Skip to content
  • Insights On Critical Thinking
  • Resources
    • Reboot’s Position on Social Media and Children
    • Our SHARP Framework for Critical Thinking
    • Parents’ Guide to Critical Thinking
    • Teachers’ Guide to Critical Thinking
    • Free Critical Thinking Lesson Plans
    • Videos
    • Interviews
  • Research
  • Media
    • Reboot in the News
    • Forbes Columns
    • Press Releases
  • About
    • About Us
    • FAQ
    • Research Advisory Board
    • Grantees
    • Partners
    • Contact Us
Menu
  • Insights On Critical Thinking
  • Resources
    • Reboot’s Position on Social Media and Children
    • Our SHARP Framework for Critical Thinking
    • Parents’ Guide to Critical Thinking
    • Teachers’ Guide to Critical Thinking
    • Free Critical Thinking Lesson Plans
    • Videos
    • Interviews
  • Research
  • Media
    • Reboot in the News
    • Forbes Columns
    • Press Releases
  • About
    • About Us
    • FAQ
    • Research Advisory Board
    • Grantees
    • Partners
    • Contact Us

Does Ed Tech Actually Help Students Learn?

The rise of new learning technologies has fueled fierce discussions over whether such technologies hurt or help student learning. But the debate over educational technology isn’t black and white. Context makes a tremendous difference, and students can use technologies such as a tablet or the Internet in so many different ways that it can be hard to say that technology will — or will not — improve learning. Are students using devices to perform research? Take notes? Play games? Engage in a virtual reality–based simulation? In this sense, learning technologies are tools; they can be used effectively or ineffectively.

Given the growing debate over technology, the Reboot Foundation explored whether classroom technology devices promoting richer forms of reasoning. Have investments in computers and tablets paid off? What frequency or length of exposure to technology is most effective in the classroom?

The Reboot Foundation report, “Does Educational Technology Help Students Learn?”, analyzed two large achievement data sets. The first data set is the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), which evaluates student achievement in over 90 countries. The second data set is the 2017 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), a national assessment known in the U.S. as “the Nation’s Report Card.”

Our findings also indicate that schools and teachers should be more careful about when—and how—education technology is deployed in classrooms.

Key Findings

  • Internationally, there’s a weak link between technology and outcomes.
  • In the U.S., the relationship between technology and outcomes was mixed.
Get the Report

Subscribe to our newsletter

Get monthly updates, news about critical thinking, and links to free resources.

 

Reboot Foundation

88 rue de Courcelles

Paris 75016

France
 
Copyright © 2022 Reboot Foundation, All rights reserved.
Facebook Twitter Youtube
This site uses cookies and other tracking technologies to assist with navigation and your ability to provide feedback, analyse your use of our products and services, assist with our promotional and marketing efforts, and provide content from third parties. Cookie settingsRead More ACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
SAVE & ACCEPT