AdvancED Study Shows Technology Having Less Impact Than Thought

AdvancED
Image: advanc-ed.org

A member of the Michigan Association of Administrators for Special Education, Delia Lang served for more than 15 years as director for programs and services for special education at The Leona Group, based in Lansing, Michigan. She also worked for three years as a field supervisor for teacher education and has served on the North Central Accreditation Team with AdvancED.

Earlier this year, AdvancED unveiled research that indicates students in K-12 classrooms are not seeing a marked increase in their use of technology. Approximately 140,000 classrooms in 39 states and 11 countries worldwide were sampled, with the study finding that more than half of these classrooms aren’t using technology at all in their learning activities.

Further, AdvancED researchers discovered that 63.3 percent of classrooms showed no indication that they used technology for research, problem-solving, or creation of work, while 64.6 percent of classrooms had no indication technology was used for communication or collaboration purposes.

The conclusion researchers drew is that technology, though more abundant and advanced than ever, is having far less impact on the day-to-day learning environment that had previously been thought.

The author of the study, Dr. Ludy van Broekhuizen, is the chief innovation officer at AdvancED. In his remarks, he noted that the responsibility falls on teachers and instructional staff, not advanced technology, to create engaging classrooms. When students are engaged, he says that they are less likely to be distracted and more likely to perform at higher levels.

UMSOE’s PhD in Educational Leadership Program

 

University of Michigan’s School of Education
Image: soe.umich.edu

An accomplished educator, Delia Laing, PhD, previously served as the director for programs and services for special education at The Leona Group, LLC. Delia Laing earned her PhD in Educational Leadership at the University of Michigan’s School of Education (UMSOE).

UMSOE is regularly ranked among the top schools in the annual graduate school listing of US News and World Report. Five of the school’s programs are cited as top-five in their areas. Across all categories–which include doctoral degrees granted, research funding, and faculty-student ration–the school is ranked number 11 in the United States, and in terms of peer rankings, tied for fourth place.

UMSOE’s PhD in Educational Policy, Leadership, and Innovation program primarily concentrates on creating cultural foundations, political structures, and technical capabilities that support, empower, and value diverse students, families, and communities. Students develop the skills needed to work with other reformers in promoting novel visions for US public schools in evolving social, political, and educational settings.