OK, one more “finding” (see post below).  The figure below points out a trend that shows up in all of the data I’m analyzing, and the trend that led me to the phrase “digital horserace.”  You’ll notice that the states that are above the national average in student use of the Internet for math are all in the Southeast.  Additionally, most of the states in the Northeast are below the national average.  My interpretation is that, in large part, one or two states jumped on the ed. tech. bandwagon early and then their “neighbors” developed a need to “keep up” (hence the horserace).  I know, for example, that West Virginia made huge commitments to ed. tech. a long time ago.  That led Kentucky to jump aboard the bandwagon along with, eventually, other states in the Southeast.

Anyway, some numbers to go with the graphic.  Among the sample of fourth-grade students across the nation, 42% said that they did use the Internet to learn things about math (58% said no).  The state with the highest percentage of students who reported using the Internet to learn things about math?: Louisiana (56%).  That state with the lowest percentage?: Vermont (26%).

Tags: computers, education, Internet, math, NAEP, technology