Dive Brief:

• In an analysis of results from EducationNext’s 2015 survey, researchers found that parents, teachers, and blended learning experts differed on how much instruction students should receive via a tablet or laptop.
• On average, blended learning experts said that percentage should be around 40% of the time; teachers, on the other hand, said it should remain around 20% of the time.
• Meanwhile, parents and the general public split the difference, saying the average student should receive about 30% of their instruction on the computer.

Dive Insight:

The survey results measure the current temperature of the field, with most thinking students should be using computers about a third of the time, more or less — a step back from a more futuristic vision of students taught entirely by computers. 

But the results should also be viewed alongside an earlier report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which cautioned moderation in implementing technology initiatives. That report found that computer use, while beneficial in small doses, was detrimental on student learning at higher levels. Those results are no surprise, of course, as the effect of computers on learning has long been a contentious topic. But they do offer a warning about overenthusiastic technology implementation and a caution to use care, even as the field of education undergoes seismic shifts.

Recommended Reading

EducationNext: The Ideal Blended-Learning Combination