As learning abruptly goes digital in response to coronavirus, what do we need to know?

Welcome to the 30,000 Hours podcast, where experts in education, technology, equity, and child rights will discuss current events and ideas. We have devoted decades to primary research, meaning, we have studied classrooms, schools, families, how various technologies work in real world settings, policy, economics, history. We follow the money and explain the forces behind education, tech, and policy. We advise on national and global policy initiatives. We prioritize equity in our research and ask who is excluded and why, who might be made more vulnerable by particular innovations or policies, and offer recommendations to mitigate these potential harms. A goal of this podcast is to set free some of the massive expertise and knowledge that is currently behind academic journal paywalls or in discipline-specific publications by talking about the issues we so deeply care about as they apply to everyday life and world events.

Our first podcast series asks, as schools around the globe abruptly shift to online learning, what can and should experts be doing to support those affected by this transition? Dr. Monica Bulger first speaks with Professor Vikki Katz about equity considerations of the shift to online. We next speak with Dr. Cristobal Cobo and Professor Neil Selwyn about the fact that despite the promise of edtech, there are no quick fixes. In our third podcast, we interview child rights experts Emma Day and Patrick Burton about the increased risks of violence toward children caused by school closures.