K12 Tech Talk

Hosts Josh, Chris, and Mark unpack a week of wild headlines and K12 tech policy: viral AI images that complicated a search for wild vervet monkeys in St. Louis, Denver Public Schools’ decision to block ChatGPT for students, and a preview of a Senate hearing on kids and screen time. They discuss a Texas district fighting state regulators over bell‑to‑bell phone bans, cybersecurity warnings about te...

And we're back! We discuss the New Year spike in cyber attacks on schools over the holiday break and practical strategies for vacation periods - automated alerting, third‑party monitoring, suspending or shutting down non‑critical services. Other topics include what to look for when hiring technician, the rise of remote psycho-educational testing, early findings from the E‑Rate cybersecurity pilot,...

Josh, Chris, and Mark close out the year on Episode 244 with a fast-paced, candid recap: reviewing last year’s predictions, unpacking the biggest 2025 themes, and making bold calls for 2026. Chris shares a story about Missouri-flavored smoked ribs and a district core switch outage. Key topics include the mainstreaming of AI in K12, vendor security scrutiny (PowerSchool and Infinite Campus MFA), co...

Josh, Chris, and Mark discuss students and screen time - including Australia’s ban on social media accounts for under 16, a NTIA listening session on excessive screen time in schools, and proposed Missouri legislation limiting K‑5 screen use and tech‑required homework. They dig into enforcement and equity concerns, district reporting and instructional use of devices, and the tension between digita...

Episode 242 digs into the messy rollout of ChatGPT for Teachers and what it means for districts. We discuss the first‑in admin problem, educator verification (pay‑stub/DNS issues), SSO/SAML concerns, the 18‑month trial/pricing uncertainty, and whether OpenAI rushed the launch to capture market share. We also cover recent news: the FTC’s action against Illuminate over a 2021 data breach and the Dep...

Episode 241 covers ChatGPT’s new free teacher tier (available through June 2027), Google’s Gemini 3.0 release, and Wired’s investigation into bathroom vape detectors (aka “snitch boxes”) that raise serious privacy and microphone concerns. The guys also discuss the Canadian Privacy Commissioner’s findings on the PowerSchool breach, camera and sensor policy questions, and a tip to reduce calendar‑in...

On this episode of K12 Tech Talk, we cover a busy week in school tech: Linewize and Google outages, handling suspicious Google logins, parental pushes to tighten cell phone rules, and worries about AI being used to draft IEPs and 504 plans. We discuss reports of malware tied to Teachers Pay Teachers and discuss the question - Should schools block Teachers Pay Teachers?  Guest Joey Wender from the...

Join Josh and Mark on this week’s K‑12 Tech Talk as they break down the real-world effects of the federal government shutdown on schools, walk through a new federal AI bill (the GARD Act) and discuss major service outages that disrupted classrooms — including Chromebook/Google login problems, recent AWS and Entra incidents, and how districts should respond. Topics include the shutdown’s impact on...

Holy MFA, Batman! This week, the guys discuss the sentencing of the individual behind the PowerSchool data breach, the recent AI weapons detection system that mistook a bag of chips for a gun and prompted police response, and Mark's Batman mask. Yes, it's Halloween time! The main segment is an interview with the tech team from Tahoe-Truckee Unified School District. They share their lessons learned...

In this episode, we debrief last week’s Campus Guardian Angel interview, dig into Google’s new policy to delete inactive accounts after two years, and reflect on the recent AWS/DNS outage that impacted services. Then, K12TechPro's Hayden the New Guy brings multiple on‑site interviews from the MOREnet conference!  Tech Department Salary Survey View the Dashboard Our new Swag Store is OPEN - Buy som...

On Episode 236 of K12 Tech Talk, we discuss California’s new law to protect students using AI chatbots and revisit Campus Guardian Angel , a startup building drone-based responses for active shooter scenarios. The episode features an in-depth interview with Justin Marston (CEO/co-founder) and Bill King (Chief Tactical Officer/co-founder) from Campus Guardian Angel, covering drone design, networkin...

In this episode, Josh and Chris discuss the impact of personal device bans, noting increased Google Docs traffic and the creative ways students attempt to access unblocked games. Chris shares insights into managing content filtering and the ongoing battle with unwanted websites. Finally, Chris interviews Brian Edwards, Director of Educational Streaming, with Swank Motion Pictures to discuss copyri...

This episode covers significant developments including the confirmed merger of Chrome and Android, the FCC's proposed changes to the E-rate program affecting school bus Wi-Fi and hotspots, and a critical discussion on controlling student account spamming and its associated risks like internal spam, data exfiltration, and privilege escalation.   Referenced Links: https://chromeunboxed.com/its-offic...

Episode 233 discusses the newest tensions between AI and schools: teenagers using AI companions and alarming incidents tied to platforms like Character.ai that have drawn federal attention. Josh talks about his student MFA pilot using Clever, how onboarding works (and how MFA can be network-aware to reduce classroom friction), and using student-led help desks to test the rollout. The guys discuss...

On Episode 222, we unpack a busy week in school tech: a nationwide Google outage that disrupted Chromebook logins, new Sophos data showing improving ransomware recovery and falling ransom payments, and CETA’s annual report putting AI at the top of state priorities. The conversation dives into the controversial campus drone pilot approved in Florida (non‑lethal pepper‑ball drones and on‑demand airb...

On this episode, Josh, Chris, and Mark unpack their top five back-to-school trends shaping K-12 technology in 2025. Topics include shifting budgets and funding pressures, rising costs for materials and software, widespread school cell phone policies and bell-to-bell enforcement, the rapid expansion of AI tools in classrooms (including Notebook LM and Gemini), and growing school safety technology d...

On this episode, the guys are back together with Mark sharing a story about a tech emergency during his recent Alaskan cruise vacation. This episode covers current events, including a potential cut in federal Title 1 funding and the elimination of all Title 2, 3, and 4 funding in a proposed House of Representatives budget. Chris, Josh, and Mark celebrate the news that Google will not be forced to...

Josh and Chris recap the hectic second week of school, covering Chromebook rollouts, Clever headaches, cell‑phone bans, and a recent ChromeOS update rollback. They also ask the question "Is Esports a sport?"  The episode highlight? A candid interview with Adeel Khan, founder and CEO of MagicSchool. Adeel shares MagicSchool's origin story, how MagicSchool uses AI models with human‑in‑the‑loop evalu...

Josh and Chris talk about the first week back to school - Smartboard repairs, missing classroom printers, tech tickets, moving equipment, and more. They also share anecdotes about Mark’s Alaska trip (send pics for prizes). They also discuss vendor DPAs, the fallout from bell‑to‑bell cell phone bans, and creative MFA options. -------------------- Lightspeed Extreme Networks CTL VIZOR Fortinet -----...

Josh, Chris and Mark dive into the chaos of the back‑to‑school rush and the latest K‑12 tech headlines. Topics include Ohio’s new requirement that districts adopt AI policies, the pros and cons of writing evergreen AI regulations, and how that mandate could interact with existing tech agreements. The trio also covers recent news like ChatGPT‑5’s launch and integrations, a Fortinet vulnerability al...

In this episode, we talk about AI (and other things)! We discuss the growing concerns surrounding school surveillance tools, examining case studies where innocent student jokes have led to harsh outcomes due to automated threat detection. Shifting gears, we look at the availability of AI tools like Gemini Pro and ChatGPT for college students, including student discount programs. Also, we analyze a...

This week, we're covering some hot topics making headlines, including the recent unfreezing of billions in education funds, new disability policies being considered in Louisiana that involve cameras in classrooms, and the rise of AI-powered instruction in a Texas private school. Beyond the news, our main topic is a deep dive into how states and schools are currently handling cell phone bans. We'll...

Join us this week as we welcome our new AI co-host and delve into the unique challenges and opportunities of vendor support in small districts. From the highlights of the MidwestTechTalk conference to the intricacies of tech support for small schools, we cover it all. Hear about the latest AI updates in education with Canvas integrating ChatGPT and the DOE's new AI guidelines. We also discuss the...

Josh, Chris, and Mark dive deep into the latest product and licensing changes announced by Google this summer.  The trio discusses how Google's updates could impact schools, highlighting essential decisions IT Directors and educators need to make regarding AI tools like Gemini and NotebookLM. Special emphasis is placed on Google's move to enhance the classroom experience, with standalone products...

Join us for an exciting episode recorded live at the GAMEIS Conference in beautiful Savannah, Georgia. Our hosts dive into the world of education technology and cybersecurity with insights from key players in the field. Listeners will hear from prominent figures in the Georgia ed-tech scene, including Rusty Boone from McIntosh County, who shares innovative Chromebook management strategies and the...