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Leading global education technology company Promethean has released its seventh annual State of Technology in Education report. The survey of UK educators and, for the first time, pupils, offers insights into the use of technology in schools and its impact on the well-being factors that make up the staff and student experience. <\/p>\n
According to the research, educators believe social-emotional learning (SEL) has become less of a priority in schools \u2013 with 6% fewer respondents saying it\u2019s a key part of their school\u2019s strategy compared to last year\u2019s report. However, most are largely confident in technology\u2019s ability to support SEL (57%), noting how it improves student engagement (71%) and strengthens collaborative or community-based learning (69%). However, the findings showed that almost a third (29%) of schools are yet to implement any SEL-dedicated measures at all.<\/p>\n
The report also shed light on the benefits technology provides to educators, with improved student engagement (71%) and behaviour (63%), and its ability to support experiential and immersive learning (67%), cited as the key plus points. Many pointed to the advantage that more novel edtech innovations, like AI, provide to schools, with 98% saying they welcome these types of technology. <\/p>\n
Revealing insights into pupils\u2019 approaches to technology for the first time, the report found that students are resoundingly confident in the technology and its benefits, with 88% saying they enjoy using it in class. Reasons range from helping them connect with peers (83%), making topics more interesting (83%), helping them to focus (83%), and helping them to better understand different subjects (92%). Of the technologies available to students, tablets (59%) outweigh smartphones (30%) in terms of preference. Meanwhile, robotics and coding (25%), and virtual and augmented reality (17%) are growing in popularity, but the results show that many young people are yet to feel entirely confident in their use.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter the turbulence of 2020 and 2021, educators had an opportunity to rebuild a consistent and structured school experience without the risk of sudden closure,\u201d said Jennifer Foreman, chief marketing officer at Promethean. \u201cAs part of our seventh annual report, we wanted to see how educators redefined learning, taking forward what had worked well when it came to the use of technology during the lockdown era, and how pupils have responded to that. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we\u2019ve learnt is that both educators and their pupils are embracing technology – not only how it supports lessons, but also interactivity between peers and students\u2019 emotional needs. Educators are becoming more adept at selecting technologies that complement the curriculum and as a result, digital learning is becoming much more fluid. While there is always room for improvement, it’s clear that technology continues to add value to the learning experience and support student achievement, and we anticipate next year\u2019s findings will continue to support that theory.\u201d<\/p>\n