Speak Up Blog

Posted by Jenny Hostert, Program Support Coordinator

•What factors are driving districts to initiate or expand online learning?
•What do the terms “Value on Investment” and “Return on Investment” mean in an education setting?
•What is the new math for justifying online learning decisions?
•How are innovative districts using this new thinking to justify their online learning projects?
•How can you use the report’s recommendations and tools in your district to evaluate your district’s ed tech investments?

Click here to download the report.

The tools, findings and case studies highlighted in this report are the result of data collected from 34 district administrators through an online survey, extensive interviews with ten district leaders and findings from the Speak Up National Research Project. Though many experts provided valuable input to this project, Project Tomorrow and Blackboard, Inc. would like to especially thank the following district leaders for sharing their unique insights, proven wisdom and real world experiences with us:

Judy Bauernschmidt
Jefferson County Public Schools (CO)

Bill Bucklew
Polk County Public Schools (FL)

Allison Calderon
Fairfax County Public Schools (VA)

Tracy Clanton-Smith
Lubbock Independent School District (TX)

Mike Foland
Fairfax County Public Schools (VA)

Alisa Jones
School District of Clay County (FL)

Jill Montoya
Jefferson County Public Schools (CO)

Bert Ross
Baltimore City Public Schools (MD)

Scott Smith
Mooresville Graded School District (NC)

Marilyn Underwood
Marion County Public Schools (FL)

Posted by Jenny Hostert, Program Support Coordinator

• Who is learning online?
• What is propelling this new level of interest and excite¬ment around online learning?
• Can online learning really transform the learning process?
• What is standing in the way of greater adoption of online learning in our nation’s schools?
• What are the most effective motivators to increase the pool of teachers who want to teach online?

Key trends highlighted in the report include:

• Three times as many high school students have access to online learning and twice as many middle school students are learning online, since Speak Up 2007.
• More than 40 percent of students now designate online classes as an essential component of their learning experience. Administrators and parents are increasingly supporting the students’ vision for learning online.
• A growing number of educators are learning online. A majority of librarians (50 percent) and 27 percent of teachers have participated in fully online professional development classes or workshops, and 36 percent of administrators report experience with online learning as part of their professional tasks.
• As online learning grows, administrators are shifting their perspective about what it takes to be successful. Administrators are concerned with the quality of the student-teacher interaction online (30 percent), creating academically rigorous online courses (28 percent) and evaluating the quality of online courses (26 percent).

Click here to download the report.

If you think this data is interesting and would like to gain a better understanding about your stakeholders’ perspectives about the use of technology for learning, participate in Speak Up 2011. The online surveys will be open Oct 10 - Dec 23, 2011 and survey results will be available in Feb 2012.

It is quick and easy to activate your district (or school). Sign up for Speak Up News to receive updates about Speak Up 2010.

Posted by Jenny Bautista, Program Support Coordinator

On May 11, 2011 Project Tomorrow released the report “The New 3 E’s of Education: Enabled, Engaged and Empowered – How Today’s Educators are Advancing a New Vision for Teaching and Learning” at a Congressional Briefing held in Washington, DC. The briefing was another great success with over 70 people in attendance. Attendees included congressional staff members, student and staff representatives from some of our Speak up schools, and staff from many of our sponsors, champion outreach partners and non-profit partners.

“The New 3E’s of Education: Enabled, Engaged, Empowered – How Today’s Educators are Advancing a New Vision for Teaching and Learning” is the second in a two-part series to document the key national findings from Speak Up 2010. In our first report, “The New 3E’s of Education: Enabled, Engaged, Empowered – How Today’s Students are Leveraging Emerging Technologies for Learning”, we explored the views of students and parents. In this companion report, we explore how teachers, principals, district administrators, librarians and technology coordinators are addressing the student vision for learning around three key trends: mobile learning, online and blended learning and digital content.

These trends have generated significant interest in the past year at conferences, in policy discussions and within our schools and districts. While each of these trends includes the essential components of the student vision of socially-based, un-tethered and digitally-rich learning, they also provide a unique backdrop for investigating the role of educators to engage, enable and empower students through the use of these emerging technologies.

Julie Evans, Project Tomorrow CEO, discussed selected national findings from the Speak Up 2010 Educators report and moderated a panel discussion with teachers, librarians and administrators who shared their insights and experiences on emerging technologies.

A recap of the briefing along with copies of the Powerpoint, Podcast and report are now available on our website at http://www.tomorrow.org/speakup/speakup_congressED.html.
 
Thank you again for your continued support for Project Tomorrow and Speak Up! Please feel free to provide us with any feedback!

Jenny Bautista
Program Support Coordinator
jbautista@tomorrow.org

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Posted by Jenny Bautista, Program Support Coordinator

Join us on Wed., May 11th, 2011 when Project Tomorrow will release the Speak Up 2010 National Findings for K-12 Teachers, Librarians, Administrators and Tech Leaders. The briefing will include a presentation of the findings, guest speakers and a moderated panel discussion with educators about mobile learning, online learning and blended learning and e-textbooks. The event will be held:
 

WHEN:
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
12:00-1:30PM
Lunch will be provided.

WHERE:
Room B339
Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC

To RSVP, click here or email Jenny Bautista on our team who is ready and willing to help you with the registration process. You can reach Jenny at: jbautista@tomorrow.org!   If you are unable to attend the event, but would like to request a copy of the report, please click here.

For additional information about Speak Up, the Congressional Briefing or Students and Parents Report please visit our website.

Once again, thank you for your continued support of Project Tomorrow and Speak Up. We look forward to seeing you there!

April 7, 2011 Technology Expo Presentation at Villanova University

CoSN MLI blog posting by Julie Evans, Project Tomorrow

Increasingly, today’s students are coming to school with multi-functional, high-powered, relatively low cost, uber-connected, palm-sized, mobile “computers” in their pockets and backpacks.  And yet, on most school campuses these engaging and compelling mobile devices are Public Enemy #1 – dreaded, banned and confiscated upon sight or ring tone!

For the past several years, the annual Speak Up National Research Project (www.tomorrow.org/speakup) has polled K-12 students, parents and educators about mobile learning and each year, the survey findings stimulate new discussions on this volatile topic.  This year with the release of our national findings from students and parents on April 1^st in Washington DC, the data has illuminated the disconnect between students and administrators on the use of mobile devices, and has brought parents into the fray as well.  And you may be surprised on which side the parents are on.

Faced with the twin challenges of crumbling budgets and the urgent need to stem students’ eroding engagement in school, some innovative educators (quite often, savvy mobile device users themselves) are experimenting with the idea of leveraging student owned devices within instruction.  Yes, actually allowing students to bring in their smartphones, MP3 players, iPads and even Nintendo DS handheld game players to use within class.  Again, it is still only a small, courageous group at this point!  This revolutionary idea has sparked a lot of national interest evidenced by conference sessions on the topic, blog posts and even a new trend name, “Bring Your Own Device.”  And in translating the concept into practical terms, many educators are starting to tap into the ideas of students themselves.  We know from the Speak Up data findings that students have great ideas of how they would like to use mobile devices within learning – if they were allowed or provided.  These include increasing the efficiency of their current school processes (such as checking grades, learning about school activities and accessing online textbooks) to fully leveraging the unique features of the devices to expand their learning opportunities (leveraging the connectivity to do research anywhere, collaborating with peers on school projects and taking videos of science labs to review later).

With increased personal access to these devices (i.e. a 42% increase since 2009 for students in grades 6-12 in smartphone access alone), proven engagement characteristics, and viable usage models, are administrators open to re-thinking the public enemy status of mobile devices in school?   Afraid not, kids.  At least not this year.  We asked administrators in our Speak Up fall 2010 surveys about the likelihood they would allow students to use their mobile devices at school this year?  The response:  a resounding, unequivocal “no way!”   Sure, they buy into the engagement value of these devices with 84% citing that as a strong benefit of mobile learning.  But they also note concerns over theft, network security, the need for teacher training, and equity issues.  Surprisingly on the equity issue, parents provided one of the most provocative “wake up calls” in this year’s Speak Up data.  Listen up, administrators!  Over two-thirds of parents said that they would purchase a mobile device for their child to use at school if the school allowed such devices.  And 54% said they would even purchase a data plan so that their child had Internet access through that device.  Interestingly, these percentages change very little when disaggregated for the age of the child (elementary, middle or high school), community type (urban, rural or suburban) or school poverty level.  Parents get it – these multi-functional, high-powered, relatively low cost, uber-connected, palm-sized, mobile “computers” have great potential to transform today’s 20^th century classroom into a truly 21^st century learning environment that is enabled, engaging and empowering.  Sounds like it might be time to reconsider that Public Enemy #1 label.  What do you think?

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The Speak Up Research Project is a national initiative of Project Tomorrow.  For more information about the latest Speak Up National Findings or to read our most recent report, The New 3 E’s of Education: Enabled, Engaged, Empowered, please visit www.tomorrow.org.

Posted by Jenny Bautista, Program Support Coordinator

On April 1, 2011 Project Tomorrow released the report “The New 3 E’s of Education: Enabled, Engaged and Empowered – How Today’s Students are Leveraging Emerging Technologies for Learning” at a Congressional Briefing held in Washington, DC. The briefing was another great success with over 100 people in attendance; including congressional staff members, student and staff representatives from some of our Speak up schools, and staff from many of our sponsors, champion outreach partners and non-profit partners.

The Speak Up 2010 report focuses on three specific key trends that have generated significant interest this past year at conferences, in policy discussions and within our schools and districts: mobile learning, online and blended learning and e-textbooks. Each of these trends not only include the essential components of the student vision of socially-based, un-tethered and digitally rich learning, but they also directly address the three new “E’s of Education” – enable, engage and empower. In this report, we will share the authentic, unfiltered views of K-12 students and parents on these key trends and document their aspirations for fully leveraging the technologies supporting these trends to transform their learning lives.

The briefing included comments from Julie Evans, CEO for Project Tomorrow and Dale Orth, ASC/AAAS Congressional Fellow, Office of Senator John D. Rockefeller IV. The presentations also included a moderated panel discussion comprised of Students and Parents from Jamestown Elementary School, Kenmore Middle School and Digital Harbor High School.

The recap of the briefing along with the PowerPoint presentation, Podcast and PDF report “The New 3 E’s of Education: Enabled, Engaged and Empowered – How Today’s Students are Leveraging Emerging Technologies for Learning” are available on our website at http://www.tomorrow.org/speakup/speakup_congress.html.

Thank you again for your continued support for Project Tomorrow and Speak Up! Please feel free to provide us with any feedback!

Jenny Bautista

Program Support Coordinator

Podcast of the April 1st, 2011 Congressional Briefing- Listen Now!