Parents are unsure of the impact technology will have on the future workforce, but half of parents in a recent survey believe their children should learn coding and computer programming.
The Microsoft and YouGov survey takes a look at technology, parenting, and education. The survey finds that 60 percent of surveyed parents say they feel optimistic or hopeful about the role of technology in their child’s life as they grow older, while 30 percent say they are unsure or scared.
Despite parents’ optimism about the future of technology, 37 percent say they believe technology will eliminate more jobs than it creates, and 23 percent believe technology will create more jobs than it eliminates.
Fifty percent of parents say coding is the most beneficial for their children to learn, with 28 percent citing foreign language.
“According to The Bureau of Labor Statistics, 52 percent of job growth by the year 2020 will be in the fields of computing and mathematics, which shows a great importance in teaching computer science and digital skills in classrooms today,” writes Mark Sparvell, Microsoft Education leader, in a blog post discussing the survey.
Most parents (86 percent) believe technology in school, such as computers and digital resources, are helpful to their child’s education, while 63 percent say they are concerned about their children using devices too much at home.
“When I was teaching I would often talk to parents about screen content, not just screen time, and whether the engagement with digital content was active (like creating an animation) or passive (viewing a movie),” Sparvell says. “It’s encouraging seeing parents understand that, when used in the right way, technology can help prepare their children for the jobs of the future and help them succeed.”
Two-thirds of parents say they worry the federal and state governments aren’t doing enough to equip schools to build kids’ digital skills. Many parents believe big tech companies have a role to play, too–75 percent say these companies should help schools build kids’ digital skills.
Assessing parents’ feelings about classroom technology is important–it can help education leaders clear up any misunderstandings or confusion about how digital tools and resources are used in classrooms, and it can help parents gain a better grasp on the types of skills their children need to learn for future success.
Eighty-two percent of teachers say they believe tech tools have enhanced teaching and learning, and most say they have access to the tools they want, according to another survey.
Teachers say technology make students more productive (66 percent), more intellectually stimulated (60 percent), and more social (38 percent).
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