Studywiz Spark Survey: Parents Demand More from Technology in Schools, Want to Get...

Studywiz Spark Survey: Parents Demand More from Technology in Schools, Want to
Get Involved in Their Children's School Life
- 92% Want Online Access, But Only 49% Have It -

MENLO PARK, Calif., Sept. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Studywiz Spark, the first and
only Dynamic LearnSpace for K-12 education, today announced the results of an
independent, nationwide parent survey regarding online access, mobility,
gaming and safety within the school environment. A sample of 325 parents of
school-aged children was surveyed. The results show that 92% of parents
surveyed say that they would like to have online access to the same content
and curricula distributed to their children, but only 49% report that their
schools provide such access.
78% say they are not satisfied with the use of technology in their school,
reporting either that more computers are needed, or that more should be done
with what schools have. 75% are comfortable with the use of multimedia tools
(Web 2.0 tools, such as YouTube videos, audio clips and web links) within the
classroom, and this number increases to 95% when multimedia tools are
integrated into lesson plans in a teacher-monitored, safe environment. A
majority, 59%, see a benefit in having access to their children's schoolwork
through mobile devices.
"The results show that parents are overwhelmingly receptive to having
online access to their children's schoolwork, most often referencing benefits
like emailing teachers, seeing assignments and grades and being able to easily
access missed work due to absences. This indicates that, through technology,
schools should have little trouble meeting federal and state mandates to
improve parental involvement," said Bob Longo, Executive Vice President,
Studywiz Spark. "In fact, parents are demanding new online tools that allow
them to review student work in progress and proactively interact with students
and teachers."
"The Studywiz Spark survey shows that when it comes to technology, parents
want innovations for their children, but that schools need to take safe and
secure environments seriously," said Katia Petersen, PhD, author, Safe and
Caring Schools. "A controlled environment allows teachers to present the best
in multimedia to students, without sending them out into an uncontrolled,
unsupervised Internet."
The findings in a nutshell:
-- 92% of parents want online access to their children's schoolwork, but
only 49% actually receive it.
-- The most important perceived benefits to parents of online access are
access to missed work assignments and the ability for parents to be more
involved.
-- Of those who do not have online access to their children's schoolwork,
only 23% think they would log on to view it every day if they could. Of those
who have online access, only 9% log on to view their children's schoolwork
every day. This indicates minimal need for concern about hovering or
"helicoptering" parents.
-- Of those who have online access, 65% of respondents log on at least
once per week.
-- 75% of respondents report comfort with multimedia tools, but this
percentage increases to 95% given an environment that is safe and
teacher-monitored.
-- 78% believe that more should be done with the technology in the school,
either reporting that more computers are needed (33%), more should be done
with what the schools already have (33%) or a move should be made beyond
computers to a wider range of technologies (16%).
-- 59% of parents believe that an ability to access their children's
schoolwork through their mobile devices would be beneficial.
-- 96% support the use of games provided they are educational. 53% show
particularly high enthusiasm, stating either that games should be a part of
schoolwork, or that students learn more from games than regular schoolwork.
A report of full survey results is available by request. The survey was a
blind sample of 325 parents, who have at least one child in K-12, and was
conducted during July 2008. The internet survey, sponsored by Studywiz Spark
and independently managed by Zoomerang, has a margin of error of 5% with a
confidence interval of 94%.
Through its multimedia and technological capabilities, Studywiz Spark
provides a host of benefits for the 21st Century learning environment,
including: personalized learning, content management, backup for teacher and
student-generated files, increased interaction and collaboration and the
ability to manage content and integrate multimedia applications that engage
students most, like videos, web links and audio clips. The Dynamic LearnSpace
is helping schools to re-engage their teachers, students and parents by
allowing them to participate in an interactive learning environment and
providing access to educational content at all times.
About Studywiz Spark
Studywiz Spark is the first and only Dynamic LearnSpace for K-12
education, providing an enriched learning environment for students. Studywiz
Spark offers a safe, personalized space for learning that engages students,
teachers and parents and allows administrators to secure a return on their
investments in technology and learning. Studywiz Spark gives teachers a unique
tool for elevating instruction through educational content collection,
organization and interactivity; collaborative and personalized learning;
real-time feedback and assessment. Studywiz Spark supports parental
participation in learning and affords access to all users safely and easily
through the Internet. For more information on Studywiz Spark, visit
http://www.studywizspark.com.
Etech Group was founded in 1993 and specializes in developing online
learning technology for educational environments. Etech Group provides
best-of-breed applications and development services that promote collaboration
and enhance outcome-focused learning.
SOURCE Studywiz Spark

Jennifer Bannan, +1-412-580-3675, jen@0to5.com, or Shannon Roulston,
+1-917-675-0628, shannon@0to5.com, both for Studywiz Spark