Tech in School: Survey Results

In the spirit of back-to-school, SodaHead.com, the web’s largest opinion-based community, asked users about on technology being used in schools, including when tablets and laptops should be allowed, thoughts on cell phones/texting in class and the potential change over to e-Books. The poll also asked about favorite and least favorite subjects in school and the importance of a college education for getting a job.

Now, as a teacher, I don't wholeheartedly agree with the results. I think laptops and tablets can be very useful at all levels of education, and that schools actually do a disservice if they don't expose their students to technology, since it is very important for students to be able to have a good sense of media literacy. While I don't think it's appropriate for elementary school students to be using laptops or tablets exclusively at the expense of other more traditional methods, I think they can be a great way to differentiate education and provide individual instruction for students that need extra help or are ready to go to the next step, they are excellent tools to use for students with special needs, and they also teach kids responsible use of tools that will be available to them their entire lives.

What did those surveyed think? Less than 20% thought it was ok for laptops or tablets to be used in elementary school, 20% thought tablets were ok and 25% thought laptops were ok in middle school, about a third of respondents felt that high school was ok for laptops and tablets, just under 20% thought college was the right place, and 7% of respondents thought it was never ok to use laptops, while 13% thought it was never ok to use tablets. I respect parents' opinion, but I do think in many cases, better parent education is the key. Also in my experience, having been involved in two schools that are implementing one-to-one programs (where every student gets a laptop or tablet), parents are actually quite receptive and interested in the idea, so apparently those schools have been the deviation, rather than the norm.

The next question I wholeheartedly agreed with the majority - less than 20% thought texting in class was ok, with about half saying it's not ok and just under 30% saying ok only for emergency (although I can't think of an emergency that would need texting as opposed to just asking to go to the office). Just under 30% said cell phones should be banned outright, and I agree with the majority again - they don't need to be banned, just not used when it's not appropriate.

I was a little surprised with the next result - just over a third of respondents don't want to use e-books, but the rest are for it for at least some classes. Keep in mind these are the same respondents where the majority said they didn't want laptops or tablets in the classroom - which you really can't use digital textbooks well without!

The next one makes me sad - 40% of respondents sad math was least favorite. I know people don't have to like it, but it's such a crucial concept. I think the biggest problem is when people have to take classes because of graduation requirements that they aren't ready for - and there, the burden tends to fall on math. Most favorite was a little more varied, with only 22% voting English as favorite (interestingly enough, 16% said English was least favorite.

Also interesting: 70% of high school students and 74% of college students thought college was important, but 50% of full-time workers and 48% of those unemployed felt it was important.

 

Full details of the poll are available at:  http://www.sodahead.com/survey/featured/school-survey/?results=1