From College News - A new study suggests that technology is becoming a even larger part of the college experience for a lot of students

Just how important is technology to college students? A new study suggests that it is important enough to strongly influence prospective students’ college selection process.

CDW Government LLC—a corporation aiding educators and the government in IT solutions—has released the results of its 21st-Century Campus Report for 2010, and found that, for 63 percent of current college students, technology was an important factor in making their college selection. It also found that it was an important factor for a whopping 93 percent of current high school students.

Students also emphasized the importance of wireless networks, off-campus network connections and course management systems in the report.

While students are utilizing conventional online education tools, they are also using social media and social networking sites as learning tools. The study found that two-thirds of students use Facebook, Twitter and wikis as a means of connecting with classmates, studying and working on projects.

The study showed that students want online learning to take a larger role in the classroom. Three-quarters of the students surveyed believed that their campus understands how they want technology to be used in the learning process, but non tech-savvy faculty members seem to be the biggest obstacle keeping technology out of the classroom.