A Vision for the Future of Technology in Schools
The nation’s K–12 schools are making strides in their efforts to incorporate technology into education, but the current level of integration in schools falls well short of what most educators would consider ideal, according to the latest survey from the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA).
The annual Vision K–20 Survey, which this year polled nearly 1,700 educators at the K–12 and postsecondary level, is an annual self-assessment of technology integration intended to help educators benchmark their progress against that of their peers.
At the K–12 level, 73 percent of educators ranked their current level of technology integration in the middle. Almost across the board, educators at every level said there was room for improvement.
Among the technology-related benchmarks, K–20 educators said their schools performed strongest in the following areas:
- Security to protect student data and privacy
- Availability of high-speed broadband for communication and administrative and instructional needs
- High-speed broadband access that enables multimedia-rich learning and collaboration, including video-based communication
- The existence of an institution website/portal for community access to information and educational resources
At the K–12 level, educators identified the following as areas in need of improvement:
- Interactive multimedia courseware and simulations for teaching and learning
- Access to online professional development and resources for peer collaboration
- Access to courseware and technology-based curriculum
- Electronic supplemental resources and/or online tutoring accessible to all students
- Courseware and/or learning management systems used to differentiate instruction
- Integration of robust enterprise-level applications and systems to support institutional management and business activities
Want to learn more about this year’s SIIA benchmarks and what your colleagues are saying? Download the full survey. And tell us where your school stands by leaving us a comment, below.
