Almost 70 per cent of UK primary and secondary schools are now using tablets in the classroom, but there is little evidence to suggest they're improving pupils' academic performance, a new report claims.
The study commissioned by Tablets for Schools, an educational technology charity, and headed by Family, Kids and Youth's Dr Barbie Clarke (via BBC News), looked at tablet use in 671 schools across the country.
The research found tablets are being used in some capacity in 68 per cent of primary schools, and 69 per cent of secondary ones but, while in many schools tablets weren't a main feature, 9 per cent gave each individual pupil their own device.
Academy schools featured the most intense tablet use when compared to independent schools and other state schools. And, although tablets are already present in a large percentage of UK classrooms, 45 per cent of those not yet using them are planning to introduce them soon.
This means the number of tablets in schools across the country will reportedly rise from 430,000 to almost 900,000 in the next two years alone.
Discussing the future of technology in schools, Dr Clarke said: "The type of device might change, but it's not going to go away. It will almost seem ridiculous if some of them are not using technology."
One thing researchers were reportedly unable to clarify was the impact tablets might be having on learning and behaviour, though headteachers have reported that previously "disengaged" pupils had been motivated by the presence of these devices, and that taking them home was encouraging involvement from family members in some cases.
