Survey identifies beneficial effects of ICT after class

Students, teachers and parents believe that educational technologies have beneficial effects that extend far beyond the classroom. What are they?

Appreciated in the classroom for their pedagogical potential, educational technologies would also have a positive impact on learners once the bell rings. This is what reveals an important digital education survey conducted in the United States with a group of 2,800 respondents consisting of kindergarten, elementary and high school students, their parents and teachers.

Carried out by the firm Deloitte and titled After the bell rings expanding the classroom: Emerging trends in digital education devices and materials (“Classroom Expansion after the Bell Ringing: Emerging Trends in Educational Technologies”), the survey aimed to understand the educational impacts of ICTs, both in the classroom and in the classroom. outside of these.

In summary, educational technologies are indeed perceived, in the eyes of the respondents, as having positive impacts on different facets of learning, even after the classroom.

ICT Friendly Teachers After Class

• 74 % of teachers surveyed believe that technologies increase the possibilities of learning outside the classroom;
• 64 % teachers say that technologies make it easier to communicate with students outside the classroom, for example by allowing feedback;
• 59 % of teachers believe that technologies improve the possibilities for collaboration between students outside the classroom.

Parents' trust goes to teachers

The survey also shows that teachers have a significant influence on the learning activities and devices that students choose outside of the classroom. As such, 3 in 4 parents said they were relying on teacher choice when it comes to technology and educational materials used at home.

What about the students?

For their part, the two reasons most cited by students for using educational technologies outside the formal classroom setting are as follows, both in elementary and secondary school:

•  to learn new things
•  do interesting exercises

The results also indicate that the summer remains an important period of informal learning, notably thanks to technology. In fact, 8 out of 10 students said they had done learning activities during the summer. Reading a book or e-book (4 out of 10 respondents) remains the most popular activity, but educational games, educational applications and educational videos, with 3 out of 10 respondents, also occupy an important place.

The main results of the survey are available in the summary report.

And you? What do you think are the greatest benefits of educational technologies outside of school hours? Are they the same as those identified in the survey?