Princeton, NJ – November 4, 2009 – Final results of a Survey of K-12 Educators on Social Networking and Content-Sharing Tools were released this week. The survey was sent to 83,000 educators nation-wide (teachers, principals, and librarians) during late August and September.
The purpose of the study, which will be conducted on an annual basis, is to begin benchmarking educators’ use and attitudes about Web 2.0 collaborative technologies such as social networking, blogging, wikis, video-sharing, and more. Students are far ahead of educators in their use of technology, and this survey is intended to provide information than can help measure and close the gap.
Educators, like millions of other Americans, are exploring the world of social networks. 61% of the educators surveyed have joined one or more social networking websites. While Facebook is current the number 1 site joined (85%), 76% of educators seldom or never use it. Many educators express the need and desire to separate their personal and professional lives. There are a number of social networks that are dedicated specifically to education. Although these sites currently have low penetration, educators expressed a strong preference to join a social network dedicated to education.
A key finding is that educators who have already joined a social network are more positive about the technology and its value in education than educators who have not joined a social network. They also engage in more online activities in general. As the younger generation that has grown up on social networks enters the education workforce, there will be increasing desire and pressure to use this technology for professional and classroom collaboration.
Educators who responded provided insight on the factors that are inhibiting the growth of this technology in educational settings including—major privacy concerns, schools/districts that block access to these website, and time pressure.
The survey was co-sponsored by edWeb.net, MCH, Inc., and MMS Education.
A copy of the report can be downloaded from any of the sponsors’ websites: www.edweb.net [1], www.mmseducation.com [2], or www.mailings.com [3].
For more information, send an email to survey@edweb.net [4] or call 800-575-6015, ext. 100.
About the Sponsors
edWeb.net is a professional social network for the education community that makes it easy to connect and collaborate with colleagues, share information and best practices, and create professional learning communities. The edWeb is a user-friendly Web 2.0 platform that introduces educators to technology that students use every day, mostly outside of school. The edWeb is free for education professionals and for educational institutions. Education companies are invited to join as sponsors. The site is located at www.edweb.net [1]. For more information, contact Lisa Schmucki, founder and CEO, at 800-575-6015, ext. 100, or by email at lisa@edweb.net [5]. Follow the edWeb on Twitter at www.twitter.com/edwebnet.
MCH, Inc. is a leading source of compiled data on education, health, and government institutions in the United States. MCH is a privately owned company that has been in the education market for over 80 years. MCH is a strategic partner of edWeb.net and is helping to spread the word about the edWeb to the preK-12 education community. For more information, contact John Hood, president, at 800-776-6373 or by email at johnh@mailings.com.
MMS Education is a national market research, consulting and marketing company specializing exclusively in the education market. MMS is particularly interested in how social networking and social media will provide enhanced opportunities for educators to collaborate peer to peer, and also as a way for education companies and nonprofit organizations to connect more directly with the educators who use their products and services in classrooms every day. For more information, see www.mmseducation.com [2] or contact Susan Keipper Meell, CEO, at 800-523-5948 or by email at smeell@mmseducation.com.
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