Feature interview: how the pandemic changed education

It happened without warning and preparation. Students around the world became lab rats for the world's largest experiment in online and distance learning when the COVID-19 pandemic forced schools to close their doors. It did not go well says Mark West, a senior policy analyst at UNESCO the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Five years on from the lockdowns, we're seeing the unintended consequences of digital learning including lower test scores, higher inequities as well as greater physical and mental health challenges. West says that relying on tech alone is no substitute for thoughtful policy, trained teachers, and human connection, during a pandemic or not. The evidence and arguments are in a free book called An Ed-Tech Tragedy? Educational Technologies and School Closures in the Time of COVID-19.