Survey highlights changing teacher opinions on ed tech
Survey results show that educators are becoming more technology-savvy
By Jenna Zwang, Assistant Editor
Leveraging the Power of Mobile Learning
Project Tomorrow's results show that administrators and librarians have the biggest ability to empower students' digital learning aspirations.
A new survey reveals evidence of a major shift in educators’ opinions regarding technology as an educational tool, which might be attributed to the increase in educator and administrator use of ed-tech tools.
According to the latest Speak Up Survey results, more than twice as many educators have a personal smart phone today than in 2008, and there has been a 33 percent increase in the proliferation of teachers who are active Facebook users. There has also been a 50 percent increase of teachers using podcasts and videos as part of their classroom instruction.
Project Tomorrow debuted the second half of the 2010 Speak Up Survey results on May 11, highlighting how teachers, principals, district administrators, librarians, and technology coordinators view the changing role of technology in education.
In fall 2010, Project Tomorrow surveyed 294,399 K-12 students, 42,267 parents, 35,525 teachers, 2,125 librarians, 3,578 school or district administrators, and 1,391 technology leaders in order to gauge their general opinion about the use of technology in teaching 21st century skills.
The report explored how educators addressed student opinions regarding learning around three key trends: mobile learning, online and blended learning, and digital content.
3 Responses to Survey highlights changing teacher opinions on ed tech
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smcdill
May 11, 2011 at 2:05 pm
I teach technology and love it. However, giving students free-reign to use their SmartPhones at school is NOT a good idea. Come on…students are more interested in texting and communicating with their peers than interacting with the teacher or the lesson. We must find a way to integrate technology while having classroom control of what is accessed.
smcdill
May 11, 2011 at 2:05 pm
I teach technology and love it. However, giving students free-reign to use their SmartPhones at school is NOT a good idea. Come on…students are more interested in texting and communicating with their peers than interacting with the teacher or the lesson. We must find a way to integrate technology while having classroom control of what is accessed.
frharry
May 11, 2011 at 10:32 pm
RE: “I think the missing component is we’re not effectively training our teachers on how to use these devices…”
Actually, I think we’ve done an absolutely miserable job in teaching kids how to use these devices properly. They use them inappropriately in a number of contexts, not the least of which is the classroom. It’s one thing to use one’s laptop to engage in a learning activity. It’s quite something else to be distracted by twitter and facebook.
Contrary to the television commercial, we should not “talk all the time.” There are times we must listen. And there are times we need to be undistracted to actually think and reflect. Until we emphasize responsibility along with use of technology, teachers will resist its intrusion into their classrooms, and rightly so.
frharry
May 11, 2011 at 10:32 pm
RE: “I think the missing component is we’re not effectively training our teachers on how to use these devices…”
Actually, I think we’ve done an absolutely miserable job in teaching kids how to use these devices properly. They use them inappropriately in a number of contexts, not the least of which is the classroom. It’s one thing to use one’s laptop to engage in a learning activity. It’s quite something else to be distracted by twitter and facebook.
Contrary to the television commercial, we should not “talk all the time.” There are times we must listen. And there are times we need to be undistracted to actually think and reflect. Until we emphasize responsibility along with use of technology, teachers will resist its intrusion into their classrooms, and rightly so.
aliciap
May 26, 2011 at 12:29 pm
I think you’re right smcdill. Have you heard of CurriculumLoft? They have a tool called Explore1to1, which can be applied to Android devices. Students only get access to their course materials and any other apps that the teachers approve. No games/texting… http://www.curriculumloft.com/explore-solution.html
aliciap
May 26, 2011 at 12:29 pm
I think you’re right smcdill. Have you heard of CurriculumLoft? They have a tool called Explore1to1, which can be applied to Android devices. Students only get access to their course materials and any other apps that the teachers approve. No games/texting… http://www.curriculumloft.com/explore-solution.html