Are iPads in schools a waste of money? OECD report says yes
From The Age, September 15, 2015:
Timna Jacks, Education Reporter
Excerpt:
Investment in computers and iPads in schools does not improve numeracy and literacy skills, a new OECD report has warned.
In fact, the report, just released by the organisation which is considered the definitive authority on global academic performance, found frequent use of computers in schools is often associated with lower results.
Investment in computers and iPads in schools does not improve numeracy and literacy skills, a new OECD report has warned.
In fact, the report, just released by the organisation which is considered the definitive authority on global academic performance, found frequent use of computers in schools is often associated with lower results.
Are Australian schools wasting their money on laptops and iPads for students?
The first global study on students’ digital skills shows Australia is one of the highest users of technology in schools.
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Yet the country’s reading and maths performance has declined over 2000 to 2012, based on data from 2012 Programme for International Student Assessment.
There was “no appreciable improvements in student achievement in reading, mathematics or science in the countries that had invested heavily in (information technology) for education,” said the Students, Computers and Learning: Making the Connection report.
And where the technology is used in the classroom, the impact on student performance is “mixed, at best”.
“Put simply, ensuring that every child attains a baseline level of proficiency in reading and mathematics seems to do more to create equal opportunities in a digital world than can be achieved by expanding or subsidising access to high-tech devices and services,” the report said.
Schools adopting technology in the classroom would fail to improve results, if teachers were stuck in “20th century teaching practices”.
Between 2003 and 2012, students’ performance in mathematics deteriorated in most countries – including Australia – where there were more computers in schools.
Students in countries using fewer computers for schoolwork improved more rapidly in reading.
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