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Schools with old IT make less skilled students

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Survey finds teachers are being forced back to the blackboard due to inadequate training or support on classroom AV technology

Teachers still only using blackboards could leave their pupils bereft of skills

Eight in ten (80%) UK teachers think audio visual (AV) technology in classrooms is extremely important, but nearly two-thirds (60%) face problems with unreliable equipment and over a third (37%) don't have the right training to use it.

The study, undertaken on behalf of Casio Projectors by independent research house Vanson Bourne, spoke to 100 teachers at primary and secondary schools and although 82% said AV technology empowers more interactive learning and 50% said pupils leave school with better skills as a result, 42% said they don't get adequate technical support to operate the equipment.

"Teachers are clearly keen to use technology, but aren't being given the opportunity to use it in their classrooms as schools seem to be ignoring the potential and leaving equipment to gather dust," said Tim Gould, head of marketing at Casio Projectors.

"The vast majority of teachers see the benefit but are being forced back to the blackboard by schools that are ignoring the modern teaching tools."

Despite being at the forefront of delivering the lessons, 42% of teachers are not involved in classroom technology purchasing decisions at all.

As a result, 45% of teachers felt their school didn't invest enough in AV equipment and 37% hadn't seen an upgrade to the technology in their classroom in at least three years.

When asked about the effects of AV technology on learning, 77% of teachers also said there is greater lesson enjoyment, and 60% said the technology drove greater classroom participation.

Catherine Marchant, director of corporate relations at Young Enterprise, which helps students in schools to set up their own real businesses, said: "We are seeing more and more young people harnessing the power of technology to create their own successful companies. It is vital to ensure that students are technologically-savvy so that they have the edge when they enter the world of work."

Source: EdExec

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