Benefits and challenges of using laptops in elementary and secondary school: Results of the second investigation at the Eastern Townships School Board

Abstract

This second investigation of teachers and students at the Eastern Townships School Board had eight research objectives. It aimed to determine, according to the perceptions of the teachers and students, the impacts of information and communication technologies (ICT) on students’: (1) writing skills, (2) creativity, (3) communication and cooperation, (4) effective work methods, and (5) capacity to exercise critical judgment. Another aim was to identify the main (6) benefits and (7) challenges of regular use of technologies in the classroom, as well as (8) the equipment and access available to teachers and students at the school board. In all, 2,712 students (from grades 3 to 11) and 389 teachers participated in this questionnaire survey. The results reveal that ICT have had a major impact on the students, particularly in their skills and competencies (writing, creativity, work methods, communication and cooperation, critical judgment, etc.). The results also highlight how the teachers in this school board have succeeded, through their pedagogical strategies and other teaching activities, in giving technology a central role in the writing process. Technologies have enabled both teachers and students to write better, more, and with more inspiration. Besides the substantial impacts on writing, the results also show the main benefits of using technologies in the classroom, as underscored by the teachers and students: academic motivation, access to extensive information, a wide variety of available resources, the potential for individualized learning, and greater feelings of competence, to name only a few. The integration of ICT into education comes with certain problems, however. The two biggest challenges for teachers and students were the equipment and classroom management. This report concludes with a list of twelve recommendations.