Teaching and Technology to Develop College Skills

According to a new report by BlackBoard and Project Tomorrow, two-thirds of parents report that effective classroom technology use provides an opportunity for their children to develop college and career skills. Meanwhile, motivating teachers to change their instructional practices is the biggest challenge to adopting digital learning or deploying new technology, according to school and district technology leaders. This report also provides a unique lens for examining the current state of teacher capacity for transforming education using digital tools, and identifying promising new practices that can serve as guideposts for this journey.

Key findings include:

·       Over half of teachers in blended classrooms said that technology helps them to better differentiate instruction.

·       Responding teachers said they need planning time, access to technology, tech support, professional development and reliable and high quality internet connectivity to effectively integrate digital content and tools;

·       Over half of parents reported that they are concerned their children will not learn the right skills in school for success in college or their careers;

·       Most parents were likely to say that critical thinking and problem solving are important skills for their child's future.

·       Teachers in blended or virtual classrooms were more likely to rate technology as important in myriad ways, from improved differentiation to better self-directed professional development to developing student creativity.

Blackboard (2017). Building teachers’ capacity and competency to create new learning experiences for students. Washington, D.C.: BlackBoard. http://images.email.blackboard.com/Web/BlackboardInc/%7B6651397a-eb7d-4088-8471-3eac0140990a%7D_K12_2017_Report_TrendsInDigitalLearning.pdf