Educational Technology Research

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Why Technology Research Matters

Researching is an innate human instinct; a cycle of being curious and seeking answers about a specific question, recording findings, and logging information to find patterns or groupings. As technology becomes an undeniable part of our lives, it is important to be researching how it impacts our lives and how populations are using it in both productive and leisure ways. 

Technology is now wearable fashion and self-driving devices; but more importantly it is what we rely on most to learn and as a form of entertainment. Studying trends and new findings in Educational Technology (EdTech) is a particularly popular topic as we are coming out of the Coronavirus pandemic and finding a new normal of learning, teaching, and life.

Statistics in Current EdTech Research

As I started to research some trends and statistics in EdTech, there were informational articles on Pew Internet, findings of the impact of educational success and equity related to technology from Project Tomorrow Speak Up, and predictions of future trends in EdTech by New Media Consortium. The most interesting census I came across was Common Sense Media's article about the use of technology by tweens and teens.

While reading through the breakdown of Common Sense Media's findings of how teens and tweens interact with technology for school and social uses, there are a few statistics that surprised me. The Common Sense Census from 2021 infographic compares data from previous years and itemizes information by gender, race/ethnicity, and household income. As I digest the top portion of this graphic, image below, there are two points that stand out to me - 1. a 17% increase of screen media in both teens and tweens 2. the break down of daily screen use by race/ethnicity.

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The first statistic of a 17% in screen use by teens and tweens was not surprising. As technology becomes more accessible, familiar, and user-friendly; younger generations are comfortable using it for many components of their life like learning, entertainment, and communication. Additionally, the teens and tween surveyed have just successfully survived the trials of the pandemic and have become familiar with terms/concepts like remote learning, virtual social events, and Work From Home (WFH). 

Moving down the infographic, I became more interested in the breakdown of daily use of tweens and teens by race/ethnicity. It is not entirely shocking that people of color (POC) spend more time on the screens but the reasoning as to why they are using this technology did surprise me. To start, I looked into the Hispanic/Latino population media use here. With a shocking number of technology being used for a total of 10h2m each day meaning 13-18 year olds are on screens for almost half of their day. Diving deeper, there is a large disconnect between how often technology is used and how enjoyable the interaction is for them. Referencing the picture below of Hispanic/Latino children, there is a clear dissonance between when teens are using technology vs why teens are using technology.

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The population of tweens and teens with similar findings is in the Black community. This infographic dissects the same data; with 13-18 year olds using screens for an average of 9h50m being just 12 minutes less than the Hispanic/Latino community. Looking at the image below, you can see a pattern forming with children using technology far more than they are enjoying using technology.

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Why this Information is Important

Looking at the data presented and reflecting on why it is so important, I have come to the conclusion that technology is a privilege. And as it goes with all privileges, we want to make sure we honoring their potential. As adults and educators, we can help nurture the love and curiosity of technology to make sure future generations are using it in productive and intentional ways. Have you been able to structure technology in a fun and exploratory way while also having students learn? Do you have a library of technologies that allow students to unwind/relax instead of constantly being stimulated? Is variety in the classroom with manual learning vs technology learning necessary or important? Let me know what you think!

References

"Technology Time Magazine GIF" [Digital Image]. (2015). Retrieved from https://media.giphy.com/media/26tOY3KjQUL9YhRT2/giphy.gif.

[Common Sense Media Census Infographic Image]. Common Sense Media. Retrieved from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/research/report/2022-infographic-8-18-census-web-final-release_0.pdf.

[Common Sense Media Hispanic/Latino Media Use Image]. Common Sense Media. Retrieved from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/research/report/2021-8-18-census-fact-sheet-hispanic_latino-childrens-media-use_0.pdf.

[Common Sense Media Black Media Use Image]. Common Sense Media. Retrieved from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/research/report/2021-8-18-census-fact-sheet-black-childrens-media-use_0.pdf.