K12 Tech Talk

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 news - a proposed reorganization moving Special Education and OCR functions out of the Department of Education. Finally, Chris sits down with R.T. Collins, CEO of Incident IQ and they discuss AI, vibe coding, and K12 technology leadership. Join us July 6th-10th, 2026 – GAMEIS Conference in Savannah, GA Join us at MidwestTechTalk ———— Sponsored by: Meter CyberNut CDWG Fortinet Lightspeed NTP VIZOR Total Technology: Our new K12-focused platform is now live - Built entirely around serving Missouri schools with greater clarity, speed, and accountability. Here’s what’s new: ✔ A clear, step-by-step buyback process ✔ Defined audit timelines ✔ R2-certified compliance transparency ✔ Creative payout solutions for districts ✔ A stronger partnership approach We’re not changing who we are. We’re doubling down on doing things right - From the first conversation to the final audit report. CDWG - K12 Solutions & Services Overview Video: https://webobjects2.cdw.com/is/content/CDW/cdw/on-domain-cdw/videos/ssi/k12/mkt94999-k12-ssi-video-full-with-captions.mp4 CDWG - Strengthening K12 Cybersecurity: https://webobjects2.cdw.com/is/content/CDW/cdw/on-domain-cdw/videos/ssi/k12-cybersecurity/mkt94971-k12-cybersecurity-ssi-full-video-with-captions.mp4 ———— 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 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.

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 can be shared beyond a district’s control. ———— Sponsored by: Meter - meter.com/k12techtalkVisit meter.com/k12techtalk to book a demo! VIZOR Extreme Networks Lightspeed Systems ClassLink Fortinet NTP ————K12SIX Conference in Albuquerque, NM – K12 Tech Talk Podcast - February 24th-26thMidwestTechTalk Security Symposium/K12TechPro Meetup (Midwest) March 12th-13th, 2026 ———— 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 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 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 those slide decks describe K12 as a potential “pipeline” of future users and explores tensions around YouTube’s place in classrooms - useful educational content versus algorithmic rabbit holes. The conversation covers school responses like disabling YouTube for minors, embedding workarounds, and the practical tradeoffs districts face when choosing devices and platforms. Beyond Google and YouTube, the guys discuss major sector developments: Congress’ decision to keep Department of Education funding roughly level at about $79 billion; PowerSchool’s EdTech Pulse report highlighting teacher workload, recruitment and retention challenges, student absenteeism, and the growing role of data and AI in district priorities; and a ransomware case out of Belgium in which attackers targeted parents directly to extract payments tied to stolen student data. Articles Discussed: Google's work in schools aims to create a 'pipeline of future users,' internal documents say (NBC News) Congress Has Passed an Education Budget. See How Key Programs Are Affected (EdWeek) 2026 K-12 EdTech Pulse (PowerSchool & Project Tomorrow) Hackers attempt to extort parents after school refuses to pay ransom fee Connect with Tyler Kingkade: https://www.nbcnews.com/author/tyler-kingkade-ncpn1116631Tyler.Kingkade@nbcuni.com ———— Sponsored by: Rise Vision Interactive Digital Signage Templates + Touchscreen Displays Screen Sharing Emergency Alerts VIZOR Meter - meter.com/k12techtalkVisit meter.com/k12techtalk to book a demo! Lightspeed Systems NTP Fortinet ———— CALET - Mark will be there! February 18th-20thK12TechPro NEXT in Cape Girardeau, MO February 20thK12SIX Conference in Albuquerque, NM – K12 Tech Talk Podcast - February 24th-26thMidwestTechTalk Security Symposium/K12TechPro Meetup (Midwest) March 12th-13th, 2026 ———— 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 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 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 Time:https://www.c-span.org/program/senate-committee/lawmakers-hold-hearing-on-the-impact-of-screen-time-on-kids/671683 ———— Sponsored by: Rise Vision Interactive Digital Signage Templates + Touchscreen Displays Screen Sharing Emergency Alerts Lightspeed Systems Meter - meter.com/k12techtalkVisit meter.com/k12techtalk to book a demo! NTP - dwren@ntp-inc.com Extreme Networks - dmayer@extremenetworks.com Fortinet - fortinetpodcast@fortinet.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 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.

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, vendor liability caps in data privacy agreements, and a listener email about student account compromises from downloaded apps and VPNs. ———— Sponsored by: Meter - meter.com/k12techtalk Visit meter.com/k12techtalk to book a demo! Rise Vision - Interactive Digital Signage Templates + Touchscreen Displays ClassLink Lightspeed Fortinet - fortinetpodcast@fortinet.com NTP - dwren@ntp-inc.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 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.