The 120-Year-Old Edtech Debate

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The current skepticism around edtech isn’t new. Just the opposite, in fact.

In this episode, hosts Linda DeYounge and Brian Bates step back from 2026 discourse and take a 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 the broader culture forgets that we’ve been here before.

If you work in a school, lead a district, or make decisions about technology and learning, this walk down memory lane offers essential context for the current edtech debate. With the full picture, the fears of 2026 will start to look a lot like the fears of 1926. And 1956. And 1986.