WEEKEND HIGHLIGHTS
💥 Great new edtech stories from NBC News, the NYT, and AP here, here, and here. Send me other standout stories I’m missing?
💥 I can’t seem to stop pointing out the inadequate media coverage school shutdowns during COVID, but the SF Chronicle’s Jill Tucker can’t seem to stop defending it.
💥 The 8.8 million-view musical #momgroupchat featuring parents arguing over whether kids should get Oreos in their lunchboxes (below) is probably fake but it’s so good I don’t care.
EDTECH REGRETS & ADVICE
Yes, edtech coverage has been deeply flawed, says The 74’s Greg Toppo (below). But jumping on the backlash bandwagon isn’t going to deepen our understanding or help schools get better:
Watch a highlight of what Toppo has to say above, then catch the full half-hour interview here. Part of our ongoing series asking ed reporters and advocates to reflect on the edtech backlash.
COVERING HYPE
False urgency. Grandiose claims. Hype is everywhere, and all too often gets used by advocates and industries to manipulate journalists who unintentionally mislead their readers. So it’s great to see this new Hype Toolkit for Journalists, and especially this chapter on how to give readers context and understanding instead of hyped-up news.