The 120-Year-Old EdTech Debate | One-to-One Podcast

Season 4, Episode 2 | The 120-Year-Old EdTech Debate The skepticism around EdTech isn't new. It just feels that way. In this episode, hosts Linda DeYounge and Brian Bates step back from 2026 and walk through 120 years of technology in American schools, decade by decade. From the magic lantern to the mimeograph, from Sputnik to the smartphone, from teaching machines to ChatGPT — every era had its promises, its skeptics, and its moment of reckoning. And every era asked the same questions we're asking today. Will this technology replace teachers? Is it actually helping students learn? Did we spend all that money for nothing? The details change. The anxiety doesn't. What's striking isn't just that the pattern repeats — it's how consistently we forget that it has. Every generation inherits the same debate and treats it like a new one. Every generation makes the same promises. And every generation eventually asks whether any of it worked. If you work in a school, lead a district, or make decisions about technology and learning — this episode will change how you hear the current debate. Because when you see the full picture, the fears of 2026 start to look a lot like the fears of 1926. And 1956. And 1986. New episodes available monthly wherever you listen. Access our Season Four show notes: LTC.site/season4shownotes Access this episode's transcript: (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1q...)