(CNW) In a competitive school environment, students looking to get ahead are increasingly turning to technology.
A recent survey by Ipsos Reid, sponsored by HP Canada, showed
nine in 10 teachers and students surveyed from across Canada
felt that digital tools help students gain an advantage when it
comes to school work. For this study, digital tools include
all-in-one printers, colour inkjet printers, colour laser
printers, digital cameras and scanners.
Having access to digital tools is critical. Although 84
percent of the students polled from grades seven through 12
said they currently use digital tools for school, 90 percent
said they would use them for schoolwork either always or often,
if they had the chance.
"School is very competitive and students are looking for
ways to set their work apart from that of their classmates,"
said Natalia Case, category business manager, consumer inkjet
printers, HP Canada. "The survey shows that both teachers and
students feel that students have more fun, are more creative
and put more time and effort into their projects by adding
photos and colour to their work when using digital tools."
So why do students and teachers seem to be so enthusiastic
about digital tools? In addition to having more fun and being
more creative with projects, 87 percent of teachers and 93
percent of students polled agree that students create more
professional-looking schoolwork as a result. In fact, 71
percent of students suggest that using digital tools has become
a necessity for their schoolwork.
A sampling of fun facts garnered through this survey
include:
- All-in-one printers, scanners and digital cameras
were ranked as the three most useful digital tools for
students' school work.
- Both teachers and students ranked science as one of
the two subjects that offer the best fit for digital tools.
- While students felt art was the other most
complementary subject with digital tools, teachers felt
language arts or English was a slightly better fit.
- Eighty-three percent of students said they spend more
time and effort on their school projects when using digital
tools.
"Of interest is how the teacher and student populations respond similarly to many of the survey questions," said Jennifer McLeod, senior media research manager, Ipsos Reid. "Results were very consistent across student grade levels and across regions. Teachers and students agree across the board that digital tools help students gain an advantage when it comes to school work."
These are the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted for HP and fielded from June 29 to July 5, 2006. For the survey, a representative Canadian sample of 709 students from 11-17 years old and 848 teachers were interviewed via an online survey. The sample used in this study has been weighted according to census data to accurately reflect the populations.  For full tabular results and factum report, please visit www.ipsos.ca .
