In this episode we explore the increasingly heated debate over technology in schools — from state-level efforts to restrict devices to the growing pressure on districts to adopt AI tools. Using recent arguments about EdTech, screen bans, handwriting, typing, and classroom technology, we look at why the real question is not simply “screens or no screens,” but what specific learning task students are being asked to do.

Topics covered:

• Why some policymakers are pushing broader school device bans
• The debate over whether EdTech harms student learning
• What handwriting vs. typing research actually suggests
• Why learning decisions should be task-specific, not technology-specific
• How blanket screen bans can affect students with learning differences
• The difference between banning cell phones and banning instructional tools
• What teachers should ask when device policies reach the classroom
• What district leaders should consider before adopting or restricting technology
• Why educators, not blanket policies, are best positioned to judge what learning requires
  

Source:

https://www.the74million.org/article/some-states-are-banning-much-more-than-phones-in-schools-thats-a-huge-mistake/

https://www.chalkbeat.org/2026/03/17/jared-cooney-horvath-says-ed-tech-hurts-learning-a-look-at-the-evidence/