K12 Tech Talk

On Episode 271, Josh and Mark sit down with Nicole Sanchez and Matt Winters from the Utah State Board of Education’s Data Privacy Team to explain how Utah became a national model for student data protection. The conversation covers the state’s legal framework, long-running infrastructure efforts, and the practical systems Utah uses. Learn more at schools.utah.gov/studentdataprivacy/index And don't...

On this week’s episode of the K‑12 Tech Talk podcast Josh and Mark dig into a packed news round-up and sit down with Joey Wender, Executive Director of the Schools, Health, and Libraries Broadband (SHLB) Coalition, to discuss a wide‑ranging FCC notice that could fundamentally change, or even threaten, the E‑Rate program. Joey walks us through the FCC’s proposed rulemaking, explains why the item ra...

The guys discuss tornado watches, tacos, and the World Cup‑driven Scots in Boston. The news includes New York City Public Schools’ AI guidelines and growing push back, an insider cyberattack in Iowa, and breaking cybersecurity news is also addressed - the newly reported FortiBleed leak that exposed credentials for tens of thousands of Fortinet/FortiGate devices. They also review federal education...

In episode 268, Josh, Chris, and Mark break down the Federal Communications Commission's newly published proposed rule changes to the E‑Rate program. The conversation explains the scope of the public comment period, where the proposals came from, and what districts, consortia, and vendors should watch for over the coming months. The guys discuss what services could be removed from E‑Rate eligibili...

On this week’s episode, the guys test whether artificial intelligence can replace a person - with AI‑cloned "Josh" sprinkled through the episode. Chris and Mark cover the rapid early success of Apple’s new MacBook Neo, including Kansas City Public Schools’ plan to replace roughly 30,000 Windows PCs and Chromebooks after a 4,500‑unit proof of concept. Elizabethtown Area School District’s cell phone...

Episode 266 of the K12 Tech Talk podcast finds Josh, Chris and Mark diving into the summer school circus, national policy, guidance on watching movies in schools, and screen time. This week’s guest is Amy Bennett, Chief of Staff at Lightspeed Systems , who joins to unpack the screen time debate, data-driven monitoring, and what tech leaders should do next. The main topic is on MOVIES! "Can I watch...

On Episode 265, Josh, Chris, and Mark discuss the end‑of‑year scramble in K‑12 technology and a growing cultural moment - the Class of 2026’s strong reaction to AI at college commencements. The guys dive into several stories affecting schools - cybercriminal deep‑fake sextortion attacks using student photos from public sites; a public GitHub repository that exposed highly privileged CISA credentia...

On this episode, the guys discuss Google's announcement of the new "Googlebook" (a reported merge of Android and Chrome OS), growing controversy and litigation around iReady and screen time in schools, and a debrief of the recent Canvas/Instructure security incident with guest Michael Klein from the Institute for Security and Technology. Unofficial demo of AluminumOS: https://youtu.be/dXmFIfv_tIA?...

Episode 263 covers the unfolding Instructure/Canvas breach by the threat group ShinyHunters. Josh, Chris, and Mark discuss the timeline, the potential scope of compromised data, and immediate steps schools should take. The episode also examines a new bill aimed at restricting AI companion chatbots for minors and debates age verification and safety concerns. Finally, the guys review a National Bure...

On Episode 262, Josh, Chris, and Mark discuss the risks of edtech tools that add generative AI without age checks or strong guardrails, share a new K12 SIX resource and rubric for security essentials, and cover email security best practices. For the main topic, the guys talk about "secure email." Districts are being asked to send more sensitive information outside the network - to parents, agencie...

In episode 261 of K12 Tech Talk, the hosts are back from CoSN Chicago and revisit the P3 breach story that has been ongoing for the last few weeks. The latest reports show the stolen records have now been listed for sale, while the company has not issued a full public disclosure. On the screen time front, the hosts review LAUSD’s draft approach that emphasizes guidelines over hard time caps, reduc...

Live from CoSN 2026 in Chicago, this episode brings quick conversations with leaders across K12. Guests include: Earl Franks, NAESP Jean-Claude Brizard, Digital Promise Global CTL (Jason and Michelle) Dr. Kari Murphy, Deer Park Joey Wender, SHLB Amanda Lanicek ("Amanda from LinkedIn") Joan Wade, AESA Jim Rowan, ASBO Stacy Hawthorne, CoSN Chair David Wren, NTP School leadership, funding concerns, A...

The guys discuss the rising AI-driven security risks facing school districts, including convincing deepfake video and voice scams, advanced phishing, and the implications of new AI research such as Anthropic’s Mythos and Project Glasswing. They cover recent news items that affect K12 cybersecurity: proposed federal budget cuts that shift CISA and school safety responsibilities to states, the growt...

Josh, Chris, and Mark debrief last week’s Infinite Campus interview, explaining new findings about the leaked support data - what was in the release, how directory-level information and PII were involved, and what districts can do to check and respond. They discuss vendor ticket practices, district ticket practices, minimizing data in support requests, and how districts should approach vendor priv...

On this episode of the K12 Tech Talk podcast, Josh, Chris, and Mark interview Charlie Kratsch, CEO of Infinite Campus, about a confirmed cyber incident involving the company’s Salesforce instance. Charlie explains how attackers used a fast, professional vishing campaign and an imposter login domain to harvest credentials and bypass MFA, and then ran targeted reports through Salesforce. The data ac...

On this episode, the guys discuss how students are using AI and how districts are responding with pilots, policy lessons, and content controls. They share real pilot data showing most AI chats were educational, while a smaller portion involved attempts at academic dishonesty or flagged content. The conversation also explores the controversial use of AI chatbots for mental‑health support. Josh, Chr...

On Episode 255, Chris, Josh, and Mark return from the MidwestTechTalk Security Symposium to discuss several hot topics. They cover New Hampshire's recently revised data privacy law and the temporary fallout for school livestreams and events, plus a Chicago district using license plate data for residency enforcement. The guys recap the MidwestTechTalk Security Symposium, including their hands on im...

On Episode 254 of K12 Tech Talk, Josh, Chris, and Mark break down Apple’s big announcement: the Mac Neo , a $499 laptop that many call a potential Chromebook killer. They compare specs, durability, repairability, management with Apple School Manager, resale value, and the extra operational costs and security considerations (EDR, content filtering, app installs) for school districts. The hosts deba...

Live from the K12 SIX National Cybersecurity Leadership Conference in Albuquerque, Chris goes solo and interviews several attendees and leaders about practical K12 cybersecurity. Guests include Cory Rankin, a K12SIX member, who talks about community and membership benefits, Dr. Tim Tillman on building governance and board-level engagement, Doug Levin on the importance of in-person trust and fundam...

Josh, Chris, and Mark discuss Tennessee proposals that would severely restrict or ban classroom devices and online assessments for younger grades, and debate whether this is an overreaction or a needed reset on screen time. They discuss a widespread, sophisticated phishing campaign that hit many Midwest school districts, including guidance on immediate steps to secure compromised accounts for Goog...

Chris, Josh, and Mark interview Mark Mark Keierleber from The 74 about his investigation into Flock license-plate cameras and how those camera networks are being queried by federal and out-of-state law enforcement. They then bring in cybersecurity expert Michael Klein to explain the impacts on schools, covering mass surveillance risks, audit logs, data-sharing practices, and the ways camera access...

Josh, Chris, and Mark discuss the 74 reporting that federal immigration agents have been tapping Flock license plate cameras, which leads to broader conversation about school and neighborhood cameras (Ring/Nest/home systems) balancing safety and privacy. The guys unpack a listener email about how K12 techs should approach student data privacy. Finally, there is an interview with Rise Vision, discu...

Episode 249 of K12 Tech Talk podcast has Josh, Chris, and Mark discussing their Olympic favorites, the latest news in K12, and the Snow Day Message winner: Option 3: Code Red - Montgomery County Public Schools (MD) The episode features an interview with Tyler Kingkade, national reporter at NBC News, about his recent reporting on internal Google documents revealed in litigation. Tyler explains how...

Episode 248 has a listener poll of viral snow-day announcement songs from districts around the country. Check out the videos below and tell us your favorite by emailing us at info@k12techtalkpodcast.com: Option 1: Benson Boone - Ozarks Schools (MO) Option 2: Extraordinary - Novi Community School District (MI) Option 3: Code Red - Montgomery County Public Schools (MD) The second half of this episod...

On this episode we talk about free certifications, Google Gemini updates, and updates to Microsoft’s Copilot Teach and Study & Learn Agents. We discuss SSL certificate lifetime changes and ACME automation. Finally, we unpack and react to last week’s Senate hearing on screen time led by Senator Ted Cruz - including perspectives from Dr. Jean Twenge and Senator Markey. Senate Hearing on Screen T...