Technology in Education: What Students Think

Delighted boy smiles while pointing at his smartwatch
(Image credit: Thinkstock/Zinkevych)

Project Tomorrow’s new report for 2014, “Digital Learning 24/7: Understanding Technology—Enhanced Learning in the Lives of Today’s Students,” surveyed 431,231 K-12 students from over 8,000 schools and 2,600 districts in the US and around the world. They found that:

* Students who have access to school-provided technology use digital resources at a more sophisticated level, place a higher value on technology as part of their learning process, and connect that technology to developing college and career skills.

* 47% of K-12 students have regular access to mobile devices in their classrooms.

* Over 60% of students in grades 6-8 with mobile device access are using these devices for online testing, creating presentations, and using Internet-based services.

* Almost 75% of students, regardless of whether or not they have school technology access, believe that every student should be able to use a mobile device during the school day for learning.

* 63% of students in grades 6-12 think that a blended learning environment would be a good way for them to learn.

* The student vision for a 21st-century educational experience is for learning that is socially based and collaborative, untethered from the traditional constraints or limitations of education institutions, and digitally rich in context and relevancy.