Future Learning Design Podcast Our Digital Delusions - A Conversation with Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath
Jan 4, 2026
Jared Cooney Horvath, a neuroscientist and bestselling author specializing in learning and brain development, returns to discuss the pitfalls of digital technology in education. He critiques how tech has transformed classrooms, arguing that cognitive metrics peaked before 2002. Jared debunks five myths driving edtech adoption and explains how multifaceted digital tools may harm learning outcomes. He warns against the dangers of smartphones in schools, suggests analog practices to enhance learning, and explores the unintended consequences of tech on literacy.
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Tools Reshape The Whole Ecosystem
- Introducing a new technology into a context creates a whole new ecosystem and changes everything.
- Jared Cooney Horvath warns we swapped human practices in education for tool-driven ecosystems without reckoning the cost.
Moving Shack And Visible Kid Growth
- Jared jokes he moves every few months and can tell kids have grown by the background in his video calls.
- The informal detail humanizes him and shows the ubiquity of digital backgrounds in modern life.
Late-90s Peak In Cognitive Outcomes
- Cognitive measures like memory and IQ peaked around the late 1990s before tech's deep school infiltration.
- Jared suggests that period was a high point for general education outcomes now undermined by pervasive tech.
