Group items tagged

OverviewA survey of teachers who instruct American middle and secondary school students finds that digital technologies have become central to their teaching and professionalization. At the same time, the internet, mobile phones, and social media have brought new challenges to teachers, and they report striking differences in access to the latest digital technologies between lower and higher income students and school districts. Asked about the impact of the internet and digital tools in their role as middle and high school educators, these teachers say the following about the overall impact on their teaching and their classroom work: 92% of these teachers say the internet has a “major impact” on their ability to access content, resources, and materials for their teaching 69% say the internet has a “major impact” on their ability to share ideas with other teachers 67% say the internet has a “major impact” on their ability to interact with parents and 57% say it has had such an impact on enabling their interaction with students The survey finds that digital tools are widely used in classrooms and assignments, and a majority of these teachers are satisfied with the support and resources they receive from their school in this area. However, it also indicates that teachers of the lowest income students face more challenges in bringing these tools to their classrooms: Mobile technology has become central to the learning process, with 73% of AP and NWP teachers saying that they and/or their students use their cell phones in the classroom or to complete assignments More than four in ten teachers report the use of e-readers (45%) and tablet computers (43%) in their classrooms or to complete assignments 62% say their school does a “good job” supporting teachers’ efforts to bring digital tools into the learning process, and 68% say their school provides formal training in this area Teachers of low income students, however, are much less likely than teachers of the highest income students to use tablet computers (37% v. 56%) or e-readers (41% v. 55%) in their classrooms and assignments Similarly, just over half (52%) of teachers of upper and upper-middle income students say their students use cell phones to look up information in class, compared with 35% of teachers of the lowest income students Just 15% of AP and NWP teachers whose students are from upper income households say their school is “behind the curve” in effectively using digital tools in the learning process; 39% who teach students from low income households describe their school as “behind the curve” 70% of teachers of the highest income students say their school does a “good job” providing the resources needed to bring digital tools into the classroom; the same is true of 50% of teachers working in low income areas Teachers of the lowest income students are more than twice as likely as teachers of the highest income students (56% v. 21%) to say that students’ lack of access to digital technologies is a “major challenge” to incorporating more digital tools into their teaching

73% of AP and NWP teachers say that they and/or their students use their mobile phones in the classroom or to complete assignments 45% report they or their students use e-readers and 43% use tablet computers in the classroom or to complete assignments

76% of AP and NWP teachers “strongly agree that “search engines have conditioned students to expect to be able to find information quickly and easily” 83% agree that “the amount of information available online today is overwhelming for most students” 71% agree that “today’s digital technologies discourage students from finding and using a wide range of sources for their research” 60% agree with the notion that “today’s digital technologies make it harder for students to find and use credible sources of information”

70% of teachers working in the highest income areas say their school does a “good job” providing teachers the resources and support they need to incorporate digital tools in the classroom, compared with 50% of teachers working in the lowest income areas 73% of teachers of high income students receive formal training in this area, compared with 60% of teachers of low income students 56% of teachers of students from higher income households say they or their students use tablet computers in the learning process, compared with 37% of teachers of the lowest income students 55% of teachers of higher income students say they or their students use e-readers in the classroom, compared with 41%  teaching in low income areas 52% of teachers of upper and upper-middle income students say their students use cell phones to look up information in class, compared with 35% of teachers of the lowest income students 39% of AP and NWP teachers of low income students say their school is “behind the curve” when it comes to effectively using digital tools in the learning process; just 15% of teachers of higher income students rate their schools poorly in this area 56% of teachers of the lowest income students say that a lack of resources among students to access digital technologies is a “major challenge” to incorporating more digital tools into their teaching; 21% of teachers of the highest income students report that problem 49% of teachers of students living in low income households say their school’s use of internet filters has a major impact on their teaching, compared with 24% of those who teach better off students who say that 33% of teachers of lower income students say their school’s rules about classroom cell phone use by students have a major impact on their teaching, compared with 15% of those who teach students from the highest income households

Login Welcome, {{name}} Logout Rankings &amp; Advice Education Health Money Travel Cars Law Firms News U.S. News Home education Facebook Twitter Education Rankings &amp; Advice Home Colleges Grad Schools High Schools National Rankings State Rankings High School Notes Blog (function ($) { "use strict"; $(function () { var $metaCurrentState = $('meta[name=current_state_abbreviation]'), $headerSearch = $('#headerSearch-highSchools'), $headerState = $('select[name=bhs-school-state]', $headerSearch), $headerStates = $('option', $headerStates), currentStateAbbreviation = ''; if ($metaCurrentState.length > 0) { currentStateAbbreviation = $metaCurrentState.attr('content'); $headerStates.each(function () { var $state = $(this), text = $state.text(), value = $state.val(); if (text === currentStateAbbreviation) { $headerState.val(value); } }); } }); }(jQuery)); in AK AL AR AZ CA CO CT DC<

can't just hand out iPads just for professional development or training for the teachers

“Publish” your students’ work.

“Publish” your students’ work.

“Publish” your students’ work.

As a member of a large online community of educators through Twitter and other social media outlets, I know how much of an impact the Internet has had on educators and their classrooms across the world. I was not surprised to read that 92% of teachers "say the Internet has a 'major impact' on their ability to access content, resources and materials for their teaching." As an urban educator, I was also not surprised to read that only 21% of teachers in high-income schools said that lack of access to digital technologies is an issue for their students, while 56% of teachers in low-income schools reported this an issue for their students. Cash-strapped school districts and districts with a large number of high-needs students do not have the resources to provide schools with digital technologies, such as classroom projectors, that many more affluent schools would consider commonplace.

Three advantages have been found regarding technology in the classroom including:&nbsp; Educators should use technology in the classroom because its wide range of uses and forms has the potential to reach students of all learning styles, as well as be more efficient.&nbsp; The interest and motivation that technology induces in students makes its usage in schools important.&nbsp; Educators better prepare students for the future when using technology aimed at addressing each learning style.

"The creative use of these technologies has the potential to engage young people and instill an excitement about learning in ways that few traditional teaching aids and techniques seem capable of doing." They later mention that technological instruction helps students adapt to learning styles by providing a "self-paced... learning environment" that helps all learners to feel less threatened by new material. The simple fact that students exposed to technology will be more comfortable with it later in life is only one of the many reasons to use it in hopes of preparing the for the future.

&nbsp;Improved attitude &nbsp;Improved confidence&nbsp; &nbsp;Improved writing skills when using technology in the classroom (2)

Numerous studies have been done to assess the impact of class size reduction. Although most studies do show a relationship between small class size and increased student achievement, researchers disagree on how to interpret the results. Because there are so many variables in the average classroom — the quality of the teacher, the home environment of the students, the quality of the curriculum, the leadership of the school — it is difficult to draw definitive conclusions about student achievement based on class size alone. In other words, strategies effective in one setting may not be equally effective in another. Nevertheless, studies over a period of years have pointed to a number of trends as a result of lowering class size: Gains associated with small classes generally appear when the class size is reduced to less than 20 students. Gains associated with small classes are stronger for the early grades. Gains are stronger for students who come from groups that are traditionally disadvantaged in education — minorities and immigrants. Gains from class size reduction in the early grades continue for students in the upper grades. Students are less likely to be retained, more likely to stay in school and more likely to earn better grades. Academic gains are not the only benefit of lowering class size. A recent study published in the American Journal of Public Health revealed that reducing class sizes in elementary schools may be more cost-effective than most public health and medical interventions. This is because students in smaller classes are more likely to graduate from high school, and high school graduates earn more and also enjoy significantly better health than high school dropouts.

Reasons for Integrating Technology When done effectively, technology has a positive impact on student learning. It can: Increase student motivation for learning Improve communication of learning goals Facilitate higher-order thinking skills Build valuable skills that students will use in college and in the workplace Expand students' understanding from novice to mastery There is no denying that computer technology has become as commonplace as the telephone in American society. To make learning relevant to students, this reality needs to be acknowledged in the form of technology-based lessons.

When planning a lesson – even when you’re planning on incorporating technology – what is the first question you should ask yourself? What does Sheryl argue is the power of technology? How will that aid in students' retention of material and their engagement? What is the impact of technology on this lesson?

ng replaced by tech-infused lessons that get through to the new generation of students. S

SMART Boards make the teacher’s job easier and more creative. They can store and retrieve lessons quickly, connect to the Internet and bring the outside world into the classroom.

Students are given new ways to approach problem solving because of the interactivity and visual approach of the SMART Board. A report from FutureLab noted that, “one of the most striking benefits of interactive whiteboards is that they can introduce ‘theatrical tension’ into the classroom.”

technology doesn't work in every scenario