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Survey: Educators Want Solutions to Avoid Traditional Cookie Cutter Instruction
New Research Commissioned by Thinkronize Shows More Than 85% of Principals and Teachers Want Web Resources to Help with Differentiated Instruction
More Than 60% Agree That Districts Should Invest More in Digital Resources
Cincinnati, OH, November 19, 2008 – Although educators agree
that individual children learn best in different ways, today’s
classroom is not well equipped for customized learning. In a new
national survey of principals and teachers released today, more
than 80% of educators expressed a need for resources that enable differentiated
instruction to reach all students—based on the different reading
levels, prior knowledge, interests, and learning styles students
bring to the classroom. More than 85% of those surveyed wanted
access to Web resources that can help accomplish this.
This third annual survey, Schools and Generation ‘Net, was conducted
in October 2008 by Interactive Educational Systems Design (IESD), an
independent research firm, and was commissioned by Thinkronize, Inc.
Today’s teachers are challenged to find resources that are both
aligned to state standards and designed to engage every child in the
learning process. The survey found that more than 70% of principals and
nearly 70% of teachers expressed a need for assistance in finding resources
that meet state curriculum standards. And four out of five educators
(80%) agreed that they need multimedia Web resources, such as digital
images, video, animation, and voice, to both stimulate and motivate their
students.
“It is evident from this survey that principals and teachers need
and value resources that foster differentiated instruction and that much
of this material comes from the Web,” said Thinkronize CEO Randy
Wilhelm. “We need to re-look at the $4 billion spent on instructional
print materials and invest those dollars in digital resources that provide
every child with a customized learning experience, every day.”
The survey results indicate that many educators agree with Wilhelm.
More than 60% of principals and teachers responded that their districts
should be spending more of their instructional materials budgets on Web-based
resources and other digital resources.
“At a time when the need for powerful educational resources has
never been higher, this study of educator's needs and wants shows a strong
desire to transition from print to online resources delivered through
the Web,” said
David Thornburg, Ph.D., futurist, lecturer, author and director of global operations,
Thornburg Center. “Anyone who has any questions about the design
and implementation of these resources needs only to look at the survey details
for solid affirmation of this shift in content access, and the charge to meet
these needs in ways that are flexible and of value to teachers and students
alike. This study shows, clearly, the benefits that await those who make the
transition.”
Survey results also confirmed that the Internet represents
a widely used and valuable resource for K-8 students, with more than 75%
of teachers reporting that they were using the Internet for instructional purposes
on a regular basis. And when planning and implementing instruction,
about 75% of teachers and more than 85% of principals strongly
agreed or somewhat agreed that student searching on the Internet
has been integrated into the curriculum.
However, principals and
teachers have significant concerns about students’ abilities to
find resources on the Internet that are a good match for their instructional
needs. More than 80% were
either very concerned or somewhat concerned about students finding
resources with content that is neither age nor grade appropriate. And
approximately two-thirds of principals and teachers were either
very concerned or somewhat concerned about students getting useless
or irrelevant results when using search engines like Google® or Yahoo™.
This survey of 497 principals and 796 teachers in K-8 was conducted
online in October 2008. It has a margin of sampling error of 2.7%
across both types of educators. The margin of error is 3.5% for teacher
findings and 4.4% for principal findings.
About Interactive Educational Systems Design (IESD)
IESD is recognized in the educational technology and publishing
communities as a leader in research and analysis, and instructional
design consulting. IESD conducts research on educational issues, programs,
and products (both technology and print-based)—and provides a variety
of consulting services related to program and product development, evaluation,
implementation, and marketing. IESD’s clients include education
publishers, technology hardware manufacturers, government agencies, non-profit
institutions and school districts. For more information visit www.iesdinc.com or
phone 212-769-1715.
About Thinkronize
Founded in 1999, Thinkronize is a leader in the digital delivery
of K-12 educational content and is dedicated to enhancing the education of today’s
youth with highly effective technologies that deliver the rich educational value
of the Internet to every child in a safe, relevant, easy-to-use format. With
the mission to help every child learn and a belief that technology can transform
education, Thinkronize was first to market with a standards-based educational
search tool, utilizing the services of Academic Benchmarks (www.AcademicBenchmarks.com),
the premier provider of comprehensive standards-based K-12 educational databases,
alignment tools, and integration products. Thinkronize’s flagship
product, netTrekker d.i., is the #1 educational search tool in K-12
schools and is currently used in over 21,000 schools nationwide. Peers, educators,
and parents have honored Thinkronize and netTrekker d.i. over 25 times
for its contribution to education. In 2007, netTrekker d.i. was
named the Best Education Solution in SIIA's CODiE award competition. In addition,
Thinkronize was named to the 2007 Inc. 5000 and 2006 Inc. 500
lists as one of the fastest growing private companies in the United States. The
company was founded by Robert Reinders and currently serves over 12 million students
in all 50 states, including adoptions by key districts and states nationwide. For
more information visit www.Thinkronize.com or
phone 877-517-1125.
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