Er is volgens Andreas Schleicher van OESO 'te veel valse hoop' gevestigd op technologie. Leerlingen van scholen die veel hebben geïnvesteerd in technologie hebben 'geen merkbare verbetering' laten zien op het gebied van lezen en rekenen ten opzichte van kinderen die op school niet of nauwelijks computers gebruiken. Bij goed presterende schoolsystemen in onder meer Zuid-Korea en Shanghai wordt zelfs heel weinig gebruik gemaakt van computers.

Ontgoochelde PISA-chef Andreas Schleicher in BBC-News:

'Disappointing'

Even where computers are used in the classroom, their impact on student performance is mixed at best.

Countries with the best results are more moderate users of technology in school, says the OECD education expert.

Students who use computers very frequently at school do a lot worse in most learning outcomes, even after accounting for social background and student demographics.

The results also show no appreciable improvements in student achievement in reading, mathematics or science in the countries that had invested heavily in information and communication technology (ICT) for education.

And perhaps the most disappointing finding is that technology seems of little help in bridging the skills divide between advantaged and disadvantaged students.

Put simply, ensuring that every child attains a baseline level of proficiency in reading and mathematics seems to do more to create equal opportunities in a digital world than expanding or subsidising access to hi-tech devices and services.

One interpretation is that building deep, conceptual understanding and higher-order thinking requires intensive teacher-student interactions, and technology sometimes distracts from this valuable human engagement.mmm