SAN CARLOS, CA--(Marketwire - Mar 13, 2012) - A survey of education professionals conducted last month by Luidia, Inc. revealed current trends about a number of hot-button issues.
Executive Summary
According to the survey's top two findings, 91% of educators cited budget/cost as a significant challenge and 73% want technology to increase student engagement. Across the nation, schools are forced to do more with less; however, the appetite for new technology among district administrators, teachers and students remains at an all-time high. Educators are utilizing creative strategies to balance the need for new, innovative classroom technologies with the reality of tightening budgets.
More than ever, educators are looking to solutions, like Luidia's eBeam® technology, that can help them save costs, while delivering greater interactivity for better learning outcomes. To address budget challenges, educators are proactively adopting new purchasing strategies such as:
- Examining the total cost of ownership for technology purchases, including installation, maintenance and training.
- Maximizing investments by purchasing technologies that can easily integrate with current tools and systems.
- Buying portable systems that can move easily across campus so that classrooms are not split between "haves" and "have-nots."
- Migrating to open solutions that allow schools to remain flexible long term, instead of proprietary systems that lock users into short-sighted approaches.
- Adopting retrofittable techologies that help schools avoid costly rip-and-replace installments.
Danielle Kazoroski has navigated budget challenges since she first accepted her position as technology associate at Quest Elementary School in Melbourne, Florida. "I cannot ignore the transformative power of technology I have witnessed across my classrooms. Even in light of tighter budgets, School Principal Elia Lea and I have made purchasing interactive technologies a high priority," Kazoroski said. "In addition to going out into the community to do additional personal fundraising, we've fundamentally updated our purchasing criteria to ensure we fully maximize investments. We don't even consider a tool unless it integrates with current technologies and existing environments, as well as demonstrates ability to adapt easily to future potential needs."
Luidia's interactive eBeam technology helps school districts and teachers address budget challenges by providing solutions that are open, portable and retrofit -- three key differentiators that work together (and not against) schools' current technology investments. eBeam technology products, such as the Engage, are also cost-effective and foster stronger student engagement compared to similar products on the market.
"Our survey findings match the individual conversations I've had in recent months with school administrators and teachers. Educators are rising to the challenge when it comes to adopting new strategies -- even fundraising to get technology into classrooms," began Jody Forehand, vice president of product planning, Luidia. "To prepare our students for an increasingly competitive and digital work environment, it's vital for educators to have access to tools that advance student engagement and achievement."
"Our goal at Luidia is to keep delivering affordable and flexible solutions to the market, so that budget concerns are alleviated and the interactive technology that's making a difference can make it into the hands of teachers," Forehand concluded.
Survey Results
91% of respondents identified budget/cost as a challenge. Other secondary barriers were:
- Hard for teachers/administration to use (20%)
- Proprietary systems (10%)
- Portability (10%)
- Difficult to install (6%)
- Hard for students to use (3%)
73% of education professionals want technology to increase student engagement first and foremost.
- More easily develop curriculum (9%)
- Provide materials for continued learning (7%)
- Correct negative behavior (1%)
- Other (less than 1%)
73% of respondents received training on any new educational technology received in the past year; 17% received no training and 10% received no new technology.
Survey Methodology
Survey data was collected via an online survey tool in February 2012. Data was provided by 274 education professionals (teachers, administrators and other education professionals) that represent a range of school district sizes (1-26 or more schools).
Luidia Inc. is the creator of interactive eBeam® technology that helps the world capture and share content. The company's products are utilized by organizations of all sizes, with hundreds of thousands of users across multiple industries and geographies. Luidia also partners with industry leaders, such as Chief, HP, NEC and Sony, that apply eBeam® technology in their latest products. For more information on Luidia, please visit Luidia (www.luidia.com) or on Twitter and Facebook.