A Brave New World: The new frontiers of technology and education

A Brave New World: The new frontiers of technology and education

The impact of technological trends on education is clear. A great deal of work has already been done to identify how and where education can better use technology in the classroom. And there is interesting new research on emergingopportunities for education and work that could develop from human enhancement and biotechnologies.


Students, Computersand LearningMAKING THE CONNECTION

Students, Computers and Learning: Making the Connection (Andreas Schleicher, (Director, OECD Directorate for Education and Skills) from EduSkills OECD

Students, Computers and Learning: Country noteMaking the Connection Spain

In 2012, schools in Spain had almost one computer available for every two 15-year-old students. The students-per-computer ratio of 2.2-to-1 is the 9th lowest among the 34 OECD countries. In general, however, countries that have invested heavily in ICT for education have seen no appreciable improvement in student achievement in reading, mathematics or science over the past ten years.

 • Students in Spain perform significantly below the OECD average in digital reading (466 points on the PISA digital reading scale), and below students in other countries with similar performance in print reading. In the PISA assessment of digital reading, about one in 20 students in Spain (4.6%) did not navigate at all to find the information needed to solve a problem, and those who did navigate got lost more often than students in other countries, on average.

 • Students in Spain also perform below the OECD average in computer-based mathematics (475 points on the PISA mathematics scale). • Students in Spain browse the Internet for schoolwork, at or outside of school, more often than students in other OECD countries, on average. Students who reported that they browse the Internet for schoolwork at school tend to perform better in the PISA digital reading test than students who never browse the Internet for schoolwork.

Books and bits: What Will School Look Like in 10 Years?

In Classroom of Future, Stagnant Scores.



The future of technology in the classroom, visit the Bits blog
Mr. Cuban believes that change in education will not come as quickly as many predict. He noted that some reformers have been attempting to end summer vacation for decades. “Summer is still here,” he said.





The classrooms that used the laptops the most often were not necessarily the most successful.As schools rely more on laptops and mobile devices, it is crucial to determine when students benefit from the presence of the computers and when teachers should put them away, he said.

Strategic recommendations:
Focus on learning with technology, not about technology.
Emphasize content and pedagogy, and not just hardware.
Give special attention to professional development.
Engage in realistic budgeting.
Ensure equitable, universal access.
Initiate a major program of experimental research.