June 2008 — News
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Classroom Technology 'Woefully Inadequate,' Study Finds
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Educators are, in large part, bullish on the role technology can play in improving student outcomes. But too large a percentage of them aren't receiving adequate training in the areas that matter most: instructional software, technology integration, learning outcomes management, and designing individual lesson plans. This according to a study released last week by the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers, which also described access to classroom technology as "woefully inadequate" in most schools.
The study, Access, Adequacy, and Equity in Education Technology (PDF), surveyed 1,934 public school educators, 90.4 percent of whom were classroom teachers, with the remaining 9.6 percent identifying themselves as instructional assistants. (The margin of error on results was ±3 percent.) What it found was that a large portion of them--in fact, a near-unanimous majority--believed that technology was valuable in education. Some stats:
- 95 percent said that technology improved student learning, when used properly;
- 88.9 percent said technology is "essential to teaching and learning"; and
- 89.1 percent said that technology helped their students enjoy learning more.
Note the qualifier "when used properly," above. Despite teachers' enthusiasm for technology, they reported some significant hindrances to the fulfillment of technology's promise, notably in the areas of training and access.
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Nearly half (49 percent) said the number of computers in their classrooms was inadequate, although they reported that their schools' computer labs were well stocked.
Almost 18 percent said their labs housed more than 50 computers. Only 14.7 percent reported their labs as having 15 or fewer computers. In terms of computers in the classroom, the majority (54.7 percent) said there were zero to two classroom computers for students to use. Only 9.2 percent reported there were 10 or more available for students. (About 72 percent of participants had classroom sizes of 16 or more students, most--50.5 percent--reporting 21 to 30 students.)