How do teachers direct their students to use computers and the Internet?

Sixty-six percent of public school teachers reported using computers or the Internet for instruction during class time (Table 2). Forty-one percent of teachers reported assigning students work that involved computer applications such as word processing and spreadsheets to a moderate or large extent; 31 percent of teachers reported assigning practice drills and 30 percent reported assigning research using the Internet to a moderate or large extent (Table 2).

The ways teachers direct students to use computers or the Internet varied by instructional level, main teaching assignment, and the school poverty level. Elementary school teachers were more likely than secondary school teachers to assign students practice drills using computers (39 versus 12 percent) and to have their students use computers or the Internet to solve problems (31 versus 20 percent). Secondary school teachers, however, were more likely to assign research using the Internet (41 versus 25 percent). Teachers in the lowest poverty schools were more likely to report assigning students work involving computer applications, research using CD-ROMs, and research using the Internet to a moderate or large extent than teachers in the highest poverty schools (Table 2).

Teachers with more professional development in the use of computers and the Internet over the last 3 years were more likely to assign students various types of work involving computers or the Internet. For example, teachers with more than 32 hours of professional development were more likely to assign problem solving (41 percent) than were teachers with 0 hours (14 percent) or those with 1 to 8 hours (24 percent), graphical presentations (31 compared with 10 and 16 percent for the same groups), and demonstrations or simulations (29 compared with 8 and 13 percent for the same groups).

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