Making the right education technology choices is key to easing distance learning

The Covid-19 pandemic has majorly disrupted education around the world, throwing lesson plans out the window and forcing students and educators to learn and teach from home. This, while simultaneously having to overcome the challenges of adapting to relatively new and untested online learning strategies.

Although education has been on a trajectory towards digital, personalised, agile and technology-driven methodologies even before the outbreak of the pandemic, the ongoing crisis has accelerated its progress in this direction. It has therefore shone a spotlight on the need for powerful distance learning tools.

Educational institutions are now faced with the need to invest in new education technology. But many are unsure about the value of this investment, or in some cases which online teaching solutions will best meet criteria before ultimately committing to a platform.

Yet, these are decisions that cannot be delayed for much longer. Teachers, principals or administrators are no doubt keenly aware of the rapid and disruptive changes that are happening in education as a result of Covid-19.

Boosting teaching methods

Educators are also cognisant of the fact that new technology is needed to boost teaching methods to transition the educational institutions into the “new” digital era. The ultimate aim is to produce inspiring outcomes, personalising teaching approaches and revolutionising the classroom.

A recent quiz aimed at understanding teachers’, students’ and IT/Procurement Managers’ educational pain points and needs, ushered in by the Covid-19 pandemic, revealed a largely disparate adoption of education solutions and platforms. This, due to the abrupt closure of schools when the country implemented a hard lockdown in March 2020.

Responses from teachers across South Africa showed that while some were ready for the transition to distance learning, many were not. Their responses were also split between those who did research and invested in the right technology match to suit their needs and those who took the cheapest option and are now less than happy with their devices.

Similarly, IT/Procurement Managers revealed that their technology purchasing decisions were mainly driven by processing power, followed by durability and affordability. Their preferred devices ranged from desktops to laptops to tablets and all-in-one solutions, while also favouring different brands of processors.

The diverse approach to education technology adoption by teachers and IT/Procurement Managers from educational institutions across South Africa suggests that there seems to be little consensus among these decision makers. So, which education solutions will ultimately meet their distance learning needs?

The right solutions

It’s evident that these institutions need help deciding which technology to choose. They need to be confident in their selection of solutions before committing to the expense of equipping their schools or universities for the future.

At the same time, the quiz also revealed that students are facing their own technology challenges. The vast majority of students are struggling with PCs and laptops that are running out of hard drive space, or have poor battery life, as well as other functionality limitations. These issues not only add to the challenges created by the highly disruptive and rapid shift to distance learning, but they also have the potential to negatively affect students’ academic performance.

Hewlett Packard (HP) Education Solutions offer content, curricula and collaboration tools to unlock the potential of every student. These HP Education Solutions also address the needs of teachers and IT/Procurement Managers to transition their educational institutions to the new normal.

By making Tarsus your trusted source for education information and HP Education Solutions, educators, IT/Procurement Managers and students alike will benefit tremendously. Please visit our page to access a white paper that will provide you with information on how HP and Tarsus can help you gain clarity about the technology and its value. We can assist you to make the right choices when it comes to selecting technology for your school, or meeting the online learning needs of students.