Report: Nearly 1 in 10 K-12 Teachers and Students Worldwide Will Own a Mobile Device by 2017
Nearly 10 percent of all K-12 teachers and students will have a
mobile
device by 2017, according to a new report from Futuresource Consulting.
In 2012, just three percent of K-12 teachers and students owned mobile
devices, according to the company.
That growth comes, at least in part, at the expense of notebooks and
netbooks, which were the devices of choice in K-12 through most of
2012. At the end of last year and through 2013, uptake of tablets "has
been enormous," according to Futuresource.
"The range of devices available to educators is manifold, and it's
often difficult for governments and educators to know which device
offers the biggest benefits to students," said Phil Maddocks, market
analyst at Futuresource Consulting, in a prepared statement. "Apple's
iPad has been highly successful in K-12 education, particularly in the
United States where Apple holds a commanding lead. However, other
options are coming to market, such as Android tablets and Google
Chromebooks, which are both offering lower cost alternatives to the
iPad."
The Americas lead the way in 1-to-1 deployments, with the United
States
at number one in terms of total number of devices deployed, in part on
the strength of large rollouts such as Los Angeles Unified School
District's iPad initiative.
Uruguay leads the world in terms of penetration, with more than 80
percent of K-12 teachers and students owning mobile devices in 2012.
Despite that, the company said it expects the Asia-Pacific region to
be
the leader in K-12 mobile device deployments by 2016.
"In 2013 and 2014, we are seeing significant tender activity in the
Asia-Pacific region, with several large volume roll outs such as Uttar
Pradesh in India, Chromebook roll outs inMalaysia, as well as a large
uptake of tablets in Thailand," said Kate Russell, Futuresource
research analyst, in a prepared statement. "In addition, there are
several other government funded programs still being discussed, which
are yet to deploy. This could further increase the uptake of devices
within the Asia-Pacific region."
About the Author
Joshua Bolkan is contributing editor for Campus Technology, THE Journal and STEAM Universe. He can be reached at [email protected].