Natasha Singer

So how did we get here, where children are guinea pigs being forced to use highly powerful, untested technologies starting in kindergarten? just pawns in a massive global experiment.

Today, I'm bringing you Natasha Singer, who's a journalist and author of a new book called Coding Kids, Big Tech's Battle to Remake Public Schools.

Natasha has been deeply covering the tech industry influence in schools for the New York Times for more than a decade, and she's here to educate us parents and provide a little hope, I promise.

Let's get into it.

And increasingly, tech companies are launching their own corporate-branded school curricula.

Natasha Singer has reported on the intersection of technology, business, and education for more than a decade.

And in her new book, Coding Kids, Big Tech's Battle to Remake Public Schools, she reveals how big tech co-opted nearly every step of the education supply chain.

We'll speak to her about how public childhood education became a playground for the tech titans.

But first, big tech's battle to remake public

schools.

David? Natasha Singer is a New York Times reporter covering the intersection of technology, business and education.

She has covered tech industry influence in schools for The New York Times for more than a decade.

And so that was interesting.

And then this morning I read Natasha Singer's article in the New York Times.

So we're

timestamping this when we're recording.

I really appreciated your comments and reactions to the first 12 episodes last spring, and I'm excited to restart the conversation with you with a new season of podcasts this fall.

For the first episode of this new season, I'll be talking with Natasha Singer, reporter for The New York Times, who just published a new book, Coding Kids: Big Tech's Battle to Remake Public Schools.

For the past decade, Natasha has reported on stories at the intersection of technology, education, and business with fo- special focus on the ways that big technology companies influence how and what is taught in schools.

Natasha's new book comes out at a time when there's a growing backlash against the use of technology in schools, with many school districts adopting policies to limit students' screen time and restrict the use of AI chatbots.

Hello, AI skeptics, and welcome to another episode.

We're very, very excited today to be joined by Natasha Singer, who just wrote a new book.

I think it came out Labor Day.

It's called Coding Kids, Big Tech's Battle to Remake Public Schools.

It's not a mini business and kids are not mini entrepreneurs.

That's the New York Times' Natasha Singer.

She says that it's not uncommon what's happening here in San Diego.

And I know what's happening in LA Unified.

They had a goal of expanding the kinds of students who entered the field.

In a new book, Coding Kids, New York Times education technology reporter Natasha Singer charts the path of both of these efforts and explains how a tech industry-created computer science curriculum became commonplace in many schools, and what that means now that those same companies are laying off engineers and prioritizing different skills in the AI era.

I wanted to hear more from Natasha about what she's observed over the years covering tech's immersion into public schools, and whether school districts are prepared for industry efforts to replicate the success for AI.

But first, here's what's happening on The Verge today.

See lowes.com for more details.

All right.

Natasha Singer, welcome to the Verge cast.

Thanks for having me, Lauren.

This comes as L.A. students were already beginning the school year with new limits on screen time and as New York City schools banned the use of AI tools in preschool through eighth grade.

The Times' Natasha Singer has been following this shift away from initial enthusiasm for tech in classrooms, and she has looked at how the tech industry came to have an outsized presence to begin with in a new book called Coding Kids, Big Tech's Battle to Remake Public Schools.

Natasha, welcome to Forum.

Thanks so much for having me.

This comes as L.A. students were already beginning the school year with new limits on screen time and as New York City schools banned the use of AI tools in preschool through eighth grade.

The Times' Natasha Singer has been following this shift away from initial enthusiasm for tech in classrooms, and she has looked at how the tech industry came to have an outsized presence to begin with in a new book called Coding Kids, Big Tech's Battle to Remake Public Schools.

Natasha, welcome to Forum.

Thanks so much for having me.

I want to invite listeners into the conversation.

Listeners, what tech do you see students using in the classroom? And does it worry you? Would you like to see restrictions? Or maybe you have concerns these restrictions will not be good for students.

Are you a teacher or student? What impacts have you seen ed tech, like screens or AI, have in the classroom? And what questions do you have about the role of the tech industry in public schools? We're talking all about this with Natasha Singer, a New York Times reporter covering tech in schools and author of the new book, Coding Kids, Big Tech's Battle to Remake Public Schools.

And you can join us at 866-733-6786 at the email address forum at kqed.org. And you can find us on Discord, Blue Sky, Facebook, or Instagram.