A new survey has revealed that, when asked to choose in which field of edtech teachers would most like to see investment, nothing outranks aids to reduce marking time.
Bett’s poll of more than 4,800 teachers, conducted by Teacher Tapp, found that a variety of workload-easing innovations would be welcome, provided they were introduced alongside appropriate training.
After marking aids, the next most popular area for edtech spending in primary schools was playground equipment to help students stay healthy (14%), while secondary teachers opted for digital curriculum resources (11%).
Twelve percent of respondents were from independent schools.
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When respondents were asked for reactions if told that their school would be adopting a new software platform to be used in all lessons, answers depended to a noticeable degree on their area of expertise.
While almost half (44%) said they’d be fine, assuming it was accompanied by a day’s training, those declaring they ‘love it when they get to try new things’ consisted of more than a third of language teachers (36%) but barely a fifth specialising in humanities (21%).
Younger teachers, perhaps unexpectedly, were more cynical about working with new technology than their older peers. Twenty-six percent of those in their 20s said ‘I bet it fails the first time I use it’, compared to 20% of those in their 40s.
“These findings provide useful insight for the edtech community,” said Eve Harper, Bett Show director for the UK.
“It’s important for those in the industry to both understand what innovations teachers would most like to see and what worries them when they are introduced.”
