We may well be living in the digital age, with state-of-the-art technology at our fingertips at all times, but there’s certainly a case to be made against being entirely reliant upon digitalisation, particularly in schools and other learning environments.
Naturally, technology cannot be ignored by schools and there are many ways in which it has greater advantages over more traditional teaching methods – but there’s no reason why a blended approach cannot be adopted, with innovation and tradition going hand in hand for the benefit of students and teachers alike.
One very common sight in schools, both primary and secondary, is the not-so-humble photocopier. You might be forgiven for thinking that, with the advent of the internet, photocopiers no longer have their place but this is far from the case and, in fact, there are many benefits still to be reaped by having a rental copier in school.
Benefits for students
Equal access
We like to think that everyone has access to smartphones, tablets and laptops but this isn’t the case and there is a digital divide that still needs to be addressed.
Research shows that nine per cent of households struggle to afford mobile connectivity, eight per cent struggle to afford broadband, 14 per cent of young people lack access to suitable learning devices and four per cent of those between eight and 25 years old lack both home internet and learning devices.
Printing out and photocopying resources for all students ensures that everyone has the same educational opportunities, helping to level the playing field and reducing reliance on computer access at home.
Improved comprehension
As convenient as screens and the internet may well be, it’s a possibility that learning may be compromised in some ways if this is the only way that students are taught.
Research from the University of Valencia found that reading print text improves comprehension more so than digital material, by between six and eight times more, in fact. Interestingly, it was also found that digital text linguistic quality was typically lower than that found in printed text.
Benefits for teachers
Better engagement
Providing students with printouts of course material means that teachers will naturally enjoy better rates of engagement, helping them to feel as though their students are listening, actively participating and actually enjoying being taught… rather than passively soaking up information presented to them via a screen.
This is sure to increase job satisfaction and help teachers make a real difference to the lives of their students.
Efficiency gains
The use of photocopiers means that teachers can quickly and easily reproduce all their classroom materials without having to make manual copies or print pages out repeatedly.
There are also lots of excellent features on copiers like double-sided printing, different paper sizes, stapling and so on, all of which can make teachers’ lives significantly easier.
Scanning and sorting functions can also be used to accelerate certain administrative tasks, improving organisation and productivity, and allowing teachers to focus their attention to actual teaching rather than more mundane aspects of the job.
Benefits for schools
Cost savings
Hiring a photocopier means you don’t have to make hefty investments on technology that gets updated all the time. You can take full advantage of all the latest innovations, bringing in new machines as and when required, with no associated lease or rental costs since all you need to do is pay for the print and copy charges.
Equipment is also monitored by the copier company so you don’t need to hire or train other members of staff and proactive maintenance is carried out so any problems are dealt with swiftly, ensuring that there is minimal downtime and business can continue as normal.
Enhanced security
Depending on the make and model of your photocopier, you may be able to take advantage of features such as user authentication and secure printing, making it even easier than ever to protect sensitive student data.
Of course, these are only a couple of benefits associated with hiring photocopiers. If you’d like to find out more, get in touch with the CopyClik team today.