New Report: How Teachers Are Using Technology at Home and in Their Classrooms

I have two twitter chats scheduled on my calendar each week: #edutues on Tuesday afternoons, hosted by @QueensMuseum (Queens Museum of Art) and #mpossible, led by @SIEdLab (Smithsonian EdLab) on Thursday afternoons at 4pm. Both of these chats primarily focus on education. More often than not, however, the role of technology in education – and highlighted the museum experience – is brought up. How do we help teachers? How do we create the best educational experiences possible? How do we make the information gained on a tour of our museum last long after the bus pulls away? Education is the center of these conversations but technology, no doubt, is an integral (and prominent) ingredient that provides a multitude of opportunities not only in the museum – but back in the classroom, as well. Which is why I want to share the Pew Internet & American Life Project‘s new report: How Teachers Are Using Technology at Home and in Their Classrooms. Pew surveyed nearly 2,500 middle and high school teachers between March 7 and April 23, 2012. What did they find out?

• 92% of these teachers say the internet has a “major impact” on their ability to access content, resources, and materials for their teaching
• 69% say the internet has a “major impact” on their ability to share ideas with other teachers
• 67% say the internet has a “major impact” on their ability to interact with parents and 57% say it has had such an impact on enabling their interaction with students

Don’t worry there’s more. To read the full report, click here.

What do you think?  How do we use this information to most effectively harness the power of technology in our own spaces? Is it possible to overuse technology in the museum? In the classroom? How do we partner with educators and meet their needs?