By Sari Follansbee, Ed.D.
President, EdTech Design Associates
K-12 market research — affirmation? illumination?
We may be looking to confirm what we are seeing: digital media and materials increasingly interwoven in K-12 education. Surveys and studies demonstrate the rising use and effectiveness of new and emerging technologies in our schools (and our businesses). Naturally, we cite them in support of “going digital.” Moving beyond affirmation, we would like to better understand the playing field. In addition to focusing on the “technologies,” we can use comparative data, observing the new in relation to the traditional, textbooks in relation to supplemental, digital equivalents of print products in relation to Web 2.0 solutions, all on the same scale. The dynamics at play are illuminated when we place research findings in context.
Consider a data point from the recent survey report Ed Tech from the Trenches — 44 percent of respondents give high-use ratings to digital textbooks. Is this good or bad, a thumbs-up for business decisions or not?
Continue reading ‘Shifting Media and Materials Use: Research Findings in Context’
