As Pandemic Continues, Educators Say They'll Continue to Use Technology In and Out of the Classroom

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- As schools grapple with yet another fast-spreading COVID-19 variant in the wake of the holidays, a new survey administered by Clever – the most widely used digital learning platform in U.S. K-12 schools – examines educators' perspectives on education technology in the midst of this period of profound change. Eight in 10 teachers say their (or their students') use of ed tech has increased compared to before the pandemic.

When asked about continued use of digital tools in the classroom, in the absence of virtual or remote learning, 57% of teachers say they will continue using most or all of the new tools they've since adopted – and over 90% of teachers say they will continue using at least some of these tools. At the same time, over 88% of administrators and 81% of educators somewhat agree or strongly agree that, if needed, virtual learning should be used in response to contagious pandemics, including new strains of COVID-19. And, as districts consider new test-to-stay and quarantine policies in the wake of new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance,  77% of teachers and 91% of administrators say they agree with using virtual learning for asymptomatic students in quarantine.  

"There's been lots of speculation about what aspects of digital learning will stay once students return to school. Educators are telling us they plan to keep using the digital tools they've picked up in the pandemic in their classroom, and that virtual learning has a role in some cases," said Dan Carroll, a former teacher and co-founder of Clever. "But, ed tech has often made lofty claims when it comes to student outcomes and teachers' experience. This is the time to prove it. More than ever, technology must make teachers' jobs easier, not harder. And students need technology to meet them where they are."

Among the key findings:

• A role for virtual remains. In certain situations – including quarantine periods for asymptomatic students, new contagious pandemics, snow days, and other calamity days (e.g. poor air quality), both teachers and administrators support a return to virtual learning.
• Teachers and administrators also find technology compelling for use in the classroom.  For teachers, allowing students to work at their own pace was the most exciting reason for using technology, followed by supporting student engagement (e.g. through gamification). Using data from students to understand progress rounded out the top 3 reasons for teachers. For administrators, supporting student engagement was the most exciting reason, followed by providing new modalities for covering content (e.g. supporting students with different learning preferences). Allowing students to work at their own pace came in third, followed by using data to understand progress or mastery.
• Teachers are satisfied with their school's tech options, but they also bring their own. Overall, nearly 3 in 4 teachers were satisfied with the ed tech tools offered by their school or district – but despite this, nearly half of teachers (46%) say they frequently bring in other tools. Administrators were more likely than teachers to say that the district has high-quality ed tech tools and a wide enough array of them. 84% of administrators agreed or strongly agreed that their district has a sufficient range of high-quality ed tech tools for teachers, compared to 68% of teachers who said the same.
• When it comes to finding new resources, teachers trust teachers. Nearly half (44%) of teachers said that other teachers in the district are their most trusted source for identifying new digital tools to use. This was more than double the second place answer, school or district leadership, which was the most trusted source for 18% of teachers. 

The survey, administered throughout November using Clever's user database, asked about 900 teachers and 600 administrators a series of questions about their use of education technology tools and how it has changed over the past two years. More than 90% of the 1,500 respondents represented public school educators, and teacher respondents skewed toward lower grades (nearly half were elementary educators).

About Clever
Clever is on a mission to unlock new ways to learn for all students. More than 65% of U.S. K-12 schools now use Clever to simplify access and improve engagement with digital learning. With our free platform for schools and a network of leading application providers, we're committed to advancing educational equity. Clever, a Kahoot! company, has offices in San Francisco, CA and Durham, NC but you can visit us at clever.com anytime.

SOURCE Clever