PBS LearningMedia today released findings from a national survey of pre-K-12 teachers that provides a current snapshot of how teachers are using technology in America’s classrooms, the types of technology teachers have access to and their attitudes toward technology. Three-quarters of teachers surveyed link educational technology to a growing list of benefits, saying technology enables them to reinforce and expand on content (74%), to motivate students to learn (74%), and to respond to a variety of learning styles (73%). Seven in 10 teachers (69%) surveyed said educational technology allows them to “do much more than ever before” for their students.
Teachers are integrating digital learning into their classrooms more than ever. Nearly half (48%) of teachers surveyed reported using technology for online lesson plans, and just under half use technology to give students access to web-based educational games or activities (45%). Additionally, teachers use online video, images and articles (43%). Sixty-five percent of teachers reported that technology allows them to demonstrate something they cannot show in any other way.
Interestingly, a growing number of educators have access to and are adopting new technologies and platforms to support instruction. Ninety percent of teachers surveyed have access to at least one PC or laptop for their classrooms, and six in 10 teachers (59%) have access to an interactive whiteboard. Tablets and e-readers saw the biggest increase among technology platforms available for classroom instruction. More than one-third (35%) of teachers said they have access to a tablet or e-reader in their classroom, up from 20% a year ago. Among teachers with access to tablets, 71% cite the use of educational applications as the most beneficial for teaching, followed by educational websites (64%) and educational e-books/textbooks (60%).
Asmore educators are adopting technology for a 21st century curriculum, the accessibility of educational content on a variety of platforms is key to bringing lessons to life in classrooms.
PBS LearningMedia (www.pbslearningmeda.org) provides educators with free access to classroom-ready, curriculum-targeted resources aligned to National and Common Core State Standards. Drawing from critically acclaimed PBS programs such as NOVA, Frontline, American Experience and PBS KIDS programs like Sid The Science Kid, as well as The National Archives and NASA, the service offers teachers more than 20,000 videos, images and articles to enrich classroom instruction. PBS LearningMedia is currently being used by 650,000 teachers nationwide and is accessible on multiple devices.
Survey Methodology
The survey spanned 503 web-based interviews with US pre-K-12 teachers. The survey was conducted January 15-20, 2013, by VeraQuest, Inc. and has a margin of error of +/- 4.4% at a 95% confidence level.
