Teachers and Schools Have a Love/Hate Relationship With Digital Technology

July 16, 2013— -- Digital tools like iPads and Google Docs are altering the way kids learn to write in school.

Sometimes the changes are positive - a student can literally see his paper transformed in front of his eyes as an instructor digitally marks up a shared document. But sometimes they're negative - kids are writing more informally these days, teachers say, and that can impact performance in a testing system that still calls for handwritten academic prose.

According to a new survey from the Pew Research Center of Advanced Placement and National Writing Project teachers, digital tools make teaching easier and they provide students with everything from opportunities for personal expression on sites like Tumblr to a wider audience. Kids are more likely to put effort into a story when they know it's going to appear publicly on a school website, for instance.

The survey results run counter to the commonly held idea that digital tools have no place in writing instruction, the study's author said during a Monday phone interview.

"The underlying perception is that digital tools only have negative impacts on student writing," study author and director of the center's Internet and American Life project Kristen Purcell said. "So for us, the data challenged that notion a little bit."

Nearly 80 percent of the 2,500 teachers surveyed said digital tools encourage more collaboration among students, and that they foster creativity and personal expression. But nearly 70 percent also said the tools make students more likely to take shortcuts and not put effort into their writing.

Interestingly, the teachers were more divided when it comes to how they think digital technology influences students' grammar. While 40 percent say it makes students more likely to use poor spelling and grammar, 38 percent say it makes them less likely to do so.

But it's important to note that the teachers surveyed are working with some of the best and the brightest students and many have also had additional training through the National Writing Project. They also tend to be more tech-savvy than the average teacher.

One of the concerns is that some of the teachers surveyed say they feel ill-prepared to adopt digital technology in the classroom. That number may actually be higher among the average educator.

The thing is, some schools have restrictions on which sites students may visit while others limit the use of personal devices in class. Not all teachers are convinced that's a good way to go and they want more instruction on how to proceed.

Some school districts like the one in Los Angeles have attempted to solve the problem by issuing devices to every single student. For example, every student in L.A. will have a tablet by the start of the 2014-15 school year. That way the students are on somewhat equal footing and educators can control what sites they visit and how they are used.

However, there are school districts that don't have the ability to give every student a computer or e-book. Purcell said she's worried that the poorest students are often the ones who both attend schools where those devices aren't offered and face the most restrictions when it comes to using their own devices.

But there are possible solutions to this.

Studies of digital technology in classrooms are still at their relative infancy, but once more data is established, lawmakers will be able to look at what seems to work best and what does not.

Stephen Spector, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Education wrote in an email that the goal of their ConnectED initiative seeks to leverage technology in education, beginning with connecting virtually every student in America's classrooms to high-speed broadband internet.

That's going to take significant funding, at a time when many states are tightening their budgets. Still, digital technology in classrooms is an issue states and schools are going to have to face because the power and importance of technology is not going away.