The Tech Pendulum: Are We Solving the Wrong Problem in Education?

The anti-technology movement in schools is moving fast -- 26 states have passed laws limiting or banning classroom devices, and 22 of those happened in 2025 alone. But is the backlash actually solving the right problem?In this Teacher Reality Check, Leah Cleary traces the full history of technology in education -- from the one-to-one device boom of the early 2010s, to what the pandemic did to classroom technology habits, to the legislative avalanche happening right now. Along the way, she unpacks what the research on educational technology actually says, explains why the phone ban conversation and the classroom technology conversation are not the same thing, and makes the case that when it comes to technology integration in the classroom, the problem was never the Chromebooks. It was always how we were using them.Plus: the one question every teacher should ask before assigning any tech-based task -- and a look ahead at the If Teachers Ruled the World summer series on edtech policy and practical classroom strategies.If you've been watching the anti-tech pendulum swing and wondering whether anyone is going to say the quiet part out loud -- this episode is for you.Be sure to check out the show notes here: leahcleary.com/technology-in-education