A majority of educators (79 percent) and 86 percent of parents in a survey say edtech including laptops, video content, and STEM products, is becoming a crucial part of classroom education at every level.
The new Consumer Technology Association (CTA) survey includes responses from parents and educators of children in preschool through 12th grade, gauging their views on the use of edtech in classrooms.
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“A growing number of parents and teachers agree that tech is a powerful tool for education, over a wide range of subjects,” says Lesley Rohrbaugh, director of research, CTA. “Tech is helping children learn at every stage of education–from early language training all the way to mastering STEM concepts.”
Key study findings show nine in 10 parents (92 percent) and educators (88 percent) agree students enjoy interacting with technology. Given tech’s growing trend of anytime/anywhere access, 91 percent of parents and 87 percent of educators agree tech allows students increased access to education.
In addition, 89 percent of parents and 87 percent of educators agree tech helps students develop technological skills for the future.
The study also concluded only 34 percent of parents and 39 percent of educators say edtech is a distraction for students–a contrast to the high percentage of parents and educators who agree tech is a crucial part of education.
Parents say the tech devices most important in encouraging their child’s learning are:
• Laptops (81 percent)
• Tablets (77 percent)
• Web-based software (74 percent)
• Desktop computers (70 percent)
• STEM products (67 percent)
The top five technologies parents say their children use most frequently (once a week or more) for learning are:
• Video content (82 percent)
• Mobile phones (76 percent)
• Tablets (73 percent)
• Laptops (62 percent)
• Email (49 percent)
Educators of preschool through 12th grade indicate the top five technologies they use most frequently in their classrooms are:
• Email (79 percent)
• Laptops (69 percent)
• Web-based software (67 percent)
• Video content (58 percent)
• Interactive whiteboards (56 percent)
CTA’s Technology in Education: Parent and Educator Use and Sentiment study presents the findings of one online survey of 1,005 parents of children in preschool through grade 12 and another online survey of 502 teachers of children in preschool through grade 12.
Eighty-two percent of teachers in another recent survey say they believe tech tools have enhanced teaching and learning, and most say they have access to the tools they want.
The survey from MidAmerica Nazarene University queried 1,000 teachers with a minimum of 5 years in the classroom to gauge the impact tech tools have had on instructional methods and student learning.
On average, teachers say 56 percent of their tools have become tech based, and 80 percent of teachers say they have access to most of the tech tools they want in their classrooms. Those tech tools include interactive whiteboards, student portals, laptops, tablets, learning software, and learning apps.
Seventy-three percent of surveyed teachers agree that technology has changed dramatically in the last 5 years–not a big surprise based on technology’s fast-changing nature.
Now, only 42 percent of assignments are done by hand, and 73 percent of teachers say their students use laptops and tablets in class each day.
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