Yesterday, February 6th was National Digital Learning Day. Did you blow out your digital cake online or simply have an app to do that for you? ☺
I am not sure where some of these holidays come from but in this case I understand and appreciate the need to celebrate how digital learning is positively impacting education. As a nascent industry that often has to overcome political opposition, forms of digital, online and blended learning can often seem like a tiny drop in the massive ocean of public education (100,000+ schools serving 50M).
However, PBS Learning Media just released the results of a national survey of PreK to 12 teachers on how they are using technology in their classrooms. Some important findings include:
✓ 90% of teachers have access to at least one laptop or PC, 59% have access to an interactive whiteboard in their classroom, and 35% have access to a tablet
✓ 48% of teachers use technology for online lesson plans and 43% use technology for online videos, images and articles in their classrooms
✓ 68% of teachers nationwide and 75% of teachers in low-income schools expressed a desire for more classroom technology
At times, the pace of technology’s integration and subsequent transformation of teaching and learning can seem quite glacial. After all, virtually every other industry including historically massive, government funded ones like the military, public healthcare and transportation have undergone massive transformations that are being driven by technology advances.
However, the PBS survey results suggest a grassroots movement, led by teachers who are accessing technology (90%), using in both their lesson planning and lesson delivery (almost half) and two-thirds to three quarters want even more access and implementation.
While the total number of blended schools in the country may be miniscule (say 100 blended schools out of say 100,000 K-12 schools), there are micro forms of use, innovation and implementation that would suggest we are speeding towards a tipping point. What happens when 90% of teachers are using technology to plan their lessons online, procure content online, using online assessments and finding and creating apps to better track student progress, customize learning pathways and engage students? The distinction between blended and non-blended or traditional school may simply fall away. Now that would be an incredible gift.
Happy Birthday blended teachers and students alike.
