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Learning in the 21st Century: 2011 Trends Update – New Report
Students, Parents & Educators Speak Up about Online Learning
Special WebinarAugust 31, 2011
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A big thank you to:
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Series of Speak Up Reports in collaboration with Blackboard
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Today’s Agenda:
About Speak Up National Research
Project
Highlights from the new report
Panel discussion
Conversation time Speak Up Research Project: Views of Students, Parents, Teachers,
Librarians and Administrators
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Learning in the 21st Century: 2011 Trends Update
Meet our expert panelists!
Mary Fluharty Technology Integration SpecialistAlexandria City PS (VA)
Alison Schleede Technology FacilitatorMooresville Graded SD (NC)
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Today’s Discussion: The Big Questions
Who is learning online? What is propelling this new interest in online
learning? Can online learning really transform the learning
process? What is the standing in the way of greater
adoption? What motivates teachers to teach online?
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• Annual national research project Online surveys + focus groups Open for all K-12 schools and schools of education Institutions receive free report with their own data
• Collect ideas ↔ Stimulate conversations K-12 Students, Teachers, Librarians, Parents, Principals
and District Administrators
• Inform policies & programs Analysis and reporting Services to help transform teaching and learning
Speak Up National Research Project
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Learning & Teaching with Technology 21st Century Skills & Digital Citizenship Science and Math Instruction Professional Development / Teacher Preparation Internet Safety Administrators’ Challenges Emerging Technologies in the Classroom
Online Learning, Mobile Devices, Digital Content Educational Games, Web 2.0 tools and applications
Designing the 21st Century School
Speak Up survey question themes
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K-12 Students 294,399 Teachers 35,525 Librarians 2,135 Parents (in English & Spanish) 42,267 School/District Administrators 3,578 Technology Leaders 1,391 Schools / Districts 6,541 / 1,340
Top 12 participating states: TX, CA, AL, AZ, FL, NC, IL, MD, IN, NV, PA, WI
About Speak Up participating schools: 51% Title 1 eligible – indicating community poverty
34% urban, 29% suburban, 37% rural
National Speak Up 2010 Participation: 379,355
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Creating Our Future: Students Speak Up about their Vision for 21st Century Learning
Social–based learning
Un–tethered learning
Digitally–rich learning
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The New 3 E’s of Education:
Enabled, Engaged, Empowered
Report #1: How today’s students are leveraging emerging technologies for learning
Report #2: How today’s educators are advancing a new vision for teaching and learning
Speak Up 2010 National Findings Two national releases in Washington DCApril 1 and May 11, 2011
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What can the Speak Up
findings tell us about the
future of learning?
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• Student vision for tech use mirrors desires for learning in general
• Educators have potential to enable, engage and empower this new learning vision
• By examining the synergies and the disconnects we can develop a shared vision for the future of learning
What can the Speak Up data tell us about the future of learning?
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The New 3 E’s of Education: Enabled, Engaged, Empowered
Key Trends to Watch:
Mobile Learning
Online Learning
E-Textbooks and Digital Content
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Introducing . . .
Learning in the 21st Century:
2011 Trends Update
A special collaboration with Blackboard, Inc.
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Online learning enables a greater personalization
of the learning process for both students and
educators and facilitates opportunities to
collaborate with peers and experts, thus
empowering a new sense of
personal ownership of the learning process.
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Who is learning online today?
Audience 2008 2010
Administrators 21% 36%
Teachers 49% 53%
Traditional students 24% 40%
Home-schooled students 5% 13%
Students in continuation schools
3% 18%
At risk students 10% 16%
Administrators: Who is your audience for online learning?
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Who is learning online today?
Figure 1: Administrators: Types of Online Learning Provided to Students
9%
7%
14%
4%
13%
9%
27%
6%
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%
100% class - our teachers
100% class - other teachers
Blended class
Self directed class
2009 2010
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Who is learning online today?
Table 1: Growth in student participation in online classes
Type of online participation
Middle School Students
High School Students
2010 2009 2008 2010 2009 2008
Took an online class for school 19% 13% 9% 30% 18% 10%
Took an online class for personal reasons 5% 8% 7% 8% 9% 4%
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What is propelling this new interest?
Table 2: Value of Online Learning for Students
Value of Online Learning Principals
District Administrators
Keeping students engaged in school
37% 46%
Increasing graduation rates 32% 44%
Offering academic remediation 32% 39%
Providing scheduling alternatives 25% 37%
Programs for at risk students 23% 29%
Offer dual enrollment courses 15% 20%
Provide advanced coursework 14% 25%
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Can online learning transform the learning process?
For high school students, traditional reasons: scheduling and college credit.
For middle school students, it’s about changing the learning paradigm.
Students: Why do you want to take an online class?
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Why do you want to take an online class?
For high school students, traditional reasons: scheduling and college credit.
For middle school students, it’s about changing the learning paradigm.
Get extra help in a tough subject More comfortable asking questions In control of my own learning More motivated to learn Work at my own pace Review class materials whenever I want Share ideas with my classmates
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Given the demand and the interest, what is standing in the way of greater adoption?
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Given the demand and the interest, what is standing in the way of greater adoption?
Figure 2: Administrators' identify barriers to offering online courses
14%
21%
20%
17%
8%
36%
12%
14%
15%
18%
26%
30%
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40%
Teachers are reluctant to teach online classes
Teachers are not comfortable teaching online courses
Teacher compensation
Lack of expertise to create online courses
Evaluating quality of online courses or curriculum
Limited state funding
2009 2010
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Given the demand and the interest, what is standing in the way of greater adoption?
Figure 2: Administrators' identify barriers to offering online courses
14%
21%
20%
17%
8%
36%
12%
14%
15%
18%
26%
30%
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40%
Teachers are reluctant to teach online classes
Teachers are not comfortable teaching onlinecourses
Teacher compensation
Lack of expertise to create online courses
Evaluating quality of online courses or curriculum
Limited state funding
2009 2010
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Which factors are most important when evaluating online course quality?
Administrators say:
1. Standards alignment 77%
2. Ease of use by students and teachers 63%
3. Student achievement results 54%
4. Source = teachers or curriculum specialists 42%
5. Includes imbedded assessments 36%
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Given the demand and the interest, what is standing in the way of greater adoption?
Figure 2: Administrators' identify barriers to offering online courses
14%
21%
20%
17%
8%
36%
12%
14%
15%
18%
26%
30%
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40%
Teachers are reluctant to teach online classes
Teachers are not comfortable teaching onlinecourses
Teacher compensation
Lack of expertise to create online courses
Evaluating quality of online courses or curriculum
Limited state funding
2009 2010
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What would motivate a teacher to teach an online course?
Working conditions?
Professional development opportunities?
Professional satisfaction?
Curriculum support?
Job opportunities?
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What would motivate a teacher to teach an online course?
For teachers who have an interest in online teaching:
Flexibility in working conditions 78%
Increased compensation 65%
Providing necessary tools/support 60%
Learning about job opportunities 58%
Working with more motivated students 53%
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What would motivate a teacher to teach an online course?
For teachers who say they are not interested:
Increased compensation 37%
Flexibility in working conditions 32%
Providing necessary tools/support 25%
Co-teaching an online course 22%
Providing curriculum 21%
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What would motivate a teacher to teach an online course?
Value of first hand experience by taking an online course?
Not that meaningful ….
Only 26% of the interested cohort and 9% of the disinterested cohort said that would make a difference.
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What would motivate a teacher to teach an online course?
Key audience for recruitment:
• Teachers with less than 10 years of experience• Prefer online courses for their own PD• Explicitly state an interest in teaching an online course
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Learning in the 21st Century: 2011 Trends Update
Panel Discussion
Mary Fluharty Technology Integration SpecialistAlexandria City PS (VA)
Alison Schleede Technology FacilitatorMooresville Graded SD (NC)
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• National Speak Up Findings and reports
• Additional data analysis from Speak Up 2010
• Presentations, podcasts and webinars
• Evaluation services
• Reports and white papers • Speak Up 2011!
More Speak Up? www.tomorrow.org
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Interested in leveraging ROI analysis to justify your online learning initiative?
Special Webinar:
The New Math for Justifying Online Learning: Leveraging ROI and VOI Analysis for Ed Tech Investments
Date and Time:
September 29, 2011 2:00 pm ET, 11:00 am PT
Register at www.blackboard.com
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Speak Up 2011
New online surveys for students, parents & educators open for input:
October 10 - December 23
Data back to your school: February 2012
Learn more at www.tomorrow.org
Enable, engage, empower your school’s stakeholder voices!
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A big thank you to:
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Thank you.
Let’s continue this conversation.
Julie EvansProject Tomorrow
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