40% of Ohio Internet Users are eLearners
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Some 2.9 million adults in Ohio use the Internet to take online classes or conduct research for schoolwork, according to Connect Ohio’s 2011 Residential Technology Assessment.
Online classes, or eLearning, is an increasingly popular educational option because of the flexibility, accessibility, and convenience it affords, says Connect Ohio.
“For the majority of households, children lead the charge in technology adoption, creating pressure on our schools to stay ahead of constant advancements to meet the seemingly limitless demand of students,” said Stu Johnson, executive director of Connect Ohio. “Broadband Internet provides the opportunity to transform education by using technology to enhance the learning experience and expand curriculum while capturing better performance data and reducing administrative overhead.”
Among the key findings from the report:
- Only 41% of low-income Ohio Internet users go online for school. The use of eLearning is highest among Ohio Internet users who make $75,000 or more.
- 51% of minority Internet users in Ohio go online to conduct digital learning, compared to 39% of their caucasian counterparts.
- 32% of rural Ohio Internet users go online for education, a significantly lower percentage than the 42% in urban and suburban areas.
- 10%, or approximately 237,000, of Ohioans who access the Internet via a cell phone are using these devices for eLearning.
- Nearly 1.5 million Ohio children use the Internet at home for schoolwork. However, nearly one in four households with children in Ohio do not have broadband, meaning that there are more than 618,000 children unable to access the Internet for their schoolwork at home.
- Of households with children where the parents go online for eLearning, 71% report they have children who are also using the Internet for schoolwork, significantly higher than the 55% of households with children where parents are not eLearners.
Connect Ohio works to increase broadband access, adoption, and use. As part of this initiative, Connect Ohio has produced the report “Broadband and Education: Enriching Ohio’s Students through Technology” to examine the effect of digital learning on all Ohioans. The report takes a close look at Ohio eLearning by age, income, geography, and legacy, as well as digital educational opportunities for Ohio K-12 schooling.
Connect Ohio will discuss the findings in its report at the state Technology Association meeting Oct. 26 at the Vern Riffe Center.
Among the panelists are Joy Padgett, most recently director of government relations and grants at Central Ohio Technical College and a former atate senator, Jim Petro, chancellor of Ohio Board of Regents and former attorney general of Ohio, and Linda Kenworthy, business development manager at Intel Americas.
Connect Ohio, a division of Connected Nation, is a nonprofit, technology-neutral public-private partnership that works with telecommunications providers, business and community leaders, information technology companies, researchers, public agencies, libraries, and universities in an effort to help extend affordable high-speed Internet service to every Ohio household.
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.