A recent article from The Hechinger Report highlights how rapidly technology is being integrated into the education sector, outpacing other industries and reaching a point where nine out of ten schools are now using computers.

"More than nine out of 10 schools now use computers, an increase of six percentage points from 2003, according to the report. The number of devices in schools increased 71 percent from 1999 to 2012, a rate that is notable because it is twice the increase seen in other non-residential buildings,” the article said.

And this number is even thought to be underestimated, as smartphones and tablet computers were not included in this report.

Indeed, “[t]he adoption of computers in schools and colleges has advanced rapidly in recent years, outpacing the volume of computers available in other industries, including health care, according to a new report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration,” the Hechinger Report said.

But because just having technology doesn’t automatically translate to the improved quality of lessons, there has been a recent influx in companies trying to analyze data to determine quality.

Companies like The Blended Learning Universe, according to the Hechinger Report, are offering a solution "for schools and those who want to track local trends. It has assembled a database of more than 300 profiles (and counting) from 175 schools districts in 38 states.”

"After all, a computer that’s used simply as a machine to type homework assignments or fill in electronic copies of the same old worksheets is just a fancy (and expensive) typewriter.”

Read the full story.

Article by Nicole Gorman, Education World Contributor

2/10/2016