Internet Use-- post #3

Here we are again, another post for my marketing class. Today’s post is regarding teachers and how they are using the internet.

We all know, whether we are, or have been, in school over the past decade, or if we have kids in school, that there are computers in almost every classroom today. But who’s using them more, the teacher or the students? I can’t really answer that question but I can answer how frequently the teachers are using it, whether it is in the classroom for a hands-on lesson or if it is at home to conduct research for a lesson.

On a website that is provided through the U.S. Department of Education, the National Center for Education Statistics came across some interesting facts.

• About 40% of teachers use computers or the internet a lot to create instructional material for a class
• About 35% use computers for administrative record keeping
• Less than 10% of teachers reported using computers, or the internet, to access model lesson plans or to access research and best practices
• When comparing newer teachers with older teachers: of those who have less than 3 years of teaching experience, 30% use the internet to communicate with colleagues and gather information for lessons; 30% of teachers who have been teaching for 4-9 years use the internet for the above reasons; and about 20% of teachers who have taught for more than 20+ years find that they use the internet to communicate or create lesson plans.

(Click here for more facts)

The only thing that surprises me here is that the numbers of those using the internet, especially the newer teachers, aren’t higher. However, I am not surprised that the newer teachers are using computers and the internet more frequently than older teachers. It’s probably because the older ones use “historic” methods of teaching—before technology came around—whereas the newer ones have adapted to technology and are therefore more prone to use it.

I don’t blame the older teachers, though, because there are some methods of teaching that should be continued to be taught the old-school way without computers; such as writing and reading. But that is a whole different issue on a whole different topic.