technology use in the classroom: benefits & barriers

A p r i l 2 0 1 4

Technology Use in the Classroom: Benefits & Barriers

1 TECHNOLOGY USE IN THE CLASSROOM: BENEFITS & BARRIERS

Education technology is a $7 billion market. Digital solutions for K-12 classrooms have become the center of conversation in education circles. With all the noise, it can be difficult to find the signal. What types of technology are actually in use? What effects do those technologies have on teaching and learning? Is technology use in the classroom living up to the promises of its proponents? These are the kinds of questions that this study was designed to answer. As statistical and anecdotal evidence portrays, technology can provide previously unattainable benefits for both students and teachers in terms of educational experiences and outcomes. Students are more engaged, which drives higher achievement. Teachers gain unparalleled insights into their students’ progress and are better able to provide an individualized education. Other evidence demonstrates, however, some inconsistencies when it comes to attaining these benefits. It is clear that despite the confidence in technology from both educators and technologists, it is insufficient to forgo extensive technology program planning, training, support, and measurement to ensure success. Schools face a multitude of barriers to successful technology use in the classroom. Administrators may not effectively manage change; teachers may be unwilling to fully adopt new tools; technology companies may not provide necessary training and support; or schools may lack the hardware or infrastructure to enable technology use on an impactful scale. These are among the many factors that must be managed properly to build a strong digital learning experience for students. This study aimed to understand the complex relationship between these benefits and barriers. With lives and livelihoods in the 21st century ever more dependent on advanced technology, it is imperative that those who care about education develop an understanding of how a strong technology program expands possibilities for students and schools.

Introduction


Executive Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Methodology and Demographics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Findings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 digedu partners with schools and districts to deliver a comprehensive technology program that meaningfully enhances teaching and learning. With digedu, learning experiences are personalized, interactive, and measurable, and can be delivered on any device, anytime, anywhere. Based on school needs and academic goals, we create a digital learning ecosystem that includes intelligent software, the latest mobile devices, implementation and support services, and a state-of-the-art Wi-Fi infrastructure, the Classroom Cloud™. The Learning Engine™, our cloud-based platform, allows teachers to individualize instruction, promote mastery, and unlock the potential of every student. Through access to more than 3,500 standards-aligned lessons created by award-winning teachers, educators can fully customize engaging content to best fit the needs of their classrooms. digedu Research Insights (dRI) is digedu’s research, development, and publication group. dRI is dedicated to applying data and thoughtful analysis to the challenges facing educators and technologists, and thereby to ensure an evidence-based approach to digedu’s technology development. For more information, please visit digedu.com.

Table of Contents

About digedu


digedu gathered data from survey responses submitted by 620 K-12 teachers from across the United States. Questions focused on a variety of topics related to how often, in what way, and why (or why not) they and their students use technology in the classroom. With a robust sample that broadly tracks the national benchmarks from demographic surveys of the United States K-12 teacher population, the survey strongly supports a number of conclusions about how education technology currently fits into the K-12 landscape. It also gives powerful indications about the efforts needed from both technologists and educators to further propel American schooling into the digital age. Teachers report widely varying experiences when using technology. Nearly all said that both they and their students use technology in the classroom; similarly, they report that it has positive effects on qualitative metrics like student engagement and student participation. Moreover, almost two-thirds report a desire to use technology more frequently. In contrast, educators are primarily using technology as a replacement for non-digital/analog formats, rather than to support activities made possible only through digital solutions. The survey respondents also report using technology for a limited amount of time in class. More pointedly, fewer than half of teachers surveyed report that technology use had positive effects on students’ standardized test performances, and one in four report no positive effects on student achievement in class. The survey provides clues to why some digital learning experiences are flawed. Nearly half of teachers report not receiving adequate training on the technology they use, and over half report lacking technological and instructional support. Additionally, almost half of teachers report loss of class time due to technology issues. In addition to a lack of support and training, logistical barriers to success exist. Almost two-thirds of educators report a lack of hardware at school, two in five report insufficient bandwidth, and over half report that students lack access to online resources at home. These are fundamental challenges that require solving even as technologists and educators continue to refine digital tools and how they use them.

Executive Summary


digedu partnered with SurveyMonkey Audience Services to conduct the online survey during February 2014. From its regularly benchmarked and well-profiled member population of 30+ million people, SurveyMonkey gathered 1288 educator responses. Of these, 620 respondents were qualified as currently employed K-12 educators in the United States. The survey instrument focused on how these teachers and their students use technology in the classroom and the benefits of and barriers to such adoption. The demographics of the respondent population broadly track those of the K-12 teacher population in the United States, as reported by the National Center for Education Information (NCEI) in 2011. The survey population is 90% female and 10% male, nearly matching the 84%-16% female-male split in the general K-12 teacher population in America. In terms of education level, 63% hold graduate degrees; nationally, that figure is 56%. Figure 1 highlights the respondents’ ages alongside the ages of the population from the NCEI benchmark survey. (Note that the age splits of the digedu survey do not precisely align with those of the benchmark survey.) Fig. 1 The survey instrument is available in the Appendix.

18-29 10%

30-44 25%

45-60 45%

61+ 20%

digedu Survey Respondent Ages

Methodology & Demographics

up to 29 21%

30-39 27%

40-49 22%

50+ 30%

Benchmark Survey Respondent Ages


Overview Our findings demonstrate that teachers are using technology, that they find technology beneficial in a number of important ways, and that they experience barriers that prevent meaningful usage in the classroom. The findings tell a story: Teachers and students are getting a great deal out of technology use, but certain kinds of benefits remain elusive, blocked by a number of basic challenges and failures. The Benefits One key result begins the story: Nearly 90% of teachers report that both they and their students use technology in class, indicating that technology in education is prevalent. (See Figure 2.) Equally important, teachers overwhelmingly see qualitative advances from technology: 92% report positive effects of technology on student engagement. 82% report positive effects of technology on teaching experience. 90% report positive effects of technology on student participation.

Findings

88%

8% 2% 3% Both teacher and

students use technology in class

Only teacher uses technology in class

Only students use technology in class

Neither teacher nor students use technolgy in class Fig. 2

92%

82%

90%


It is important to note that teachers do not view the oft-cited downside of technology—time spent learning how to use the new tools—as a problem, with only 10% reporting negative effects on teacher time allocation.

Underscoring these numbers, 62% say they want to use technology more then they currently do.

Still, the survey results show signs that technology is not being used to the fullest. The most-reported uses for technology are word processing (73%), research (72%), and video projection (67%). These are basic uses; indeed, they seem to represent teachers who are using technology primarily as a digital replacement for manual/non-digital formats. Moreover, the survey’s snapshot shows a lack of technology use to enable more advanced, digitally-enhanced possibilities:

• Only 10% report using technology to implement a flipped classroom. • Only 32% report using technology to implement a 1:1 classroom. • A bare majority—51%—report using technology for student content creation. • 21% of teachers report that technology use has had no effect on paper

usage. Reducing the headaches that come with paper usage, like time at the copier and document management (not to mention cost), is arguably one of the most obvious potential benefits of technology use, so this datum is of concern—are some teachers not fully committing to technology use?

The survey also shows teachers don’t use technology often during class, with 73% of teachers reporting using technology for 40% or less of class time. There are signs that teachers do not think technology is having quantitative effects on the most direct, measurable metrics:

• Only 24% report that technology’s effect on student achievement in class is strongly positive.

• Just 29% report that technology’s effect on understanding each student’s progress is strongly positive.

• Most concerning, a mere 13% report strong positive effects on student achievement on standardized tests.


The Barriers The numbers above raise a crucial question: what are the barriers preventing teachers from using technology as much as they want to use it, or as much as they need to use it to experience the benefits? The answers begin with some very basic issues (see Figure 3): • 46% of teachers report lacking adequate training on technology they use. • 51% of teachers report lacking adequate support for technology they use. • 48% report a loss of class time due to technology issues. • 33% of teachers report lacking adequate visibility into what students are doing

when they are using technology. Not enough training and support; not enough visibility into student activity; and class time lost to technology issues—these are problems enough on their own. But they actually are second-order issues on top of even more fundamental problems that teachers cite when asked what barriers prevent them from using technology more often:

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Fig. 3


The findings send a number of messages to those who care about the future of schooling and education technology. First of all, it is abundantly clear that the vast majority of teachers use technology, enjoy using technology, and see a number of important benefits from doing so. But it is equally clear that for all the promise of the digital revolution, there are real barriers to fulfillment, starting with a lack of the most basic infrastructure in terms of internet and hardware access both in school and at home. These barriers are exacerbated by problems stemming from poor integration of technology into the instructional setting, including a glaring lack of training and support. Combined, these issues are preventing the kind of rich adoption of digital solutions that would allow teachers to use them to their fullest potential: providing platforms for new experiences in the classroom; giving students, teachers, and administrators tools to improve student achievement; and putting teachers in a better position to track their students’ progress. Especially when the right tools can, for instance, make it virtually effortless to automate assessment, there is a real disconnect between the possibilities enabled by technology and teachers’ use of it. There are promising signs on the horizon. The FCC’s movements toward modernizing the E-rate program and the commitments by corporate America to ensure schools have the resources they need to upgrade their infrastructure to 21st-century standards are potential breakthroughs. The continuing efforts by experts in both education and technology to develop better tools and better ways of using them ought to produce real gains for teachers and students. And the recognition by all parties that digital solutions should and must be important parts of an education is a vital force driving these positive trends. More research is needed to assess what constitutes optimal training and support, what kinds of hardware and software produce the best results on which metrics, and where the most effort is needed to bridge the gap from the present situation to a future in which technology more reliably helps teachers and students make the most of their time in the classroom. We look forward to continuing this conversation as we delve into the details in forthcoming research and reports.

Conclusions


• Feistritzer, C. E. (2011). Profiles of Teachers in the U.S. 2011. Washington, DC: The National Center for Education Information. http://www.edweek.org/media/pot2011final-blog.pdf

• Greaves, T., Hayes, J., Wilson, L., Gielniak, M., & Peterson, E. (2010). Project

RED key findings. Shelton, CT: MDR.

• Richards, J. & Stebbins, L. (2012). U.S. Education Technology Industry Market: PreK-12. Washington, DC: Software and Information Industry Association. http://www.siia.net/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_view&gid=3886&Itemid=318

References


1. Are you employed as a teacher of K-12 students? ☐ Yes ☐ No

2. Do you and/or your students use technology in the classroom? ☐ Both my students and I use technology in the classroom. ☐ Only I use technology in the classroom. ☐ Only my students use technology in the classroom. ☐ Neither my students nor I use technology in the classroom.

3. In which of following ways do you or your students use technology? (Select all that apply.) ☐ Word processing ☐ Research ☐ Video projection ☐ One-to-one classroom implementation ☐ Flipped classroom implementation ☐ Assessment delivery ☐ Differentiated instruction (providing one or more students with personalized lessons) ☐ Student content creation (original videos, presentation, music, etc.) ☐ Student engagement directly with digital materials in class ☐ Assignment of digital materials for student access at home ☐ Collaboration between students

4. How does the use of technology impact the learning experience in your classroom? (Select all that apply.) Student engagement

Strong positive effect Moderate positive effect No effect Moderate negative effect Strong negative effect Student achievement in class

Strong positive effect Moderate positive effect No effect Moderate negative effect Strong negative effect Student achievement on standardized tests

Strong positive effect Moderate positive effect No effect Moderate negative effect Strong negative effect Understanding each student’s progress

Strong positive effect Moderate positive effect No effect Moderate negative effect Strong negative effect Teaching experience

Strong positive effect Moderate positive effect No effect Moderate negative effect Strong negative effect Student participation

Strong positive effect Moderate positive effect No effect Moderate negative effect Strong negative effect

Appendix: Survey Instrument


Behavior management

Strong positive effect Moderate positive effect No effect Moderate negative effect Strong negative effect Disciplinary issues

Strong positive effect Moderate positive effect No effect Moderate negative effect Strong negative effect Student self-pacing

Strong positive effect Moderate positive effect No effect Moderate negative effect Strong negative effect Teacher time allocation

Strong positive effect Moderate positive effect No effect Moderate negative effect Strong negative effect Paper usage

Strong positive effect Moderate positive effect No effect Moderate negative effect Strong negative effect Money spent on supplies

Strong positive effect Moderate positive effect No effect Moderate negative effect Strong negative effect

5. Do you use technology to facilitate self-paced learning in your classroom? (Select one.) ☐ Yes ☐ No

6. When students are using technology, do you feel you have adequate visibility into what they are doing? (i.e. whether they are on task or not.) ☐ Yes ☐ No

7. Do you feel you have had adequate training on the technology you use? ☐ Yes ☐ No

8. Do you feel you have adequate support for the technology you use? ☐ Yes ☐ No

9. On average, for approximately what percentage of class time do you and your students use technology? (Select one.) ☐ 1-20% ☐ 21-40% ☐ 41-60% ☐ 61-80% ☐ 81-100%

10. Do you wish to spend more time using technology in your classroom? (Select one.) ☐ Yes ☐ No

11. What are the barriers you face to spending more time using technology in the classroom? (Select all that apply.) ☐ Haven’t found good apps or other digital resources ☐ Lack of hardware at school ☐ Internet/bandwidth issues at school ☐ Lack of student access to online resources at home ☐ Loss of class time due to technical issues ☐ Other priorities

12. Gender ☐ Male ☐ Female


13. Age

☐ < 18 ☐ 18-29 ☐ 30-44 ☐ 45-60 ☐ > 60

14. Household Income ☐ $0-$24,999 ☐ $25,000-$49,999 ☐ $50,000-$99,999 ☐ $100,000-$149,999 ☐ $150,000+

15. Education ☐ Less than high school degree ☐ High school degree ☐ Some college ☐ Associate or bachelor degree ☐ Graduate degree

16. Location (Census Region) ☐ New England ☐ Middle Atlantic ☐ East North Central ☐ West North Central ☐ South Atlantic ☐ East South Central ☐ West South Central ☐ Mountain ☐ Pacific