An Ed-Tech Tragedy? Educational technologies and school closures in the time of COVID-19

This book examines how the global shift to technology-dependent learning during COVID-19 reshaped education in profound and often troubling ways. While many hailed remote schooling as a necessary innovation or even a leap toward a digital future, the evidence presented here reveals widespread exclusion, deepening inequalities, new health and environmental risks, and the growing influence of for-profit actors over public education.

It uses the metaphor of a three-act tragedy to trace how technology-first solutions, adopted in crisis, continue to shape education’s future. It highlights more inclusive, less tech-reliant alternatives and invites readers to rethink the purposes of educational technology, offering lessons to guide more human-centered and equitable paths forward.