Many assume
that students enrolling in college a decade or so from now will have high
expectations for classroom technology based on their hands-on experiences in
elementary and secondary schools.
However, a
new annual survey of teachers and instructional specialists conducted by Education Week indicates K-12 academic
technology may not be ramping up all that quickly at this time. The survey
report, Technology Counts 2016: Transforming the Classroom, found that close to
three-quarters of the respondents enjoyed working with new educational
technology, yet for the most part their classes were using tech solutions for
only mundane activities such as practice drills and reviewing lesson content.
“These
findings echo previous research showing that, despite an influx of technology
in schools, many teachers still mainly rely on digital programs to supplement
traditional instructional strategies rather than to support more creative,
inquiry-based learning,” the report stated. “But the results also suggest that
digital learning in some form is ingrained in many classrooms, and that there
is momentum toward new practices.”
For the
first time, the 2016 survey included a Tech Confidence Index to determine
teachers’ levels of confidence in performance, funding, policymaking, and
public support for K-12 educational technology. On a scale of zero (most
negative) to 100 (most positive), the respondents scored an average of 43 for
the present—a relatively lukewarm level of confidence—but the average score
rose to 55 when respondents were asked about the near future.
Why has
K-12 technology adoption been so slow?
“The
teacher respondents indicated that having too few digital-learning devices in
their schools and a lack of tech-oriented professional development remain
barriers to more regular use of classroom technology,” said the report. “In
addition, wireless-connectivity problems and computer breakdowns are still far
from infrequent, according to the responses.”
