  14. Your Wi-Fi Security Is Probably Weak. Here’s How to Fix That (New York Times; 13 June 2018)
  15. Journalist Warns Cyber Attacks Present A ‘Perfect Weapon’ Against Global Order (NPR, 19 June 2018)
  16. Apple to undercut popular law-enforcement tool for cracking iPhones (Reuters, 13 June 2018)
  17. Microsoft buys edtech startup Flipgrid and makes the video discussion tool free for all schools (GeekWire, 18 June 2018)
  18. Padlet’s Price Update Riles Teachers, Raises Questions About Sustainability of Freemium Models (EdSurge, 5 April 2018)
  19. After Amazon’s TenMarks shuts down, what then for K-12 schools and Amazon? (GeekWire, 2 April 2018)
  20. E3 2018: Telltale Making Stranger Things Game As Minecraft Heads To Netflix (GameSpot, 14 June 2018)
  21. Netflix won’t stream real games, but EA, Google, and Microsoft will (VentureBeat, 13 June 2018)
  22. No, Netflix isn’t going to stream a Minecraft video game (CNet, 13 June 2018)
  23. Netflix Sets ‘Stranger Things’ Game, Interactive ‘Minecraft’ Show in Deal With Telltale Games (Variety, 13 June 2018)
  24. ZigZag Podcast
  25. How to text from your computer with Android Messages (The Verge; 19 June 2018)
  26. Google’s data-saving app can now set daily limits and show a map of nearby Wi-Fi networks (The Verge; 18 June 2018)
  27. Jason’s Geeks of the Week: Adobe Spark on Android… finally! and Datally
  28. Wes’ Geek of the Week: Caliphate Podcast by NYT
  29. Shout out to Peggy George: PhotoMyne and Classroom 2.0 Live Bucket List Google Sheet!