electronic devices used in education

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• Devices in the Classroom

Digital devices, such as laptops, tablets, and smartphones, are ubiquitous in society, across college campuses, and in college classrooms. A vast majority of college students bring and/or use a laptop in the classroom ( Patterson and Patterson, 2017 ; Elliot-Dorans, 2018 ). In many ways, the ubiquity of these devices has been a boon to higher education—students can now respond instantaneously to online polls, collaborate in real time on written work, and engage with a range of media more flexibly than ever before. Using digital devices to teach remotely for a year and a half helped further demonstrate some of the ways they might be used in-person to promote learning.

Given this tension, how do you create a classroom and course where technology is used to engage, rather than distract, students? Looking at the research and our experiences using technology both in-person and remotely, we’ve found that using technology well involves being intentional, flexible, and transparent. Below you’ll find some advice about how you might use technology to support your learning objectives, supplemented by research on how to prevent technology from becoming a distraction.

Distraction, not the device, is the problem

Let's be clear: the presence of electronic devices in the classroom is not, in and of itself, the problem. Rather, it's the way we incorporate electronic devices into situations in which we are already inclined to pay attention to too many things. Broadly, we are not wired to multitask well (e.g. Mayer and Moreno, 2003 ), which is precisely the temptation that many students report experiencing when they are in the classroom. Let’s take a moment to look at what the research on in-class device usage tells us about multitasking; or, you may wish to jump directly to our recommendations below.

Studies of individual class sessions

A growing number of studies have found that off-topic device usage—whether on a phone or on a laptop—impedes academic performance (e.g. Glass and Kang, 2019 ; Felisoni and Godoi, 2018 ; Bjornsen and Archer, 2015 ; Demirbilek and Talan, 2018 ). Several studies have compared students who texted during a lecture versus those who did not. Those who texted typically took lower quality notes, retained less information, and did worse on tests about the material (e.g. Kuznekoff and Titsworth, 2013 , and Rosen et al, 2011 ; Lee et al, 2017 ). Students themselves are aware that in-class multitasking does not promote learning; in one survey, 80% of students agreed that multitasking in class decreases their ability to pay attention ( Sana et al, 2013 ).

Studies of semester-long courses

Much of the above data comes from simulated class situations, correlational studies, or studies of a single class session. What happens when students are not allowed to use computers in class for an entire semester? Two studies comparing actual college classrooms in which students were or were not allowed to use computers over the course of the semester found that students who bring a laptop to class earned lower grades than those who do not ( Patterson and Patterson, 2017 ; Carter et al, 2017 ).

However, the evidence is not uniformly against laptops. Elliot-Dorans compared different sections of the same course that either banned or allowed laptops, and found that banning laptops led to lower quality of written work, lower attendance, and lower exam scores ( Elliot-Dorans, 2018 ). The author surmised that students’ note taking was worse without a laptop, which impeded their learning.

Our recommendations

Maintaining focus.

Boredom is one of the main reasons that students report using a digital device during class ( McCoy, 2016 ). By keeping your students engaged, thinking, and doing activities during class, they are less likely to be tempted by digital distractions. Two studies, one that asked students to use clickers to report lapses in attention ( Bunce et al, 2010 ) and one that tracked students’ eye gaze patterns during lectures ( Rosengrant et al, 2012 , summarized here ), found that students’ attention is highest during and immediately after a change in pedagogy or behavior of the instructor. Some examples of changes that can help students maintain focus include:

Variety in pedagogical activities. If you want students to pay attention to you, then you have to offer them something more interesting than your slides (which they’re perfectly capable of reading for themselves). Look for opportunities to change up the interaction in the classroom. If you're lecturing, why not ask your students to provide examples of the concept you’re describing? If you are leading a discussion seminar, why not design activities for students to talk to each other in small groups instead of just answering your questions for the duration of the class? For example, prompt students turn and talk to each other about a question or challenge you’ve posed. Technology can help promote engagement and collaboration during an activity like this; students could write and respond to each other in a shared Google Doc.

Proximity to the instructor. You are not a prisoner of the podium, or the front of the table, or however your classroom is set up. Of course, you can't be proximate to each student all the time—so move around! You can use your position in the classroom to change the flow of the conversation and the way that students direct their attention.

Humor. You probably already knew that students typically pay attention to jokes. But there's a lot more behind that surface observation: laughter in the classroom can make students more comfortable, lower their affective filter , encourage intellectual risk-taking, decrease anxiety, and establish a more productive student-teacher relationship.

Using technology for learning and engagement

Furthermore, students may prefer taking notes on their computer rather than by hand. In one survey of college students, 70% of students report that having a laptop in class is helpful for their academic performance, with note-taking cited as the most important benefit ( Kay and Lauricella, 2014 ). Additional reported benefits include engagement with in-class academic activities, and communication and collaboration with peers ( Kay and Lauricella, 2014 ; Fried, 2008 ).

Technology as a technology of inclusion

While for many students banning devices from the classroom may seem like a minor inconvenience, students with dyslexia, ADHD, or visual impairments use computers to take notes and to access cloud-based assistive technologies. People with invisible disabilities are enrolling in higher education settings in increasing numbers, and require access to technologies that assist with their learning. Allowing all students access to a device in class avoids singling out students who have important reasons for using one.

To allow or not allow devices?

Faculty are often hesitant to allow students to use devices in the classroom due to the potential for distraction. However, we note that the challenge with digital devices is not the device per se, but off-topic usage. We can decrease the temptation by ensuring that the class itself is interactive and engaging, and that any use of technology is relevant.

We recommend being intentional, transparent, and flexible about use of digital devices in the classroom.

Start by thinking carefully about your learning objectives , and identify activities that align with your objectives and enhance learning. Sometimes the most appropriate activity might not involve technology, but instead might include students talking to a neighbor, drawing a diagram on paper, or solving a problem on a white board. In other cases, you might see an ideal use case for electronic devices. For example, you might incorporate online tools that provide insight into student understanding (such as polls) or that allow collaborative work.

During some portions of a class, you might encourage students not to use their devices, but to instead maintain their attention on the conversation, for example. (You may wish to apply these directions flexibility, with the understanding that some students rely on digital tools for learning.)

Communicate clearly—and frequently—about when and why to use a device, as well as why not to use a device. Share the research about how off-topic device usage impedes learning.

Include a technology policy on your syllabus. In addition to letting students know what they can and cannot use, it is important to let them know why.

Share advice about good practices for using digital devices. Guidance about turning off extraneous applications and notifications, and closing the device when an activity is completed, will help students not only in your class, but also in their future work environments.

For more information...

Beth McMurtrie, " Should You Allow Cellphones in Class? "  The Chronicle of Higher Education  (20 October 2022).

James M. Lang, Distracted: Why Students Can't Focus and What You Can Do about It  (Hachette, 2020).

J. Weinberg, " Why To Discourage Laptops In Class (With Slides You Can Show Your Students) ," Daily Nous (15 August 2018). [These slides provide an overview of research surrounding using laptops in class; additionally, the comments provide some nuance as to why a ban can be problematic.]

Zhu, E., Kaplan, M., Dershimer, R. C., & Bergom, I. (2011). Use of laptops in the classroom: Research and best practices . CRLT Occasional Papers, 30(6).

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Technology and Digital Media in the Classroom: A Guide for Educators

• January 23, 2020

Technology has done more to change school curriculum and practices than nearly anything else—and in such a short amount of time! While it can be hard to keep up with every trend in educational technology, the mindset you have when it comes to classroom tech matters just as much as which ones you use. By learning to view it as a means of enhancing your lessons and resources, you can provide your students with tools and opportunities they may not otherwise access.

So, why and how should you use technology in your classroom? Read on to discover the impact of technology in education and how to get the most from its unique benefits.

What Is the Proper Role of Technology in the Classroom?

Even with the latest and best digital technology, classrooms will not benefit unless the students and faculty understand how to use it.[15] In fact, educational technology should never be viewed as a perfect resource to teach your students everything they need to know to succeed. Instead, view it as a tool that can inform and supplement lessons, and even then, only if teachers and administrators are well trained in its use.

While technology can be an excellent resource in a classroom, it’s important to set limitations. Technology—no matter how good—should never be a substitute for face-to-face interaction with a teacher or classmates.[4] Technology is best used to augment non-digital lessons rather than the other way around. The goal when using technology should be to enhance your teaching rather than replace it.[6]

Benefits of Using Tech and Digital Media in Education

With the help of technology, you can introduce your classroom to opportunities and resources they may not otherwise be able to access.[5] In fact, this is one of the greatest ways technology has changed education. You may not be able to take your students to one of NASA’s space centers to witness a rocket launch, for example, but you can teach them all about rockets using resources on NASA’s website . Video clips, educational games, and virtual simulations are just a few examples of technology resources you can use to engage and educate in the classroom.

Plus, the vast majority of today’s careers require at least some digital skills (which include anything from complex skills like coding to simpler ones like composing and sending emails). Using tech in class can prepare students to successfully enter the workforce after graduation.[4] Even though the technology is likely to change from their early school years to the time they start their first career, teaching digital literacy in elementary school is a great way to get students started.

Why else is understanding how to use technology in the classroom important? Using technology alongside non-digital lessons can have many academic and behavioral benefits for your students, including:[2,7,11,12]

• Longer attention span
• Increased intrinsic motivation to learn
• Higher classroom participation and student engagement
• Greater academic achievement
• Stronger digital literacy

And finally, the benefits of classroom technology can expand far beyond the classroom and right into your students’ homes.[4] Rather than handing out paper worksheets, you can send your students online lessons or activities to complete at their own convenience. This practice provides better flexibility, plus the opportunity for you to provide audio or video clips alongside homework assignments. Additionally, if you have under-resourced students in your classroom, you may be able to supplement the resources available to their families by providing take-home technology.

How to Get the Most from Technology in Schools

One of the major concerns parents and educators have with classroom technology is how to limit excessive screen time. The American Association of Pediatrics suggests the following screen time recommendations by age. Keep these guidelines in mind when you teach lessons that involve screen time in your classroom:[17]

• 2–5 years old : No more than one hour of high-quality digital activities or programming
• 6 or older : Consistent limits to prevent screen time getting in the way of sleep, physical activity, or other healthy behaviors

Whenever possible, prioritize active digital screen time over passive.[16] Active screen time, like playing an educational game or learning a new digital skill, engages a student’s mind or body in a way that involves more than observation. Passive screen time—think watching a video or listening to an online lecture—involves limited interaction or engagement with the technology. Active digital activities are more likely to help your students experience new concepts, and they encourage your class to work together during the lesson.

Although teachers at under-resourced and rural schools are less likely to use technology, any tech you have available can greatly add to the opportunities you provide your students.[13, 18] Technology can remove some of the physical or financial barriers to educational resources and experiences.[17] If you’re unable to go on a field trip, for example, you can access plenty of virtual field trips at no cost.[16] Use the technology you do have to supplement your lessons and provide students with information you may not otherwise be able to access.

And finally, use school technology to teach your students digital citizenship .[14] Broadly defined, digital citizenship is the safe, ethical, informed, and responsible use of technology.[16] It encompasses skills like internet safety, setting healthy screen time habits, and communicating with others online. Lessons that involve digital citizenship can help a student use technology responsibly well beyond their elementary school years.

6 Quick Tips for Using Technology in the Classroom

The benefits of technology in education can revolutionize your classroom, but only when used intentionally. All it takes is a little time and personal training to help you understand the ins and outs of useful classroom tech.

Keep these six strategies and ideas in mind to help you get the most out of your classroom technology:

• Always use technology or learning programs yourself before trying it with your students so you can troubleshoot any issues in advance.[9]
• Most of today’s students are digital natives and have grown up around technology for their entire life. Listen to what your students know about technology and ask them for tip. They may just teach you something new![8]
• Use digital resources (like apps, texts, or social media groups) to keep parents informed about class activities and upcoming assignments.[5]
• Prioritize active digital activities, like online learning games or interactive lessons, over passive activities (like watching a video).
• If you’re an administrator, schedule a faculty training session on how to use your school’s technology and answer any questions.[10]
• Focus your technology-based lessons on teaching your students digital citizenship , or skills that will help them thoughtfully and effectively navigate digital media.[14]
• Groff, J., and Mouza, C. A Framework for Addressing Challenges to Classroom Technology Use. AACE Journal, January 2008, 16(1), pp. 21-46.
• Levy, L.A. 7 Reasons Why Digital Literacy is Important for Teachers. Retrieved from usc.edu: https://www.rossieronline.usc.edu/blog/teacher-digital-literacy/.
• Van Dusen, L.M., and Worthen, B.R. Can Integrated Instructional Technology Transform the Classroom? Educational Leadership, October 1995, 53(2), pp. 28-33.
• Rosenberg, J. Technology in the classroom: Friend or Foe? Retrieved from huffpost.com: hhttps://www.huffpost.com/entry/technology-in-the-classro_2_b_2018558..
• Venezky, R.L. Technology in the classroom: steps toward a new vision. Education, Communication & Information, 2004, 4(1), pp. 3-21.
• Buckenmeyer, J.A. Beyond Computers In The Classroom: Factors Related To Technology Adoption To Enhance Teaching And Learning. Contemporary Issues in Education Research. April 2010, 3(4), pp. 27-36.
• Bester, G., and Brand, L. The effect of technology on learner attention and achievement in the classroom. South African Journal of Education, 2013, 33(2), pp. 1-15.
• Reissman, H. 7 smart ways to use technology in classrooms. Retrieved from ted.com: https://ideas.ted.com/7-smart-ways-to-use-technology-in-classrooms/.
• Edutopia Staff. How to Integrate Technology. Retrieved from edutopia.org: https://www.edutopia.org/technology-integration-guide-implementation. Winters-Robinson, E. How Tech Can Engage Students, Simplify the School Day and Save Time for Teachers. Retrieved from edsurge.com: https://www.edsurge.com/news/2019-10-15-how-tech-can-engage-students-simplify-the-school-day-and-save-time-for-teachers.
• Couse, L.J., and Chen, D.W. A Tablet Computer for Young Children? Exploring its Viability for Early Childhood Education. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 2010, 43(1), pp. 75-96.
• Filer, D. Everyone’s Answering: Using Technology to Increase Classroom Participation. Nursing Education Perspectives, 2010, 31(4), pp. 247-250.
• Friedman, S. How Teachers Use Technology in the Classroom. Retrieved from thejournal.com: https://thejournal.com/articles/2019/04/15/how-teachers-use-technology-in-the-classroom.aspx.
• Mace, N. 8 Strategies to Manage the 21st Century Classroom . Retrieved from education.cu-portland.edu: https://education.cu-portland.edu/blog/classroom-resources/using-classroom-technology/.
• Keswani, B., Patni, P., and Banerjee, D. Role Of Technology In Education: A 21st Century Approach. Journal of Commerce and Instructional Technology, 2008, 8, pp.54-59.
• The Office of Educational Technology. Reimagining the Role of Technology in Education: 2017 National Education Technology Plan Update . Retrieved from tech.ed.gov: tech.ed.gov/files/2017/01/NETP17.pdf.
• Courville, K. Technology and its use in Education: Present Roles and Future Prospects. 2011 Recovery School District Technology Summit, 2011, pp. 1-19.
• Klopfer, E., Osterweil, S., Groff, J., and Haas, J. Using the technology of today, in the classroom today: the instructional power of digital games, social networking, simulations, and how teachers can leverage them . The Education Arcade, 2009, pp. 1-20.
• American Academy of Pediatrics. American Academy of Pediatrics Announces New Recommendations for Children’s Media Use. Retrieved from aap.org: https://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/Pages/American-Academy-of-Pediatrics-Announces-New-Recommendations-for-Childrens-Media-Use.aspx.

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“Technology is a driving force in education, opening up many doors and preparing students for what lies ahead, not behind,” said Kirsty Kelly, Primary Years Program Coordinator at the Canadian International School in Singapore. “It allows for greater differentiation, individualized learning, real world integration, and varied assessments.”

Today’s schools are changing and the incorporation of digital advances into the classroom was inevitable and necessary. To prepare students for their future, education must utilize the most advanced tools and techniques available.

“Technology must be incorporated into how [teachers] teach and assess students,” Kelly added in a phone interview with Global Citizen. “There must be a shift in mindset, for teachers, parents, and students.”

These changes are being reflected in new educational spaces.

"Students inhabit a 21st-century world for 18 hours a day," Jim Tracy, headmaster at Cushing Academy in Ashburnham, Massachusetts told US News and World Report . "And, all too often, educators put them in a 19th-century classroom for six hours of that day, and the students feel a tremendous disconnect."

Read More: 16 Classrooms from Around the world

Education institutions from Kindergarten to postgraduate programs are incorporating new technology at a rapid pace. Some classrooms are starting to look more like the movie Minority Report than the classrooms most adults today remember.

Here is a tour of the technology shaping today’s classrooms.

Creative spaces

“Stuffing schools with high tech tools isn’t the answer to offering dynamic learning experiences,” said Danish Kurani and Zoe Balaconis in an article for EdSurge , a website about the intersection between technology and education. Kurani is an architect and designer and her colleague Balaconis is the co-founder of Misadventures, a women’s outdoor adventure magazine. The two led a pilot program testing classroom designs with a public school in Columbine, Colorado.

The driving concept of the program was “new learning needs new environments.” Their pilot program redesigned a classroom to utilize technology and new teaching techniques to make education more “personalized, adaptive and real-world” focused. The new classroom had a “Skype Mountain,” a tiered sitting area where “students can sit, congregate, and connect with the world.”

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The classroom also included small discussion areas, individual, pupil directed, learning zones, and large learning galleries that can be updated to fit whatever topic is being taught.

This pilot program is one of many experimenting with new layouts for learning that will make sure that the classrooms of the future look substantially different than the ones of the past.

Projectors on their surface are a simple technology that has been around for decades. Historically used to project lecture notes or multimedia presentations, these classroom cornerstones can do so much more.

BenQ’s “ Interactive WXGA ”projector displays interactive images on almost any flat surface. The flexible projector, as displayed in the video below, can be hooked up to a wide range of devices allowing instructors and pupils to fully utilize it.  

Smartboards

A step beyond interactive projectors are the wide range of “smartboards” being utilized in classrooms.

Some smartboards operate just like a whiteboard, allowing a person to write on them with real or digital markers. Smartboards then surpass their simple whiteboard ancestors by recording what is written or turning a digital marker line into a tangible visual element.

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Other versions, like the Promethean board in the video below, are effectively touch-enabled giant digital computer screens. These screens are as limitless as the imagination. Students can manipulate images, guide an online exploration, or control a camera in the arctic circle.

Even better, they can be mirrored through the internet, opening up engagement to students anywhere with access to the signal.

Smart tables

The sturdier cousin to the smartboard, smart tables are re-orienting information for all ages. These digital displays take information off the wall and put it on tables. Sector leaders like SMART Technologies’ “ SMART Table ” focus their innovation on making the display sturdier than their wall-mounted cousins and supporting more simultaneous interactions. For example, the table in the video below can handle 40 unique touch points at the same time. It is a perfect fit for a room full of eager young students.

The layout of a smart tables makes it more accessible to people of all ages and physical abilities than smartboards.

Laptops, tablets, phones, and more

The presence of computers or tablets in the classroom is fairly common in developed countries. Students have used computers to take notes in class for more than a decade. Tablets and phones are even more portable and have the same capability.

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In the last few years, these devices have gained functionality and prominence in the classroom.  These devices are particularly important where teachers have experimented with “ flipped classrooms ,” an education system where students watch videos of lectures outside of class and do assignments in class.

Individual digital devices can also be networked together or connected to a classroom’s tech infrastructure to expand opportunities for students to work together. The future of this capability is a hot topic at many teacher’s conferences around the world .

Digital textbooks

Digital textbooks are becoming more crucial as some schools are cutting back on expensive physical textbooks. Some schools are going beyond adopting a new format for education texts.

In 2009, the state of California began replacing some high-school textbooks with “open-source” digital books. And digital textbook provider Boundless estimates students at half of the United States’ universities have used their free digital textbooks.

Initially, digital textbooks were simply the old textbooks in digital form. Nowadays, the digital versions are starting to look more like online databases or programs than their paper predecessors.

Cameras are present in almost every classroom in the United States. Often they come installed in laptops, tablets or desktops used by students. Programs like Microsoft’s Skype in the Classroom offer a wide range of educational experiences that can be accessed through these cameras.

In more advanced classrooms, higher-quality cameras are integrated with projectors or smartboards, opening up the experience to the entire class.

When cameras aren’t breaking down classroom walls, they are providing a basis for self-assessment . Students in some classes use cameras to record themselves doing an activity then watch the video to identify areas for improvement. Further, cameras – both still and video – are becoming common tools to create academic output in place of the more standard written essay.

Audio enhancements

For 40 years , schools in the US have regularly experimented with some form of audio enhancements. Historically found in auditoriums or large lecture halls, audio enhancement equipment is finding its way into classrooms of all sizes.

Audio enhancements refer to a suite of tools from high-quality speakers to wireless microphones. A full system includes easy to wear microphones transmitting an instructor’s voice to speakers in every corner of a classroom. The speakers can also be connected to a multimedia presentation or a person joining the class through a camera in a remote location. With quality speakers distributed around a classroom, each student is able to hear and absorb the information being shared.

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Educational benefits of audio-enhanced environments include higher retention from pupils, more engagement and interaction, and higher teacher energy because they are less tired from having to strain their voice day in and day out.

These systems are getting more advanced each day. Directional sound speakers enable students in different areas of a classroom to engage in activities without disturbing others. Students who have a hearing problem can tune their area speakers to provide higher amplification levels. And lectures or discussions can easily be recorded (as videos or podcasts) for later review or distribution.

Control centers

Classrooms often already have multiple streams of information available. The options are expected to continue to grow. To fully utilize the growing options, instructors need to be able to switch seamlessly from displaying a Skype chat to a documentary to a digital lecture. To enable this, systems like the ELMO CRC-1 “switcher” in the picture below are quickly becoming centerpieces in classrooms.

“One of the things that kills instructional flow is the downtime [for setup]. By integrating the Elmo into the projector and the audio enhancement it’s a smooth lesson all the way through,” said the Director of Learning Through Technology for the Charlotte County Public Schools in Florida in a video about his school system’s new high tech classrooms .

Easy to use, reliable, control centers for instructors help keep high tech classrooms operating smoothly.

Networked learning

Digital education platforms are a new form of teacher’s assistant in networked learning environments. The capabilities of these program range from enabling students to submit work electronically, to automatic assessments of some assignments, to early warning advisories to teachers if a specific student seems to be struggling.

Networked classrooms can also allow a teacher to look in on a student’s work while it is in progress by displaying the the student’s screen on their own device.

This advancement may not be as physically obvious as an ELMO control center or a smart table but it is quickly becoming the digital backbone of future instruction.

The future and appropriate use of networked learning environments is under debate by many leading experts in the field .

Classrooms in the future will need new investments of both creativity and finance. The technology is entering the industry but, of course, finance is, and will be, a barrier to building these new classrooms.

“I work in a private school with good funding – but technology is definitely an ongoing cost,” said Kelly. “At the same time, technology can replace some costs of traditional resources. It can also save administration cost and time.”

Not every school will be able to install smartboards or Skype Mountains in the next few years. Instead, they can look at updating lesson structures to fully utilize any available technology, resource sharing among students, and re-thinking their educational spaces within their budgets.

Students across the planet need the best, most up to date, education to prepare themselves for the future. And the world needs the best prepared students to have a better future.

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How technology is reinventing education

Stanford Graduate School of Education Dean Dan Schwartz and other education scholars weigh in on what's next for some of the technology trends taking center stage in the classroom.

Image credit: Claire Scully

New advances in technology are upending education, from the recent debut of new artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots like ChatGPT to the growing accessibility of virtual-reality tools that expand the boundaries of the classroom. For educators, at the heart of it all is the hope that every learner gets an equal chance to develop the skills they need to succeed. But that promise is not without its pitfalls.

“Technology is a game-changer for education – it offers the prospect of universal access to high-quality learning experiences, and it creates fundamentally new ways of teaching,” said Dan Schwartz, dean of Stanford Graduate School of Education (GSE), who is also a professor of educational technology at the GSE and faculty director of the Stanford Accelerator for Learning . “But there are a lot of ways we teach that aren’t great, and a big fear with AI in particular is that we just get more efficient at teaching badly. This is a moment to pay attention, to do things differently.”

For K-12 schools, this year also marks the end of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding program, which has provided pandemic recovery funds that many districts used to invest in educational software and systems. With these funds running out in September 2024, schools are trying to determine their best use of technology as they face the prospect of diminishing resources.

Here, Schwartz and other Stanford education scholars weigh in on some of the technology trends taking center stage in the classroom this year.

AI in the classroom

In 2023, the big story in technology and education was generative AI, following the introduction of ChatGPT and other chatbots that produce text seemingly written by a human in response to a question or prompt. Educators immediately worried that students would use the chatbot to cheat by trying to pass its writing off as their own. As schools move to adopt policies around students’ use of the tool, many are also beginning to explore potential opportunities – for example, to generate reading assignments or coach students during the writing process.

AI can also help automate tasks like grading and lesson planning, freeing teachers to do the human work that drew them into the profession in the first place, said Victor Lee, an associate professor at the GSE and faculty lead for the AI + Education initiative at the Stanford Accelerator for Learning. “I’m heartened to see some movement toward creating AI tools that make teachers’ lives better – not to replace them, but to give them the time to do the work that only teachers are able to do,” he said. “I hope to see more on that front.”

He also emphasized the need to teach students now to begin questioning and critiquing the development and use of AI. “AI is not going away,” said Lee, who is also director of CRAFT (Classroom-Ready Resources about AI for Teaching), which provides free resources to help teach AI literacy to high school students across subject areas. “We need to teach students how to understand and think critically about this technology.”

Immersive environments

The use of immersive technologies like augmented reality, virtual reality, and mixed reality is also expected to surge in the classroom, especially as new high-profile devices integrating these realities hit the marketplace in 2024.

The educational possibilities now go beyond putting on a headset and experiencing life in a distant location. With new technologies, students can create their own local interactive 360-degree scenarios, using just a cell phone or inexpensive camera and simple online tools.

“This is an area that’s really going to explode over the next couple of years,” said Kristen Pilner Blair, director of research for the Digital Learning initiative at the Stanford Accelerator for Learning, which runs a program exploring the use of virtual field trips to promote learning. “Students can learn about the effects of climate change, say, by virtually experiencing the impact on a particular environment. But they can also become creators, documenting and sharing immersive media that shows the effects where they live.”

Integrating AI into virtual simulations could also soon take the experience to another level, Schwartz said. “If your VR experience brings me to a redwood tree, you could have a window pop up that allows me to ask questions about the tree, and AI can deliver the answers.”

Gamification

Another trend expected to intensify this year is the gamification of learning activities, often featuring dynamic videos with interactive elements to engage and hold students’ attention.

“Gamification is a good motivator, because one key aspect is reward, which is very powerful,” said Schwartz. The downside? Rewards are specific to the activity at hand, which may not extend to learning more generally. “If I get rewarded for doing math in a space-age video game, it doesn’t mean I’m going to be motivated to do math anywhere else.”

Gamification sometimes tries to make “chocolate-covered broccoli,” Schwartz said, by adding art and rewards to make speeded response tasks involving single-answer, factual questions more fun. He hopes to see more creative play patterns that give students points for rethinking an approach or adapting their strategy, rather than only rewarding them for quickly producing a correct response.

New global data reveal education technology’s impact on learning

The promise of technology in the classroom is great: enabling personalized, mastery-based learning; saving teacher time; and equipping students with the digital skills they will need  for 21st-century careers. Indeed, controlled pilot studies have shown meaningful improvements in student outcomes through personalized blended learning. 1 John F. Pane et al., “How does personalized learning affect student achievement?,” RAND Corporation, 2017, rand.org. During this time of school shutdowns and remote learning , education technology has become a lifeline for the continuation of learning.

As school systems begin to prepare for a return to the classroom , many are asking whether education technology should play a greater role in student learning beyond the immediate crisis and what that might look like. To help inform the answer to that question, this article analyzes one important data set: the 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), published in December 2019 by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Every three years, the OECD uses PISA to test 15-year-olds around the world on math, reading, and science. What makes these tests so powerful is that they go beyond the numbers, asking students, principals, teachers, and parents a series of questions about their attitudes, behaviors, and resources. An optional student survey on information and communications technology (ICT) asks specifically about technology use—in the classroom, for homework, and more broadly.

In 2018, more than 340,000 students in 51 countries took the ICT survey, providing a rich data set for analyzing key questions about technology use in schools. How much is technology being used in schools? Which technologies are having a positive impact on student outcomes? What is the optimal amount of time to spend using devices in the classroom and for homework? How does this vary across different countries and regions?

From other studies we know that how education technology is used, and how it is embedded in the learning experience, is critical to its effectiveness. This data is focused on extent and intensity of use, not the pedagogical context of each classroom. It cannot therefore answer questions on the eventual potential of education technology—but it can powerfully tell us the extent to which that potential is being realized today in classrooms around the world.

Five key findings from the latest results help answer these questions and suggest potential links between technology and student outcomes:

• The type of device matters—some are associated with worse student outcomes.
• Geography matters—technology is associated with higher student outcomes in the United States than in other regions.
• Who is using the technology matters—technology in the hands of teachers is associated with higher scores than technology in the hands of students.
• Intensity matters—students who use technology intensely or not at all perform better than those with moderate use.
• A school system’s current performance level matters—in lower-performing school systems, technology is associated with worse results.

This analysis covers only one source of data, and it should be interpreted with care alongside other relevant studies. Nonetheless, the 2018 PISA results suggest that systems aiming to improve student outcomes should take a more nuanced and cautious approach to deploying technology once students return to the classroom. It is not enough add devices to the classroom, check the box, and hope for the best.

What can we learn from the latest PISA results?

How will the use, and effectiveness, of technology change post-covid-19.

The PISA assessment was carried out in 2018 and published in December 2019. Since its publication, schools and students globally have been quite suddenly thrust into far greater reliance on technology. Use of online-learning websites and adaptive software has expanded dramatically. Khan Academy has experienced a 250 percent surge in traffic; smaller sites have seen traffic grow fivefold or more. Hundreds of thousands of teachers have been thrown into the deep end, learning to use new platforms, software, and systems. No one is arguing that the rapid cobbling together of remote learning under extreme time pressure represents best-practice use of education technology. Nonetheless, a vast experiment is underway, and innovations often emerge in times of crisis. At this point, it is unclear whether this represents the beginning of a new wave of more widespread and more effective technology use in the classroom or a temporary blip that will fade once students and teachers return to in-person instruction. It is possible that a combination of software improvements, teacher capability building, and student familiarity will fundamentally change the effectiveness of education technology in improving student outcomes. It is also possible that our findings will continue to hold true and technology in the classroom will continue to be a mixed blessing. It is therefore critical that ongoing research efforts track what is working and for whom and, just as important, what is not. These answers will inform the project of reimagining a better education for all students in the aftermath of COVID-19.

PISA data have their limitations. First, these data relate to high-school students, and findings may not be applicable in elementary schools or postsecondary institutions. Second, these are single-point observational data, not longitudinal experimental data, which means that any links between technology and results should be interpreted as correlation rather than causation. Third, the outcomes measured are math, science, and reading test results, so our analysis cannot assess important soft skills and nonacademic outcomes.

It is also worth noting that technology for learning has implications beyond direct student outcomes, both positive and negative. PISA cannot address these broader issues, and neither does this paper.

But PISA results, which we’ve broken down into five key findings, can still provide powerful insights. The assessment strives to measure the understanding and application of ideas, rather than the retention of facts derived from rote memorization, and the broad geographic coverage and sample size help elucidate the reality of what is happening on the ground.

Finding 1: The type of device matters

The evidence suggests that some devices have more impact than others on outcomes (Exhibit 1). Controlling for student socioeconomic status, school type, and location, 2 Specifically, we control for a composite indicator for economic, social, and cultural status (ESCS) derived from questions about general wealth, home possessions, parental education, and parental occupation; for school type “Is your school a public or a private school” (SC013); and for school location (SC001) where the options are a village, hamlet or rural area (fewer than 3,000 people), a small town (3,000 to about 15,000 people), a town (15,000 to about 100,000 people), a city (100,000 to about 1,000,000 people), and a large city (with more than 1,000,000 people). the use of data projectors 3 A projector is any device that projects computer output, slides, or other information onto a screen in the classroom. and internet-connected computers in the classroom is correlated with nearly a grade-level-better performance on the PISA assessment (assuming approximately 40 PISA points to every grade level). 4 Students were specifically asked (IC009), “Are any of these devices available for you to use at school?,” with the choices being “Yes, and I use it,” “Yes, but I don’t use it,” and “No.” We compared the results for students who have access to and use each device with those who do not have access. The full text for each device in our chart was as follows: Data projector, eg, for slide presentations; Internet-connected school computers; Desktop computer; Interactive whiteboard, eg, SmartBoard; Portable laptop or notebook; and Tablet computer, eg, iPad, BlackBerry PlayBook.

On the other hand, students who use laptops and tablets in the classroom have worse results than those who do not. For laptops, the impact of technology varies by subject; students who use laptops score five points lower on the PISA math assessment, but the impact on science and reading scores is not statistically significant. For tablets, the picture is clearer—in every subject, students who use tablets in the classroom perform a half-grade level worse than those who do not.

Some technologies are more neutral. At the global level, there is no statistically significant difference between students who use desktop computers and interactive whiteboards in the classroom and those who do not.

Finding 2: Geography matters

Looking more closely at the reading results, which were the focus of the 2018 assessment, 5 PISA rotates between focusing on reading, science, and math. The 2018 assessment focused on reading. This means that the total testing time was two hours for each student, of which one hour was reading focused. we can see that the relationship between technology and outcomes varies widely by country and region (Exhibit 2). For example, in all regions except the United States (representing North America), 6 The United States is the only country that took the ICT Familiarity Questionnaire survey in North America; thus, we are comparing it as a country with the other regions. students who use laptops in the classroom score between five and 12 PISA points lower than students who do not use laptops. In the United States, students who use laptops score 17 PISA points higher than those who do not. It seems that US students and teachers are doing something different with their laptops than those in other regions. Perhaps this difference is related to learning curves that develop as teachers and students learn how to get the most out of devices. A proxy to assess this learning curve could be penetration—71 percent of US students claim to be using laptops in the classroom, compared with an average of 37 percent globally. 7 The rate of use excludes nulls. The United States measures higher than any other region in laptop use by students in the classroom. US = 71 percent, Asia = 40 percent, EU = 35 percent, Latin America = 31 percent, MENA = 21 percent, Non-EU Europe = 41 percent. We observe a similar pattern with interactive whiteboards in non-EU Europe. In every other region, interactive whiteboards seem to be hurting results, but in non-EU Europe they are associated with a lift of 21 PISA points, a total that represents a half-year of learning. In this case, however, penetration is not significantly higher than in other developed regions.

Finding 3: It matters whether technology is in the hands of teachers or students

The survey asks students whether the teacher, student, or both were using technology. Globally, the best results in reading occur when only the teacher is using the device, with some benefit in science when both teacher and students use digital devices (Exhibit 3). Exclusive use of the device by students is associated with significantly lower outcomes everywhere. The pattern is similar for science and math.

Again, the regional differences are instructive. Looking again at reading, we note that US students are getting significant lift (three-quarters of a year of learning) from either just teachers or teachers and students using devices, while students alone using a device score significantly lower (half a year of learning) than students who do not use devices at all. Exclusive use of devices by the teacher is associated with better outcomes in Europe too, though the size of the effect is smaller.

Finding 4: Intensity of use matters

PISA also asked students about intensity of use—how much time they spend on devices, 8 PISA rotates between focusing on reading, science, and math. The 2018 assessment focused on reading. This means that the total testing time was two hours for each student, of which one hour was reading focused. both in the classroom and for homework. The results are stark: students who either shun technology altogether or use it intensely are doing better, with those in the middle flailing (Exhibit 4).

The regional data show a dramatic picture. In the classroom, the optimal amount of time to spend on devices is either “none at all” or “greater than 60 minutes” per subject per week in every region and every subject (this is the amount of time associated with the highest student outcomes, controlling for student socioeconomic status, school type, and location). In no region is a moderate amount of time (1–30 minutes or 31–60 minutes) associated with higher student outcomes. There are important differences across subjects and regions. In math, the optimal amount of time is “none at all” in every region. 9 The United States is the only country that took the ICT Familiarity Questionnaire survey in North America; thus, we are comparing it as a country with the other regions. In reading and science, however, the optimal amount of time is greater than 60 minutes for some regions: Asia and the United States for reading, and the United States and non-EU Europe for science.

The pattern for using devices for homework is slightly less clear cut. Students in Asia, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and non-EU Europe score highest when they spend “no time at all” on devices for their homework, while students spending a moderate amount of time (1–60 minutes) score best in Latin America and the European Union. Finally, students in the United States who spend greater than 60 minutes are getting the best outcomes.

One interpretation of these data is that students need to get a certain familiarity with technology before they can really start using it to learn. Think of typing an essay, for example. When students who mostly write by hand set out to type an essay, their attention will be focused on the typing rather than the essay content. A competent touch typist, however, will get significant productivity gains by typing rather than handwriting.

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Finding 5: the school systems’ overall performance level matters.

Diving deeper into the reading outcomes, which were the focus of the 2018 assessment, we can see the magnitude of the impact of device use in the classroom. In Asia, Latin America, and Europe, students who spend any time on devices in their literacy and language arts classrooms perform about a half-grade level below those who spend none at all. In MENA, they perform more than a full grade level lower. In the United States, by contrast, more than an hour of device use in the classroom is associated with a lift of 17 PISA points, almost a half-year of learning improvement (Exhibit 5).

At the country level, we see that those who are on what we would call the “poor-to-fair” stage of the school-system journey 10 Michael Barber, Chinezi Chijoke, and Mona Mourshed, “ How the world’s most improved school systems keep getting better ,” November 2010. have the worst relationships between technology use and outcomes. For every poor-to-fair system taking the survey, the amount of time on devices in the classroom associated with the highest student scores is zero minutes. Good and great systems are much more mixed. Students in some very highly performing systems (for example, Estonia and Chinese Taipei) perform highest with no device use, but students in other systems (for example, Japan, the United States, and Australia) are getting the best scores with over an hour of use per week in their literacy and language arts classrooms (Exhibit 6). These data suggest that multiple approaches are effective for good-to-great systems, but poor-to-fair systems—which are not well equipped to use devices in the classroom—may need to rethink whether technology is the best use of their resources.

What are the implications for students, teachers, and systems?

Looking across all these results, we can say that the relationship between technology and outcomes in classrooms today is mixed, with variation by device, how that device is used, and geography. Our data do not permit us to draw strong causal conclusions, but this section offers a few hypotheses, informed by existing literature and our own work with school systems, that could explain these results.

First, technology must be used correctly to be effective. Our experience in the field has taught us that it is not enough to “add technology” as if it were the missing, magic ingredient. The use of tech must start with learning goals, and software selection must be based on and integrated with the curriculum. Teachers need support to adapt lesson plans to optimize the use of technology, and teachers should be using the technology themselves or in partnership with students, rather than leaving students alone with devices. These lessons hold true regardless of geography. Another ICT survey question asked principals about schools’ capacity using digital devices. Globally, students performed better in schools where there were sufficient numbers of devices connected to fast internet service; where they had adequate software and online support platforms; and where teachers had the skills, professional development, and time to integrate digital devices in instruction. This was true even accounting for student socioeconomic status, school type, and location.

COVID-19 and student learning in the United States: The hurt could last a lifetime

Second, technology must be matched to the instructional environment and context. One of the most striking findings in the latest PISA assessment is the extent to which technology has had a different impact on student outcomes in different geographies. This corroborates the findings of our 2010 report, How the world’s most improved school systems keep getting better . Those findings demonstrated that different sets of interventions were needed at different stages of the school-system reform journey, from poor-to-fair to good-to-great to excellent. In poor-to-fair systems, limited resources and teacher capabilities as well as poor infrastructure and internet bandwidth are likely to limit the benefits of student-based technology. Our previous work suggests that more prescriptive, teacher-based approaches and technologies (notably data projectors) are more likely to be effective in this context. For example, social enterprise Bridge International Academies equips teachers across several African countries with scripted lesson plans using e-readers. In general, these systems would likely be better off investing in teacher coaching than in a laptop per child. For administrators in good-to-great systems, the decision is harder, as technology has quite different impacts across different high-performing systems.

Third, technology involves a learning curve at both the system and student levels. It is no accident that the systems in which the use of education technology is more mature are getting more positive impact from tech in the classroom. The United States stands out as the country with the most mature set of education-technology products, and its scale enables companies to create software that is integrated with curricula. 11 Common Core State Standards sought to establish consistent educational standards across the United States. While these have not been adopted in all states, they cover enough states to provide continuity and consistency for software and curriculum developers. A similar effect also appears to operate at the student level; those who dabble in tech may be spending their time learning the tech rather than using the tech to learn. This learning curve needs to be built into technology-reform programs.

Taken together, these results suggest that systems that take a comprehensive, data-informed approach may achieve learning gains from thoughtful use of technology in the classroom. The best results come when significant effort is put into ensuring that devices and infrastructure are fit for purpose (fast enough internet service, for example), that software is effective and integrated with curricula, that teachers are trained and given time to rethink lesson plans integrating technology, that students have enough interaction with tech to use it effectively, and that technology strategy is cognizant of the system’s position on the school-system reform journey. Online learning and education technology are currently providing an invaluable service by enabling continued learning over the course of the pandemic; this does not mean that they should be accepted uncritically as students return to the classroom.

Jake Bryant is an associate partner in McKinsey’s Washington, DC, office; Felipe Child is a partner in the Bogotá office; Emma Dorn is the global Education Practice manager in the Silicon Valley office; and Stephen Hall is an associate partner in the Dubai office.

The authors wish to thank Fernanda Alcala, Sujatha Duraikkannan, and Samuel Huang for their contributions to this article.

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The Evolution of Technology in the Classroom

Purdue Online

Technology has always been at the forefront of human education. From the days of carving figures on rock walls to today, when most students are equipped with several portable technological devices at any given time, technology continues to push educational capabilities to new levels. In looking at where educational methods and tools have come from to where they are going in the future, technology’s importance in the classroom is evident now more than ever.

A History of Classroom Technology: The Primitive Classroom

In the Colonial years, wooden paddles with printed lessons, called Horn-Books, were used to assist students in learning verses. Over 200 years later, in 1870, technology advanced to include the Magic Lantern, a primitive version of a slide projector that projected images printed on glass plates. By the time World War I ended, around 8,000 lantern slides were circulating through the Chicago public school system. By the time the Chalkboard came around in 1890, followed by the pencil in 1900, it was clear that students were hungry for more advanced educational tools.

• Radio in the 1920s sparked an entirely new wave of learning; on-air classes began popping up for any student within listening range.
• Next came the  overhead projector  in 1930, followed by the ballpoint pen in 1940 and headphones in 1950.
• Videotapes arrived on the scene in 1951, creating a new and exciting method of instruction.
• The Skinner Teaching Machine  produced a combined system of teaching and testing, providing reinforcement for correct answers so that the student can move on to the next lesson.
• The photocopier (1959) and handheld calculator (1972) entered the classrooms next, allowing for mass production of material on the fly and quick mathematical calculations.
• The Scantron system of testing, introduced by Michael Sokolski n 1972, allowed educators to grade tests more quickly and efficiently.

The pre-computer years were formative in the choices made for computers in the years following. Immediate response-type systems (video, calculator, Scantron) had become necessary, and quick production of teaching materials, using the photocopier, had become a standard. The  U.S. Department of Education  reports that high school enrollment was only 10% in 1900, but by 1992 had expanded to 95%. The number of students in college in 1930 was around 1 million, but by 2012 had grown to a record 21.6 million. Teachers needed new methods of instruction and testing, and students were looking for new ways to communicate, study, and learn. 

The Entrance and Significance of Personal Computers

Although the first computers were developed in the ‘30s, everyday-use computers were introduced in the ‘80s.  The first portable computer, in 1981, weighed 24 pounds and cost $1,795. When IBM introduced its first personal computer in 1981, the educational world knew that it was on the verge of greatness.  Time  magazine named The Computer its  “Man of the Year”  in 1982, and aptly so: the foundation of immediate learning capabilities had been laid.  Time  declared, “it is the end result of a technological revolution that has been in the making for four decades and is now, quite literally, hitting home.”

• Toshiba released its first mass-market consumer laptop in 1985 (the T1100), and  Apple’s infamous Mac  (which later evolved into the Powerbook) was available starting in 1984.
• In 1990, The World Wide Web was given life when a British researcher developed Hyper Text Markup Language, or HTML, and when the  National Science Foundation  (NSF) removed restrictions on the commercial use of the Internet in 1993, the world exploded into a frenzy of newfound research and communication methods.
• The first Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) were released by Apple Computer Inc. in 1993, and with that, computers were a part of every day, if not every moment.  By 2009, 97% of classrooms had one or more computers , and 93% of classroom computers had Internet access. For every 5 students, there was one computer. Instructors stated that 40% of students used computers often in their educational methods, in addition to interactive whiteboards and digital cameras. College students nowadays are rarely without some form of computer technology: 83% own a laptop, and over 50% have a Smartphone.

The Future of Technology in the Classroom

It seems like years since MySpace, first introduced in 2003, Facebook (2004) and Twitter (2007) have changed both the communication and business worlds. Instant connectivity has branched out from merely a tool of personal communication, to a platform for educational instruction and outreach. Social media is now being recognized as an accepted form of instruction in some instances, and groups such as  Scholastic Teachers  provide excellent support and tips for instructors. Many instructors use social media to communicate directly with their students, or to form forum-style groups for students to communicate with each other, and the method seems to be proving valuable in providing one-on-one attention to student’s questions and concerns.

With the classroom having already evolved into a hotbed of technological advances, what can the future possibly hold that could further educational proficiencies even more?

• Biometrics, a technology that recognizes people based on certain physical or behavioral traits, is on the technological horizon. The science will be used to recognize the physical and emotional disposition of students in the classroom, altering course material to tailor to each individual’s needs based on biometric signals.
• A second up-and-coming technology is  Augmented Reality (AR) glasses , rumored to be on Google’s release list, and this technology could be a whole new world for education. AR Glasses (or even contact lenses) will layer data on top of what we naturally see, to allow for a real-world learning experience. For example, a student wearing AR Glasses could potentially sit at his desk and have a conversation with Thomas Edison about invention. It was Edison, after all, who said that “Books will soon be obsolete in schools. Scholars will soon be instructed through the eye.”
• Multi-touch surfaces are commonly used through equipment such as the iPhone, but the technology could become more relevant to education through entirely multi-touch surfaces, such as desks or workstations. This could allow students to collaborate with other students, even those around the world, and videos and other virtual tools could be streamed directly to the surface.

Educators and the Evolution of Technology in the Classroom

With the evolution of technology, educational capabilities are growing and changing every day. The Internet is a vast electronic library of information, and both research and instruction can be achieved through a click of the mouse. With these advances come new responsibilities to the instructor and therefore increase the value of a Master of Science in Education in Learning Design and Technology . As technology advances, an educator’s abilities will grow by leaps and bounds, and without the knowledge of these changes and capabilities, an instructor has a good chance of being left behind.

A career in education requires hard work and dedication, but, for the diligent educator, can prove very rewarding. For those who are serious about success in the education field, staying well-informed of current and changing technologies is imperative. As the world of technology evolves, the learning environment, both on-campus and online, will equally progress, and the need for teachers who are educated in technology and design will continue to grow.

Learn more about the online MSEd in Learning Design and Technology at Purdue University today and help redefine the way in which individuals learn. Call (877) 497-5851 to speak with an admissions advisor or click here to request more information.

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The Pros and Cons of 7 Digital Teaching Tools

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O ne highlight of the last 18 months has been the level of experimentation I’ve seen among educators. They’ve explored new ways to teach in different environments and new technologies to keep students involved and engaged. As we move forward, it’s important that we learn from all this experimentation so we may deliver a learning experience that’s better than what we entered the pandemic delivering.

Simply rejecting all digital modes of teaching once you’re back in a physical classroom is not in your students’—or your own—best interest. There are many benefits to virtual learning that are worth keeping. In my own teaching, I’ve tried to incorporate the best learnings of pandemic teaching by using a four-step framework —struggle, structure, systemize, and synthesize—alongside different digital teaching methods and technologies that I’ve found work for me.

The precise way you use each digital tool and the extent to which you combine digital instruction with in-person instruction will of course depend on the needs of each specific course you teach. But to help you start thinking about how digital tools can remain useful to you, here’s a summary of the advantages and disadvantages of seven of the most common ones. I also share when I use each one to help spur your thinking.

1. Recorded Lecture Videos

Recording yourself giving lectures is perhaps the simplest digital approach. While these video recordings are easy to create and effective for sharing information quickly, production value is often less than ideal and the videos can be less than engaging. Overall, this approach doesn’t nearly reach the full potential that can be accomplished with digital learning.

Advantages of recorded lectures:

They let students consume course material on their own schedule and at their own pace, which students like.

They are more accessible—you can speed them up or slow them down—and you can easily add additional accessibility features, such as automated closed captioning or transcriptions.

Students can fast forward through material they already understand and rewind or rewatch material they are struggling with, unlike in a live lecture when wandering attention can mean missing a crucial point.

Disadvantages of recorded lectures:

They can be less than engaging.

They’re not interactive.

When I use them:

Truthfully, I don’t use them very often. They can be useful for exceptional circumstances that make it impossible for everyone to be in a live lecture.

Occasionally, I use them to set up a mini-case to initiate problem-solving thinking, or to provide information about key framework ideas before class discussion, but I tend to use edited video lessons (see next section) for that purpose.

2. Edited Video Lessons

Webinar: designing better courses.

Robert D. Austin recently delivered an HBP Education webinar, entitled Designing Better Courses: Blending the Best of Pre- and Post-Pandemic Pedagogy , to discuss his course design process and detail how—and why—he mixes digital technologies both asynchronously and synchronously throughout his courses. Watch the full webinar recording here .

Advantages of video lessons:

All the advantages of recorded lectures (e.g., self-paced).

Students have an opportunity to watch several short videos in a row, as their schedules permit.

Graphics and other illustrations can be useful for clarifying concepts.

Disadvantages of video lessons:

They’re more engaging than recorded lectures, but still not interactive.

Producing these videos requires extra time and effort.

To set up initial problem situations or present useful framework materials.

To add new information that may cause students to reconsider previous conclusions.

To teach a mechanical analysis approach, such as how to calculate a net present value.

3. Zoom Sessions

When courses are held fully remotely or in a hybrid setting (with some students participating in person and some participating virtually), most class sessions and discussions happen over Zoom or a similar videoconferencing platform. These live virtual sessions can allow for a synchronous learning experience enhanced by other digital tools, such as whiteboards and other display technologies, but they cannot be considered an exact replacement for in-person discussions.

For those teaching fully in person, Zoom can still be used for things like bringing in guests from afar and for exercises that involve the use of groups in the form of breakout rooms. I run a negotiation exercise for one of my classes that is actually a lot easier to run in Zoom than in person, because it involves rapid transitions between breakout groups and larger class discussion. Zoom is also great for students to use in coordinating project work outside of class.

Advantages of Zoom sessions:

Students can synchronously interact with each other remotely.

Technology allows for unique modes of interaction and discussion, such as breakout rooms , which can be configured instantaneously, as well as chat channels.

It’s easy to invite remote guest speakers who would otherwise be unable to travel to campus.

Disadvantages of Zoom sessions:

Students and educators alike can experience Zoom fatigue.

It can be hard to read interpersonal cues from those who are remote.

While Zoom calls are interactive, they still lack valuable opportunities for casual social interaction.

There’s no real substitute for students walking in the hall together, chatting about pretty much anything. At least not yet.

For case discussions that include remote guests.

For exercises that need fast transitions in and out of groups.

For group-based project work.

4. Online Discussion Boards

Many instructors have tried to replace in-person discussions with asynchronous online discussion boards. In my experience, however, online discussion boards are best used in conjunction with synchronous discussion (via Zoom or in person). You can pick up points or concepts introduced in an online discussion and use them as jumping-off points for a synchronous discussion—giving credit to the students who raised them, of course. It’s a flow that I find leads to greater understanding of the material.

Advantages of online discussion boards:

They encourage student interaction.

Students can participate on their own time.

There’s generally no limit to the number of ideas students can contribute—meaning more students can participate in these discussions.

Shy students reluctant to engage in live sessions can build confidence with online contributions, especially if you pick up their points and credit them in synchronous discussions.

Disadvantages of online discussion boards:

Although instructors can drop comments and questions into online chat, it’s harder to actively guide and focus the discussions (because you’re not constantly there), so there’s no guarantee that students will arrive at the desired conclusions.

Multiple unrelated, branching discussions can occur at once, making things confusing or unfocused.

Students may not enjoy these types of discussions; they can feel forced or unnatural.

To start students thinking in a particular direction with the intention of bringing it all home in synchronous discussions.

To allow shy students opportunities to make contributions and gain confidence that may carry over into live sessions.

To surface ideas that I want to pick up on and add to in subsequent synchronous discussions.

5. Simulations

Simulations, like case studies, are a way to immerse students in a very specific experience—but with simulations, information is unfolding in real time. We can then ask students to do the work of extracting generalizable propositions, frameworks, theories, and so forth under our guidance.

Advantages of simulations:

They invite students to interact directly with the course material—and often each other—to solve the types of problems they may encounter in a real business environment.

Students have the opportunity to take direct control of their learning . They reach their own conclusions, then connect those learnings to framework material you present to rescue them from their struggle with it—to help them structure and systemize.

They have narrative elements and cause students to change their minds; students tend to remember lessons from simulations in much the same way they remember an impactful dramatic experience.

They give students experience in organizing and making meaning from information that arrives in real time and out of any helpful order.

Disadvantages of simulations:

They can take up a lot of time; in my view, the real learning from a simulation happens in a debrief and you need to take the time to distill out general lessons , especially when the models that underlie a simulation are complex.

Preparing a simulation for use can be effort intensive for instructors.

Very much in the same situations I use cases—when I want to present specific problems or situations from which I want students to derive general lessons.

To mix learning modes, as a break from and enhancement of cases.

Sometimes, in conjunction with cases, to show students that it can be harder than they think to “walk the talk”—to do what they said they would do in a case discussion when confronted with a problem unfolding in real time.

6. Multimedia Content

There’s also a lot of great multimedia content available—and this is yet another way to mix things up and shift modes to keep students interested. Using video elements in multimedia cases , for example, allows students see and hear case protagonists as opposed to just reading quotations.

Advantages of multimedia content:

Multimedia experiences offer a change of pace, and they’re often highly engaging.

Disadvantages of multimedia content:

They still don’t facilitate casual social interaction.

When I use it:

When I want to offer alternative modes for introducing problems or management situations, much like my use cases for simulations.

7. Curated Content

Many of us were using curated third-party content—anything from TED Talks to podcasts to YouTube tutorial videos—before the pandemic. But going virtual has prompted me to search around and use even more curated material. This kind of content can be used for a variety of desired outcomes: to help students explore case studies more deeply, for example, or to complete projects in virtual workspaces, such as Miro or Google Jamboard, for which students may need a how-to assist.

Advantages of curated content:

It’s often quite engaging, and much of it is very professionally done.

Once you have located good content, there is relatively little an instructor needs to do other than cue it up.

Disadvantages of curated content:

When you use too much of this type of content, students can think that you haven’t prepared for their specific needs.

Some content isn’t research based, or it can even put forth theoretical ideas that are unsupported or flawed. You must verify the quality of the content for yourself.

Pretty much anywhere—interwoven amid asynchronous edited video content or in synchronous classes, whether online or in person.

Pulling This All Together: An Example

The thought of putting all of these pieces—and there are a lot of them—together can feel like assembling a difficult puzzle. But by taking a fresh look at these technologies and thinking through how these use cases may support your course objectives, you can land on some really powerful learning experiences for your students.

Here is an example of how I tried to get the mix right for a course called Managing Innovation that I teach in Ivey’s Accelerated MBA program.

Robert D. Austin, “ Designing Better Courses: Blending the Best of Pre- and Post-Pandemic Pedagogy ,” Harvard Business Publishing Education, July 21, 2021. Accessed September 8, 2021.

To step through this in more detail, watch the video below to hear me talking though this sample implementation.

The New Normal of Teaching Includes Digital Tools

No matter how enticing it may be to return to your previous “normal”—a normal in which perhaps you didn’t incorporate all that many technologies or tools in your teaching—there are many benefits to virtual learning that are worth keeping, from better accessibility for all students to more opportunities for experiential learning that sticks.

By carefully considering the pros and cons of each available technology, you can choose the digital tools that will best support your lesson plans, making each stage of your course as effective and memorable for your students as possible.

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK: Do you use other technologies in your online, hybrid, or in-person courses that aren’t on this list? We want to hear from you. Email us at [email protected] .

Robert D. Austin is a professor of information systems at Ivey Business School and an affiliated faculty member at Harvard Medical School. He has published widely, authoring nine books, more than 50 cases and notes, three Harvard online products, and two popular massive open online courses (MOOCs) running on the Coursera platform.

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Center for Teaching

Personal devices in the classroom.

The topic of developing policies around the usage of personal electronic devices in college classrooms has been hotly debated. Some have come out in favor of laptop bans (see Dynarski), citing studies that indicate that some students who use laptops in class retain less information and distract their peers more than students who do not use laptops (see Carter, Greenberg, and Walker). Others have defended the usage of personal electronic devices in the classroom in order to protect the privacy of students who must use them for accessibility reasons and to allow for easier integration of online tools in classes (see Pryal). Still others have called into question whether the debate around banning laptops and other electronic devices distracts from the larger mission of enhancing the learning experience for students (see Lieberman).

For a variety of reasons, banning electronic devices such as laptops can lead to negative outcomes. However, many faculty will want to establish clear, compassionate policies that guide students in using technology well in face-to-face classrooms.

Set clear guidelines upfront by including a statement in your syllabus about the use of personal electronic devices. Here are a few questions to guide you when thinking about what role students’ personal electronic devices will play in your classroom.

Will electronic devices be integrated into your classroom activities?

Electronic devices may make sense in some classes more than others. If your class is largely discussion based, then it may be appropriate to adopt a policy that limits the use of electronic devices in class.

Are course assignments posted electronically for students to access?

If your students will be accessing content and resources for your class via Brightspace or if the class involves using a particular piece of software like Excel or Photoshop, then a stronger case might be made for the inclusion of laptops and other electronic devices in class so that students can access these resources.

Is the class structure consistent from one meeting to the next?

An electronic devices policy does not have to be an all-or-nothing proposition. It may be that such devices are more useful or acceptable during some class meetings than others. In these instances, a hybrid policy might be beneficial.

In what ways will students themselves help to shape a technology policy in my class?

Students have a vested interest in the structure and effectiveness of classroom activities. Involving students in a discussion or even a development of a technology policy reinforces their role as co-creators of the classroom experience. How do students want to engage in class discussions? How do they see technology as necessary for their own learning? What kinds of policies will help them do their best work?

Considering these questions will also help you communicate to students why a policy is in place, potentially resulting in better acceptance of the guidelines.

Developing A Policy

Once you have determined the extent to which you and your students will use electronic devices in class, you will want to develop a supporting policy statement for your syllabus. This could take many forms, and may depend on the nature of your course.

Explain why you have implemented a policy.  It could be that the format of your class relies heavily on discussion or other activities from which electronic devices would distract. This is a great opportunity to explain your teaching philosophy and expectations for student engagement during class.

Definitions

State clearly what devices your policy includes: laptops, cell phones, tablets, etc.

If laptops and other personal electronic devices are allowed in class, how will the use be managed? Some policies simply require students to be conscientious of others in the classroom. Will students be able to connect the laptop to a power outlet or only use battery power? Should students put the lid down on the laptop during class discussion time? What behaviors will you expect from students?  Will students who want simply to take notes be permitted to use the laptop, but not an Internet connection? How about students who benefit from accessibility features on their devices?

Consequences

Clearly state the consequences students will face when they do not adhere to the policy. Make sure the penalties are enforceable and that you are willing to follow through with them. If you have involved students in this policy from the beginning and they have bought into the principles behind the policy, just reminding students of the agreement the class made as a group will help get folks back on track.

Keep in mind any accessibility related reasons a student might have that require a laptop or other electronic device for class. The policy should not be so restrictive that it impedes the rights of those students with special needs or does not make allowance for ADA compliance. For instance, it may be worthwhile to consider if your policy for a certain class would inadvertently single out students with disabilities and/or accessibility needs.

Syllabus Design

It may be useful to keep in mind general best practices for good syllabus design, including co-creating rubrics with students (when applicable), as you define and communicate your policy around the usage of personal electronic devices in the classroom.

Past Vanderbilt University Senior Graduate Teaching Fellows and Graduate Teaching Fellows Jessica Riviere, Danielle Picard, and Richard Coble produced a guide on Syllabus Design . The guide considers what components can be incorporated into a syllabus and how a syllabus is related to course design.

The University of Colorado Boulder developed a teaching resource that explores the process of co-creating rubrics with students. The resource offers some approaches and best practices for this rubric co-creation process, such as focusing on learning outcomes and continuing to draft the rubric as the course progresses.

The Center for Education Innovation & Learning in the Sciences at the University of California Los Angeles has gathered several resources on inclusive syllabus design in a teaching guide here . It highlights how a syllabus can welcome students and promote student growth. Additionally, Professors Tracie Marcella Addy, Derek Dube and Khadijah A. Mitchell wrote about steps that instructors can take to foster an inclusive classroom in an Inside Higher Ed feature. Their suggestions include but are not limited to regularly communicating with students and highlighting diverse practitioners in the field.

Instructional Strategies

In addition to a written policy, there are also techniques you can incorporate into your teaching that will help you manage students’ use of electronic devices in the classroom. One simple technique is to have a screen-up and screen-down time in order to focus student attention. This strategy, as well as others can be found by exploring the links below.

Ellen Granberg and James Witte, assistant professors of sociology at Clemson University, published this book chapter about their experiences with laptops in the classroom. They found that laptops had a great potential to increase student engagement and learning when clear directions and instructions on when to use laptops were given.

The Teaching, Learning, and Technology Group has developed a collection of instructional strategies for teaching with technology based on Chickering and Gamson’s “Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education.” This rich resource contains an assortment of practical ideas you can incorporate into your teaching. This includes using digital tools to publicize your availability and to virtually meet with students when the need arises.

Student Considerations

The decision to allow or restrict use of electronic devices in class can be a complex one. Policies will likely differ among your colleagues and may even differ for yourself among the courses you teach. Don’t hesitate to contact the CFT if you are part of the Vanderbilt instructional community and would like to talk further with one of our consultants about this topic.

• Addy, Tracie Marcella, Derek Dube, and Khadijah A Mitchell. “Fostering an Inclusive Classroom.” Inside Higher Ed. Inside Higher Ed, August 5, 2020. https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2020/08/05/small-steps-instructors-can-take-build-more-inclusive-classrooms-opinion .
• Carter, Susan Payne, Kyle Greenberg, and Michael S Walker. “The Impact of Computer Usage on Academic Performance: Evidence from a Randomized Trial at the United States Military Academy.” Economics of Education Review 56 (February 2017): 118–32. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2016.12.005 .
• “Co-Creating Rubrics with Students.” Center for Teaching & Learning. University of Colorado Boulder, March 18, 2021. https://www.colorado.edu/center/teaching-learning/teaching-resources/assessment/assessing-student-learning/rubrics/co-creating-rubrics-students .
• Dynarski, Susan. “Laptops Are Great. But Not during a Lecture or a Meeting.” The New York Times. The New York Times, November 22, 2017. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/22/business/laptops-not-during-lecture-or-meeting.html .
• “Inclusive Syllabus Design.” Center for Education Innovation and Learning in the Sciences. University of California, Los Angeles. Accessed October 11, 2021. https://ceils.ucla.edu/resources/teaching-guides/syllabus-design/ .
• Lieberman, Mark. “Enough With the Laptop Ban Debate!” Inside Higher Ed. Inside Higher Ed, November 29, 2017. https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/article/2017/11/29/debate-over-banning-laptops-resurfaces-academics-seek-more .
• Pryal, Katie Rose Guest. “When You Talk about Banning Laptops, You Throw Disabled Students under the Bus.” HuffPost. HuffPost, November 28, 2017. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/when-you-talk-about-banning-laptops-you-throw-disabled_b_5a1ccb4ee4b07bcab2c6997d .
• Riviere, J., Picard, D., & Coble, R. (2014). Syllabus Design. Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching. Retrieved 11 October, 2021. https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/syllabus-design .

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Use of Electronic Devices in the Classroom

In today's rapidly evolving educational landscape, the integration of technology has become a cornerstone of modern pedagogy. Gone are the days of traditional chalkboards and paper textbooks; instead, classrooms are embracing a diverse array of electronic devices to enrich the learning experience. At Inventive Classroom, we recognize the transformative power of technology in education and are committed to exploring its myriad benefits. Join us as we delve into the world of electronic devices in the classroom and discover how they are revolutionizing teaching and learning.

The Rise of EdTech:

Educational Technology, or EdTech, has emerged as a catalyst for innovation in the classroom. By harnessing the capabilities of electronic devices, educators can augment traditional teaching approaches, catering to diverse learning styles and fostering personalized learning experiences. From interactive whiteboards to tablets and laptops, electronic devices offer a wealth of opportunities to engage students and enhance learning outcomes.

Empowering Learning Through Innovation:

Electronic devices, ranging from interactive whiteboards to tablets and laptops, are revolutionizing the way educators deliver instruction and students engage with content. These tools facilitate dynamic and interactive learning experiences, allowing teachers to cater to diverse learning styles and foster creativity and critical thinking skills.

Interactive Whiteboards: Bridging the Gap Between Analog and Digital:

Interactive whiteboards serve as a focal point in modern classrooms, seamlessly merging analog and digital learning experiences. With touch-screen capabilities and multimedia integration, teachers can create engaging presentations, annotate content in real time, and facilitate collaborative activities. Students benefit from interactive lessons that cater to visual and kinesthetic learners, enhancing comprehension and retention.

Tablets and Laptops: Portable Learning Hubs

Tablets and laptops have emerged as indispensable tools in today's educational landscape, offering unparalleled flexibility and accessibility. Equipped with educational apps, e-books, and multimedia resources, these devices empower students to explore subjects at their own pace and delve deeper into topics of interest. Additionally, cloud-based collaboration tools facilitate seamless communication and teamwork, preparing students for the digital workplace of the future.

Digital Document Cameras: Bringing Learning to Life

Digital document cameras provide educators with a powerful tool for capturing and sharing real-world artifacts, documents, and experiments. By displaying high-resolution images and videos directly to the classroom display, teachers can enhance visual learning experiences and stimulate curiosity and inquiry. Whether dissecting a frog or examining historical artifacts, digital document cameras bring learning to life in ways that traditional methods cannot match.

Assistive Technology: Fostering Inclusivity

For students with diverse learning needs, assistive technology plays a pivotal role in leveling the playing field and fostering inclusivity. Screen readers, speech-to-text software, and adaptive keyboards are just a few examples of tools that empower students with disabilities to fully participate in classroom activities and access educational content. By embracing assistive technology, educators create learning environments that celebrate diversity and accommodate the unique needs of every learner.

Digital Learning Platforms:

In addition to hardware devices, digital learning platforms play a pivotal role in transforming classroom dynamics. Learning Management Systems (LMS) such as Google Classroom, Moodle, and Canvas provide centralized hubs for course materials, assignments, and communication channels, streamlining administrative tasks and fostering seamless collaboration between educators and students. Moreover, these platforms facilitate asynchronous learning, allowing students to engage with course content at their own pace and revisit materials as needed, promoting self-directed learning and autonomy.

Benefits of Using Electronic Devices in the Classroom

1. enhanced engagement and interactivity:.

One of the most significant advantages of incorporating electronic devices into the classroom is the ability to enhance student engagement and interactivity. Interactive whiteboards, tablets, and laptops enable educators to deliver dynamic multimedia presentations, interactive quizzes, and collaborative projects that cater to diverse learning styles and preferences. By leveraging interactive tools and educational apps, teachers can create immersive learning experiences that captivate students' attention and foster active participation.

2. Personalized Learning Opportunities:

Electronic devices also open the door to personalized learning opportunities, allowing educators to tailor instruction to individual student needs and interests. Adaptive learning platforms and educational software utilize artificial intelligence algorithms to analyze student performance data and deliver customized learning pathways and resources. This personalized approach empowers students to learn at their own pace, receive targeted support, and explore topics that align with their unique learning goals and aspirations.

3. Access to Rich Learning Resources:

The internet serves as a vast repository of knowledge and resources, and electronic devices provide students with instant access to a wealth of educational content, including e-books, online articles, videos, and simulations. Through online research and multimedia exploration, students can deepen their understanding of academic concepts, explore real-world applications, and cultivate critical thinking and information literacy skills. Moreover, digital libraries and educational platforms offer a diverse array of curated learning materials that cater to various subjects, grade levels, and learning objectives, enriching the educational experience for students and teachers alike.

4. Mitigating Technological Challenges and Distractions:

While electronic devices offer numerous benefits, they also present certain challenges and concerns that must be addressed. Technological issues such as connectivity issues, software glitches, and hardware malfunctions can disrupt instructional delivery and impede learning progress. Additionally, the proliferation of electronic devices in the classroom raises concerns about potential distractions and misuse, such as unauthorized internet browsing, social media engagement, and gaming. To mitigate these challenges, educators must establish clear guidelines and expectations regarding device usage, implement robust digital citizenship and responsible technology use curriculum, and leverage classroom management strategies to promote focused and productive learning environments.

5. Promoting Digital Citizenship and Responsible Technology Use:

As digital natives grow up in an increasingly interconnected and technology-driven world, it is essential to instill in them the values of digital citizenship and responsible technology use. Educators play a crucial role in educating students about online safety, privacy protection, digital etiquette, and cyberbullying prevention. By integrating digital citizenship education into the curriculum and modeling positive online behaviors, educators empower students to become responsible digital citizens who harness the power of technology for learning, collaboration, and social good.

6. Fostering Student Engagement and Participation:

One of the key advantages of incorporating electronic devices into the classroom is their ability to captivate and engage students. Interactive learning platforms like Nearpod and SMART Board enable real-time feedback and assessment, allowing educators to gauge student comprehension and adapt instruction accordingly. Through gamification and multimedia-rich content, electronic devices stimulate curiosity and creativity, motivating students to actively participate in the learning process.

Conclusion:

As we navigate the complexities of the 21st-century classroom, the integration of electronic devices represents a paradigm shift in education. From interactive whiteboards to tablets and assistive technology, these tools empower educators to create dynamic and inclusive learning environments that prepare students for success in an increasingly digital world. At Inventive Classroom, we remain committed to harnessing the transformative power of technology to enhance education and inspire lifelong learning.

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Trauma-informed practices in schools, teacher well-being, cultivating diversity, equity, & inclusion, integrating technology in the classroom, social-emotional development, covid-19 resources, invest in resilience: summer toolkit, civics & resilience, all toolkits, degree programs, trauma-informed professional development, teacher licensure & certification, how to become - career information, classroom management, instructional design, lifestyle & self-care, online higher ed teaching, current events, debating the use of digital devices in the classroom.

While many parents allow children free reign of the internet at home, it’s a common debate in education circles on how —and if —digital devices should be allowed at school.

Supporters of technology in the classroom say that using laptops, tablets, and cellphones in the classroom can keep students engaged. Technology is what they know. Most students today don’t even remember a time without the internet.

But critics say it’s yet another distraction in the classroom. From social media to texting, allowing digital devices could hinder a student’s performance in the classroom.

Read on to discover the main arguments surrounding the global debate on digital devices and their place in our schools.

Pros of digital devices in the classroom

• Peace of mind:  Cellphones and smartphones can offer parents a little more peace of mind when their children are at school. Parents know that in an emergency the student can contact them, or vice versa. In addition, more and more cellphones and smartphones contain GPS devices that can be tracked if necessary.
• Instant answers:  Access to the internet provides instant answers for the curious. This is the search-and-learn environment kids are involved in today. Now, when they want to know “Why do leaves change color,” they are only a search away from an answer. This also gives students the ability to get an answer to a question they may feel uncomfortable asking in class. If a teacher uses a term they don’t understand, they can find the answer discretely, and without interrupting the class.
• Wider access to information:  With internet access, children can be exposed to a world of creative ideas outside of their bubble. They can learn other languages, teach themselves how to draw, knit, or play chess. They have access to an endless array of options available to help them learn, and gain skills they might not otherwise be exposed to. All of this can be accomplished through a  smartphone, which can be a valuable learning tool , if used correctly.
• Access to video:  Electronic devices in the classroom can enhance the learning experience by providing instant video access. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech is not just something to read about. Man’s first step on the moon, early flight, presidential speeches, bridges being built—they all are made more real and easier to digest in the form of instant video availability.
• Wide range of music available:  Sure, you might think of kids listening to their pop, hip-hop, and rap music on digital devices, but remember that all music is available. This gives students access to classical, jazz, big band, and early rock ‘n’ roll. Students could have the opportunity to compare and discuss the differences in these styles in a way that is familiar to them.
• Social learning: Social media can have a negative connotation when you link it to kids. However, there can be an educational aspect. Social learning is a great way for students to share information, thoughts, and ideas on a subject. Properly focused, quieter, and shyer students may blossom in a social learning situation made possible by digital devices.
• Teacher advancement:  Finding ways to effectively utilize digital devices in the classroom provides teachers with an opportunity to advance their skillset and grow with their students. Many teachers are taking their digital literacy to the next level by earning an  master’s degree in education technology .

Cons of digital devices in the classroom

• Harmful effects of digital devices:  There are concerns from the EPA about long-term exposure to wireless devices and computer screens . While there is no direct evidence of harmful effects, the EPA discourages too much exposure for students who have video screens in front of their faces or computers in their laps. If students frequently use these devices at home, additional exposure at school could be viewed as harmful.
• Inappropriate materials:  While schools can limit the availability of websites that can be viewed on their network, students may find links that slipped through the system. There will also be times that students will not be accessing the internet through a monitored network.
• Distraction from schoolwork:  With the temptation of social media and texting in their hands, students may focus solely on their social life instead of the lesson plan.
• Child predators:  Child predators are a problem everywhere. Using digital devices at school creates just that much more exposure and potential danger for students.
• Cyberbulling : This is an increasing issue that’s grown exponentially in recent years. Permitting use of digital devices in the classroom could potentially lead to more of it.
• Provide a disconnect:  While some believe digital devices make for greater connections for students, there are also those who believe too much time with digital devices disconnects students from face-to-face social activities, family communications, and nature. Digital devices in the classroom could lead to an even greater disconnect.
• Could widen the gap : Technology spending varies greatly across the nation. Some schools have the means to address the digital divide so that all of their students have access to technology and can improve their technological skills. Meanwhile, other schools still struggle with their computer-to-student ratio and/or lack the means to provide economically disadvantaged students with loaner iPads and other devices so that they can have access to the same tools and resources that their classmates have at school and at home.

Should schools permit digital devices?

Some school districts have seen great improvements by allowing digital devices in the classroom. One thing is clear: if digital devices are permitted, there should be guidelines and rules in place .

Students need to be taught online safety, the use of judgment in determining good quality sources of information, and restraint from personal use in the classroom. In other words, they need to learn all about digital literacy and  digital citizenship .

There are many resources for teaching these concepts, and a great place to start is the International Society for Technology in Education  (ISTE). Their   comprehensive standards  focus on  the skills and qualities students should have in order to be successful in the digital world. ISTE also teamed up with Google and developed an online digital citizenship game called  Interland . It educates kids about digital citizenship in interactive ways. Students learn how to be good digital citizens as well as how to combat hackers, phishers, oversharers, and bullies.

If a school is going to allow and/or encourage the use of digital devices in the classroom, then teachers also need proper support in terms of training, professional development, and curriculum. They can start with curriculum and PD resources such as those provided by   Common Sense Media , but in order to fully utilize them, teachers need time to plan and collaborate. Digital devices should only be used when there are specific goals in mind, focusing on student safety, digital citizenship, critical thinking, collaboration, advancement, and equity.

You may also like to read

• How to Incorporate Digital Stories in the Classroom
• Teaching Via Tech: Digital Advancements in the Classroom
• Google Docs for Teachers: Classroom and Lesson Plan Management
• Five Skills Online Teachers Need for Classroom Instruction
• 3 Examples of Innovative Educational Technology
• How Assistive Learning Technology has Impacted the Disabled

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E-learning and digital education - Statistics & Facts

Edtech in k-12 education, is online college worth the cost, key insights.

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10 Benefits and Uses of Electronic Gadgets in Learning

In the age of technology and connectivity, electronic gadgets have graced their way into the learning process of students in the classroom. These gadgets have been used to continually improve and expound methods through which students can learn. The gadgets mostly used by students are tablets, mobile phones and cameras.

Also, the growing demand in terms of requirements from students is assisted by these electronic gadgets. Tasks and collaboration are done easier using technology available for educational purposes.

However, there are debates concerning the advantages and disadvantages of electronic gadgets usage inside the classroom. This blog article focuses on the advantages it can bring students.

So what are the benefits and uses exactly that gadgets contribute to student learning?

Also See: The Desktop Dilemma: Do we even need them and Navigating the Tech Landscape in 2024

1. Improves overall student performance.

According to the study of Behnke, Gilliland, Schneider and Singer in 2005, the usage of gadgets such as tablets in class can contribute to improved student performance, it also can contribute to the decrease in the number of students who perform poorly in class.

Not only that, gadgets also help improve the efficiency of teaching methods and learning capacities of students using tablets in class.

Overall, the usage of electronic gadgets has made activities conducted in classrooms more flexible. The various features and functions of gadgets in class also play a part to efficiently transform teaching and learning methods, because of this, different senses of students are activated through the use of these gadgets.

Also see Transforming Education with Electronic Gadgets: Improving Student Performance and Enhancing Teaching Methods

2. Enables student-centered learning.

Traditionally, learning is dependent on teacher-centered strategies. But with the transformations in the teaching methodologies and the availability of gadgets in the classroom, learning has deviated away from this focus.

According to the study of Nah, Lim, and Yih in 2012 , electronic gadgets help facilitate and expound student-centered learning through providing additional functions that enable students’ active role in the classroom. Their independence and ability to control their learning pace using these gadgets have fostered personalized participation.

Also see Empowering Students through Electronic Gadgets: How Student-Centered Learning is Revolutionizing Education

3. Enhances knowledge-retention.

Retention is one crucial factor in determining whether students are successfully learning in class. Correlatively, the activation of students’ multiple senses while using electronic gadgets in class, may help with their knowledge retention.

For instance, according to the study of Krause, Mogalle, Pohl and Williams in 2015, social gamification can help increase knowledge-retention among students.

Also see The Power of Gamification in Education: Boosting Motivation, Engagement, and Knowledge Retention

4. Enhances presentation and illustration of lectures.

Content is no longer presented through traditional methods such as the usage of boards, hardcopy drawings, and old school black and white projectors, through the usage of gadgets in the classroom, audio-visual and media presentations became not only available but portable for students.

Both students and teachers can also customize the ways through which information can be presented in class using electronic gadgets. These ways usually improve participation inside the classroom.

Also see Revolutionizing Education: The Impact of Gadgets on Multimedia Content in the Classroom

5. Enhances collaboration.

Due to the personalized and multiple functions of gadgets in class, collaboration consequently increases among students especially in terms of classroom participation and engagement.

As mentioned earlier, the usage of gadgets makes learning flexible. In the same way that collaboration becomes more voluntary as opposed to traditional learning methods due to the features and accessibility of gadgets. This is most apparent in virtual classrooms, online discussions and online activities.

Also see: The Power of Technology in Education: The Collaborative Benefits of Gadgets in the Classroom

6. Can be used for research purposes.

This is the most widely known use of using gadgets in the classroom. No longer do students have to physically go to libraries and browse hardcopy books for simple research or homework. Information is within their grasp in matters of seconds.

Also, researching online is not only limited to Google or Google Scholar. Schools often also provide access to paid research scholarly digital database such as Ebsco and Jstor . These database platforms are no longer confined within library computers but can also be accessible through tablets and mobile phones of students.

Also see: The Impact of Gadgets on Student Research Skills and Habits

7. Can be used for easier access to materials and easier storage of information.

No longer do students traditionally take notes but they can store books and notes through pdf or e-book copies or through taking pictures of lecture notes. They can also record audios and videos of lectures and discussions for as long as it is permitted by the lecturer or professor. Also, anytime they need materials, these materials can be accessible through the most portable gadgets such as mobile phones.

Also, according to the study of Behnke, Gilliland, Schneider and Singer in 2005, the usage of gadgets such as tablets create increase in the information received by students.

8. Can be used by students to verify information.

Due to the easier access to information, students can practice initiative to verify among themselves the data presented to them. Hence, improving their information fluency and critical thinking.

Speaking of critical thinking, wondering how you can improve critical thinking in writing? Here are 5 Tips on How to Improve Critical Thinking Skills in Academic Writing

According to the study of Mada in 2017, gadgets can help develop learning skills such as assembling, evaluating and utilizing information.

While according to the study of Thomas, O’Bannon and Bolton in 2013, since students can verify information themselves through the internet, this increases communication, collaboration and cooperative problem solving amongst students and even teachers.

9. Can be used for easier communication.

Students and also teachers no longer have to disseminate information through text messages or emails individually, but with electronic gadgets, platforms for portable and easier sharing of necessary school-related information is possible such as Facebook groups, Google classroom and other learning management systems such as Schoology .

Also, collaboration is easier between students and teachers given the instructional features most gadgets have that can be utilized for learning.

Also See: Revolutionizing Education: How Technology is Enhancing Learning through Collaborative Spaces, Learning Management Systems, and Social Media

10. Can be used for virtual classroom or virtual learning.

A virtual classroom is a platform through which learning is conducted online. Inside the virtual classroom, mechanisms such as video conference, online whiteboard and chat boxes are used by students and teachers.

This is essentially useful for learning flexibility and maximizing the benefits of technology in education. According to the study of McBrien and Jones , virtual classroom is a platform that can increase students’ engagement and participation due to the digital tools and mechanisms that students can use.

Also see: Maximizing the Potential of Virtual Classrooms: Advantages, Research, and Actionable Steps for Institutions

There you go! We have gone through all the 10 benefits and uses of allowing electronic gadgets in classrooms. However, these benefits can only be maximized if there is supervision in the usage of these gadgets. For instance, social media applications should be minimized or banned during discussions unless needed and related to ongoing classroom activities. Other educationally unrelated use of these gadgets should also be minimized. Otherwise, the usage of electronic gadgets in classrooms may cause distraction and hence be counterproductive for students.

Charm Jayme is a Marketing Executive at Inkmypapers   in Singpore. She loves books, coffee and breakfast.

Ellis-Behnke, R., Gilliland, J., Schneider, G. E., & Singer, D. (2003). Educational benefits of a paperless classroom utilizing tablet PCs. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts-USA .

Krause, M., Mogalle, M., Pohl, H., & Williams, J. J. (2015, March). A playful game changer: Fostering student retention in online education with social gamification. In Proceedings of the Second (2015) ACM conference on Learning@ Scale (pp. 95-102).

Mada, A. (2017). The Perception of Students and Lecturers on the Benefits, Opportunities and Challenges of the Use of ICT Gadgets During Lectures. The Fountain: Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies , 1 (1), 108-132.

McBrien, J. L., Cheng, R., & Jones, P. (2009). Virtual spaces: Employing a synchronous online classroom to facilitate student engagement in online learning. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning , 10 (3).

Nah, E. A., Lim, T. H., & Yih, B. (2012). Enhancing student-centered learning through usage of television commercials via wiki. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences , 67 , 144-155.

Thomas, K. M., O’Bannon, B. W., & Bolton, N. (2013). Cell phones in the classroom: Teachers’ perspectives of inclusion, benefits, and barriers. Computers in the Schools , 30 (4), 295-308.

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Pretty Tech savvy. Thanks!

Very informative and also entertaining - keep up the good work!

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Electronic Devices in Classroom: Help or Hindrance?

By Barbara Gutierrez [email protected] 02-19-2018

University of Miami sophomore Jack Btesh waits for his Pre-calculus class to begin with his MacBook laptop in front of him and his iPhone in hand. The minute class begins, he closes the laptop but he cannot help but keep an eye on his texts.

“Using electronic devices is our lives,” he said one recent morning. “I won’t answer the text during class, but I do check it just in case it is important.”

His instructor Sergio Hernandez, a lecturer in the math department, said that letting the students use electronic devices is something he “tolerates. After all, they are adults.”  

Using modern technology, specifically laptops, tablets and iPhones in the classroom is a dicey issue on many university campuses. At UM each faculty member reserves the right to ban such devices from their classrooms and they often do so, including policy in their syllabus as a condition for participation.

At a time in which recent studies show that young people are addicted to their iPhones and a company called Yondr charges a fee to lock away the device and provide a “device free” hour or two, the use of these devices has come under scrutiny.  

“I only allow cell phones or computers in the classroom if we have a specific in-class activity that requires it,” said Nina Miville, assistant professor in practice in the Industrial Engineering department at the College of Engineering. “Otherwise, they are not allowed to use it.”

The benefits of technology, via laptops and iPhones, is undeniable. Research can be instantaneous, access to online learning platforms such as  Top Hat  can allow professors to administer quizzes to student devices directly, project videos and graphs and conduct polling for collective learning.

Integrated technology can enhance the classroom experience depending on how the instructors use the technology, said Allan Gyorke, associate vice president for Information Technology and assistant provost for Educational Innovation. 

“For example, in a writing course, faculty could have students bring in their laptops to do writing and editing during class time,” Gyorke said. “In an architecture course, students could bring their laptops to work on CAD (Computer Aided Design) drawings or show their 3D rendered scenes to other students. In these cases, technology is an integral part of the creation process and appropriate for that reason.”

But many professors experience the downside of allowing electronic devices, especially in large classes, where many students try to hide their iPhone on their lap or open their laptops to sites that have no tie to the classroom work and create a distraction to themselves and others.

“I have stopped allowing laptops and tables and iPhones in class,” said Sam Terilli, associate professor at the School of Communication. “I insist on my favorite technology for notetaking…papers, pens and pencils.”

Although he has experimented with technology, Terilli noticed that students who took notes on their laptops became stenographers, trying to write every word.

“Instead, I want them listening, thinking and synthesizing ideas and then taking just a few notes,” he said. His method is actually scientifically proven to be beneficial. A 2014 study by professors from Princeton and the University of California, Los Angeles, determined that taking handwritten notes allowed more effective learning than using laptops. The study also revealed that students who multitasked during classes had reduced comprehension of course material.

Aaliyah Weathers, a junior studying journalism and motion pictures, can attest to the study’s results. While in class she is constantly monitoring her emails and other texts.

“I try to multitask because I belong to two organizations and I have two jobs and my attention is getting pulled into many different directions,” she said. “But it is easy to be distracted while doing that. You just have to snap out of it and return to class.”

When she took Terrilli’s class “Freedom of Expression” and was forced to put the electronic devices away and take notes longhand, she found that she retained more information and did not have to spend a lot of time studying before a test.

She also earned an A in the course.

Some professors, like Alberto Cairo in the School of Communication who teaches information graphics and visualization, find that the use of technology can increase a student’s creativity by exposing them through Google searches and other tools to the work of creative people from all over the world.

On the other hand, other professors restrict the use of electronic devices because they have noticed that it can cramp a student’s creativity.

Marilyn Neff, retired dean of Planning, Communications and External Relations at the School of Education and Human Development, who still teaches at the school, banned electronic devices from her “Education and the Arts” class when she noticed that many students – instead of engaging with the art (clay, paints, crayons) – wanted to look at their phones instead.

“My class is hands-on and they have to work with the materials,” said Neff. ”I think often when they are so hooked up on the technology it can restrict their growth, their creativity. I asked them to use green clay to create an object and many of them wanted to look up in Google what others had made with green clay.” 

For those professors who are still pondering whether to use technology or not and whether it can help or hinder teaching, Gyorke has a suggestion: “They can contact me and I’ll set them up with a consultation with an instructional designer who can talk with them about their courses, what they would like to accomplish, and ways to achieve their goals either with or without technology.”

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Teaching with Classroom Electronic Devices

Introduction

Technology can serve as an asset as well as an obstacle within a classroom setting. On the one hand, it can help reinforce curriculum for students with different learning styles. Students and teachers alike can use electronic devices to access information or photos more quickly than with a textbook. On the other hand, devices can also serve as a distraction when constantly within arm’s reach. Understanding both sides of the debate is essential for teachers in order to maximize the quality of education for the next generation of students. Teachers should consider both sides of the argument and decide if or how they want to integrate electronic devices into their classroom culture.

Along with the increase of technology availability comes an abundance of online resources for teachers that outlines the different stances on its usage.

Lesson Plans

• Teenagers and Technology : This lesson plan comes from PBS NewsHour. Intended for teenagers in grades 7-12, this plan forces students to analyze the productivity of their own technology usage. The plan is designed to take about 50 minutes to complete. It includes an interactive, warm-up kahoot game, a clip of a documentary, a PBS video, room for discussion, and ideas for extension activities. This activity aims to open the eyes of students in regards to their own technology usage. By giving students this form of self-awareness, educators can establish a more rich sense of trust with their students when integrating technology into the classroom.
• Incorporating Technology: Classroom Activities : Here, Creative Educative provides high school lesson plans (as well as links to lesson plans for other grade levels) that incorporate some forms of technology. These lesson plans use videos and websites to provide a foundation for each lesson, which are then followed by a hands-on activity, such as poster-making, or an interview. The site also includes links to other useful sites, including a rubric maker and graphic organizer tool. Overall, the website provides for teachers a method of utilizing both technology and interactive activities to increase the quality of learning within a classroom.
• Technology Lesson Plans and Classroom Activities : “The Teacher’s Corner” provides links and summaries for various projects that classes can complete. It includes lists of educational applications that teachers can download, as well as summaries of five creative lesson plans, all involving computers or website visiting. Teachers can use this page to find quick lesson plans that require students to get used to using a computer. These lessons would be great for younger students who are not yet experienced with such technology.
• Pros and Cons : Concordia University-Portland analyzes the benefits and drawbacks of using digital devices in the classroom. It outlines the pros and cons in a clear, unbiased list format.Teachers can look to this article when deciding how to structure their classes and how stern they should be with their students’ technology usage. The article ultimately decides that teachers should utilize some form of technology in their classes, but set clear guidelines into place. Students must learn digital literacy and digital citizenship before they can really benefit from the internet. This article is important for both students and educators to read in order to connect their education with technology.
• Electronics In Class : This article from Yale’s Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning evaluates both sides of the debate of device usage and gives examples of how teachers can use technology within their classes. It illustrates its own stances on situations such as note-taking, research, and student collaboration, as fortified by various studies cited within the article. It recommends strategies for teachers to use, including syllabi policies and active learning exercises.
• Keeping Students on Task : This article by the Continental Press touches upon various strategies for preventing students from excessively using cellphones during class. The goal of these strategies is to make clear the teacher’s expectations about cell phone use and keep the students focused on classwork. The strategies include a “spotlight approach” that informs the students before each lesson whether or not they will need their phones in class.

Informational Sites

• Classroom Technology : This page from Edutopia, of George Lucas Educational Foundation, lists various videos and articles dedicated to understanding student learning style in regards to electronics within the classroom. Along with sources dedicated to understanding the students, it also includes online classroom resources should the teacher choose to integrate technology. Articles include: teaching internet safety to younger students, formative digital assessment tools, and online resources for primary source documents.
• Effective Technology Integration Models : This resource by PressBooks provides an introduction to effective technology integration for K-12 educators. It includes examples of programs that teachers can use to integrate more advanced tech into their classrooms. It also includes an introductory video, along with learning theories that define relevant terms such as behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism, constructionism, and connectivism. The resource analyzes differing beliefs and values about technology integration, all of which, as it acknowledges, depend upon the teacher’s own preference.

Teachers should consider taking advantage of the benefits of technology but also beware its downfalls. Relying too heavily on technology can open up the class to glitches or distraction from lessons, while eliminating it completely could result in a less efficient learning environment. It is important that teachers educate themselves on the pros and cons of technology integration in order to find a healthy balance between the two.

Additional Resources

• UMiami: Help or Hindrance : This article from the University of Miami addresses the debate from the University perspective. Many of the professors tolerate some technology usage, just to check a text or for emergencies since “ after all, they are adults.” However, many of the professors reserve the right to ban all electronic devices from their classrooms. Some lessons require use of technology and some students take notes using their laptops. Ultimately, the school found that it was up to the professors to decide whether or not to integrate devices into the classroom.
• Student Perspective : This post from the Holler, written by an eighth grade student, illustrates her own perspective on technology in the classroom. The article commends educational electronic devices for providing personalized education at her school. The article praises easy access to information and in turn encourages other school teachers to incorporate the internet and electronics into the learning or their students. This article provides interesting insight for adults on the student perspective of integrated technology.
• Negatives of Classroom Electronics : Here, The Guardian goes against the usage of technology, citing an MIT study and asserting that possession of personal electronics can cause students to perform worse on exams. The article in turn suggests that schools remove computers and iPads from classrooms entirely. Teachers should consider this article when choosing how to balance their electronic integration in their classes, as too much technological freedom can also serve as a pitfall.
• Benefits of Technology : This article from Walden University considers the top five benefits of using technology in the classroom. It praises the practice of using technology in the classroom, citing that it strengthens the student-teacher, as well as the student-student relationships. It also lists various useful and credible sources at the end of the article, including research on increased learning within technology-integrated classrooms.

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Electronic Devices in Learning: The Pros and Cons

In today’s digital age, the use of electronic devices in learning has increasingly become normalised. However, the prevalent use of them does have its downfalls. Find out if electronic devices are really necessary in learning and some must-know tips when it comes to using them.

Example of electronic devices : Laptops / tablets

Pros of using an electronic device

• Electronic devices will be of great help especially since schools are starting to allocate one day for home based learning and are transitioning to using online platforms such as Google classroom or Student’s Learning Space to upload materials.
• Some teachers / schools may upload learning resources online instead of giving out hard copy versions of notes / worksheets → Having a laptop / tablet will make it easier to access these materials and annotate on them when necessary
• Having an electronic device to store all your study notes and materials will be very convenient when you are going out to study so you will not have to bring all your books and worksheets out.
• Group projects → Having an electronic device will facilitate collaboration with peers

Cons of using an electronic device 

• Having an electronic device can be distracting especially with the ability to download social media applications. (Eg: Tiktok and Instagram)
• Over time, students may develop an overreliance on electronic devices for their learning which can be detrimental in the long-term.

Tips when it comes to using electronic devices 

• Leave phones out of sight and out of reach when studying; Avoid downloading any distractor apps on your tablets / laptops and use them solely for downloading apps for studying
• Download focus apps such as Forest which keeps you in deep focus mode and prevents you from using your phone when you are running the app on the device
• Electronic devices have this time limit function for certain applications. → Get your friend to set a time limit for certain applications for you and set a passcode
• Airplane mode / do not disturb mode → Prevents distraction from incoming notifications when studying

Where to get electronic devices?

• School suppliers → Some schools will partner up with vendors and offer discounts to their students for the purchase of electronic devices
• All Secondary 1 students will be able to use the funds in their Edusave account to offset the cost for their personal learning device
• Families on FAS can apply for further subsidies
• Offers low-income households students the opportunity to own a brand new computer at an affordable price. (Not applicable to secondary school students under the MOE Digital Literacy Programme)

All in all, electronic devices definitely have the potential to complement your learning as long as they are used wisely.  If you want to know more about useful study tips to take up, feel free to check out our Study Guide blog posts here .

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Jessica Grose

Screens are everywhere in schools. do they actually help kids learn.

By Jessica Grose

Opinion Writer

A few weeks ago, a parent who lives in Texas asked me how much my kids were using screens to do schoolwork in their classrooms. She wasn’t talking about personal devices. (Smartwatches and smartphones are banned in my children’s schools during the school day, which I’m very happy about; I find any argument for allowing these devices in the classroom to be risible.) No, this parent was talking about screens that are school sanctioned, like iPads and Chromebooks issued to children individually for educational activities.

I’m embarrassed to say that I couldn’t answer her question because I had never asked or even thought about asking. Partly because the Covid-19 era made screens imperative in an instant — as one ed-tech executive told my colleague Natasha Singer in 2021, the pandemic “sped the adoption of technology in education by easily five to 10 years.” In the early Covid years, when my older daughter started using a Chromebook to do assignments for second and third grade, I was mostly just relieved that she had great teachers and seemed to be learning what she needed to know. By the time she was in fifth grade and the world was mostly back to normal, I knew she took her laptop to school for in-class assignments, but I never asked for specifics about how devices were being used. I trusted her teachers and her school implicitly.

In New York State, ed tech is often discussed as an equity problem — with good reason: At home, less privileged children might not have access to personal devices and high-speed internet that would allow them to complete digital assignments. But in our learn-to-code society, in which computer skills are seen as a meal ticket and the humanities as a ticket to the unemployment line, there seems to be less chatter about whether there are too many screens in our kids’ day-to-day educational environment beyond the classes that are specifically tech focused. I rarely heard details about what these screens are adding to our children’s literacy, math, science or history skills.

And screens truly are everywhere. For example, according to 2022 data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, only about 8 percent of eighth graders in public schools said their math teachers “never or hardly ever” used computers or digital devices to teach math, 37 percent said their math teachers used this technology half or more than half the time, and 44 percent said their math teachers used this technology all or most of the time.

As is often the case with rapid change, “the speed at which new technologies and intervention models are reaching the market has far outpaced the ability of policy researchers to keep up with evaluating them,” according to a dazzlingly thorough review of the research on education technology by Maya Escueta, Andre Joshua Nickow, Philip Oreopoulos and Vincent Quan published in The Journal of Economic Literature in 2020.

Despite the relative paucity of research, particularly on in-class use of tech, Escueta and her co-authors put together “a comprehensive list of all publicly available studies on technology-based education interventions that report findings from studies following either of two research designs, randomized controlled trials or regression discontinuity designs.”

They found that increasing access to devices didn’t always lead to positive academic outcomes. In a couple of cases, it just increased the amount of time kids were spending on devices playing games. They wrote, “We found that simply providing students with access to technology yields largely mixed results. At the K-12 level, much of the experimental evidence suggests that giving a child a computer may have limited impacts on learning outcomes but generally improves computer proficiency and other cognitive outcomes.”

Some of the most promising research is around computer-assisted learning, which the researchers defined as “computer programs and other software applications designed to improve academic skills.” They cited a 2016 randomized study of 2,850 seventh-grade math students in Maine who used an online homework tool. The authors of that study “found that the program improved math scores for treatment students by 0.18 standard deviations. This impact is particularly noteworthy, given that treatment students used the program, on average, for less than 10 minutes per night, three to four nights per week,” according to Escueta and her co-authors.

They also explained that in the classroom, computer programs may help teachers meet the needs of students who are at different levels, since “when confronted with a wide range of student ability, teachers often end up teaching the core curriculum and tailoring instruction to the middle of the class.” A good program, they found, could help provide individual attention and skill building for kids at the bottom and the top, as well. There are computer programs for reading comprehension that have shown similar positive results in the research. Anecdotally: My older daughter practices her Spanish language skills using an app, and she hand-writes Spanish vocabulary words on index cards. The combination seems to be working well for her.

Though their review was published in 2020, before the data was out on our grand remote-learning experiment, Escueta and her co-authors found that fully online remote learning did not work as well as hybrid or in-person school. I called Thomas Dee, a professor at Stanford’s Graduate School of Education, who said that in light of earlier studies “and what we’re coming to understand about the long-lived effects of the pandemic on learning, it underscores for me that there’s a social dimension to learning that we ignore at our peril. And I think technology can often strip that away.”

Still, Dee summarized the entire topic of ed tech to me this way: “I don’t want to be black and white about this. I think there are really positive things coming from technology.” But he said that they are “meaningful supports on the margins, not fundamental changes in the modality of how people learn.”

I’d add that the implementation of any technology also matters a great deal; any educational tool can be great or awful, depending on how it’s used.

I’m neither a tech evangelist nor a Luddite. (Though I haven’t even touched on the potential implications of classroom teaching with artificial intelligence, a technology that, in other contexts, has so much destructive potential .) What I do want is the most effective educational experience for all kids.

Because there’s such a lag in the data and a lack of granularity to the information we do have, I want to hear from my readers: If you’re a teacher or a parent of a current K-12 student, I want to know how you and they are using technology — the good and the bad. Please complete the questionnaire below and let me know. I may reach out to you for further conversation.

Do your children or your students use technology in the classroom?

If you’re a parent, an educator or both, I want to hear from you.

Jessica Grose is an Opinion writer for The Times, covering family, religion, education, culture and the way we live now.