Friday, September 18, 2015
PEW Survey Results: Teachers' Technology Use
Overall, the results from the PEW survey weren't too surprising, especially in regard to the high level of impact technology has had in classrooms given the increased use of technology in the world. As a substitute teacher, the vast majority of the classrooms I've been in are equipped with technology, such as Desktops or Laptops for student use and Smart Boards. My young cousins have even told me about their schools buying iPads and Macbook Airs for every student! Even within my own public school experiences, I always had access to a computer in school, my school offered computer-based classes, and my subject-area teachers would often bring us to the media center or a school computer lab for some classes. Therefore, the PEW survey does an accurate job of showing the level of impact that technology is having in classrooms, despite the disparities that it shows between rural and urban classrooms.
Having been raised in a school culture where mobile phones were not allowed in classrooms, I was surprised by the 73% of teachers that said "they and/or their students use their mobile phones in the classroom or to complete assignments." While I'm not sure if this also includes students using their phones when they aren't supposed to be, it's surprising to see such a high percentage of teachers supposedly using cell phones in the classroom to complete assignments!
Personally, I like to believe that I would rate comparatively to the other "teachers under 35" who are more confident with using new technology. I say this mainly because of my background with technology, and the fact that when I sit down with any new technology I'm usually able to get myself to work it fairly quickly. I also own a smartphone, laptop, tablet, Kindle, and use social networking like many of the other teachers surveyed, and I use technology to stay current about the field.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I would say I agree completely with your observations. I was also a little shocked about students using cell phones in school. I haven't been in a high school/ middle setting since I was a student myself and my understanding was that they had to be put away or left at home. It makes me wonder what my policy should be on cell phone use. I have a hard time imagining students using their phones exclusively for research and not checking just one text. Certainly something to think about!
ReplyDeleteYou bring up an interesting point about cell phone use in schools. I was wondering this myself, if students are allowed to use their phones to search for information during class what is keeping them from using it when the teacher is trying to have a discussion or during a test? The only thing I could see is that the teacher has to collect everyone's phone during testing and regular class time but this takes away from time the students have to learn.
DeleteGabrielle, my brother just started high school and every incoming freshman was issued a new MacBook Air! My thoughts on this are as follows, 1) this is obviously not feasible for everyone, it depends on the school district and its budget, 2) I haven't asked, but I'm guessing that these laptops have heavy restrictions as far as the types of websites that students can gain access to. If not, then I think its a license to play video games and surf social media during class.
ReplyDeleteHi Gabrielle. I wrote about the cell phone situation in my blog as well. If anything surprised me within the article, it was definitely that. I as well grew up knowing that using your phone in class was never an option. In certain circumstances throughout high school, there were many consequences to having your phone out during school hours. I am definitely interested to learn more about how cell phones are integrated within the classroom.
ReplyDeleteGiven the results of the Pew survey, your age, and your exposure to digital technologies over the years have provided you with an advantage as a new teacher. Despite this, there are times when using these technologies just might not be the most pedagogically sound idea--or sometimes, this just go wrong!
ReplyDeleteAs you begin your career, begin to consider "how" to use the technology in your classroom to enhance student learning. While technology is amazing and cool, and sometimes just so easy to slip into a lesson, being thoughtful about its use is paramount. Technology should always be thought of as a means to an end.