Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
Updated at 3.50pm
A NEW REPORT from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has brought some unexpected news.
Schools that have put a big focus on boosting the use of ICT technology in the classroom may well have been wasting their time.
In the new report, entitled ‘Students, Computers and Learning: Making the Connection‘, the OECD has said, “countries which have invested heavily in information and communication technologies (ICT) for education have seen no noticeable improvement in their performances in PISA results (an educational test issued by the OECD) for reading, mathematics or science.”
Ensuring that every child reaches a baseline level of proficiency in reading and mathematics will do more to create equal opportunities in a digital world than solely expanding or subsidising access to high-tech devices and services.
How does Ireland fare?
This comes as good news for Ireland, as we were found to have one of the lowest levels of computer use of any country included in the figures.
It was found that 63% of Irish teenagers use computers at school, but only spend an average of 16 minutes a day online, compared to the OECD average of 25 minutes, and well below the high of 58 minutes in Australia.
In Ireland more than 90% of students have access to at least one home computer and internet use outside of school came to 74 minutes, one of the lowest of the countries examined.
Weekend usage was also low, coming to just 100 minutes.
Chart showing the amount weekday minutes, weekend minutes and percentage of extreme internet users in different countries
What should schools do?
The OECD has recommended that schools find “more effective ways” to bring technology into teaching and the classroom.
Similar to traditional learning, a gap exists in digital learning based on how advantaged and disadvantaged students perform.
Speaking about the findings, Andreas Schleicher, OECD director for education and skills, said, “Technology is the only way to dramatically expand access to knowledge. To deliver on the promises technology holds, countries need to invest more effectively and ensure that teachers are at the forefront of designing and implementing this change.”
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Anyone else tired of seeing so called “new” reports highlighting something that we have know for years?
Technology and the internet has allowed us to offload intelligence, therefore we are smarter as a society, but dumber as individuals. All you have to do for proof is look at Twitter. Tonnes of information, but even more dumb people.
Emotional intelligence due to the influx of IT is not on the up.
Like anything, it depends entirely on how it is used.
This is now going to be used as an excuse to not invest on school IT infrastructure and as always, we will throw out the baby with the bathwater.
“Technology and the internet has allowed us to offload intelligence”
Not really, it has just made rote learning even more pointless. If anything it’s the exam system that needs to be upgraded to take into account the reality of what work environments are going to be like in the future. Instead of focusing on rote learning, it should be focusing on critical thinking and analysis. Just having information available to you is meaningless if you don’t know what to do with it.
I think the dumb people are just more visible because they can express their opinions all over the internet
They appear every time the conversation turns to fluoride, vaccinations and gluten-free food.
…and then I had to go and misspell fluoride.
…except I didn’t.
Before widespread literacy people learnt things off by heart, a song or poem learnt by heart at one listening was not unusual.
Writing meant that we did not need to memorize everything.
Technology is changing how our mind works.
Our knowledge is being stored in the cloud rather than the brain.
In a way yes. They have information at the click of a button so no need to retain information. It is a good idea having tablets/laptops for school to an extent to reduce the load to be carried around. However, I find information doesn’t stick after reading it from a glarey computer screen. I don’t think it’s the computers making our children less intelligent but the parents who decide it’s OK to give their 6 year old a tablet for their birthday and a smartphone for Christmas. They spend most of their time then playing candy crush and following celebrity gossip with little time spent reading a book or wanting to know about the world around them.
Richard, you summed it up perfectly.
So what we’re really saying is teachers need to be better trained in the use of computers to support education.
Really hope this research isn’t appropriated by those teachers who take their dip and dodge further learning and training for as long as possible.
The teachers who show up for CPD in computers gain a raft of pedagogical training beyond just the tech stuff.
Any principal who invests heavily in devices and doesn’t have a comprehensive, supportive and ongoing CPD plan to support that investment is a fool. If you’re a parent who has been asked to shell out for a device, ask for the school’s e-learning plan, if it’s not up to snuff don’t bother spending your money. Devices teach nothing on their own.
And we won’t even mention how questionable PISA is at rating student achievement.
‘Any principal who invests heavily in devices …’
Most Irish schools (except those who can draw on wealthy parents) have clapped out computers that would be dumped out of most Irish homes. Neither do they have the back up technical support to support these. Imagine a small to medium sized company with 30-40 PCs and no budget for technical support, computer replacement etc? Welcome to the Irish school of 2015. No state funding for ICT in schools even though Kenny et al exhaust themselves talking about the smart economy etc. E-learning plan? Unlikely to mention that without Tesco coupons and bag packing, the school is unlikely to have even 10 year old computers.
Like my granny always said ‘everything in moderation’. Multiple studies on a myriad of topics to back that one up!
I’m not sure computers have made children less intelligent, after all there is a world of information available on the net if you are of a mind to seek it. What they can do is stifle imagination and the creativity that stems from it.
Such nonsense! Of course we’re more intelligent after we use computers, just look at the way tech-savvy people interact with the rest of the world and anyone who suggests that excessive computer usage leads to obesity, stupidity,bullying, de-socialisation,poor grammar, limited vocabulary etc etc is just nuts.
Dear God, isn’t it painfully obvious that too much IT use is bad for the individual on so many fronts? Do we really need the OECD to compile a report to convince us that this is the case?
It is and that was said a long time ago now, what seems to improve brain power was seen to be joined writing skills and reading, keyboards have a negative effect on the brain.
Wasn’t that the same Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) that said today Ireland had to increase their property and water charges to be in line with the rest of Europe and cut the childrens allowance?
In Europe the property tax pays for a lot of stuff like bins etc, here it pays politicians to have big nights out… drinking and eating.
Does the OECD know this?
The report is correct but it was conducted in 2012 and focuses on computers. Tablets/1:1 mobile device programmes were only making their way into our education systems.
We (our school) have transformed the way we teach and learn by using technology in the classroom on an everyday basis. There are so many cogs in the wheel which need to be considered when making such a transition, most schools don’t consider everything that enables truly technology enhanced learning. Instead we are spending millions on hardware and basically nothing on CPD. I meet Principals regularly that decide to undertake the switch to iPads on behalf of parents, students and teachers, some of these Principals couldn’t tell you how to turn one on!
I believe we have made a good go of it but I have worked with many schools that just have little vision and rarely follow up on great ideas and plans. The department need to have some direction and provide structures for such huge changes. Look at what Finland are in the process of, a well thought digital learning system. A submission we made last year if anyone is interested on how we have implemented technology enhanced learning into our daily teaching and learning – https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8UtwutcB0j7Z3YtamJDMjBkRTQ/view?usp=sharing
Its simplybis all about what the kids are learning. When I was in school we did useless things and the teacher didn’t have a clue. early secondary schools need to learn programs like scratch to introduce programming logic and typing.com for correct typing technique. the only reason kids might seem less intelligent is because of the poor parenting that allows the kids to play browser games all evening. There is amazing applications that can expand the mind and teach great things. it’s the parents and teachers that must steer the kids rather than blame the computers. any parents: get your kids to try out scratch. You build your own games. Great fun for a younger audience.
bah my formatting was removed. whoops
Want to teach kiddywinks about tech, give them a raspberry pi and teach them how to code with it. They are inexpensive and about the size of a credit card. Slap a lightweight linux distro on there and let them mess with it.
And do what with it? You’re seriously over estimating the vast majority of students abilities and interest.
I think you’re underestimating small children’s interest in technology. A lot of countries are beginning to teach code at playschool level. Kids are a sponge for information at that age.
There are a lot of people on here who would rather a chisel and stone be brought back then advance in technology. Kids should be learning computers in school but more the programming and engineering side of it. It’s not all about the internet and games.
Boring.
A computer cannot tell you how to talk fluently to an in Italian in the Italian language.
You have to learn the Italian language for yourself.
Same with French.
Rosetta Stone?
Good recommendation to improve teachers knowledge of how to use technology in the classroom to support the best outcomes for students. Could do away with homework completely.
In answer to a previous comment re rote learning..In my opinion, there’s not a thing wrong with rote learning as a general learning/ teaching methodology..in fact it’s a necessary part of education and learning..you learn to spell by repetition, you learn the rules of spelling etc by practice (and then you can recognise that auto correct on your device is often auto incorrect)..you learn your times tables and are eventually able to do totting up in your head..you learn poems or lines of poetry, quotes from plays and are able to use those to support your answer in an exam, or use them to illustrate a point in a debate or conversation, an argument or row. You learn many things by rote.
That opinion notwithstanding, there are many students for whom rote learning, in its traditional sense, is not an option..therefore it’s only one of the learning skills used by teachers.
Helps with maths though. But playing games on it can deter from your studies. In my school we only use computers in fourth year for quite a few of our classes. Every other year only uses them like once a year maybe not at all
have your say