We can also look at tech from the student side of things: There is some nice software out there. Desmos comes to mind. https://teacher.desmos.com https://teach

We can also look at tech from the student side of things: There is some nice software out there. Desmos comes to mind. https://teacher.desmos.com https://teacher.desmos.com But most software that makes its way into schools is not Desmos. It's usually something that merely replicates the content delivery method of teaching. Think Khan Academy. Other software is often just a digital way to practice facts or algorithms (my mind is in the math world for these examples). I noticed an older comment of yours about expectations your first CS class had including how to navigate a nix system, at least one programming language, and Matlab. Let's pretend this class was instead algebra I where a student is expected to know the fundamentals of arithmetic including properties of operations (so you can use them to manipulate equations), that the equals sign indicates balance, exponentiation, strong proportional reasoning with a solid understanding of multiplication/division, and an understanding of integers. Combine this with a course where the teacher delivers a lesson each day, you do homework, and then have a test each week, never stopping to go back to things that may not have sunk in, let alone pausing to work on any holes in the things mentioned above that are critical to understanding algebra. I can introduce Desmos to help you model linear equations in a wonderful interface, but it isn't going to do a damn thing to increase outcomes if a) you are lacking in any of the requisite starting knowledge and b) don't go to extraordinary lengths to keep up with the pace of the course. I like tech, but I don't think it's any sort of panacea for what ails our schools because it doesn't (and maybe can't) address the root causes.