For anyone who’s still fuzzy or dubious about whether ed-tech has infected American schools with an all-new flavor of sheer lunacy, today we have a special video treat. I’ve produced a short “supercut” which snaps the issue into focus — using snippets of YouTube motivational videos from scores of real schools.
During my years as a Late Night TV producer, ye olde supercut was among my favorite comedy formats; it’s crazy labor-intensive — requiring deep research, watching oceans of raw video, and untold hours of editing to distill it all down to reveal some cultural zeitgeist moment or unfortunate groupthink trend in a way that eclipses even the best-written satirical commentary. The supercut’s great strength is that it’s impossible to fabricate; it hinges on pure organic volume and the guileless authenticity of real, decent people propelled by forces beyond their control. The viewer isn’t prompted to laugh at the subjects — only the utter absurdity of our shared societal plight.
This is the first of (at least) two Epostasy i-Ready supercuts, and it serves two purposes:
First, it’s a coda to Part 4 of i-Ready i-Reckoning, wherein we explored Curriculum Associates’ panicked and deeply dishonest claims about i-Ready screen time in response to the explosive popular backlash against screen-based learning. Since that installment was published in June, Curriculum Associates has continued to ramp up its obfuscation of i-Ready screen time, with CEO Kelly Sia still silently cowering MIA in her bunker while dispatching (increasingly bedraggled) spokesman Ty Holmes to appear on podcasts to pooh-pooh the reality that i-Ready has always encouraged maximum screen time. (Additionally, an all-new “i-Ready for Families” web page takes the screenwashing to a new level; not a single image of kids on computers is included.)
Second, this supercut is a preview of sorts of the forthcoming Part 5 of i-Ready i-Reckoning, which will explore the pressure cooker environment that i-Ready creates in schools, and the outlandish, submissive theatrics to which it condemns educators who wish to keep their jobs.
Until then, kindly enjoy (for lack of a better word) and spread the word about the i-Ready i-Reckoning Screen Time Supercut.
Thanks, Epostates.
- John
ALL THE WORLD LOVES A WHISTLEBLOWER! Are you a current or former Curriculum Associates employee, consultant, partner or vendor? If you have information regarding the development of i-Ready and its impact on children that you feel morally or ethically compelled to share, please contact me. Your identity will be kept confidential.
i-Ready i-Reckoning
A critical investigation into ed-tech giant Curriculum Associates and its flagship product i-Ready, which is mandatory for 14 million American primary school students. By Late Night TV vet John Allen Wooden.Subscribe to receive future installments.
About John Allen Wooden:
Howdy. I’m a tech-traitorous writer, satirist, creative director, and dad based in Los Angeles. Having done hard time in big online media, late night TV, ad agencies, politics, and parenting, I created Epostasy as my little lab for gleefully dismembering all those self-important things. Check out my tech-skeptical kids book series, Screen Time Tales, along with other projects at johnallenwooden.com
Thank you John... these are likely caring, well-meaning teachers who were convinced by industry to be "leaders" in the supposed up-and-coming EdTech takeover. I am hopeful that educators will see how they are being controlled by EdTech corporations as much as the students being put in front of screens. All educators deserve the small class size and human-focused classrooms provided kids of the tech elite and wealthy. Putting resources into teacher salaries rather than screens can help us get there.
Thanks for covering this! I don't know why any teacher would want to be a part of this--very strange.