Schools in a state of transition, educators struggle to keep up
Budget limits, a lack of professional development and a continuing resistance to change are among the top challenges education leaders are currently facing, according to a recent survey.
Education Dive, along with Sprint Business, surveyed more than 150 educators and administrators to look at how schools are using technology and the challenges it presents to educators.
The 2015 State of Education Technology Annual Report paints a picture of the education system in transition and both schools and teachers navigating this change with varying degrees of success.
The survey highlighted how schools are under more pressure than ever to make technology more accessible to students.
According to the survey, they are responding to this by integrating technology into the classroom, giving tablets to every student, and upgrading their network infrastructure.
However, educators and institutions are facing growing challenges, particularly by the way of limited funding and training, and close mindedness.
According to the survey, educators are facing eight primary challenges when it comes to providing access to education technology. They are as follows:
- 75.9% - Budget limits
- 53.9% - Inadequate professional training
- 41.4% - Teachers resistant to change
- 38.2% - Inadequate network infrastructure
- 30.9% - Unreliable device/software options
- 29.6% - No systems to use technology for curriculum
- 17.8% - Other
- 13.2% - District doesn't see immediate need for more technology
The vast majority of those surveyed (86%) stated they agreed the teachers needed more training in education technology, while 74.3% said professional development was lacking and should be a top priority in the new year.
When it comes to technology enablers, the top three products cited were notebooks, with 62.1% of educators citing this as having a positive impact, interactive whiteboards (54.8%), and tablets (50%).
