There is no denying the impact the teacher shortage is having on Australian teachers. New research and product development experts suggest technology can play a leading role in overcoming some of the key challenges associated with this ongoing problem.
A maths teacher at a school in NSW who purchased a video camera to demonstrate to students in real-time how to use a protractor says she no longer has a need for the cumbersome equipment, after the school installed Samsung’s new WAD Series Interactive Display. As the teacher told Ms Penelope Tserpes, Business Development Manager in K-12 Education at Samsung Electronics Australia, the new WAD Series allows her to teach geometry and trigonometry using the Google Play apps included in the interactive display.1
Ms Tserpes is leading a project working with several schools in NSW currently trialling the WAD Series. She has been providing on-site training and support at a range of independent schools across NSW. She is also collating feedback from the teachers trialling the WAD Series Interactive Display, including the maths teacher who has found the WAD’s capabilities have made her classroom camera redundant.
As a former secondary school teacher, Ms Tserpes understands how important it is for teachers to quickly get to grips with new technology.
“Teachers want to teach. They don’t want to waste valuable time in the classroom navigating hard-to-use technology which hinders rather than helps their primary task of teaching,” Ms Tserpes says.
“Whether they’re teaching in the same classroom everyday, or moving between different classrooms within a school, or teaching anywhere at anytime as a casual relief teacher, they want intuitive technology they can securely access from the get-go. They want technology to add value to their lesson, not detract.”
The anecdotal feedback Ms Tserpes is receiving from schools using the new WAD Series is reflected in the results of a recent survey Samsung commissioned.2 In July 2024, it released new insights revealing the impact the teacher shortage is having on Australian teachers, and the role that technology can play in overcoming some of the key challenges.
Samsung’s survey found that 75 per cent of Australian educators report being impacted by the teacher shortage, with 61 per cent having to take on more responsibilities as a result. Almost half (49 per cent) of teachers agree that technology has the potential to help teaching staff overcome some of the issues raised by this workforce problem. The majority (71 per cent) say that increased technology usage can improve the quality of learning opportunities they’re able to provide for students.
Mr Phil Gaut, Senior Director and Head of Display and Memory Solutions Division at Samsung Electronics Australia, says the survey results highlight the critical need to future-proof Australia’s education system.
“Educators agree that technology is key to providing productive, accessible and high-quality learning experiences for all students,” Mr Gaut says.
“We see tech as the ultimate enabler of top-tier learning experiences, and our suite of education products are crafted with teachers’ needs in mind, ensuring they help address the sectors current challenges and deliver effective solutions to help instil meaningful change to Australian classrooms.”
Technology is part of the solution
Samsung’s survey found that 71 per cent of teachers agreed the integration of technology within classrooms will improve the quality of learning opportunities they’re able to provide their students. This includes being able to provide students with greater accessibility to educational resources, enhance digital knowledge and expertise, offer future-proofing skills development and drive higher engagement with lesson content.
For many educators, integrating technology in some format is already commonplace in the classroom. Almost three quarters of respondents (72 per cent) turn to tech for lesson content (such as screens or presentations), followed by 64 per cent that use interactive tools, or similar, for student engagement in lessons. Through increased digitisation, Samsung notes that educators are already feeling the benefits technology can have on learning.
“As outlined in the NSW Department of Education’s Schools Digital Strategy report, digitalisation has freed up time in the teachers’ day allowing more time for one-on-one student support, and greater capacity to be more present in the classroom for effective and engaging teaching,” Samsung says.
It knows teachers frequently find themselves adapting to new environments, moving between classrooms or even schools, requiring technology that is intuitive and easy to learn.
“Incorporating technology into the curriculum allows for diverse and flexible delivery of educational content, catering to different learning styles and needs, as well as simplifying the admin for teachers so they can focus on the lesson at hand,” Samsung says.
“Inside the classroom, tools including Samsung’s Flip Pro Interactive Display and WAD Interactive eBoard, help captivate students with features such as high-resolution screens, powerful speakers, and realistic pen-to-paper writing making the learning experience more engaging and collaborative.”
More accessible technology
Samsung’s insights show some of the biggest challenges to integrating technology within schools lies with affordability and educators’ personal time constraints for learning/upskilling in technology tools.
Regionally, the data shows a lack of proficiency or confidence in technology is one of the biggest barriers facing Victorian educators, compared to Queensland and New South Wales. Over the past two years, Samsung has taken a deep dive into how to make technology more accessible in the K-12 sector in Australia. A meeting with a focus group early in Samsung’s research made one thing abundantly clear, Mr Gaut says.
“We asked a group of eight teachers to bring a lesson plan to our focus group. Without fail, each of those eight teachers brought their lesson plan in a different format – Word docs, Excel spreadsheets, Powerpoint presentations, PDFs,” he says.
“It highlighted that technology needs to be accessible, first and foremost, so teachers can begin their lesson on time, every time, whether their lesson plan is a document on a laptop, a slide deck on a USB, a PDF on a tablet or multimedia on their phone.”
He says the WAD Interactive Display’s usability and compatibility are designed to make it easy for teachers to leverage education apps and features that optimise lessons.
“Teachers, whether they’re full-time, part-time or casual, and wherever they are, can sign in and out of the display using a Samsung Interactive account for personalisation and security when moving between boards and locations. Teachers can create an account at no additional cost to them or the school,” Mr Gaut says.
“And it doesn’t matter what format they bring their lesson plan because the WAD Series has a USB Type-C (3-in-1) connection with 65W charging, an HDMI out3 for projecting to another display in the classroom, and instant access to cloud storage for a PC-free lesson experience4.”
The WAD Series also has multi-screen mode options, including split screen and multiwindow, allowing teachers to display and read multiple windows at the same time on the WAD Display.5
Powerful screen sharing capabilities mean teachers can share up to nine screens simultaneously for maximum productivity in real time. Speaking from her years of experience in the classroom, Ms Tserpes says this feature undoubtedly heightens engagement in group work.
“This feature helps ensure students are included and engaged with content that can be shared both ways between the WAD Display and individual devices. It reduces the traditional ‘one group at a time’ method of sharing group work,” she says.
Screen-sharing can be used on iOS, Mac, Windows, Android, or Chrome OS. This new feature means teachers can give touch access to users sharing their screen to interact with the display from afar. Screen-shared devices can also have their screen floating to still have access to note app. The WAD Series is also compatible with Android devices and with Enterprise Devices Licensing Agreement (EDLA) certification for access to Google Play store apps.
“The WAD Series has been designed in partnership with Google Education; it works seamlessly with the Google Education environment, across the whole syllabus,” Mr Gaut says.
Samsung believes that the role of technology in the classroom is to supplement teachers and future-proof education, offering them the tools to automate, create and optimise their daily professions, enabling them to free up their time to focus on teaching itself.
“Interactive technologies not only have the potential to streamline efficiencies but also foster collaboration, engagement and accessibility across the education ecosystem, benefiting teachers, students and institutions,” the company says.
References
1. Sign in to Google account is required for access to certain Google apps and services. App charges and fees may apply.
2. Quantitative Survey Report for Ogilvy PR: Samsung Eductech Survey: Teaching Decision Makers RFQ A-60349 based on 500 participants. Conducted July 2024.
3. HDMI Out supports FHD/UHD 60Hz.
4. Cloud-based DMS solution is provided free of charge for one year. Pricing policies are subject to change. Please contact your account manager for more details.
5. WAD series provides an on-prem DMS solution, allowing customers to choose an option that best fits their local area network requirements. App availability and content may change without notice.