parents and educators speak up about online learning

© Project Tomorrow 2011

Students, Parents & Educators Speak Up about Online Learning:

A 5 Year Retrospective Review

Julie Evans, Project Tomorrow CEO

October 22, 2012


Today’s Discussion:

About the Speak Up National Research Project

Highlighted data findings: 5 Year Review

Panel discussion

Speak Up 2011 National Research Project:

Views of K-12 Students, Parents, Teachers,

Librarians and Administrators


Today’s Discussion: The Big Questions

How does the growth in online learning change the value proposition for technologies that personalize learning?

What is the impact of the increased interest by students, parents and educators?

What is the teachers’ wish list for tech-enabled professional learning communities?

Is there a new climate for policies around online learning requirements for students?


Panel Discussion

John Brim Assistant Executive Director, North Carolina Virtual Public School

Michele Eaton Virtual Education Specialist, MSD of Wayne Township (IN)

Mike Kowalski Administrator – Online Campus, Fairfax County Public Schools (VA)

Jeannine Richardson Instructional Media Integration Coordinator, Arlington Public Schools (VA)

Students, Parents & Educators Speak Up about Online Learning: A 5 Year Retrospective Review


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, Parents, Administrators

Pre-Service Teachers in Schools of Education

Inform policies & programs

Analysis and reporting of findings and trends

Consulting services to help transform teaching and learning

Speak Up National Research Project

+ 2.6 million surveys since 2003


Learning & Teaching with Technology

21st Century Skills: Digital Citizenship

Science and Math Instruction

Career Interests in STEM and Teaching

Professional Development / Teacher Preparation

Internet Safety

Administrators’ Challenges

Emerging Technologies in the Classroom

Mobile Devices, Online Learning, Digital Content, E-textbooks

Educational Games, Web 2.0 tools and applications

Designing the 21st Century School

Speak Up survey question themes


Saluting our Speak Up 2011 Sponsors:


K-12 Students 330,117

Teachers & Librarians 38,502

Parents (in English & Spanish) 44,006

School/District Administrators 4,133

About the participating schools & districts

o 5,616 schools and 1,250 districts

o 24% urban / 35% rural / 41% suburban

o All 50 states + DC

Honor Roll of States with highest participation:

TX, CA, AL, IN, AZ, NC, FL, WI, VA, MD

National Speak Up 2011 Participation: 416,758


Speak Up 2011 Congressional Briefings

Washington DC

April 24 and May 23, 2012


Other Speak Up 2012 Reports & White Papers

Defining the Emerging Role of Social Learning Tools to Connect

Students, Parents & Educators (with Schoolwires)

Leveraging Intelligent Adaptive Learning to Personalize

Education (with DreamBox)

Learning in the 21st Century: Mobile Devices + Social Media =

Personalized Learning (with Blackboard)

Upcoming:

Print to digital migration considerations white paper

Aspiring teachers report – from schools’ of education data


Other Speak Up 2012 Reports

Online learning trends report:

Learning in the 21st Century:

A 5 Year Retrospective on the

Growth of Online Learning

A special collaboration with Blackboard

Downloadable @ www.tomorrow.org/speakup/speakup_reports.html


Inviting all K-12 schools and districts to participate

this year – including virtual schools:

Speak Up 2012 – 10th Anniversary

Special online surveys to collect and report on the views of the

K-12 students, teachers, librarians, administrators and parents

on the role of technology within teaching and learning.

Surveys open now thru December 14

Learn more @ www.tomorrow.org/speakup

http://www.tomorrow.org/speakup


What can the Speak Up

findings tell us about the

future of learning?


Speak Up National Research Project

Key Findings: Speak Up 2003 – 2011

Students function as a “Digital Advance Team”

Students regularly adopt and adapt emerging technologies

for learning

Students’ frustrations focus on the unsophisticated use of

technologies within education

Persistent digital disconnect between students and adults

Exacerbation of lack of relevancy in current education

Students want a more personalized learning environment


Social–based learning

Un–tethered learning

Digitally–rich learning

The New Student Vision for Learning

Online Learning


Key Finding #1:

A majority of teachers, school site administrators and district level administrators have now taken an online class for their own

professional development.

For teachers, an increase of 148% since 2007.



Online Learning

Experience

Teachers School Site

Administrators

District

Administrators

Taught a fully online class 6% 6% 14%

Taught a blended online

class

5% 3% 9%

Took a fully online

class for PD

52% 52% 65%

Took a blended online

class for PD

18% 25% 30%

Educators are increasingly learning online


Administrators’ Realities

Impact of recent fiscal crisis on budgets

What tech solutions are you considering to help with

your budget situation?

1. Digital textbooks 43%

2. Tablets instead of laptops for students 39%

3.Online teacher PD 37%

4. Cloud computing solutions 35%

5.Online classes for students 30%

6. Allowing student use of personal devices 27%

© Project Tomorrow 2011 19

Challenges implementing more online learning

School principals say:

1. Concerns about the quality of student-teacher

interactions

2. Concerns around course quality or academic rigor

3. Lacking infrastructure to support online learning

4. Finding teachers to teach online courses

5. Student home access to the Internet


Key Finding #2:

Teachers’ value proposition on online learning for their own professional development is directly related to their previous online

learning experiences.

30% of teachers say that online PD is now their preferred approach for

continuing education.



61%

57%

20%

34%

46%

34%

36%

88%

52%

56%

13%

26%

44%

27%

28%

89%

58%

62%

17%

32%

50%

33%

34%

90%

29%

33%

5%

12%

28%

8%

11%

62%

Ability to customize learning

Review materials as needed

More connected to profession

Just in time training

Saves time

Supports learning style

Learning community value

Fits schedule

No online involvement Taken blended online PD

Taken fully online PD Taught online class

Relationship between online learning

experiences and value proposition


Teachers’ wish list for tech-enabled

professional learning communities

Tools for collaboration with teachers at my school

(43%)

Tools for collaboration with teachers at other schools

(42%)

Online courses (42%)

Easy access to student data that I can use to inform

my teaching (39%)

Centralized repository of teaching resources (38%)


Key Finding #3:

A new, positive correlation exists between

educators’ experiences with online learning

and their interest in mobile learning in school.



New correlation: Personal mobile device use by

online experience

65%

34%

86%

70% 63%

30%

77%

64%

45%

20%

57% 56%

Smart phones Tablet Smart phones Tablet

Teachers Administrators

I have taught an online course I have taken an online course for PD

No involvement or interest


School principals: Reluctant to allow students to

use their own mobile devices at school – even

for academic purposes

Will you allow students to use their own mobile devices?

65%

11% 22%

Likely Unlikely Unsure


Except if they have had a personal online

learning experience:

Taught an online class?

35% of principals who have taught an online

class say they are likely to allow students to use

their mobile devices at school

No online learning experience?

76% of principals without online learning

experience say they are unlikely to allow students

to use their own mobile devices at school


Key Finding #4:

The profile of a typical student interested in taking an online class today is:

a middle school girl who values the use of a

mobile device in school and sees online learning as her ticket to a more personalized learning environment where she is control of

the learning process.



Who is learning online?

Types of online learning experiences

Students: Gr 6-8

Students: Gr 9-12

100% online school 7% 6%

Online self study class 10% 13%

Teacher led online class 10% 13%

Online class for personal interests

9% 10%


MATH

43% - Gr 6-8 Students

32% - Gr 9-12 Students

Students want to take an online class in:


Learning my way – benefits of online learning

Students Gr 6-8 say:

o I would be in control of my own learning (52%)

o I would be able to work at my own pace (52%)

o I would get extra help in a subject that is hard for me (50%)

o My technology skills would improve (47%)

o It would be easier for me to review class materials as many

times as I want (44%)

o I would be more comfortable asking my teacher questions

(43%)


Student interest in taking an online class:

5 year retrospective

24%

47%

33%

45%

53%

38%

42%

32%

Students Gr 6-8(2007)




Yes I am interested No I am not interested


Key Finding #5:

One-third of parents now support increased investments in online learning at their child’s school.

An increase of 80% since 2007.



Parents’ views on the benefits of online learning for

their child


Key Finding #6:

69% of administrators (and surprisingly, almost

50% of middle school students) say that

students should be required to take an online

class to graduate from high school.



Yes, students should be required to take an online

class for graduation

31% 26%

36%

27%

49%

40% 46%

69%

Students Gr 6-8 Students Gr 9-12 Parents Administrators

2008 2011


When we write the online

learning trends update report in

2017, what will be our headline

stories five years from now?


Panel Discussion

John Brim Assistant Executive Director, North Carolina Virtual Public School

Michele Eaton Virtual Education Specialist, MSD of Wayne Township (IN)

Mike Kowalski Administrator – Online Campus, Fairfax County Public Schools (VA)

Jeannine Richardson Instructional Media Integration Coordinator, Arlington Public Schools (VA)



Other Speak Up 2012 Reports

Online learning trends report:

Learning in the 21st Century:

A 5 Year Retrospective on the

Growth of Online Learning

A special collaboration with Blackboard

Downloadable @ www.tomorrow.org/speakup/speakup_reports.html


Inviting all K-12 schools and districts to

participate this year – including virtual schools:

Speak Up 2012 – 10th Anniversary

Special online surveys to collect and report on the views of the

K-12 students, teachers, librarians, administrators and parents

on the role of technology within teaching and learning.

Surveys open now thru December 14

Learn more @ www.tomorrow.org/speakup

http://www.tomorrow.org/speakup


Thank you.

Let’s continue this conversation.

Julie Evans

Project Tomorrow

[email protected]

949-609-4660 x15

Twitter: JulieEvans_PT

Copyright Project Tomorrow 2011.

This work is the intellectual property of the author. Permission is granted

for this material to be shared for non-commercial, educational purposes,

provided that this copyright statement appears on the reproduced

materials and notice is given that the copying is by permission of the

author. To disseminate otherwise or to republish requires written

permission from the author.

mailto:[email protected]