Title of Study: Digitally Inclined

Author(s): Grunwald Associates LLC

Summary:

The annual PBS survey of K-12 teachers also included pre-K teachers for the first time this year.  This study documents teachers’ use of digital media in the classroom, their attitudes toward teaching with digital media and their participation in virtual professional communities through social networking sites.

Sponsoring entity(s): Public Broadcasting Service (PBS)

Date conducted: 2009

Location of the study: The study can be accessed through the Public Broadcasting Service website.

Setting(s) addressed:

• Classroom

Targeted population(s):

• K-12 teachers
• Pre-K teachers

Primary sources of evidence used in the study or report:

• Survey

Primary Technology Application(s) Addressed:

• Digital media
• Social networking sites

Major education topic(s) addressed:

• Educational technology and digital media

Major findings/conclusions:

• More than three quarters of K-12 teachers and one third of Pre-K teachers use digital media in the classroom.
  
  
• Teachers value many types of digital media, including games or activities for student use, interactive lesson plans and locating information or images, among others.
  
  
• Teachers feel digital media is most effective when strategically integrated into instruction, and that it increases student motivation and teacher effectiveness.
  
  
• The majority of teachers are comfortable using social networking sites, and one in four belongs to an online community specifically for teachers.

Practical implications of the findings:

• Teachers use video in the classroom as much as ever, but the trend is toward strategic use of shorter video segments, and to access the material through the Internet as well as traditional sources.
  
  
• The growing participation in online professional communities for teachers offers a source of support and inspiration for the minority of teachers who are not yet comfortable integrating digital media into their teaching.

Reviewer Comments:

• The sample size was 1,212 K-12 teachers and 206 pre-K teachers across the country.
  
  
• The sample represented teachers from urban, suburban and rural regions and districts of all sizes.
  
  
• The sample was balanced by gender, grades taught and years of experience to allow comparison to previous years’ surveys.