The vast majority of teachers rate the technical equipment in their schools as fairly good to very good. Special computer and IT rooms, as well as wireless networks for classroom purposes, are now standard in most schools. Approximately three-quarters of the teachers surveyed have laptops or tablets for their lessons. Students in about a fifth of the schools work exclusively on devices they bring from home (“Bring your own device”).

Nearly all teachers frequently use the Internet to gather information for their lessons. In terms of equipment, projectors are the most common electronic device after computers and laptops. The most frequent form of digital and audio-visual content used is television or video clips (61 per cent). Only about a third of teachers regularly use digital texts, such as online articles. Roughly half of all teachers offer their students support or recommendations on using digital media and thus effectively promote “digital learning”. This takes the form of, for example, providing tips on Internet research or digital learning materials. In individual cases, students are explicitly required to complete a task without the help of the Internet.

Four fifths of the teachers report that their students at least occasionally copy content from the Internet and submit it as their own work, and over a quarter of the teachers say this occurs very often. “It’s important that students not only learn where they can find what information online. They must also develop an awareness of who the information belongs to and how they’re allowed to use it,” says ZHAW media psychologist Lilian Suter.

Teachers believe the new curriculum module entitled “Media and IT” offers a range of excellent opportunities, while also posing numerous challenges. They say the most positive aspects are related to the many ways digital media can be used, such as, for example, when searching for information or holding presentations. Another advantage is that, by using digital resources, students acquire skills in conducting online searches and in other practical applications, and they learn how to use digital media responsibly. “When digital media is used regularly in the classroom, it’s clear that digital competence is no longer just “nice to have”. At the same time, quite a few teachers are really stretched to their limits,” says Michael In Albon, Youth Media Protection Officer at Swisscom.

Several teachers state that a major challenge lies in how to teach their students such digital competence. They worry about lacking the necessary expertise and fear that acquiring the know-how required will be difficult. For some teachers, finding the right balance of digital media in a lesson also poses a challenge.

Teachers see digital distraction in the classroom as the greatest danger of using digital media. Moreover, 68 per cent of teachers surveyed state that students no longer understand why they should acquire knowledge themselves when information is always available online, and the same percentage of teachers are concerned that adolescents are unable to distinguish facts from fake information. The previous JAMESfocus report published key findings on “fake news” as well as useful tips for dealing with the issue.

Overall, most teachers surveyed not only have a positive view of digital media, but they are also practised users. Despite this positive self-assessment, however, nearly all respondents wish there was someone at their schools to maintain the technical equipment and to offer quick assistance when problems arise. Over half of all teachers would like support with the use of digital media. “Ideally, teachers would have modern materials that encourage the use of digital media in the classroom and which in turn would support them in fostering their students’ digital literacy,” says Lilian Suter.