Finding #3: Differences in Ed Tech Use
What we’re seeing in high-poverty vs. low-poverty schools
Students and teachers in high-poverty schools are less likely to use ed tech for collaboration, creation, and research.
From the NewSchools-Gallup Survey on Ed Tech
What’s the difference in how ed tech used in high-poverty and low-poverty schools? While similar percentages of teachers in both types of schools say they use ed tech for in-class exercises and to help students learn new information, fewer teachers in high-poverty schools say they use ed tech for collaboration, creation, and research. These results align with the value teachers assign to digital learning tools for supporting a range of instructional practices. For example, according to survey data, more teachers in low-poverty schools say digital learning tools are effective for supporting student collaboration and research, while more teachers in high-poverty schools say digital learning tools are effective for supporting practices related to learning new content, practicing and assessing skills, and personalizing learning experiences.
Implications
While these data seem to indicate important differences in ed tech use, they also may reflect that high-poverty schools often have less resources to dedicate toward supporting “increasingly sophisticated” technology strategies that support -a wide range of learning experiences. It could also be the case that educators in high-poverty schools might be more likely to use ed tech’s efficiencies to create more time for face-to-face collaboration, creation and research. Rather than saying particular ways of using ed tech are “better” or “worse,” it’s important to contextualize the role technology plays within the overall learning environment, defined by a complex set of variables including instructional beliefs, organizational maturity and community preferences.
