ABSTRACT
By the time children enter the first grade, most of them already have ample digital experience from home, where they have used hundreds of apps on their parents’ devices, their own, or both. The provision for every student to have access to 1:1 digital devices such as tablets and laptops is heavily debated. Opinions and, to some degree, educational studies are still divided as to whether the benefits of increased technology in the classroom outweigh the cost. This chapter provides an overview of educational research offering important insight regarding digitalization. We start by looking into why many debates about technology become so polarized, even when they attempt to be research-based discussions. Then, we look at what happens – and what does not happen – when schools are provided with digital technology. Finally, we discuss success criteria for schools that want to take advantage of all the benefits digital technology can offer in a classroom.
