EdTech Situation Room by Jason Neiffer and Wes Fryer

EdTech Situation Room

Where technology news meets educational analysis. Join Jason and Wes as they analyze the past week's technology news through an educational lens. edtechsr.substack.com

  1. 1D AGO

    EdTechSR Episode 372: AI's Psychological Dangers

    Welcome to episode 372 (”AI’s Psychological Dangers”) of the EdTech Situation Room from April 8, 2026, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week, Dr. Jason Neiffer (aicentrist.com) and Dr. Wesley Fryer (wesfryer.com) discussed the growing psychological risks of AI companion bots and the new documentary The AI Doc, explored open and local AI models including Google’s Gemma 4, dug into Anthropic’s Project Glasswing and its discovery of thousands of zero-day software vulnerabilities, examined quantum computing’s looming threat to encryption, and unpacked the urgent media literacy challenges posed by propaganda memes and war narratives. Jason also shared the Frontier Learning Lab’s Basecamp for AI resource, and both hosts geeked out over sketchnotes-turned-AI-infographics and Microsoft’s AI Playground. Our show was live-streamed and archived on YouTube Live via StreamYard.com and auto-archived to YouTube. We are now publishing from Substack too! Subscribe to us with your favorite podcast listening app, or directly on or https://www.youtube.com/@edtechSR. Follow our EdTechSR page on Facebook, mastodon.education/@edtechsr on Mastodon for updates, and join LIVE on Wednesday nights if you can. All show notes are available at edtechSR.com/links. 🔗 Links We Discussed * Lawyer behind AI psychosis cases warns of mass casualty risks (TechCrunch, 15 March 2026) * ‘The AI Doc’ Is Probably the Scariest Movie You’ll See All Year (PBS KQED, 25 March 2026) - official trailer * Basecamp for AI from the Frontier Learning Lab (more info) * Project Glasswing/Anthropic Mythos * Google Vids are Free! * In Japan, the robot isn’t coming for your job; it’s filling the one nobody wants (TechCrunch, 5 April 2026) * Gemma 4: Byte for byte, the most capable open models (The Keyword; 2 April 2026) * Run an open model on your iPhone * Jeff Utecht’s local AI server for schools * Studies: Quantum Computers Could Hack all Encryption by 2029 (Verity, 2 April 2026) * Media Education Lab webinar: AI, News and Education (6 April 2026) * We’re Being Played Through Propaganda, Memes, and War (Psychology Today, 1 April 2026) * Jason’s Geek of the Week:: Microsoft AI Playground??! * Wes’ Geeks of the Week: Sketchnote to AI InfoGraphic - Memes, Warfare, and Propaganda (May 4, 2026) 🧭 Links We Did NOT Discuss * OpenAI robotics leader resigns over concerns about Pentagon AI deal (NPR, 8 March 2026) * Z.AI Releases 5.1 * Google quietly launched an AI dictation app that works offline (TechCrunch; 7 April 2026) * OpenAI Releases: “Introducing the Child Safety Blueprint” * Russia denies Ukrainian intelligence assessment that its hackers have teamed up with Iran’s for cyberattacks (Reuters, 8 April 2026) * Social media has become a freak show (Nate Silver, 5 April 2026) * Opposing ICE Might Save the Country. It Could Also Ruin Your Life (Wired, 31 March 2026) - paywall free version * Apple Took Down These ICE-Tracking Apps. The Developers Aren’t Giving Up (Wired, 8 Oct 2025) Episode 372 is also available on YouTube in two formats: Portrait mode optimized for mobile phones, and Landscape mode optimized for laptop / desktop computers! This Substack version (syndicated to other podcasting platforms) was edited using Descript.com to remove “filler words!” Get full access to EdTech Situation Room Podcast at edtechsr.substack.com/subscribe

    1 hr

  2. MAR 27

    EdTechSR Episode 371: Router Bans, AI Agents

    Welcome to episode 371 (“Router Bans, AI Agents”) of the EdTech Situation Room from March 25, 2026, where technology news met educational analysis. This week, Dr. Jason Neiffer (aicentrist.com) and Dr. Wesley Fryer (wesfryer.com) discussed the FCC’s recent ban on foreign-made Wi-Fi routers and its implications for home network security and the IoT. The hosts explored the power of agentic AI through a demo of OpenClaw for automated course creation, Google’s experimental Flash-Light browser, and professional image generation workflows for school branding. Additional topics included insights from Oprah’s AI special, SpaceX’s push for faster Starlink upload speeds, and the evolving legal landscape for social media and AI-generated content. Our show was live-streamed and archived on YouTube Live via StreamYard.com and auto-archived to YouTube. We are now publishing from Substack too! Subscribe to us with your favorite podcast listening app, or directly on YouTube. Follow our EdTechSR page on Facebook, on Mastodon (mastodon.education/@edtechsr) for updates, and join LIVE on Wednesday nights if you can. All show notes are available at edtechSR.com/links. 🔗 Links We Discussed * The FCC Just Banned the Sale of New Wi-Fi Router Models Made Outside US (PC Magazine, 24 March 2026) * The FCC’s Wi-Fi Router Ban Explained: We Answer Your Biggest Questions (PC Magazine, 24 March 2026) * US government sends ‘Microsoft message’ to companies after hackers brought down one of America’s biggest company for days (Times of India, 20 March 2026) * [VIDEO] Oprah & Tech Leaders on What AI Means for Your Job, Health, Family & Future (1 hour, 10 min - Oprah YouTube Channel - 25 March 2026) - Key points via Claude * Jason Demo: Adventures in OpenClaw * Jason Demo: Gemini Image Generation Lab * Jason Demo: Google Flash-Light Browser * SpaceX Prepares to Increase Upload Speeds on Starlink Dishes (PC Magazine, 24 March 2026) * tailscale.com (“A Zero Trust identity-based connectivity platform...”) * Jason’s Geek of the Week: Home Server * Wes’ Geek of the Week: “The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist” (Trailer - WikiPedia - IMDB) 🧭 Links We Did NOT Discuss * Anthropic’s case against the Pentagon could open space for AI regulation (Al Jazeera, 25 March 2026) * OpenAI on Surveillance and Autonomous Killings: You’re Going to Have to Trust Us (The Intercept, 8 March 2026) * RIP Sora: Disney Exits OpenAI Deal After AI Giant Shutters Sora (Hollywood Reporter; 24 March 2026) * White House releases AI policy blueprint for Congress (Politico; 20 March 2026) * Codex for university students (ChatGpt) * Melania Trump hosts world counterparts and tech reps to discuss children, education and technology (Ground News, 24 March 2026) * Meta to Deploy AI to Police Facebook and Instagram Content (Verity, 20 March 2026) * Teens Sue xAI Over Grok’s Explicit Deepfakes (Verity, 17 March 2026) Episode 371 is also available on YouTube in two formats: Portrait mode optimized for mobile phones, and Landscape mode optimized for laptop / desktop computers! This Substack version (syndicated to other podcasting platforms) was edited using Descript.com to remove “filler words!” Get full access to EdTech Situation Room Podcast at edtechsr.substack.com/subscribe

    58 min

  3. MAR 6

    EdTechSR Episode 370: AI Frontier Geopolitics

    Welcome to episode 370 (“AI Frontier Geopolitics”) of the EdTech Situation Room from March 4, 2026, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week, Dr. Jason Neifer (aicentrist.com) and Dr. Wesley Fryer (wesfryer.com) discuss the high-stakes clash between the Trump administration and Anthropic over AI safety and military contracts. The conversation explores the shifting landscape of “vibe coding” with Claude, the rise of agentic workflows in Google Workspace, and Apple’s disruptive new hardware lineup featuring the MacBook Neo. From the geopolitics of open-source models like Alibaba’s Qwen to the practicalities of AI-driven media literacy for seniors, the hosts examine how the frontier of artificial intelligence is reshaping both national security and the classroom. Our show was live-streamed and archived on YouTube Live via StreamYard.com and auto-archived to YouTube. We are now publishing from Substack too! Subscribe to us with your favorite podcast listening app, or directly on www.youtube.com/@edtechSR. Follow our EdTechSR page on Facebook, mastodon.education/@edtechsr on Mastodon for updates, and join LIVE on Wednesday nights if you can. All show notes are available at edtechSR.com/links. 🔗 Links We Discussed * Do the people building the AI chatbot Claude understand what they’ve created? (NPR Fresh Air, 18 Feb 2026) * Alibaba Releases Qwen Small Models (x) * Trump orders US agencies to stop using Anthropic technology in clash over AI safety (AP, 27 Feb 2026) * []VIDEO] Full interview: Anthropic CEO responds to Trump order, Pentagon clash (28 Feb 2026, 28 min) * A Dire Warning From the Tech World (The Atlantic, 3 March 2026) - archive.ph * Clawed - On Anthropic and the Department of War (Substack of Dean W Ball, 2 March 2026) * Say hello to MacBook Neo (Apple PR, 4 March 2026) * Apple introduces the new MacBook Air with M5 (Apple PR, 3 March 2026) * Apple Introduces iPhone 17e (Apple PR, 2 March 2026) * Apple introduces the new iPad Air, powered by M4 (Apple PR, 2 March 2026) * I just went hands-on with MacBook Neo: It’s game over for cheap Windows laptops (Tom Guide, 4 March 2025) * duck.ai (AI search from Duck Duck Go) * arena.ai (comparisons of AI models) * https://mediaeducationlab.com/events/media-literacy-seniors-0 * https://labs.google/cc * swappa.com (used iOS devices) * Wes’ Geeks of the Week: Normalize Your Video Audio with Auphonic - Fact Checking a Misleading Iran War Meme - Change local DNS for archive.ph access * Jason’s Geek of the Week: LocallyAI for iOS/iPadOS 🧭 Links We Did NOT Discuss * A Guide to Which AI to Use in the Agentic Era (Ethan Mollick, 17 Feb 2026) * New tools for understanding AI and learning outcomes (Open AI Blog; 4 March 2026) * Generate your own Cinematic Video Overviews in NotebookLM (Google; 4 March 2026) * Does fact-checking work? What the science says (Nature, 10 Jan 2025) - archive.ph version Episode 370 is also available on YouTube in two formats: Portrait mode optimized for mobile phones, and Landscape mode optimized for laptop / desktop computers! This Substack version (syndicated to other podcasting platforms) was edited using Descript.com to remove “filler words!” Get full access to EdTech Situation Room Podcast at edtechsr.substack.com/subscribe

    59 min

  4. FEB 13

    EdTechSR Episode 369: Dogpile and Dark Arts

    Welcome to episode 369 (“Dogpile and Dark Arts”) of the EdTech Situation Room from February 11, 2026, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week, Dr. Jason Neiffer (aicentrist.com) and Dr. Wesley Fryer (wesfryer.com) discuss the shadowy world of DDoS attacks by archive.today, the manipulation of Wikipedia narratives by bad actors, and the sunsetting of the CIA World Factbook. The conversation shifts to a live demo of Claude CoWork as a local folder-organizing agent, contrasting modern AI "agents" with the "Dogpile" search era of the past. They also explore "Digital Defense Against the Dark Arts" to help students and educators navigate AI-powered scams and misinformation. Our show was live-streamed and archived on YouTube Live via StreamYard.com and auto-archived to YouTube. We are now publishing from Substack too! Subscribe to us with your favorite podcast listening app, or directly on or https://www.youtube.com/@edtechSR. Follow our EdTechSR page on Facebook, mastodon.education/@edtechsr on Mastodon for updates, and join LIVE on Wednesday nights if you can. All show notes are available at edtechSR.com/links. 🔗 Links We Discussed * When Connection Is Engineered: Understanding The Anatomy Of An AI-Powered Romance Scam (The White Hatter, 10 Feb 2025) * Pro-Russian Narratives Target Wikipedia, Marking A Dangerous Trend For AI Chatbot Data (United24 Media, 22 Jan 2026) * Wikipedia Might Blacklist Archive.Today After Site Maintainer DDoSed A Blog (Ars Technica, 10 Feb 2026) * Archive.today Is Directing A DDOS Attack Against My Blog (Gyrovague, 01 Feb 2026) * Claude Cowork Available on Windows * Why Wikimedia Belongs In Education (Wikimedia UK, 06 Feb 2026) * The CIA World Factbook is dead. Here’s how I came to love it (NPR, 7 Feb 2026) * Apple News * Digital Defense Against the Dark Arts (by Wes) * AI Arena (formerly LM Arena) * CoWork by Claude * Jason’s Geek of the Week: OpenWork * Wes’ Geeks of the Week: Image prompt with Claude -> Image generate with Gemini - Super Bowl 2026 Ads - Ai Makes Far Side Cartoons 🧭 Links We Did NOT Discuss * AI’s Apocalyptic Jobs Prophecy Is About To Become Reality (The Telegraph, 05 Feb 2026) * Anthropic Insiders Afraid They’ve Crossed A Line (Futurism, 07 Feb 2026) * Grok Maker XAI Loses Another Co-Founder (Ars Technica, 11 Feb 2026) * OpenAI Releases New Deep Research Model * State Department To Purge Pre-Trump Social Media Posts (NPR, 07 Feb 2026) * Ghost: Blogs and newsletters on the Fediverse (Unofficial Guide to Mastodon and the Fediverse) * Google Recovers Deleted Nest Video In High-Profile Abduction Case (Ars Technica, 10 Feb 2026) * Upgraded Google Safety Tools Can Now Find And Remove More Of Your Personal Info (Ars Technica, 10 Feb 2026) * Google Makes It Easier To Remove Your Personal Data From Search (Ars Technica, 26 Feb 2025) Episode 369 is also available on YouTube in two formats: Portrait mode optimized for mobile phones, and Landscape mode optimized for laptop / desktop computers! This Substack version (syndicated to other podcasting platforms) was edited using Descript.com to remove “filler words!” Get full access to EdTech Situation Room Podcast at edtechsr.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 2m

  5. FEB 5

    EdTechSR Episode 368: The OpenClaw Warning

    Welcome to episode 368 (“The OpenClaw Warning”) of the EdTech Situation Room from February 4, 2026, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week, Dr. Jason Neiffer (aicentrist.com) and Dr. Wesley Fryer (wesfryer.com) dive into the burgeoning world of agentic AI, highlighting the experimental "OpenClaw" tool while issuing a stark warning about the security risks inherent in autonomous AI agents. They also examine the precarious state of local journalism and its vital role in community cohesion. The discussion features a live look at the powerful new integration of Google's NotebookLM into Gemini, showcasing how educators can leverage curated "knowledge oracles" to generate source-grounded instructional materials. Additional topics include the intersection of gaming culture and mainstream media literacy via the Angry Planet podcast and a passionate defense of the humanities and competitive debate as essential skills for the AI era. Our show was live-streamed and archived on YouTube Live via StreamYard.com and auto-archived to YouTube. We are now publishing from Substack too! Subscribe to us with your favorite podcast listening app, or directly on or www.youtube.com/@edtechSR. Follow our EdTechSR page on Facebook, mastodon.education/@edtechsr on Mastodon for updates, and join LIVE on Wednesday nights if you can. All show notes are available at edtechSR.com/links. 🔗 Links We Discussed * [PODCAST] Online Culture Is the Whole Culture (Angry Planet, 30 Jan 2026) * “Conspiracies and Culture Wars” Media Literacy Inquiry Project (Wes Fryer) * Collar cams offer a bear’s eye view into the lives of grizzlies on Alaska’s desolate North Slope (AP, 2 Feb 2026)Local TV and radio at a crossroads (Peter Vogel, The BC Catholic, 28 Jan 2026) * Podcast393: Reflections on UnPlug’d 2012 with David Truss & Gail Lovely https://www.speedofcreativity.org/2012/08/13/podcast393-reflections-on-unplugd-2012-with-david-truss-gail-lovely/ * ds106 radio * Powell Tribune (Wyoming) * Daily Interlake News (Montana, via Peggy George) * kgez.com (Kalispell, MT - via Peggy George) * KMAN Radio (Manhattan, Kansas) * Day of AI (a program developed at MIT RAISE in partnership with the i2 Learning Foundation) * [VIDEO] Watch: Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei From World Economic Forum | WSJ (32 min) * Hard Fork [PODCAST] Can You Teach Claude to be ‘Good’? | Meet Anthropic Philosopher Amanda Askell (23 Jan 2026) * Don’t Install OpenClaw. But Keep a Close Eye on It. (Jason @ Field Notes at the FLL; 2 February 2026) * The buzz over AI agents (NPR Here and Now; 2 February 2026) * Moltbook is the newest social media platform — but it’s just for AI bots (NPR ATC; 4 February 2026) * MoltBook.com (AI agent social network) * Take your notebooks further by adding NotebookLM as a source in the Gemini app (Google Workspace Updates; 27 January 2026) * Jason’s Geek of the Week: Meetily (Local AI Meeting Tool) * Wes’ Geeks of the Week:: 2026 Frost Forward Online Conference Registration - [PODCAST] AI in Education: Jeffrey Riley on AI Literacy, Teachers, and the Future of Learning (The Teacher’s Forum, David Harris, 3 Feb 2026) - Google Account 3rd Party App Authorizations 🧭 Links We Did NOT Discuss * Anthropic and Teach For All launch global AI training initiative for educators (Anthropic Blog, 21 Jan 2026) * Claude for Education * Gem and NotebookLM Workflow (Miguel Guhlin, 1 Feb 2026) * Claude is a space to think (Anthropic blog, 4 Feb 2026) * Customize Cowork with plugins (Claude Blog; 30 January 2026) * Google’s Gemini app has surpassed 750M monthly active users (TechCrunch; 4 February 2026) * The new era of browsing: Putting Gemini to work in Chrome (The Keyword from Google) * Rice University students create ICE tracker as hundreds protest in Houston (The Center Square, 31 Jan 2026) Episode 368 is also available on YouTube in two formats: Portrait mode optimized for mobile phones, and Landscape mode optimized for laptop / desktop computers! This Substack version (syndicated to other podcasting platforms) was edited using Descript.com to remove “filler words!” Get full access to EdTech Situation Room Podcast at edtechsr.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 11m

  6. JAN 23

    EdTechSR Episode 367: Vibe Coding with Claude

    Welcome to episode 367 (“Vibe Coding With Claude”) of the EdTech Situation Room from January 21, 2026, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week, Dr. Jason Neiffer (aicentrist.com) and Dr. Wesley Fryer (wesfryer.com) discuss the transformative power of “vibe coding,” with Wes sharing his experience using Claude Code to build a sophisticated 1,400-line PHP project for personal news automation. Jason demonstrates a powerful new workflow that integrates NotebookLM sources directly into Gemini to create pedagogically-informed instructional texts. The duo also explores Anthropic’s newly released AI Constitution , Google’s rollout of Personal Intelligence for Gmail and Drive , and reflections from the FETC conference on the urgent need for structured AI professional development for educators. Our show was live-streamed and archived on YouTube Live via StreamYard.com and auto-archived to YouTube. We are now publishing from Substack too! Subscribe to us with your favorite podcast listening app, or directly on or www.youtube.com/@edtechSR. Follow our EdTechSR page on Facebook, mastodon.education/@edtechsr on Mastodon for updates, and join LIVE on Wednesday nights if you can. All show notes are available at edtechSR.com/links. 🔗 Links We Discussed * Episode 9: From hidden data to insight: the power of vibecoding (by NotebookLM, Digital Digging by Hank Van Ess, 17 Jan 2026) * Paywall article: Using AI to find hidden data sources (Digital Digging by Hank Van Ess, 17 Jan 2026) * Claude Code for writers (Platformer, Casey Newton, 15 Jan 2026) * Move Over, ChatGPT (Atlantic, 14 Jan 2026) * Claude’s new constitution (Anthropic, 21 January 2026) * Gemini introduces Personal Intelligence (14 January 2026) * mermaid.ai (“Build complex visuals from text and data in seconds”) * Jason’s Geek of the Week: Kortex Chrome PLugin * Wes’ Geek of the Week: news.wesfryer.com 🧭 Links We Did NOT Discuss * A new direction for students in an AI world: Prosper, prepare, protect (Brookings, 17 Jan 2026) * Comic-Con Bans AI Art After Artist Pushback (404 Media; 21 January 2026) * OpenAI says its data centers will pay for their own energy and limit water usage (The Verge; 21 January 2026) * Google Releases Data Tables for NotebookLM (NotebookLM on Twitter/X, 14 Jan 2026) * Alaska’s court system built an AI chatbot. It didn’t go smoothly. (NBC News, 3 Jan 2026) * Amazon’s Ring to partner with Flock, a network of AI cameras used by ICE, feds, and police (TechCrunch, 15 Oct 2025) * Hacker Dressed As Pink Power Ranger Dismantles Racist Websites Live on Stage (PC Magazine, 6 Jan 2026) * Iran’s Internet Shutdown Mistake Exposes Threats To U.S. And Israel (Forbes, 17 Jan 2026) * Grok Is Generating Sexual Content Far More Graphic Than What’s on X (Wired, 7 Jan 2026) * When an Ad Triggers a Full Account Crisis (Lucy Gray, 20 Jan 2026) * How Wikipedia Will Survive in the Age of AI (With Wikipedia’s CTO Selena Deckelmann) (404 Media, 20 Jan 2026) Episode 367 is also available on YouTube in two formats: Portrait mode optimized for mobile phones, and Landscape mode optimized for laptop / desktop computers! Get full access to EdTech Situation Room Podcast at edtechsr.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 7m

  7. JAN 9

    EdTechSR Episode 366: 10 Year Anniversary!

    Welcome to episode 366 (“10 Year Anniversary”) of the EdTech Situation Room from January 7, 2026, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week, Dr. Jason Neiffer (aicentrist.com) and Dr. Wesley Fryer (wesfryer.com) celebrate the podcast’s 10th anniversary, reflecting on their journey since their first episode in January 2016. In this episode, they dive into the latest happenings in educational technology, media literacy, and more. Topics include highlights from CES 2026, notable innovations in AI, and discussions on smart home technology. Plus, they explore exciting new integrations from Google and Apple, challenges in intellectual property with AI-generated content, and innovative classroom technology. Tune in for a decade of EdTech insights and future trends! Our show was live-streamed and archived on YouTube Live via StreamYard.com and auto-archived to YouTube. We are now publishing from Substack too! Subscribe to us with your favorite podcast listening app, or directly on or https://www.youtube.com/@edtechSR. Follow our EdTechSR page on Facebook, mastodon.education/@edtechsr on Mastodon for updates, and join LIVE on Wednesday nights if you can. All show notes are available at edtechSR.com/links. Chapter Markers: 00:00 Welcome to EdTech Situation Room 00:11 Celebrating 10 Years of EdTech Situation Room 01:01 Meet the Hosts: Jason and Wes 01:38 Kicking Off the New Semester 02:31 Exploring CES 2026 Highlights 03:39 AI Innovations at CES 2026 10:35 Smart Home Technology and Personal Projects 14:37 Deep Dive into CES Trends and AI 28:19 Lego’s Smart Bricks and Future of Coding 29:43 The Pebble Watch Revival 32:21 The Pebble Ring: A New Innovation 33:28 White House January 6th Website 34:50 Media Literacy and AI Fact-Checking 38:07 Google’s Gemini and Apple’s AI Strategy 40:33 AI-Generated Infographics and Copyright Issues 50:24 Geeks of the Week and Final Thoughts 52:27 Automation Tools for Productivity 🔗 Links We Discussed * CES 2026 New Products: iPolish - Nodi Flip - Bloomin8 E-Ink Canvas * Video: The Shocking AI Reveals That Stunned CES 2026 (Day 1) (AI Revolution, 7 Jan 2026, 13 min) * Video: New OpenAI GUMDROP AI Device Turns ChatGPT Physical (AI Revolution, 4 Jan 2026, 11 min) * Gemini Deep Research CES Update * LEGO introduces its first ‘smart brick’ which reacts to children’s movements in real time (Daily Mail via MSN; 5 January 2025) * Pebble seeks to remedy the wearable industry’s original sin (Engadget; 6 January 2026) * Pebble Is Making a $75 Smart Ring (Wired; 9 December 2025) * White House publishes website that rewrites history of Jan. 6 attack (Washington Post, 6 Jan 2026) * White House X post on Jan 6 website * Whitehouse Jan 6 website: www.whitehouse.gov/j6/ * Gemini SIFT Superprompt chat log * Jason’s Geek of the Week: n8n * Wes’ Geeks of the Week: Media Literacy Roundup - 5 Jan 2026 - Smart Home Tips from Wes - PixStar Digital Picture Frame - StartPage 🧭 Links We Did NOT Discuss * Alaska’s court system built an AI chatbot. It didn’t go smoothly. (NBC News, 3 Jan 2026) * Create with unlimited generations using Google Gemini 3 (Nano Banana Pro) in Adobe Firefly (Adobe Blog, 20 Nov 2025) * Google’s New Image Tool Looks Too Real. Here’s Why That’s A Problem (The Blueprint Brief; 8 December 2025) * NanoBanana has an IP Problem: NotebookLM Slides/Infographics * Teamsters Unveil New Substack Newsletter to Break Through Traditional Media (The Hill, 8 Dec 2025) * AI and Social Media Literacy Essential for Safe Ecosystem (Bernama, 27 Dec 2025) * Berlin power outage highlights German vulnerability to sabotage (BBC, 7 Jan 2026) * You may soon be able to change your Gmail address (TechCrunch, 28 Dec 2025) * “Yo what?” LimeWire re-emerges in online rush to share pulled “60 Minutes” segment (ArsTechnica, 23 Dec 2025) * FCC’s import ban on the best new drones starts today (ArsTechnica, 23 Dec 2025) Episode 366 is also available on YouTube in two formats: Portrait mode optimized for mobile phones, and Landscape mode optimized for laptop / desktop computers! (Note the landscape version is shorter because ‘filler words’ were removed in post-production using Descript.com.) Get full access to EdTech Situation Room Podcast at edtechsr.substack.com/subscribe

    1 hr

  8. JAN 2

    EdTechSR Episode 365: Nano Banana Era

    Welcome to episode 365 (“Nano Banana Pro Era”) of the EdTech Situation Room from December 29, 2025, where technology news meets educational analysis. This week, Dr. Jason Neiffer (aicentrist.com) and Dr. Wesley Fryer (wesfryer.com) discuss the rapid evolution of generative AI, beginning with Jason’s recent travel to Japan where tools like NotebookLM and Gemini assisted with navigation and cultural translation. The hosts dive deep into the capabilities of Nano Banana Pro (Google’s latest Gemini model), comparing its superior image generation and iteration controls to OpenAI’s offerings. The conversation also covers the landmark licensing agreement between Disney and OpenAI to bring iconic characters to the Sora video platform, the ethical “dumpster fire” of hyper-realistic deepfakes, and eight bold AI predictions for 2026—including the rise of world models and an “offline renaissance”. Geeks of the Week include Gemini Desk and a new Substack series on AI storytelling. Our show was live-streamed and archived on YouTube Live via StreamYard.com and auto-archived to YouTube. We are now publishing from Substack too! Subscribe to us with your favorite podcast listening app, or directly on or https://www.youtube.com/@edtechSR. Follow our EdTechSR page on Facebook, mastodon.education/@edtechsr on Mastodon for updates, and join LIVE on Wednesday nights if you can. All show notes are available at edtechSR.com/links. 🔗 Links We Discussed * The Walt Disney Company and OpenAI reach landmark agreement to bring beloved characters from across Disney’s brands to Sora (OpenAI, 11 Dec 2025) * ChatGPT’s Latest AI Image Generator Is Its Best Yet, But Nano Banana Pro Is Still Better (PC Mag, 28 Dec 2025) * The Ethics of AI Imagery: Nano Banana and the New Frontier of Digital Reality (Genevieve Smith-Nunes via Substack; 30 August 2025) * AI in 2026 | 8 Predictions About What’s Coming (Sinead Novell; 18 December 2025) * Wobbling Jets of 3I/ATLAS Based on New Hubble Telescope Images from December 12 and 27, 2025 (Medium of Avi Loeb, 27 Dec 2025) * 3I/ATLAS Deep Fake Videos (Blog of Wes Fryer, 8 Dec 2025) * Jason’s Geek of the Week: Gemini Desk * Wes’ Geek of the Week: Stories About AI - December 2025 🧭 Links We Did NOT Discuss * Google’s Year in Review: 8 Research Breakthroughs in 2025 (Google Blog, 23 Dec 2025) * Nano Banana Pro Review: Is Google’s AI Image Generator Too Good? (CNet, 7 Dec 2025) * Create with unlimited generations using Google Gemini 3 (Nano Banana Pro) in Adobe Firefly (Adobe Blog, 20 Nov 2025) * Nano Banana is wild in NotebookLM!!! * Google’s New Image Tool Looks Too Real. Here’s Why That’s A Problem (The Blueprint Brief; 8 December 2025) * Nano Banana Content Blocked (John Negoita via Medium; 24 September 2025) * Introducing GPT-5.2: OpenAI Launches ‘Garlic’ Series (OpenAI, 11 Dec 2025) * How AI coding agents work—and what to remember if you use them (ArsTechnica, 24 Dec 2025) * Your job is to deliver code you have proven to work (Simon Willison’s Weblog, 18 Dec 2025) * Measuring the Impact of Early-2025 AI on Experienced Open-Source Developer Productivity (Cornell University, 12 Jul 2025) * AI and Social Media Literacy Essential for Safe Ecosystem (Bernama, 27 Dec 2025) * Rainbow Six Siege is under siege by hackers, Ubisoft forced to take all servers offline — players randomly received billions of credits, ultra-exclusive skins, and bans or unbans (Tom’s Hardware, 27 Dec 2025) * You may soon be able to change your Gmail address (TechCrunch, 28 Dec 2025) * “Yo what?” LimeWire re-emerges in online rush to share pulled “60 Minutes” segment (ArsTechnica, 23 Dec 2025) * FCC’s import ban on the best new drones starts today (ArsTechnica, 23 Dec 2025) Please follow @EdTechSR on Facebook so we can reach 100 followers and directly livestream there too! More subscription options are on EdTechSR.com. Episode 365 is also available on YouTube in two formats: Portrait mode optimized for mobile phones, and Landscape mode optimized for laptop / desktop computers! Get full access to EdTech Situation Room Podcast at edtechsr.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 6m
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Where technology news meets educational analysis. Join Jason and Wes as they analyze the past week's technology news through an educational lens. edtechsr.substack.com

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