Grade 6-8: A district pauses every student AI tool but one, a shared robot workshop, AI helps find decade-old PHP bugs, the Pink Panther protest fakes, and Godot 4.8 enters beta.

About This Episode

This week on TechCheck for grades 6–8: Clover School District in South Carolina paused student access to most AI tools but kept SchoolAI, citing responsible use and student data; The REFINERY in Fort Wayne gives about 200 students on 15 FIRST robotics teams tools, mentors and a full-size field; AI tools helped researchers find two critical, decade-old PHP flaws nicknamed PHP2Shell, patched October 21; fact-checkers used reverse image search to show viral Pink Panther protest images were AI fakes built from older real photos; and the open-source Godot 4.8 game engine entered beta with 1,523 fixes from 340 contributors. Systems-thinking- and debate-ready.This week on “Tech Innovators” (Grades 6–8):• One District Pauses Every AI Tool But One• A Shared Robot Workshop Gives 200 Indiana Students Room to Build• AI Helped Find Decade-Old Bugs in the Language Behind Most Websites• The Pink Panther Wasn't at That Protest• 1,523 Fixes From 340 Helpers: Godot 4.8 Enters BetaCHAPTERS0:00 Intro0:49 One District Pauses Every AI Tool But One2:04 A Shared Robot Workshop Gives 200 Indiana Students Room to Build3:22 AI Helped Find Decade-Old Bugs in the Language Behind Most Websites4:39 The Pink Panther Wasn't at That Protest5:56 1,523 Fixes From 340 Helpers: Godot 4.8 Enters Beta7:17 Recap & takeaways