This report attempts to update previous Consortium research on technology use in Chicago Public Schools (CPS) by focusing on the most basic skills and experiences students need in order to become technologically literate—e.g., the extent to which students are using technology for school and whether factors such as school culture and expectations of technology use by their teachers and principals contribute to this.
This report finds that about half of sixth- through twelfth-graders in CPS report using technology for school less than once a week. Between 20 and 30 percent of students report never or rarely using technology for school—at most once or twice a semester. At the same time, the vast majority (92 percent) report having access to the internet at home, signaling a clear divide between how students interact with technology in and out of school.
The report is based on 2011 and 2012 survey data from CPS teachers, principals and students. It updates previous Consortium research on technology use in CPS by focusing on the most basic skills and experiences students need in order to become technologicly literate—e.g., the extent to which students use technology for school and whether factors such as school culture and teacher and principal expectations contribute to student use.
