Welcome to Episode 5 of the EdTech Situation Room, the weekly webshow and podcast where technology news meets educational analysis! This week we had a lively discussion with special guest Ben Wilkoff (@bhwilkoff) along with show hosts Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Wes Fryer (@wfryer). Our conversations touched on the articles "Google Eliminates Right-Side Adds" (discussing the ascendency of mobile computing as well as the implications of our "you are the product" digital social environment,) "Veteran Station Crew Returns to Earth after Historic Mission," the amazing "State of EdTech from EdSurge" interactive article, and "Touch Screen Laptops Aren’t Just a Gimmick: They’re Actually Useful." As usual we wrapped up with some "Geek of the Week" links, and Ben totally blew Wes' mind with his Minecraft Pocket Edition server link. Check our podcast shownotes and http://edtechsr.com/links for all the referenced resources. We'll take a break next week (no show on March 9, 2016) but return on March 16th as Wes will attempt to host the show from Sao Paulo, Brazil. Viva la revolucion #edtech!

Episode 4 of of our Blab.im powered weekly podcast featured insightful commentary by special guest Mike Agostinelli (@mikegusto), as well as regular hosts Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Wes Fryer (@wfryer). Mike and Jason joined from the NCCE Conference in Seattle, Washington, and had better connectivity during the show than Wes did. Despite bandwidth challenges spiking in central Oklahoma, the show conversations included a refreshingly wide range of topics. These included the Michelle Obama announcement of the "Open eBooks’ App," the demise of Google's Picassa web photos service, the possibilities of IFTTT and the programmable Internet of Things (IOT), the announcement of forthcoming 5G cellular data connectivity, the urban/rural connectivity divide, and "The New Colonialism" (potentially) of Facebook and Google. Geek of the Week links included Google History, the Stickbot animation app, a mobile app for rotating videos and the AppleTV "Space Station Live" app. Check out our shownotes on http://edtechsr.com/links for all our referenced resources and more. Remember to tune in next Wednesday night at 10 pm Eastern / 9 pm Central / 8 pm Mountain / 7 pm Pacific.

We were joined for episode 3 of our Blab.im powered weekly podcast by educational technology guru and noted futurist Miguel Guhlin (@mguhlin) of San Antonio, Texas! Hosts Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Wes Fryer (@wfryer) met in "The EdTech Situation Room" on February 10, 2016, and discussed current news and trends in educational technology with Miguel. In this week's show we discussed our responses to the economic and digital hegemony of Google and Apple (actually we didn't use those words, but we did talk about that issue). We talked about Google's online store for 'books that can't be printed,' the importance of OER (Open Educational Resources) for schools, and the role of the printed textbook in an increasingly digital information landscape. Wes ranted a bit about the ascendant power of artificial intelligence, and Miguel revealed his true (and startling) personal views on DRM (digital rights management) as they relate to educational curricula. Jason challenged us to think about the permanency and durability of digital information in formats which, given time, are sure to be eclipsed by newer mediums. As always we wrapped up the show with some practical "Geek of the Week" links and tips. We'll take a week off and be back for episode 4 on February 24, 2016, when Jason will be broadcasting live from the NCCE Conference in Seattle, Washington. Check edtechSR.com/links for complete shownotes and referenced links. Please subscribe to us on Twitter (@edtechSR), on Blab.im/edtechSR and to our audio podcast channel. Our appeal of the mysterious suspension of our YouTube channel is still pending, but a YouTube playlist of our three episodes-to-date is available for your viewing pleasure. Please share The EdTech Situation Room with all your educator peeps! Please tweet us and share your feedback about and input for the lineup and format of our show. Tune in LIVE to our next show on Wednesday, February 24, 2016, at 10 pm Eastern / 9 pm Central / 8 pm Mountain / 7 pm Pacific. (We will NOT have a show on February 17, 2015)

Our second episode and first experience on Blab.im. We think Blab rocks! Hosts Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Wes Fryer (@wfryer) met in "The EdTech Situation Room" on February 3, 2016, and discussed current news and trends in educational technology. In this week's show we discussed President Obama's "Computer Science for All" initiative, Apple's perceived need to innovate more with core iOS apps, an updated rehash on the implications of Apple's declining iPad sales, a video highlighting the possibility of larger, nineth planet in our solar system, and the future of both Yahoo and Flickr. We also talked briefly about the role of big data in U.S. elections, and shared our Geek of the Week links. Check the podcast shownotes or our shared Google Docs of links on http://edtechsr.com/links/ for more! Please tweet us and share your feedback about and input for the lineup and format of our show. Tune in LIVE to our next show on Wednesday, February 10, 2016, at 10 pm Eastern / 9 pm Central / 8 pm Mountain / 7 pm Pacific.

Our first official show! Hosts Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) and Wes Fryer (@wfryer) met in "The EdTech Situation Room" on January 27, 2016, and discussed current news and trends in educational technology. Building on the fun of "The EdTech Year in Review" podcasts from 2014 and 2015, The EdTech Situation Room is a regular web show and podcast Jason and Wes are starting in 2016. Your feedback and input is welcomed! In future episodes we will be inviting guests to join us. In this show we discussed Microsoft's acquisition of MinecraftEDU, Apple's declining iPad sales, the future of Google Hangouts and Google Plus, and shared a handy iPad tripod mount as well as fantastic other podcast recommendation to check out as our "geek of the week" links.