{"id":94559,"date":"2013-07-16T00:00:36","date_gmt":"2013-07-16T05:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/2013\/07\/16\/part-i-introduction\/"},"modified":"2024-04-14T04:17:31","modified_gmt":"2024-04-14T09:17:31","slug":"part-i-introduction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/2013\/07\/16\/part-i-introduction\/","title":{"rendered":"Part I: Introduction"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This report is the third installment of an expansive study of middle and high school teachers by the Pew Research Center\u2019s Internet &amp; American Life Project.\u00a0 The study combined a national survey and focus groups to examine teachers\u2019<i>\u00a0<\/i>perceptions of the impacts of a rapidly evolving technological environment on both their students and their role as educators.\u00a0 Building on a decade of Pew Internet research on the growing use of the internet and digital tools among both U.S. adults and teens, this study explores the impact of these tools on students\u2019 research and writing habits, as well as the extent to which teachers incorporate digital technologies into classroom pedagogy.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This report covers survey and focus group findings on how the internet and other digital technologies are shaping the way today\u2019s middle and high school students write and think about writing, as well as how middle and high school teachers are using these tools to teach writing. Overall, data suggest that teachers view positively the impact of the internet and digital technologies on student writing, particularly the way it expands audience for students beyond just their teachers and provides more opportunities for writing on a daily basis.\u00a0 Teachers report that interactive online tools have enhanced their ability to teach writing and allow them to work more collaboratively with their students.\u00a0 At the same time, however, teachers see some downsides to learning how to write in a digital age, and as was the case with students\u2019 research abilities, most teachers give their students only modest ratings when it comes to specific writing skills.<b><\/b><\/p>\n\n<h4 id=\"adult-and-teen-internet-use\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Adult and Teen Internet Use<\/h4>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The current study builds on Pew Internet\u2019s extensive research on how U.S. adults and teens gather information online, communicate using digital tools, and use these tools for their own training and education.\u00a0 Pew Internet\u2019s prior surveys have shown that:<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Online information gathering (in the form of search engine use) tops the list of the most popular online activities, along with email[2. numoffset=&#8221;2&#8243; \u201cSearch Engine Use 2012\u201d available at\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/Reports\/2012\/Search-Engine-Use-2012.aspx\">https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/Reports\/2012\/Search-Engine-Use-2012.aspx<\/a>.]<\/li>\n<li>Adults as well as teens have become increasingly reliant on mobile tools, particularly smartphones, to communicate and engage with online content[3. \u201cSmartphone Ownership 2013\u201d available at\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/Reports\/2013\/Smartphone-Ownership-2013.aspx\">https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/Reports\/2013\/Smartphone-Ownership-2013.aspx<\/a>. \u201cTeens and Technology 2013\u201d available at\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/Reports\/2013\/Teens-and-Tech.aspx\">https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/Reports\/2013\/Teens-and-Tech.aspx<\/a>.]<\/li>\n<li>Social networking has become one of the most popular online activities with teens and adults.\u00a0 While teens and young adults initially led the foray into this online social milieu, the past several years have seen particular growth in social network site use among older adults[4. \u201cTeens, Social Media and Privacy\u201d available at\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/Reports\/2013\/Teens-Social-Media-And-Privacy.aspx\">https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/Reports\/2013\/Teens-Social-Media-And-Privacy.aspx<\/a>. \u201cThe Demographics of Social Media Users 2012\u201d available at\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/Reports\/2013\/Social-media-users.aspx\">https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/Reports\/2013\/Social-media-users.aspx<\/a>.]<\/li>\n<li>Both teens and adults are heavily engaged in consuming and curating online video and pictures, and often remix the content available online into their own creations[5. \u201cTeens and Online Video\u201d available at\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/Reports\/2012\/Teens-and-online-video.aspx\">https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/Reports\/2012\/Teens-and-online-video.aspx<\/a>. \u201c71% of Adults Now Use Video-Sharing Sites\u201d available at\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/Reports\/2011\/Video-sharing-sites.aspx\">https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/Reports\/2011\/Video-sharing-sites.aspx<\/a>.]<\/li>\n<li>Texting has become the major form of communication among 12-17 year-olds in the U.S., and is growing dramatically among adults as well[6. \u201cTeens, Smartphones and Texting\u201d available at\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/Reports\/2012\/Teens-and-smartphones.aspx\">https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/Reports\/2012\/Teens-and-smartphones.aspx<\/a>. \u201cCell Phone Activities 2012\u201d available at\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/Reports\/2012\/Cell-Activities.aspx\">https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/Reports\/2012\/Cell-Activities.aspx<\/a>.]<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Given these trends, we felt it would be useful to examine how middle and high school teachers are experiencing these digital transformations in their classrooms.\u00a0 These are important questions, as educators remain a main point of contact for teens growing up in a fairly new digital ecosystem. The extent to which their teachers use, understand, and are critical of or optimistic about these tools and their impact on learning all shape how often, and how effectively, digital tools are used in today\u2019s classrooms.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is the third of three major reports emerging from the study.\u00a0 Issued in succession, the three reports have been guided by the following questions:<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Report One:\u00a0 How Do Teens \u2018Do Research\u2019 in Today\u2019s Digital World? (released October 30, 2012<\/strong>[7. See \u201cHow Teens Do Research in the Digital World,\u201d available at\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/Reports\/2012\/Student-Research.aspx\">https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/Reports\/2012\/Student-Research.aspx<\/a>.]<strong>)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>How students define and conduct research in today\u2019s tech environment<\/li>\n<li>If and how new technologies are changing how research is taught<\/li>\n<li>Whether and how the topics of digital literacy and information literacy are currently being taught in schools<\/li>\n<li>What are the key skills students need to learn to conduct effective research given today\u2019s digital environment<\/li>\n<li>Potential changes in assessments, curriculum, and the school environment teachers feel are necessary in response to today\u2019s evolving digital environment<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Report Two:\u00a0 Teachers and Technology\u00a0<\/b><strong>(released February 28, 2013<\/strong>[8. See \u201cHow Teachers are Using Technology at Home and in their Classrooms,\u201d available at\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/Press-Releases\/2013\/Teachers-and-Technology.aspx\">https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/Press-Releases\/2013\/Teachers-and-Technology.aspx<\/a>.]<strong>)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Teachers\u2019 personal use of and attitudes toward different digital technologies<\/li>\n<li>Whether and how new technologies enable and enhance teacher professional development and collaboration<\/li>\n<li>The different ways digital technologies are being incorporated into classroom pedagogy<\/li>\n<li>School policy and resource issues affecting teachers\u2019 abilities to incorporate new technologies into their classrooms<\/li>\n<li>How teachers experience and manage digital access issues among their students<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Report Three:\u00a0 The State of Teen Writing in Today\u2019s Digital World<\/b><\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The specific impacts of digital technologies on student writing skills and habits<\/li>\n<li>If and how new technologies encourage student collaboration, creativity, and personal expression<\/li>\n<li>If and how digital technologies are changing how writing is taught in middle and high school classrooms<\/li>\n<\/ul>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This report is the third installment of an expansive study of middle and high school teachers by the Pew Research Center\u2019s Internet &amp; American Life Project.\u00a0 The study combined a national survey and focus groups to examine teachers\u2019\u00a0perceptions of the impacts of a rapidly evolving technological environment on both their students and their role as [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":139,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sub_headline":"","sub_title":"","_crdt_document":"","_prc_public_revisions":[],"_ppp_expiration_hours":0,"_ppp_enabled":false,"ai_generated_summary":"","relatedPosts":[],"reportMaterials":[],"multiSectionReport":[],"package_parts__enabled":false,"package_parts":[],"_prc_fork_parent":0,"_prc_fork_status":"","_prc_active_fork":0,"datacite_doi":"","datacite_doi_citation":"","_prc_seo_qr_attachment_id":0,"spoken_article_player_enabled":true,"bylines":[],"acknowledgements":[],"displayBylines":true,"footnotes":"","prc_watchers":[]},"categories":[],"tags":[],"bylines":[],"collection":[],"datasets":[],"level_of_effort":[],"primary_audience":[],"information_type":[],"_post_visibility":[],"formats":[458],"_fund_pool":[],"languages":[],"regions-countries":[],"research-teams":[526],"workflow-status":[],"class_list":["post-94559","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","formats-report","research-teams-internet"],"label":false,"post_parent":94658,"word_count":948,"canonical_url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/2013\/07\/16\/part-i-introduction\/","art_direction":false,"_embeds":[],"watchers":[],"table_of_contents":[{"id":94658,"title":"The Impact of Digital Tools on Student Writing and How Writing is Taught in Schools","slug":"the-impact-of-digital-tools-on-student-writing-and-how-writing-is-taught-in-schools","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/2013\/07\/16\/the-impact-of-digital-tools-on-student-writing-and-how-writing-is-taught-in-schools\/","is_active":false},{"id":94559,"title":"Part I: Introduction","slug":"part-i-introduction","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/2013\/07\/16\/part-i-introduction\/","is_active":true},{"id":94646,"title":"Part II: How Much, and What, do Today\u2019s Middle and High School Students Write?","slug":"part-ii-how-much-and-what-do-todays-middle-and-high-school-students-write","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/2013\/07\/16\/part-ii-how-much-and-what-do-todays-middle-and-high-school-students-write\/","is_active":false},{"id":94442,"title":"Part III: Teachers See Digital Tools Affecting Student Writing in Myriad Ways","slug":"part-iii-teachers-see-digital-tools-affecting-student-writing-in-myriad-ways","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/2013\/07\/16\/part-iii-teachers-see-digital-tools-affecting-student-writing-in-myriad-ways\/","is_active":false},{"id":94552,"title":"Part IV: Teachers Assess Students on Specific Writing Skills","slug":"part-iv-teachers-assess-students-on-specific-writing-skills","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/2013\/07\/16\/part-iv-teachers-assess-students-on-specific-writing-skills\/","is_active":false},{"id":94436,"title":"Part V: Teaching Writing in the Digital 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