How Teachers Are Using Technology at Home and in ... - Prisa Digital

Teachers in urban areas and those teaching the lowest
income students feel the impact of these policies more
than other teachers
% of each group who say
policy has a “major”
impact on their teaching…
Filters blocking access to
certain websites or online
content
Rules governing student
cell phone use on school
grounds
An AUP governing how
school
computers/networks may
be used
All AP
and
NWP
teachers
Students
mostly
below
poverty
level
Students
mostly
upper/
upper
middle
class
Large
metro
area or
city
p e winter n e t .o r g 49
Small
town
32% 49% 24% 37% 28%
21 33 15 25 20
16 25 10 18 15
Source: The Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project Online Survey
of Teachers, March 7 to April 23, 2012, n=2,462 middle and high school teachers.
For many teachers, technology must add demonstrable value to justify
incorporation into the learning process
A common theme in focus groups was a concern about “tech use for the sake of tech use” without
discernible, demonstrable added value to the learning process. While some teachers view the
incorporation of the newest digital technologies into the learning process as valuable, necessary and/or
inevitable, others express concern about the trend. Some noted that the prevailing assumption seems
to be that incorporating more digital technologies into the learning process invariably adds value and is,
in all cases, preferable to more traditional teaching methods. There was fairly widespread agreement in
focus groups that new technologies should be incorporated into classrooms and schools, as long as they
enhance the lesson plan and encourage learning. Some teachers expressed concern that technology is
sometimes “forced upon them” for the sake of “keeping up” rather than for actually improving learning.
Moreover, most AP teachers participating in focus groups said that as long as a new technology
enhances learning, and does not pose excessive burdens on teachers, they enjoy incorporating it into
their classrooms. Those who were not incorporating much digital technology into their classrooms at
the time of the focus groups noted it was generally a product of being overwhelmed by the undertaking
rather than being disinterested or not seeing benefits. This sentiment is not surprising, given that survey
respondents ranked time constraints and the pressure to teach to assessments as the top challenges
they face in bringing new technologies to bear on the educational process.
Overall, very few teachers in focus groups expressed outright disinterest in bringing new technologies to