Survey Says: More Teachers Are Using Tech in the Classroom
Technology is bringing a wave of new ideas to the classroom. From tablets and smartboards to personalized lessons and video games, digital tools are changing the way teachers teach and students learn. But all these new developments lead to a question: how many teachers actually use all this stuff, and what kind of difference does it make for them and their students? Thanks to a recent survey, we have the answer – tech use is on the rise, and teachers and school leaders are excited about the future of digital learning.
Last fall, a nonprofit called Project Tomorrow asked nearly 40,000 teachers (along with thousands of parents, administrators, and students) about the ways they use digital technology in the classroom. The result? A major increase in tech-savvy educators from just five years ago. Here are some of the big findings:
- 68 percent of teachers said they use online videos in their teaching. In 2010, that number was just 47 percent.
- 48 percent of teachers use games in their instruction – which is more than double the number from five years ago (23 percent).
- 54 percent of administrators said it was a top priority to help teachers “change their practice to accommodate digital learning.”
Of course, there’s still more work to be done: the next challenge for many teachers is to help close the gap in internet access so that all students can use classroom technology as effectively as possible. Based on these results, though, the future looks bright for tech in the classroom. In the words of Project Tomorrow CEO Julie Evans, we’re at the beginning of a “new awakening for digital learning.”
Check out the full Project Tomorrow survey here for more details.