UK schools caught in a 'learning technology balance gap' as kids demand more tech in the classroom

Epson study finds IT managers agree that most investments have covered buying new tech but not use casesTeachers are seeing declines in student attention, critical thinking and knowledge retentionSchools need to focus on determining real-world use casesNew research from Epson claims UK teachers feel their classroom is falling behind when it comes to successful tech integration, with nearly two-thirds (64%) worried that tech adoption may have accelerated faster than its actual effective use.In other words, they worry that many tech implementations have been done for the sake of it, but they're not getting the most out of it.This comes as nine in 10 (91%) UK students report to use technology in almost every aspect of their lives – as many as half (48%) even expect to have extensive technology use during lessons nowadays.Students want more digital classrooms, it turns outThree in four (72%) school IT managers say their schools have introduced more tech over the past year, however 84% of them agree that those investments have mostly covered acquiring new devices and not determining how they should actually be used.Teachers generally agree that there's too much tech without enough purpose, too, with three in five saying there are too many individual screens and a further three in five believing there's too much emphasis on AI."Education systems must move beyond simply adopting technology and instead focus on how it is used," Epson Europe Education Lead Dr Sarah Henkelmann-Hillebrand explained, noting the need to design around learning outcomes and strike a better balance between digital and physical tools.However, teachers are also worried that tech in the classroom so far hasn't been all that positive – 83% note a reduction in student attention, 77% saw a decrease in critical thinking, 76% have seen knowledge retention decline and 68% even believe teaching fundamental literacy and numeracy skills has become harder.Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed!The report's biggest takeaway is that schools should invest in use cases as much as they have in equipment, while retaining choice across both digital and traditional physical. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.