To Spend or Not to Spend? The Value of ICT Investment in Education

A recent assignment sent me scouring the Internet for research related to the value of ICT investment in education.  What I found left me surprised, curious, and a little bit confounded. 

Don’t worry- there is research out there to support the use of ICT in educational settings.  Our jobs are safe.  But after reading through many research reports, I feel the need to insert an intriguing but debatable asterisk: *the value of strong pedagogy and motivated teachers may be more influential than the value of advanced technology tools.  Don’t get me wrong, nothing gets me more excited than a shiny new iPad with the promise of unlimited educational applications.  In fact, a recent news story on 60 Minutes had me convinced that every autistic child in America could be saved with this magic tablet.  But I also think it’s important to examine the implementation of ICT tools in the classroom and the effects, both qualitative and quantitative, that this has upon students’ learning outcomes.

Some existing research argues that if schools are failing, ICT will just increase the waste.  Assume, just briefly, that investments in information and communication technologies are the best educational investment available to a country.  Imagine that there is a magical ICT tool which, once put into the classroom, would achieve great advances in student learning, teacher effectiveness, and scholastic performance.  Atanu Dey, in his commentary OLPC is inappropriate for India, posed this question: How would a troubled school system, which has failed its teachers, students, and their parents for years or decades, somehow be able to implement this tool correctly?  Similarly, the New York Times recently reported that the widespread introduction of technology in schools actually lowered student achievement and served only as a distraction to the underlying pedagogical and educational shortcomings.   

The other much more uplifting and promising side of the debate cites research showing the value of ICT tools to motivate and engage students in meaningful learning.  Studies performed by researchers in Europe showed that the implementation of technology tools promoted collaboration among students and engaged them in discussion about the subject matter.  Furthermore, students reported being more interested in the subject material and therefore demonstrated increased learning gains in addition to increased motivation for self-directed learning (The ICT Impact Report).  It also cannot be disputed that advances in ICT have allowed students to connect on an international level and have increased student global awareness.  ICTs have knocked down the classroom wall barriers and replaced them with opportunities for applied learning about the world around us (The Global Classroom).

Technology can be expensive.  So, of course, in a time when teachers are being laid off and programs are being cut, it is crucial to evaluate the effectiveness of spending money on ICTs in education.  But even after reading the opposing research reports, I am still convinced that educational ICTs are a smart investment provided that they are coupled with proper training and implementation procedures.  When accompanied by teacher enthusiasm, mentoring, and a strong educational foundation, ICT tools can inspire even the most struggling and disengaged learners (Education, ICT, and the Knowledge Society).  In my opinion, more funding should be dedicated to the purchase and implementation of advanced technologies that are shaping the way we think about educating our students.  And it’s not just because I savor the crispness and the unique scent of a shiny new interactive whiteboard.