Research on Educational Technology
There are so many resources we are able to access today to find research that has been done or is being done on just about any topic under the sun. Educational technology research is fascinating to me because as technology advances are being made at a faster pace than, say 15 years ago, the trends in technology inside the classroom are constantly advancing and changing.
The Pew Research Center is one resource that gives some great insight on internet and technology use. A recent study was just published on their website titled Teens, Social Media, & Technology 2018. It provides some statistics that I found extremely intriguing and want to share here.
The first statistic that really stuck out to me was the fact that today, over 90% of U.S. teens have access to a Smartphone. I find this statistic so interesting because I remember growing up, it was not the mainstream thing to have a cellphone by age 13. I specifically recall a time when my best friend had gotten a cellphone in middle school and I was so jealous because my parents always said I would have to wait until high school. However, my friend only had the cellphone because her parents wanted her to have one on hand in case of an emergency, and she was NOT allowed to use it to do anything except call her parents! 😂 Now, almost every U.S. teen has a Smartphone which provides access to internet, texting, calling, apps, etc...so it's almost impossible to control what they do or don't do with their phones.
Not only are kids and teens using technology more and more, but they are doing this at a younger and younger age. As someone who does not teach in a classroom setting, it does surprise me the amount of technology that is utilized in the classroom. While I can understand the benefits of introducing technology at a younger age and teaching students how to responsibly use the resources they have at their fingertips, there does seem to be a good amount of research that shines a light on the downsides of technology and how it is being used both inside and outside of the classroom.
The Pew Research Center is one resource that gives some great insight on internet and technology use. A recent study was just published on their website titled Teens, Social Media, & Technology 2018. It provides some statistics that I found extremely intriguing and want to share here.
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Source: Drew Angerer/Getty Images News via Getty Images |
Another interesting statistic provided in this report was about how much time teens spend online nowadays. It is truly amazing that in just 3-4 years, the percentage of teens that are almost constantly online has just about doubled. I believe that this statistic can be tied into how prominent educational technology is in the classroom. However, just because technology is being used more frequently, does not mean it's necessarily a "good" thing.
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On Common Sense Media, a website dedicated to giving ratings and reviews of media to parents, a published research study titled Children, Teens, and Entertainment Media: The View from the Classroom gives teachers' insights to how students' academic performance has decreased due to entertainment media. Below is an infographic showing that 71% of teachers believe that students' media use has hurt their attention span either 'somewhat' or 'a lot.' It also provides statements made by teachers included in the study that I found truly interesting.
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What are your thoughts on how technology is being used in the classroom - whether that be at a grade school level or a high school level?
I can completely relate!!!! I got a phone in middle school, but there was no texting, no internet and only phone calls to parents! I even remember having dial up internet. It is crazy how many 3rd graders have better phones than my parents! I agree that most students are probably spending more time on the phone, because that is the easiest way to communicate with everything. They have everything they need at their finger tips! I was reading an article and it was talking about why teach kids spelling when there is auto-correct and technology that they can talk into and it types it out for them! Crazy and scary how times have changed!
ReplyDelete" I believe that this statistic can be tied into how prominent educational technology is in the classroom." Very interesting thought, Natalie. One that I haven't seen brought up before. The rate of technology's availability at school and at home continues to climb as you pointed out. This is why it's so important to review studies like these every so often. We need to understand our learners!
ReplyDeleteI remember having a flip phone at 13 with no internet or text messaging so I can completely relate! It's shocking to see young kids with cell phones, I can't imagine what they'd need it for other than to contact their parents! However, now people have become so addicted to having their phone on them for everything. Its crazy.
ReplyDeleteNatalie, I loved your thoughts on getting a cell phone when you were younger! I remember feeling so cool getting a "Firefly" that let me only call 5 numbers when I was in 5th grade... ha! When I was reading the educators thoughts about "text message language" I could definitely see that in classrooms today. When I worked in middle school, students had a very hard time with their grammar and definitely took advantage of the auto-correct when using their iPads/computers.
ReplyDeleteNatalie-
ReplyDeleteYounger and younger generations are becoming more technologically inclined, where children are provided electronic devices at younger ages. Early introduction to electronic uses can be beneficial as most electronic devices are visual and audio based. Children are highly attracted to them which has the potential to enhance their learning capability. As they become more accustomed to using different devices, the introduction to future devices and functions are not so alien. In this way, children are adapting to technology. Early introduction can also be detrimental as it increases screen which studies show contributes to physical inactivity, thus increases risks to developing diseases.