K12 Tech Talk

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), continued funding uncertainty, device cost, student data privacy, and looming screentime debates. The hosts share practical takeaways and predictions for 2026! AI, screentime, vendor accountability, tighter budgeting, and more!!! ———— Sponsored by: Meter - meter.com/k12techtalk Visit meter.com/k12techtalk to book a demo! NTP - dwren@ntp-inc.com VIZOR Lightspeed Fortinet - fortinetpodcast@fortinet.com Managed Methods - managedmethods.com ———— Join the K12TechPro Community (exclusively for K12 Tech professionals) Buy some swag (tech dept gift boxes, shirts, hoodies...)!!! Email us at k12techtalk@gmail.com OR our "professional" email addy is info@k12techtalkpodcast.com Call us at 314-329-0363 X @k12techtalkpod Facebook Visit our LinkedIn Music by Colt Ball Disclaimer: The views and work done by Josh, Chris, and Mark are solely their own and do not reflect the opinions or positions of sponsors or any respective employers or organizations associated with the guys. K12 Tech Talk itself does not endorse or validate the ideas, views, or statements expressed by Josh, Chris, and Mark's individual views and opinions are not representative of K12 Tech Talk. Furthermore, any references or mention of products, services, organizations, or individuals on K12 Tech Talk should not be considered as endorsements related to any employer or organization associated with the guys.

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 digital literacy and reduced screen exposure. The main topic is on the rising issue of wearable smart glasses (Meta/Ray Ban) on campus - privacy, covert recording risks, policy implications, and how districts might respond. ———— Sponsored by: Meter - meter.com/k12techtalk Visit meter.com/k12techtalk to book a demo! NTP - dwren@ntp-inc.com Fortinet - fortinetpodcast@fortinet.com Managed Methods - managedmethods.com ———— Join the K12TechPro Community (exclusively for K12 Tech professionals) Buy some swag (tech dept gift boxes, shirts, hoodies...)!!! Email us at k12techtalk@gmail.com OR our "professional" email addy is info@k12techtalkpodcast.com Call us at 314-329-0363 X @k12techtalkpod Facebook Visit our LinkedIn Music by Colt Ball Disclaimer: The views and work done by Josh, Chris, and Mark are solely their own and do not reflect the opinions or positions of sponsors or any respective employers or organizations associated with the guys. K12 Tech Talk itself does not endorse or validate the ideas, views, or statements expressed by Josh, Chris, and Mark's individual views and opinions are not representative of K12 Tech Talk. Furthermore, any references or mention of products, services, organizations, or individuals on K12 Tech Talk should not be considered as endorsements related to any employer or organization associated with the guys.

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 Department of Education’s tentative agreements to shift programs to other federal agencies. Plus Jeff from VIZOR joins to explain asset and device management features, repair workflows, and budgeting/ROI. ———— Sponsored by: Meter - meter.com/k12techtalk Visit meter.com/k12techtalk to book a demo! Extreme Networks - dmayer@extremenetworks.com Fortinet - fortinetpodcast@fortinet.com Lightspeed - lightspeedsystems.com VIZOR - vizor.cloud/k12techtalk ———— Join the K12TechPro Community (exclusively for K12 Tech professionals) Buy some swag (tech dept gift boxes, shirts, hoodies...)!!! Email us at k12techtalk@gmail.com OR our "professional" email addy is info@k12techtalkpodcast.com Call us at 314-329-0363 X @k12techtalkpod Facebook Visit our LinkedIn Music by Colt Ball Disclaimer: The views and work done by Josh, Chris, and Mark are solely their own and do not reflect the opinions or positions of sponsors or any respective employers or organizations associated with the guys. K12 Tech Talk itself does not endorse or validate the ideas, views, or statements expressed by Josh, Chris, and Mark's individual views and opinions are not representative of K12 Tech Talk. Furthermore, any references or mention of products, services, organizations, or individuals on K12 Tech Talk should not be considered as endorsements related to any employer or organization associated with the guys.

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‑invite spam in Google and Microsoft environments. Our new Swag Store is OPEN - Buy some swag (tech dept gift boxes, shirts, hoodies...)!!! -------------------- VIZOR ChromebookParts.com YouTube Channel NTP Fortinet Managed Methods -------------------- Join the K12TechPro Community (exclusively for K12 Tech professionals) Buy some swag (tech dept gift boxes, shirts, hoodies...)!!! Email us at k12techtalk@gmail.com OR our "professional" email addy is info@k12techtalkpodcast.com Call us at 314-329-0363 X @k12techtalkpod Facebook Visit our LinkedIn Music by Colt Ball Disclaimer: The views and work done by Josh, Chris, and Mark are solely their own and do not reflect the opinions or positions of sponsors or any respective employers or organizations associated with the guys. K12 Tech Talk itself does not endorse or validate the ideas, views, or statements expressed by Josh, Chris, and Mark's individual views and opinions are not representative of K12 Tech Talk. Furthermore, any references or mention of products, services, organizations, or individuals on K12 Tech Talk should not be considered as endorsements related to any employer or organization associated with the guys.

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 Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition (SHLB) joins to break down the Supreme Court ruling preserving the Universal Service Fund/E‑Rate, the future of E‑Rate funding, cybersecurity pilots, school bus Wi‑Fi and what these changes mean for district planning and broadband equity. Our new Swag Store is OPEN - Buy some swag (tech dept gift boxes, shirts, hoodies...)!!! -------------------- Lumu VIZOR ChromebookParts.com YouTube Channel Extreme Networks Fortinet Lightspeed Systems -------------------- Join the K12TechPro Community (exclusively for K12 Tech professionals) Buy some swag (tech dept gift boxes, shirts, hoodies...)!!! Email us at k12techtalk@gmail.com OR our "professional" email addy is info@k12techtalkpodcast.com Call us at 314-329-0363 X @k12techtalkpod Facebook Visit our LinkedIn Music by Colt Ball Disclaimer: The views and work done by Josh, Chris, and Mark are solely their own and do not reflect the opinions or positions of sponsors or any respective employers or organizations associated with the guys. K12 Tech Talk itself does not endorse or validate the ideas, views, or statements expressed by Josh, Chris, and Mark's individual views and opinions are not representative of K12 Tech Talk. Furthermore, any references or mention of products, services, organizations, or individuals on K12 Tech Talk should not be considered as endorsements related to any employer or organization associated with the guys.

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 SNAP, Head Start and school nutrition programs, proposed age‑verification and disclosure rules for AI chatbots, Character.ai’s under‑18 ban, Jamf’s acquisition by Francisco Partners, and practical outage response tactics (status checks, communications, and redundancy thresholds). Expect hands‑on advice about managing departed staff accounts and shared Drive ownership, recommended tools and resources, plus sponsor shoutouts and listener contact info. A concise, actionable episode for district tech leaders and educators navigating policy, reliability, and student safety.

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 from a highly ambitious project: rolling out multi-factor authentication (MFA) to every student. Learn how they tackled user experience and training to ensure stronger identity security for their entire K12 population. Our new Swag Store is OPEN - Buy some swag (tech dept gift boxes, shirts, hoodies...)!!! -------------------- ChromebookParts.com YouTube Channel Jurassic Parts with ChromebookParts.com Extreme Networks Fortinet Lightspeed Systems -------------------- Join the K12TechPro Community (exclusively for K12 Tech professionals) Buy some swag (tech dept gift boxes, shirts, hoodies...)!!! Email us at k12techtalk@gmail.com OR our "professional" email addy is info@k12techtalkpodcast.com Call us at 314-329-0363 X @k12techtalkpod Facebook Visit our LinkedIn Music by Colt Ball Disclaimer: The views and work done by Josh, Chris, and Mark are solely their own and do not reflect the opinions or positions of sponsors or any respective employers or organizations associated with the guys. K12 Tech Talk itself does not endorse or validate the ideas, views, or statements expressed by Josh, Chris, and Mark's individual views and opinions are not representative of K12 Tech Talk. Furthermore, any references or mention of products, services, organizations, or individuals on K12 Tech Talk should not be considered as endorsements related to any employer or organization associated with the guys.

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 some swag (tech dept gift boxes, shirts, hoodies...)!!! -------------------- NTP ChromebookParts.com VIZOR Fortinet Managed Methods -------------------- Join the K12TechPro Community (exclusively for K12 Tech professionals) Buy some swag (tech dept gift boxes, shirts, hoodies...)!!! Email us at k12techtalk@gmail.com OR our "professional" email addy is info@k12techtalkpodcast.com Call us at 314-329-0363 X @k12techtalkpod Facebook Visit our LinkedIn Music by Colt Ball Disclaimer: The views and work done by Josh, Chris, and Mark are solely their own and do not reflect the opinions or positions of sponsors or any respective employers or organizations associated with the guys. K12 Tech Talk itself does not endorse or validate the ideas, views, or statements expressed by Josh, Chris, and Mark's individual views and opinions are not representative of K12 Tech Talk. Furthermore, any references or mention of products, services, organizations, or individuals on K12 Tech Talk should not be considered as endorsements related to any employer or organization associated with the guys.

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, networking, AI safeguards, operational tactics, digital twins of school layouts, integration with existing panic systems, and safety and ethical concerns. Chris, Josh, Mark, and the guests discuss technical details as well as broader policy questions about scaling, costs, and the role of legislators versus schools in preventing gun violence. Our new Swag Store is OPEN - Buy some swag (tech dept gift boxes, shirts, hoodies...)!!! -------------------- Lightspeed - K12TechPro Signal Review ChromebookParts.com Fortinet Extreme Networks -------------------- 00:00:00-Introduction to K12 Tech Talk 00:01:19-Jury Duty and Travel Tales 00:06:06-California AI Legislation 00:10:56-New York’s Lawsuit Against Social Media 00:13:58-Drones for School Safety 00:27:13-Drone Technology and Safety Features 00:33:17-Incident Response Protocol 00:55:29-Addressing the Root Problem -------------------- Join the K12TechPro Community (exclusively for K12 Tech professionals) Buy some swag (tech dept gift boxes, shirts, hoodies...)!!! Email us at k12techtalk@gmail.com OR our "professional" email addy is info@k12techtalkpodcast.com Call us at 314-329-0363 X @k12techtalkpod Facebook Visit our LinkedIn Music by Colt Ball Disclaimer: The views and work done by Josh, Chris, and Mark are solely their own and do not reflect the opinions or positions of sponsors or any respective employers or organizations associated with the guys. K12 Tech Talk itself does not endorse or validate the ideas, views, or statements expressed by Josh, Chris, and Mark's individual views and opinions are not representative of K12 Tech Talk. Furthermore, any references or mention of products, services, organizations, or individuals on K12 Tech Talk should not be considered as endorsements related to any employer or organization associated with the guys.

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 copyright, performance licensing, and streaming in K12. Our new Swag Store is OPEN - Buy some swag (tech dept gift boxes, shirts, hoodies...)!!! -------------------- NTP Managed Methods VIZOR ChromebookParts.com Fortinet -------------------- Join the K12TechPro Community (exclusively for K12 Tech professionals) Buy some swag (tech dept gift boxes, shirts, hoodies...)!!! Email us at k12techtalk@gmail.com OR our "professional" email addy is info@k12techtalkpodcast.com Call us at 314-329-0363 X @k12techtalkpod Facebook Visit our LinkedIn Music by Colt Ball Disclaimer: The views and work done by Josh, Chris, and Mark are solely their own and do not reflect the opinions or positions of sponsors or any respective employers or organizations associated with the guys. K12 Tech Talk itself does not endorse or validate the ideas, views, or statements expressed by Josh, Chris, and Mark's individual views and opinions are not representative of K12 Tech Talk. Furthermore, any references or mention of products, services, organizations, or individuals on K12 Tech Talk should not be considered as endorsements related to any employer or organization associated with the guys.

Join us for Episode 234 of the K-12 Tech Talk Podcast as we dive into the latest in educational technology and policy. 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. We'll also touch on solutions for student-friendly MFA options and other preventative measures. Email your questions to info@k12techtalkpodcast.com Referenced Links: https://chromeunboxed.com/its-official-google-says-the-android-and-chromeos-merger-is-coming-next-year/https://www.k12dive.com/news/fcc-erate-hotspot-school-bus-wifi-carr/759432/https://statescoop.com/cisa-confirms-its-ending-ms-isac-support/https://k12six.org/compromise 00:00:00-Intro 00:03:52-ChromeOS & Android Update 00:05:11-Federal Funding Shifts 00:14:49-Compromised Student Accounts Our new Swag Store is OPEN - Buy some swag (tech dept gift boxes, shirts, hoodies...)!!! -------------------- NTP Managed Methods Arista VIZOR Fortinet -------------------- Join the K12TechPro Community (exclusively for K12 Tech professionals) Buy some swag (tech dept gift boxes, shirts, hoodies...)!!! Email us at k12techtalk@gmail.com OR our "professional" email addy is info@k12techtalkpodcast.com Call us at 314-329-0363 X @k12techtalkpod Facebook Visit our LinkedIn Music by Colt Ball Disclaimer: The views and work done by Josh, Chris, and Mark are solely their own and do not reflect the opinions or positions of sponsors or any respective employers or organizations associated with the guys. K12 Tech Talk itself does not endorse or validate the ideas, views, or statements expressed by Josh, Chris, and Mark's individual views and opinions are not representative of K12 Tech Talk. Furthermore, any references or mention of products, services, organizations, or individuals on K12 Tech Talk should not be considered as endorsements related to any employer or organization associated with the guys.

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 a post from Jay on K12TechPro asking about IT leadership background (educators and non‑educators in K12 tech dept roles). The episode’s guest is Peter Kaplan from Fortinet, an E‑Rate expert. He breaks down why E‑Rate matters, outlines the FCC’s cybersecurity pilot (challenges with procurement, reporting, and evaluating success), and discusses gaps left by potential MS‑ISAC funding changes. He also highlights CISA's K12 resources and Fortinet’s no‑cost cybersecurity awareness materials for schools. Our new Swag Store is OPEN - Buy some swag (tech dept gift boxes, shirts, hoodies...)!!! -------------------- NTP Managed Methods Arista VIZOR Fortinet -------------------- Join the K12TechPro Community (exclusively for K12 Tech professionals) Buy some swag (tech dept gift boxes, shirts, hoodies...)!!! Email us at k12techtalk@gmail.com OR our "professional" email addy is info@k12techtalkpodcast.com Call us at 314-329-0363 X @k12techtalkpod Facebook Visit our LinkedIn Music by Colt Ball Disclaimer: The views and work done by Josh, Chris, and Mark are solely their own and do not reflect the opinions or positions of sponsors or any respective employers or organizations associated with the guys. K12 Tech Talk itself does not endorse or validate the ideas, views, or statements expressed by Josh, Chris, and Mark's individual views and opinions are not representative of K12 Tech Talk. Furthermore, any references or mention of products, services, organizations, or individuals on K12 Tech Talk should not be considered as endorsements related to any employer or organization associated with the guys.

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 airborne security) and the AI Whack‑A‑Mole challenge as AI features appear inside search engines and become hard to block. We also discuss promising advances in live, voice‑to‑voice translation for K12 meetings and classrooms. Our new Swag Store is OPEN - Buy some swag (tech dept gift boxes, shirts, hoodies...)!!! 00:00:00-Intro 00:09:46-Swag Store Update 00:12:59-Cybersecurity Trends 00:20:30-Killer Drones in Schools 00:30:53-AI Search 00:41:10-Real-Time Language Interpretation -------------------- Arista Lightspeed Systems Fortinet -------------------- Join the K12TechPro Community (exclusively for K12 Tech professionals) Buy some swag (tech dept gift boxes, shirts, hoodies...)!!! Email us at k12techtalk@gmail.com OR our "professional" email addy is info@k12techtalkpodcast.com Call us at 314-329-0363 X @k12techtalkpod Facebook Visit our LinkedIn Music by Colt Ball Disclaimer: The views and work done by Josh, Chris, and Mark are solely their own and do not reflect the opinions or positions of sponsors or any respective employers or organizations associated with the guys. K12 Tech Talk itself does not endorse or validate the ideas, views, or statements expressed by Josh, Chris, and Mark's individual views and opinions are not representative of K12 Tech Talk. Furthermore, any references or mention of products, services, organizations, or individuals on K12 Tech Talk should not be considered as endorsements related to any employer or organization associated with the guys.

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 demands. The episode also highlights practical use cases for Notebook LM (flashcards, handbook summarization) and discusses vendor and licensing concerns. Our new Swag Store is OPEN - Buy some swag (tech dept gift boxes, shirts, hoodies...)!!! 00:00:00-Intro 00:01:41-School Year Kickoff 00:02:18-New Notebook LM Features 00:05:03-AI’s Role in Education 00:12:47-Top 5 Trending Topics in Education -------------------- NTP Managed Methods Arista VIZOR Fortinet -------------------- Join the K12TechPro Community (exclusively for K12 Tech professionals) Buy some swag (tech dept gift boxes, shirts, hoodies...)!!! Email us at k12techtalk@gmail.com OR our "professional" email addy is info@k12techtalkpodcast.com Call us at 314-329-0363 X @k12techtalkpod Facebook Visit our LinkedIn Music by Colt Ball Disclaimer: The views and work done by Josh, Chris, and Mark are solely their own and do not reflect the opinions or positions of sponsors or any respective employers or organizations associated with the guys. K12 Tech Talk itself does not endorse or validate the ideas, views, or statements expressed by Josh, Chris, and Mark's individual views and opinions are not representative of K12 Tech Talk. Furthermore, any references or mention of products, services, organizations, or individuals on K12 Tech Talk should not be considered as endorsements related to any employer or organization associated with the guys.

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 sell off Chrome, as a judge ruled against this measure in a recent antitrust case. They delve into the challenges of managing both Office 365 and Google Workspace within the same school district. Finally, Chris interviews Greg Purcell, a customer of Prey. 00:00:00-Intro 00:06:24-Federal Funding Cuts (Again) 00:11:02-Google's Antitrust Conclusion 00:19:30-Managing Google & Office365 -------------------- Lightspeed Arista Fortinet Chromebookparts.com -------------------- Join the K12TechPro Community (exclusively for K12 Tech professionals) Buy some swag (shirts, hoodies...)!!! Email us at k12techtalk@gmail.com OR our "professional" email addy is info@k12techtalkpodcast.com Call us at 314-329-0363 X @k12techtalkpod Facebook Visit our LinkedIn Music by Colt Ball Disclaimer: The views and work done by Josh, Chris, and Mark are solely their own and do not reflect the opinions or positions of sponsors or any respective employers or organizations associated with the guys. K12 Tech Talk itself does not endorse or validate the ideas, views, or statements expressed by Josh, Chris, and Mark's individual views and opinions are not representative of K12 Tech Talk. Furthermore, any references or mention of products, services, organizations, or individuals on K12 Tech Talk should not be considered as endorsements related to any employer or organization associated with the guys.

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 evaluations, its focus on K12 privacy, and its plans for customizable district tools and an AI operating system for schools. -------------------- NTP Managed Methods Arista Fortinet -------------------- Join the K12TechPro Community (exclusively for K12 Tech professionals) Buy some swag (shirts, hoodies...)!!! Email us at k12techtalk@gmail.com OR our "professional" email addy is info@k12techtalkpodcast.com Call us at 314-329-0363 X @k12techtalkpod Facebook Visit our LinkedIn Music by Colt Ball Disclaimer: The views and work done by Josh, Chris, and Mark are solely their own and do not reflect the opinions or positions of sponsors or any respective employers or organizations associated with the guys. K12 Tech Talk itself does not endorse or validate the ideas, views, or statements expressed by Josh, Chris, and Mark's individual views and opinions are not representative of K12 Tech Talk. Furthermore, any references or mention of products, services, organizations, or individuals on K12 Tech Talk should not be considered as endorsements related to any employer or organization associated with the guys.

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 -------------------- Join the K12TechPro Community (exclusively for K12 Tech professionals) Buy some swag (shirts, hoodies...)!!! Email us at k12techtalk@gmail.com OR our "professional" email addy is info@k12techtalkpodcast.com Call us at 314-329-0363 X @k12techtalkpod Facebook Visit our LinkedIn Music by Colt Ball Disclaimer: The views and work done by Josh, Chris, and Mark are solely their own and do not reflect the opinions or positions of sponsors or any respective employers or organizations associated with the guys. K12 Tech Talk itself does not endorse or validate the ideas, views, or statements expressed by Josh, Chris, and Mark's individual views and opinions are not representative of K12 Tech Talk. Furthermore, any references or mention of products, services, organizations, or individuals on K12 Tech Talk should not be considered as endorsements related to any employer or organization associated with the guys.

Hosts 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 alert, and San Francisco Unified’s payroll/ERP struggles. Between updates they share candid stories from the frontline: ticket surges as staff return, construction and classroom rollouts, recovering deleted Google accounts, and practical coping strategies for IT teams (from daily planning tricks to quick wellness tips). Expect first‑hand anecdotes, real‑world advice for managing summer‑to‑school transitions, product shoutouts and sponsors, and a light‑hearted finale — the improvised children’s story “Grumpy Josh and the Magical Gummies.” Tune in for an episode that blends policy debate, troubleshooting war stories, and a little comic relief. Referenced Links: https://marketbrief.edweek.org/regulation-policy/ohio-is-requiring-ai-policies-for-all-k-12-schools-will-other-states-follow/2025/08 https://www.govtech.com/education/k-12/sfusd-payroll-software-prompts-teachers-union-labor-complaint Grumpy Josh Storybook: https://g.co/gemini/share/477028792b1c 00:00:00-Intro 00:12:44-AI Policies in Education 00:17:00-Summer Woes 00:42:55-Grumpy Josh

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 recent Common Sense Media report on AI teacher assistants, discussing their moderate risk rating, potential for invisible influence, concerns about novice teachers taking content as fact, and the risks associated with using AI for high-stakes circumstances like IEP creation or grading. Much of the episode is spent unpacking Jay's K12TechPro survey regarding Gemini and NotebookLM in classrooms, revealing current district policies on AI use for staff and students, and the presence (or absence) of board policies. Referenced URLs: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/08/07/ai-school-surveillance-gaggle-goguardian-bark/473cb556-737e-11f0-84e0-485bb531abeb_story.htmlhttps://apnews.com/article/ai-school-surveillance-gaggle-goguardian-bark-8c531cde8f9aee0b1ef06cfce109724ahttps://gemini.google/students/https://help.openai.com/en/articles/10986084-student-discounts-for-chatgpt-terms-of-servicehttps://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/featured-content/files/csm-ai-risk-assessment-ai-teacher-assistants-final.pdf 00:00:00-Intro 00:14:21-Gemini & ChatGPT Student Promo 00:16:00-Surveilling Students 00:19:15-Common Sense Media - Bias in AI 00:25:43-Are you enabling AI for students? -------------------- PowerGistics Lightspeed (Check out Signal!) Fortinet -------------------- Join the K12TechPro Community (exclusively for K12 Tech professionals) Buy some swag (shirts, hoodies...)!!! Email us at k12techtalk@gmail.com OR our "professional" email addy is info@k12techtalkpodcast.com Call us at 314-329-0363 X @k12techtalkpod Facebook Visit our LinkedIn Music by Colt Ball Disclaimer: The views and work done by Josh, Chris, and Mark are solely their own and do not reflect the opinions or positions of sponsors or any respective employers or organizations associated with the guys. K12 Tech Talk itself does not endorse or validate the ideas, views, or statements expressed by Josh, Chris, and Mark's individual views and opinions are not representative of K12 Tech Talk. Furthermore, any references or mention of products, services, organizations, or individuals on K12 Tech Talk should not be considered as endorsements related to any employer or organization associated with the guys.

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 explore different approaches, from school-by-school discretion to bell-to-bell bans and even complete prohibitions on possession. We'll discuss the implications of these policies and what they mean for students and educators in the digital age. News articles discussed: https://www.chalkbeat.org/2025/07/25/trump-administration-unfreezes-billions-in-education-funds-for-schools/ https://www.nola.com/news/education/la-schools-must-update-disability-policies-under-new-law/article_2951749d-d2ce-47d1-ae45-81b8d48237f9.html https://www.foxnews.com/us/ai-running-classroom-texas-school-students-say-its-awesome https://malegislature.gov/PressRoom/Detail?pressReleaseId=231 00:00:00-Intro 00:11:23-Controversial LA Law 00:16:43-Texas AI School 00:18:30-State Cell Phone Bans -------------------- PowerGistics NTP -------------------- Join the K12TechPro Community (exclusively for K12 Tech professionals) Buy some swag (shirts, hoodies...)!!! Email us at k12techtalk@gmail.com OR our "professional" email addy is info@k12techtalkpodcast.com Call us at 314-329-0363 X @k12techtalkpod Facebook Visit our LinkedIn Music by Colt Ball Disclaimer: The views and work done by Josh, Chris, and Mark are solely their own and do not reflect the opinions or positions of sponsors or any respective employers or organizations associated with the guys. K12 Tech Talk itself does not endorse or validate the ideas, views, or statements expressed by Josh, Chris, and Mark's individual views and opinions are not representative of K12 Tech Talk. Furthermore, any references or mention of products, services, organizations, or individuals on K12 Tech Talk should not be considered as endorsements related to any employer or organization associated with the guys.