FEATURING JUSTIN REICH – Across the United States millions of school aged kids are returning to school after their winter break but in the era of the pandemic, many are still connecting with teachers and classmates via remote digital platforms. Given the fact that digital technology was touted just a few years ago as a revolutionary educational tool one might imagine that remote schooling would be a success. But the reality of using new technology has simply not lived up to its promise. 

Justin Reich is Mitsui Career Development Professor of Comparative Media Studies and Director of the Teaching Systems Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is the host of the podcast TeachLab and has written about education and technology for Education Week, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, and Science. His new book is called Failure to Disrupt: Why Technology Alone Can’t Transform Education. 

** This interview was originally broadcast on January 4, 2021.