Tightwad Tech

Follow Tightwad Tech
Share on
Copy link to clipboard

Tightwad Tech is a podcast by and for those in the education field who face ever-growing demands and ever-shrinking budgets. Hosts Mark Cockrell and Shawn Kibel discuss the strategic implementation of free and open source software as well as the creative deployment of hardware.

Mark Cockrell & Shawn Kibel


    • Apr 24, 2013 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 57m AVG DURATION
    • 142 EPISODES


    Search for episodes from Tightwad Tech with a specific topic:

    Latest episodes from Tightwad Tech

    So Long and Thanks for All the Fish

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 24, 2013 7:00


    This is Mark, Signing off.

    Tightwad Tech #129 - CeBit

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 26, 2013 65:12


    Mark and Shawn are joined by listener Benjamin Hössl as he shares his experiences at CeBit 2013.

    Tightwad Tech #128 - If I Could Do It All Again

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 19, 2013 61:44


    Mark and Shawn take a look back at what was a visionary project at the time and ask the question- If I could do it all again, would I?

    Tightwad Tech #127 - Not So Unlimited Anymore

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 5, 2013 64:42


    This is the episode where Mark rants about stuff. I know- totally unheard of!

    Tightwad Tech #126 - I'm from the Moon, Vulcan

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 26, 2013 66:01


    The guys have a look at some tech news, some tech rumors, and even examine some things of cosmic importance.

    Tightwad Tech #125 - TCEA 2013

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2013 73:12


    Shawn shares his recent experience at the Texas Computer Education Association Convention 2013.

    Tightwad Tech #125 - TCEA 2013

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2013 73:12


    Shawn shares his recent experience at the Texas Computer Education Association Convention 2013.

    Tightwad Tech #125 - TCEA 2013

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2013 73:12


    Shawn shares his recent experience at the Texas Computer Education Association Convention 2013.

    Tightwad Tech #124 - PolyMon

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 13, 2013 57:56


    Mark and Shawn are joined by Bob Neumann for a look at a fascinating, yet geeky Open Source tool for network administrators called PolyMon.

    Tightwad Tech #123 - I'm a Felon

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 29, 2013 57:00


    Mark confesses his dark, criminal secret and hopes the Feds don't come kick down his door.

    Tightwad Tech #122 - Mmmm Pi

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 23, 2013 58:41


    Shawn delves into his newest passion- a tiny computer with big potential and a Tightwad approved price tag.

    Tightwad Tech #121 - The NOT CES Show

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 16, 2013 55:03


    With CES this past week, the Internet is abuzz with reviews and inside looks. So, we decide to give CES a glancing blow and look at some other interesting news items of the week.

    Tightwad Tech #120 - Told Ya So!

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 8, 2013 65:21


    Mark and Shawn look cover some interesting news stories of the week, and look ahead at some potentially world-changing technologies coming in the near future.

    Tightwad Tech #119 - 2013 Predictions

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 22, 2012 49:13


    Mark and Shawn look at some predictions that popular pundits have made regarding the tech landscape in 2013. Find out what they agree with, what they disagree with, and what they call B.S. on, and hear a couple of predictions of their own.

    Tightwad Tech #118 - We're Still Here

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 22, 2012 65:12


    For their final show of 2012 the guys respond to a listener request by discussing their top ten tools of the year.

    Tightwad Tech #117 - For the Rest of Us

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 19, 2012 44:18


    It's a Festivus miracle this week on the Tightwad Tech!

    Tightwad Tech #116 - Jumping Jellybean

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 12, 2012 64:58


    Shawn gloats about his new phone (something Mark would NEVER do) and the guys cover some interesting news stories along the way.

    Tightwad Tech #115 - Privacy and Other Things

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 5, 2012 74:45


    Mark and Shawn cover a smattering of tech topics, with a little bit of "get off my lawn" thrown in for good measure.

    Tightwad Tech #114 - The Windows 8 Show

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 28, 2012 72:55


    Mark and Shawn are joined by listeners Corey Knapp and Richard Williams to get their take on Windows 8.

    Tightwad Tech #113 - The NOT Windows 8 Show

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 20, 2012 61:21


    Mark and Shawn discuss some recent tech news and Mark rants... just a little bit.

    Tightwad Tech #112 - The Ho-Hum Book

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 14, 2012 64:12


    After discussing some of the tech news of the day, Mark and Shawn take a look at Google's new round of Chromebooks.

    Tightwad Tech #111 - The Numeric Palindrome

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 31, 2012 54:11


    Shawn introduces us all to a couple of new tools he's been playing with around the office.

    Tightwad Tech #110 - Listener Spotlight #13

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 24, 2012 71:34


    For our thirteenth installment of the Listener Spotlight series, Mark and Shawn are joined by Pete Kuykendall to discuss his unique applications of the Tightwad Tech mentality.

    Tightwad Tech #109 - Listener Q&A

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 10, 2012 58:18


    This week Mark and Shawn turn their attention to a number of items of listener feedback. They answer some questions, receive some advice, and take some criticism, too.

    Tightwad Tech #108 - Are You the Keymaster?

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 2, 2012 57:33


    The guys try to unravel the mysteries of Microsoft Volume Licensing for education and discuss the challenges of the Windows 7 activation scheme.

    Tightwad Tech #107 - Google Goodness Gone

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 26, 2012 61:32


    This week Shawn laments the loss of a couple of his favorite Google Apps add-ons and Mark takes to task the makes of one of his favorite tools for changing their terms of agreement only AFTER cashing his check.

    Tightwad Tech #106 - Wrapping Up Loose Ends

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 18, 2012 42:33


    This week the guys bring to the table a few short topics that didn't warrant a show on their own, including an update on one of our favorite classroom management tools- iTALC.

    Tightwad Tech #105 - The Virtual Move

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 12, 2012 68:56


    This week the guys cover a couple of tech news items before delving into a discussion on how to handle an overloaded VM server.

    Tightwad Tech #104 - The First Day

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 30, 2012 71:16


    Shawn talks about his first day with students as "The Boss" and shares a few wins along with a couple of challenges he faced as the 2012 school year kicks off.

    Tightwad Tech #103 - What I Did This Summer

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 21, 2012 60:58


    After an extended break, Mark and Shawn return to their mics again to fill you in on what happened while they were away, and what's in store for the future. Plus, Shawn announces his complete transformation into an Apple fanboy.

    Tightwad Tech #102 - If You Build IT, Part 4

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 5, 2012 54:43


    Mark and Shawn continue their "If You Build IT" series with a look at some of the policies and procedures they recommend putting in place for a "Tightwad" technology department.

    Tightwad Tech #101 - The State of the Tightwad Address

    Play Episode Listen Later May 30, 2012 62:11


    Mark and Shawn take the opportunity of the Memorial Day holiday to slack off a bit and have an impromptu discussion about where they are in their prof

    Tightwad Tech #100 - If You Build It, Part 3

    Play Episode Listen Later May 22, 2012 81:27


    This week Mark and Shawn take a few minutes to celebrate their 100th episode with a couple of guest appearances and well-wishes from the community before they dive back into the "If You Build It" series of shows.

    Tightwad Tech #99 - Connecting with the Chromebook

    Play Episode Listen Later May 15, 2012 54:39


    This week Mark and Shawn are joined by Molly Schroeder and Tracy Purdy to learn about how the Edina Public Schools are implementing Google's Chromebooks in their classrooms.

    Tightwad Tech #98 - The National Cristina Foundation

    Play Episode Listen Later May 8, 2012 55:46


    This week Mark and Shawn are joined by Bud Rizer as he talks about the National Cristina Foundation and their thirty-year history of helping special needs kids get the technology they need from every-day donors like you.

    Tightwad Tech #97 - Subs and Security

    Play Episode Listen Later May 1, 2012 50:45


    This week Mark and Shawn invite Kristy Vincent of the EduMatters podcast on the show to discuss the sticky issues that substitute teachers create in terms of network security.

    Tightwad Tech #96 - If You Build It, Part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 24, 2012 57:32


    This week Mark and Shawn continue their "If You Build It" series with a look at network infrastructure.

    Tightwad Tech #95 - Big Blue Button

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 17, 2012 54:38


    This week Mark and Shawn are joined by Fred Dixon of the Big Blue Button project to talk about their open-source Web conference tool.

    Tightwad Tech #94 - Listener Spotlight #12

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 11, 2012 58:13


    This week Mark and Shawn are joined by Corey Knapp for the 12th installment of our series of Listener Spotlight shows.

    Tightwad Tech #93 - If You Build IT, Part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 3, 2012 62:19


    This week Mark and Shawn take on a challenge offered by a listener and answer the question, "If you had to build a school tech. department from the ground up, in Tightwad fashion; what would you do?"

    Tightwad Tech #92 - Where's the Picnik?

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 28, 2012 47:10


    This week Mark and Shawn are once again by Derrick Waddell as he discusses his search for a replacement to Picnik.com- an online video editing service that has been purchased by Google and will soon be scrapped.

    Tightwad Tech #91 - Listener Spotlight #11

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 20, 2012 66:55


    This week Mark and Shawn are joined by Chuck Jolley, the Assistant Director of Technology of Mississippi's DeSoto County School District in the eleventh installment of our Listener Spotlight series of podcasts.

    Tightwad Tech #90 - I Want My FOG Back!

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 13, 2012 64:38


    This week Mark and Shawn talk about some promising technologies that they got excited about in the past, but eventually turned out to be failures.

    Tightwad Tech #89 - I Can't Believe That Happened!

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 6, 2012 57:46


    This week Mark and Shawn share some of their crazy, funny, tragic or just generally unbelievable stories related to life as a tech support professional.

    Tightwad Tech #88 - No Man is an Island

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 28, 2012 62:41


    This week Mark discusses an intellectual struggle he's been having recently regarding the benefits and shortcomings of doing things "The Tightwad Way."

    Tightwad Tech #87 - FiddleHead

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 21, 2012 76:57


    This week Mark and Shawn talk with Dave Peterson, the inventor of FiddleHead- a one-stop solution for imaging, backup, classroom management, and more.

    Tightwad Tech #86 - TCEA2012

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 14, 2012 53:33


    This week Mark gives a brief wrap-up of his experiences at this year's TCEA convention and he and Shawn discuss the benefits of attending professional conferences in general.

    Tightwad Tech #85 - Listener Spotlight #10

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 6, 2012 63:49


    This week Mark and Shawn are joined by Jeremy Jackson of Pasadena I.S.D. in the tenth installment of our Listener Spotlight series of podcasts.

    Tightwad Tech #84 - Professor Messer

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 31, 2012 78:47


    This week Mark and Shawn are joined by "Professor" James Messer to lean about his free, online training site, a bit of his history, and a glimpse into his future.

    Tightwad Tech #83 - iWhat?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 26, 2012 53:18


    This week Mark and Shawn discuss Apple's latest bid to change the world of education with iBooks 2 and by opening iTunes U to K-12 schools. Hint: Read the license agreement carefully.

    Tightwad Tech #82 - Listener Spotlight #9

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 18, 2012 62:13


    In this, our 9th edition of the Listener Spotlight, we're joined by Jim Beason who talks about his recent experiences in continuing his professional education. Do you need to upgrade your resumé? Maybe Jim has some good tips for you.

    Claim Tightwad Tech

    In order to claim this podcast we'll send an email to with a verification link. Simply click the link and you will be able to edit tags, request a refresh, and other features to take control of your podcast page!

    Claim Cancel