Technology’s Impact on Schools: Educators Weigh In

Just about any parent will tell you that co-existence with personal technology is a daily reality. Whether it’s a smart phone, laptop, tablet or gaming console, technology has become a staple in our homes and in the lives of our children.

Schools are no different. Today’s kids are learning in ways that simply didn’t exist in any widespread manner a decade ago. Interactive whiteboards, classroom management software, wireless networks and audio augmentation are changing the way teachers teach and students learn. In the recent CompTIA study, “IT Opportunities in the Education Market,” we asked 500 educators, school administrators and staff from kindergarten level to college to provide insights into the use and efficacy of technology in schools today.

Bottom line? Educators widely perceive technology as a friend, not an enemy. Nearly 80 percent say that technology has had a positive impact on overall education, while two-thirds believe students today are more productive than three years ago as a direct result of technology’s proliferation. And it’s not just students who benefit. Educators report that technology has helped them do their jobs more efficiently and effectively. For example, at the higher education level, capabilities such as greater remote access and the ability to use knowledge management tools struck a significant chord with educators.

What does this mean for the IT channel? Quite a bit. Selling into the education market, as with other verticals such as healthcare or retail, provides solution providers, VARs and other channel firms a chance to specialize in an area that competitively differentiates them. To be successful, however, it’s critical that solution providers know how to map specific technologies to educator priorities, including understanding how emerging technologies such as cloud can be best leveraged. Consider the following: Twenty-eight percent of higher education institutions are using some cloud services today, with 35 percent actively evaluating them. That percentage – including among K-12 populations – is sure to go up over the next three years.

To sell into the education space it is also critical to understand how school budgets work, the purchasing cycle and what pain points schools are facing. And the pain points are many. The past couple of years have not been kind to the coffers of most public schools. The study found that the greatest obstacles to adopting new technology were financial in nature. Three quarters of educators blamed budget cutbacks for low adoption rates, along with more than half that cited the initial cost of products and solutions and a third that noted a freeze on capital expenditures.

Ironically, the cap-ex obstacle poses an interesting opportunity area for the channel. Just as is happening in the private sector, schools are looking to transition conventional cap-ex spending into operational expenses. Savvy channel companies can make a compelling case for moving technology services and solutions in schools to the cloud – especially back office and data center functions. This acquits schools from expensive upgrade refreshes or worse, from holding onto aging, fallible equipment. By moving some or all technology functions to the cloud, solution providers also can cement their relationship with the schools they serve, becoming the de facto manager of that institution’s IT.

The education market has many variables: Number of students, size of operating budget, regionalism and overall attitude toward technology. But one thing is clear; technology demand – even in a time of tough budgets – will continue to move forward. Smart phones, tablets and other devices that bridge home and school environments will only deepen this trend in the years ahead.

CompTIA members can access the full report, IT Opportunities in the Education Market.