medialiteracy

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 204 – Forecasts for 2021

Welcome to episode 204 (“Forecasts for 2021”) of the EdTech Situation Room from January 12, 2021, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Wesley Fryer (@wfryer) shared some predictions for educational technology in 2021, as well as a few technology news headlines from the past two weeks. 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.

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) – Family Food Blog – Playing with Media Video Library
  8. Ex-Apple engineer: Apple’s ‘Privacy Nutrition Labels’ have a fatal flaw (Fast Company; 11 January 2021)
  9. Uganda Blocks Facebook Ahead of Contentious Election (NY Times, 13 Jan 2021)
  10. Uganda elections 2021: Facebook shuts government-linked accounts (BBC News, 11 Jan 2021)
  11. If You Were on Parler, You Saw the Mob Coming (NYTimes Opinion Podcast by Kara Swisher, 7 Jan 2021)
  12. Op-Ed: For right-wing extremists, this was a victory (DFR Lab, Emerson T Brooking, 7 Jan 2021)
  13. Jason’s Geek of the Week: Jason: www.castironcollector.com and Cast Iron Enamel Descoware
  14. Wes’ Geek of the Week:  [PODCAST] Larry Brilliant and Peter Hotez: Vaccinating Our Way Out of the Pandemic (World Affairs Podcast, 12 Dec 2020)

Jason’s Predictions for 2021:

  1. Distance learning will continue to grow as a viable option for students that want or need that model after the pandemic.
  2. Intel will continue to lose market share to ARM-based processors and AMD processors.  A whole new generation of devices will appear, prioritizing long battery life and speedy, responsive interfaces.
  3. The Technology Correction will continue, but, without the guidance of regulation.  Trump’s ban on most social media platforms will push some conversations ahead.
  4. The pandemic will diminish its impact, but, video conferencing and doing some personal and professional connections will continue with technology.
  5. Using the Internet for information will become more complicated, as more and more alternative platforms develop.  The information landscape requires persistent information education in schools.

Wes’ Predictions for 2021

  1. US / China Relations and Technology: Deployment of 5G networks and infrastructure will exacerbate technology interoperability issues and force nations to choose Chinese or US/European network infrastructure solutions. Response of Biden administration to Chinese security threats will reveal the validity / sincerity of security threats
  2. The Tech Correction: A constituency and agenda will coalesce further around regulation and limitations of social media companies, increasing liability and extending mandated collaboration standards and requirements for content moderation / censorship (like the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism – GIFCT)
  3. Media Literacy: Disinformation and Conspiracy Theories will continue to be weaponized to subvert democratic governments, teachers will be asked to address these issues through civics education. COVID Vaccination efforts worldwide will be significantly impeded by anti-vax misinformation
  4. Security: Hacks, identify theft, ransomware and password breaches will continue to increase in frequency and magnitude: Password security, MFA and password managers will continue to grow in importance

EdTechSR Ep 187 – Embrace CloudReady in Our Pandemic

Welcome to episode 187 (“Embrace CloudReady in Our Pandemic”) of the EdTech Situation Room from August 12, 2020, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Wesley Fryer (@wfryer) discussed Russia’s announcement to skip phases 2 and 3 in rushed vaccine trial, Chromebook and device shipment delays for schools and individuals, and the wonders of Neverware’s CloudReady software for running ChromeOS on older Intel-based computer hardware. Microsoft’s new Surface Duo laptop, changes to Google Play Music, and screentime for kids (and adults) during the pandemic were also discussed. Additional topics included the limits of home connectivity bandwidth, the importance of “filtering the exoflood” of polluted information around us, and recent government initiated interruptions in Internet connectivity and social media platform access in Belarus following a contested election. Tips for upgrading a 2020 iMac, a recent webinar on “Know Your Power: Know Your Rights” (shared by Peggy George,) and Charter Telecom’s push for residential Internet data caps with the FCC were also highlighted. Our show was live streamed and archived simultaneously on YouTube Live as well as our Facebook Live page via StreamYard.com. 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.

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 – Media Literacy resources: medialiteracy.wesfryer.com
  8. Russia skips COVID-19 vaccine trial, says millions to be vaccinated this month (ArsTechnica, 11 Aug 2020)
  9. From the Editor’s Desk: Navigating the Chromebook crunch of 2020 (Android Central, 9 Aug 2020)
  10. Neverware CloudReady for Education (Run ChromiumOS on your older Intel-based computer hardware)
  11. HomeEdition (free) Neverware CloudReady
  12. Getting started with Minecraft: Education Edition on the Chromebook (Microsoft Minecraft Blog, 12 Aug 2020)
  13. Microsoft’s dual-screen Surface Duo arrives September 10 for $1,399 (TechCrunch, 12 Aug 2020)
  14. Google says it’s working hard to address YouTube Music complaints (ArsTechnica, 11 Aug 2020)
  15. I Was a Screen–Time Expert. Then the Coronavirus Happened. (New York Times, Anya Kamenetz @anya1anya, 27 July 2020)
  16. Book: The Art of Screen Time: How Your Family Can Balance Digital Media and Real Life Kindle Edition by Anya Kamenetz
  17. What happens when you reach your limit online (The Verge, 28 July 2020)
  18. Filtering the Exoflood: Strategies for Media and Information Literacy (Workshop resources from Wes Fryer)
  19. Belarus Is Trying to Block Parts of the Internet Amid Historic Protests (Vice, 10 Aug 2020)
  20. Internet disruption hits Belarus on election day (NetBlocks: Mapping Internet Freedom, 9 August 2020)
  21. How to upgrade iMac (2020) RAM and save up to $2000 in the process (9to5Mac, 9 Aug 2020)
  22. Link from @pgeorge: “Know Your Power: Know Your Rights” (presentation slides) by Robert Bare for Long Beach Public Media (Facebook video archive)
  23. Charter tries to convince FCC that broadband customers want data caps (ArsTechnica, 11 Aug 2020)
  24. Jason’s Geek of the Week: Make the 2013 Google Pixel New Again (via iFixIt)
  25. Wes’ Geeks of the Week: Loom Desktop App Overview – Professor Fleming’s Course iMovie Trailer – Google Docs Cheat Sheet by @ShakeUpLearning – Harris County Library Ad

EdTech Situation Room Episode 162

Welcome to episode 162 of the EdTech Situation Room from January 15, 2020, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Wesley Fryer (@wfryer) discussed Microsoft’s new Edge Chromium web browser, Instagram’s new policy to hide ‘faked’ images, ‘Techlash” against the big tech companies on college campuses, and new research about blue light and sleep with our digital screens. More U.S. states mandating media literacy education, the arrival of WiFi 6 at last, the NSA’s laudable decision to share a zero day exploit with Microsoft, and an update on recent drone formation sightings at night in eastern Colorado were also highlighted topics. On the security front, terrible password advice from the South China Morning Post and an update emergency for FireFox highlighted by U.S. Homeland Security officials were discussed. Boeing employees provided a good case study and reminder for us all about email retention with recently revealed “FAA mocking” messages, SpaceX as the world’s top satellite operator, and a recent critical article in Oklahoma City news about the Norman Public Schools’ laptop initiative rounded out the show. Geeks of the Week included Luke Miani’s YouTube Channel (amazing hacks and repurposing of older MacOS and iOS devices), Twinkly, and the “No Dumb Questions” podcast episode 72 on “How Did Humans Find Hawaii?” Our show was live streamed and archived simultaneously on YouTube Live as well as our Facebook Live page via StreamYard.com. 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. All shownotes are available on http://edtechSR.com/links.

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 – Wes’ Media and Digital Literacy Curriculum / Classroom Website
  8. Microsoft’s new Edge Chromium browser launches on Windows and macOS (The Verge; 15 January 2020)
  9. Instagram is hiding faked images, and it could hurt digital artists (The Verge; 15 January 2020)
  10. ‘Techlash’ Hits College Campuses (New York Times; 11 January 2020)
  11. Forget What You Think You Know About Blue Light and Sleep (Time; 10 January 2020)
  12. More States Say They’re Teaching Media Literacy, But What That Means Varies (Education Week, 8 Jan 2020)
  13. Wi-Fi 6 is finally here (The Verge; 11 January 2020)
  14. The NSA Could’ve Used This Major Windows Security Flaw for Intel Work. Instead, It Told Microsoft About it (Time; 14 January 2020)
  15. Theories Persist About Mystery Drones Seen in Rural Region (AP via Snopes, 15 Jan 2020)
  16. Terrible Password Security Advice: How to protect your smart home devices from hackers: smart speakers, robotic vacuums, video doorbells – all are vulnerable (South China Morning Post, 14 Jan 2020)
  17. The U.S. Government Says You Need to Update Firefox Right Now (Digital Trends, 10 Jan 2020)
  18. Boeing Employees Mocked FAA Privately In Emails Before 737 Max Disasters (NPR, 10 Jan 2020) – Good email retention case study and reminder
  19. SpaceX is now the world’s largest satellite operator (ArsTechnica, 6 January 2020)
  20. ‘They want them gone’: Norman parents complain of school devices (The Oklahoman, 14 Jan 2020)
  21. Thoughts on Content Filtering, Parent Education, and School Laptop Initiatives (Wes Fryer, 14 Jan 2020)
  22. Most U.S. teens who use cellphones do it to pass time, connect with others, learn new things (PEW Research, Aug 2019)
  23. Jason’s Geek of the Week: Luke Miani YouTube Channel
  24. Wes’ Geeks of the Week: Twinkly and How Did Humans Find Hawaii? – No Dumb Questions Podcast Episode 72 (@nodumbqs) – reddit discussion thread)

EdTech Situation Room Episode 136

Welcome to episode 136 of the EdTech Situation Room from May 29, 2019, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Wesley Fryer (@wfryer) discussed school cybersecurity, a shocking iPhone security vulnerability for WhatsApp, NASA’s free media library, and copyright issues in Houston ISD as well as for YouTube Creators. Distorted political videos about Nancy Pelosi, Google’s disappointing move to disable ‘modern browser ad blocking extensions,’ and the new iPod Touch from Apple were also discussed. The availability of “Adobe Premiere Rush” for Android, Chromebook support expiration dates, and projected price increases for cheap Chromebooks were topics rounding out the show. Geeks of the Week included a Google Home podcast mystery, the killer robot documentary, “Slaughterbots,” and the “Against the Rules” podcast, from Michael Lewis. Please follow us on Twitter @edtechSR for updates, and join us LIVE on Wednesday nights if you can (normally) 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.

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. School fights fear as part of defense against network intrusions (Oklahoma City Free Press, 29 May 2019)
  9. WhatsApp Rushes to Fix Security Flaw Exposed in Hacking of Lawyer’s Phone (NYTimes, 13 May 2019)
  10. Auction for a laptop full of malware closes at $1.2 million (Engadget, 27 May 2019)
  11. NASA Makes Their Entire Media Library Publicly Accessible And Copyright Free (DIY Photography, 20 April 2019)
  12. Federal jury: HISD staff repeatedly violated copyright laws, owe company $9.2M (Houston Chronicle, 24 May 2019)
  13. Houston Got Sued And Now You’re Freaking… (Heather Lister, 28 May 2019)
  14. Youtubers And Record Labels Are Fighting, And Record Labels Keep Winning (The Verge; 24 May 2019)
  15. Distorted Nancy Pelosi videos show platforms aren’t ready to fight dirty campaign tricks (The Verge; 24 May 2019)
  16. Google to restrict modern ad blocking Chrome extensions to enterprise users (9 5o 5 Google; 29 May 2019)
  17. New iPod touch delivers even greater performance (Apple.com; 28 May 2019)
  18. Apple releases new iPod touch featuring A10 Fusion chip, 256 GB storage option (9to5 Mac, 28 May 2019)
  19. Buying A New Chromebook? Don’t Forget To Check The Expiration Date (Chrome Unboxed, 28 May 2019)
  20. Adobe Premiere Rush Lands On Android Today, Chromebooks Support Coming Soon (Chrome Unboxed; 21 May 2019)
  21. Why Prices Of Google’s Cheap Chromebooks Will Rise In The Long Term (Forbes; 19 May 2019)
  22. Jason’s Geek of the Week: “Against the Rules” podcast, from Michael Lewis
  23. Wes’ Geek of the Week: VIDEO: Slaughterbots (8 min, Nov 2017) via “Controlling Killer Robots” (Episode 30 of “What’s New Podcast” @podcastwhatsnew @dancohen interviewing @DeniseGarcia100)

EdTech Situation Room Episode 126

Welcome to episode 126 of the EdTech Situation Room from February 28, 2019, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) was on assignment at the NCCE Conference in Seattle. In this episode, Wesley Fryer (@wfryer) and Beth Holland (@brholland) discussed baby duck syndrome, resources by PBS Learning Media including “The Cat in the Hat” online, and what’s revealed about student perceptions when they “draw a scientist.” Additional topics included the upcoming April 14-17, 2019 ATLIS Conference in Dallas, danah boyd’s book, “It’s Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens,” and the work of Lisa Gurnsey (@lisaguernsey) on the important roles of “media mentors.” Beth also shared a shout out for Yong Zhao’s book, “What Works May Hurt―Side Effects in Education.” Geeks of the week included the websites Pexels and Unsplash for copyright-free images, and the COSN Digital Equity Project. Please follow us on Twitter @edtechSR for updates, and join us LIVE on Wednesday nights if you can (normally) 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.

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. NCCE 2019 Conference
  7. Beth Holland (@brholland) – blog: brholland.com
  8. Wes Fryer (@wfryer) – blog: speedofcreativity.org
  9. Baby Duck Syndrome
  10. PBS Learning Media (@pbsteachers)
  11. Draw a Scientist: Activity from the California Academy of Sciences
  12. PBS Kids: The Cat in the Hat
  13. ATLIS Conference
  14. It’s Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens by danah boyd (@zephoria)
  15. A New 21st-Century Job: The Media Mentor (New America, 24 Oct 2016)
  16. Maryland Libraries Build a Peer-Coaching Program to Train Media Mentors (New America, 11 July 2018)
  17. Lisa Gurnsey (@lisaguernsey) – The Role of the Media Mentor
  18. What Works May Hurt―Side Effects in Education by Yong Zhao (@yongzhaoed)
  19. Wes’ Geeks of the Week: Pexels and Unsplash (free photos for commercial use, no attribution required)
  20. Beth’s Geek of the Week: COSN Digital Equity Project