The report found that 63% of teachers think technology has hindered the interpersonal skills (collaboration, listening, manners etc) of pupils the most. Thereafter, 58% of teachers feel technology in the classroom has deterred the emotional intelligence of pupils (the ability to understand and manage their own emotions, as well as others). Communication is the third soft skills which teachers consider to have been significantly hindered by technology in the classroom at 41%.
On the other end of the scale, only 7% of teachers believe technology has setback the researching capabilities of pupils. Just slightly above by 1%, only 8% of teachers think a pupil’s technical literacy has been harmed by the presence of technology in the classroom. Perhaps unsurprising, given the long amounts of time that pupils now spend interacting with technology – they are now more digitally savvy and competent than ever before.
Technology has drastically evolved the way in which schools teach and children learn. The wide adoption of smartphones and tablets by students inside as well as outside the classroom has made studying more engaging and interactive. Consequently, the unquestionable benefits of introducing technology in the classroom has encouraged schools to annually spend an astonishing £900m on education technology.
Moreover, according to the report, 57% of teachers place online assessments as the technology which will have the biggest growth in education over the next five years. Within the same time frame, teachers think online content and resources (56%) is the technology that will have the next most substantial growth, followed by cloud-based lesson planning and delivery tools (41%).
Key Findings:
Technology is now an accepted part of the classroom with just 3% of all educators indicating that they don’t use technology very much, and don’t feel that it is necessary to. Furthermore, many teachers feel that there is increasing pressure to use technology for technology’s sake, rather than when it is relevant to teaching and learning.
Educator attitudes towards the use of technology have remained static over the last 12 months. The majority of teachers still believe that it is a necessary part of everyday life and that this should be reflected in lessons. Educators also agree that technology is an excellent way to engage students using a medium familiar to them.