much ado about digital content

© Project Tomorrow 2011

Much Ado about Digital Content:

But what do students really want?

FETC 2012: Julie Evans, Project Tomorrow CEO


Today’s Discussion: The Big Questions

• What are the expectations of K-12 students for

leveraging digital content for learning?

• How are teachers, librarians and administratorsaddressing this student vision for digital content?

• What are the barriers and the opportunities?

• What does the e-textbook discussion tell us about

the future of teaching and learning?


Discussion Agenda:

� About the Speak Up Project

� Introduction to the Student Vision

� Speak Up Highlights: Digital Content

� Trends to Watch

� Discussion

Speak Up 2010 & 2011 National Findings Views of K-12 Students, Teachers,

Parents and Administrators


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


What can the Speak Up

findings tell us about the

future of learning?


Speak Up National Research ProjectKey Findings: Speak Up 2003 – 2012

� 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


Warm Up

Interactive Exercise


A STUDENT’S LIFE


In my life, I ……..

Play games on handheld devices (57%)

Take tests online for school (40%)

Have a cell phone or smartphone (40%)

Read books on my mobile device (53%)

Want more internet access at school (50%)

and want to take an online class (40%)


Who is . . . . . ?

1. 1st Grade Boy

2. 3rd Grade Girl

3. 6th Grade Boy

4. 9th Grade Girl

5. 12th Grade Boy


Who is a 3rd

Grade Girl?

(from a rural

community)


In my life, I ……..

Play games on handheld devices (57%)

Take tests online for school (40%)

Have a cell phone or smartphone (40%)

Read books on my mobile device (53%)

Want more internet access at school (50%)

and want to take an online class (40%)


A new uniquely “student vision” for leveraging emerging technologies to drive achievement and educational

productivity

Emerging from the Speak Up research:


A new uniquely “student vision” for leveraging emerging technologies to drive achievement and educational

productivity

Emerging from the Speak Up research:

This student vision for “technology enabled learning” mirrors how students want to learn in general


The Student Vision for Learning

Social–based learning

Un–tethered learning

Digitally–rich learning


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 DC

April 1 and May 11, 2011


The New 3 E’s of Education: Enabled, Engaged, Empowered

Key Trends to Watch:

� Mobile Learning

� Online and Blended Learning

� E-Textbooks and Digital Content


The New 3 E’s of Education: Enabled, Engaged, Empowered

Key Trends: E-Textbooks & Digital Content


Inside today’s classroom

How Students are Using Digital Content for Schoolwork

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

Listen to podcasts

Access realtime

data/databases

Use e-textbooks

Conduct virtual

experiments/simulations

Play educational games

Create presentations and

media

Gr 9-12

Gr 6-8

Gr 3-5


Inside today’s classroom

How Students are Using Digital Content for Schoolwork

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

Listen to podcasts

Access realtime

data/databases

Use e-textbooks

Conduct virtual

experiments/simulations

Play educational games

Create presentations and

media

Gr 9-12

Gr 6-8

Gr 3-5

Gr 6-8: Increase of 41% in use of e-textbooks from 2010 to 2011


Students face obstacles using technology at school

Top responses from students:

1. School filters and firewalls block websites I need

(59%)

2. I cannot use my mobile device (55%)

3. I cannot access my social networking sites (51%)

4. Too many rules about using technology! (48%)

5. Teachers limit our technology use (42%)


How schools could make it easier to use technology

Students say:

1. Allow greater access to websites I need (72%)

2. Let me use my own mobile device (59%)

3. Give me unlimited Internet access on campus (48%)

4. Allow access to social networking sites (43%)

5. Provide classwork and resources online (41%)

6. Let me recharge my devices (36%)


Best use of technology – in what class?

High school students say:

1. English / Language Arts

2. Science

3. Math

4. Social Studies / History


What if ….

We asked students to design the ultimate

digital or e-textbook?

What features and functionality would

they desire?


Three themes emerge from the data:

� Students want interactivity and relevancy

� They want tools to facilitate collaboration

� They want ways to personalize learning

Students’ desires for the features and functionality of digital or e-textbooks


Three themes emerge from the data:

� Students want interactivity and relevancy

� They want tools to facilitate collaboration

� They want ways to personalize learning

Students’ desires for the features and functionality of digital or e-textbooks

E-textbook as proxy for the student vision for a new learning paradigm:

social, un-tethered and digitally rich


Designing the Ultimate E-Textbook

Socially-based Learning Enabled by the E-Textbook

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%

Chat rooms with video

Online tutors

Collaboration tools

Communications tools

Gr 6-8 Girl Gr 6-8 Boy Middle School Parents



Engaging Un-tethered Learning with the E-Textbook

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

Download to phone

Mobile apps

Self assessments

Online classes

Middle School Parents

Gr 6-8 Boy

Gr 6-8 Girl



Empowering Digitally-rich Content through the E-Textbook

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

Access to 3D content

Animations and simulations

Games

Links to real time data

Video clips

Virtual labs

Gr 6-8 Girl Gr 6-8 Boy Middle School Parents


A STUDENT’S ONLINE LIFE


#1 way to get students

more interested and

engaged in science …

according to students


What is . . . . ?

1. Having a teacher that is excited about science

2. Creating multi-media presentations of findings

3. Doing real research using online databases

4. Using animations

5. Reading the science textbook


What is

doing real

research with

online

databases?


Students’ “speak up” about the ultimate math class

Students say:

� Collaborate with classmates on problem solving 52%

� Ability to text my teacher with questions 42%

� I have a connection with my teacher 42%

� My teacher is excited about math 39%

� Access to online tutors 35%

� Access to online textbooks 32%

� Ability to use mobile devices to video problems 31%

� Access to online classes 24%


Inside today’s classroom: teachers’ view

Digital Content in the Classroom

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%

Virtual Labs

Simulations

Virtual Field Trips

Animations

Educational Games

Real-time Data

E-Textbooks

Podcasts/Videos

Teachers: Usage


Inside today’s classroom: teachers + librarians


0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

Virtual Labs

Simulations

Virtual Field Trips

Animations

Educational Games

Real-time Data

E-Textbooks

Podcasts/Videos

Librarians: Recommend

Teachers: Usage


Inside today’s classroom: + administrators


0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Virtual Labs

Simulations

Virtual Field Trips

Animations

Educational Games

Real-time Data

E-Textbooks

Podcasts/Videos

Administrators: Value

Librarians: Recommend

Teachers: Usage


Teachers & professional development around

digital content use

Teachers’ top recommendations:

1. Access to collection of vetted resources

2. F2F professional development

3. Video clips of teachers’ using digital content

4. Professional learning community @school

5. Online course


Benefits of using digital content

Principals’ perspective:

1. Increases student engagement

2. Extends learning beyond the school day

3. Prepares students for world of work

4. Improves teachers’ skills with technology

5. Decreases dependence on publishers


Given the demand and the interest, what is standing in the way of greater adoption?

Source: Speak Up 2010

Principals say the most significant barriers are:

1. Lack of technology infrastructure

2. Balancing instructional time constraints

3. Lack of teachers’ skill with using digital content

4. How to evaluate the quality of purchased digital content

5. Locating free, standards aligned digital content


What is most important when evaluating quality of

digital content?

Administrators say:

1. Student achievement

(57%)

2. Teacher evaluation (49%)

3. Created by teachers (33%)

4. Certified by ed org (32%)

5. Source is content expert

(32%)

6. Conference demo (28%)


What is most important when evaluating quality of

digital content?

Administrators say:

1. Student achievement (57%)




5. Source is content expert (32%)

6. Conference demo (28%)

Teachers say:


2. Colleague referral (50%)


4. Student achievement (38%)


6. Source is content expert (29%)


How do parents determine quality for digital resources they

bring into their home?

Quality Factors Parents

1. My child finds the tools engaging 64%

2. Aligned to my child’s curriculum 62%

3. My child’s teacher is using the same tools in the classroom 53%

4. Recommended by my child’s teacher, school librarian or other educator

48%

5. My child is doing better in school after using similar tools 48%

6. Aligned to content standards (state or national) 41%

7. Our school purchased a license for the tools and allows home access

38%

8. Developed by an organization with expertise in the field 38%

9. Student achievement results 36%

10. Developed by a classroom teacher 35%


The Student Vision for Learning

Social–based learning

Un–tethered learning

Digitally–rich learning


Imagine you are designing the ultimate school.

Which technology tools and services would have the greatest positive impact

on learning?


Imagine you are designing the ultimate school.

Which technology tools and services would have the greatest positive impact

on learning?

Are we all on the same page?


Ultimate School: Are we on the same page?

Ultimate School: Enabling Social Based Learning

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

In class chat rooms

Collaboration tools

Digital media tools

Online tutors

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



Ultimate School: Engaging Un-tethered Learning

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

Smart phones

Online classes

Tablets

Campus wide internet access




Ultimate School: Empowering Digitally-rich Learning

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%

Virtual reality

Databases & videos

Online textbooks

Games



What is the bottom line?

Today’s students

want learning that is:

Enabled

Engaging

Empowered


• Continuing “digital disconnects”

• Spectrum of digital native-ness

• Multiple “computers” in the backpack

• Adaptation trumps adoption

• Anytime, anyplace, anywhere, any pace

learning

• Developing personal expert networks

Key trends we are watching:


• Self directed learning for student & teacher

• Everyone is a content developer

• Make it relevant to me!

• Blurring of informal & formal learning lines

• Beyond engagement: it’s really about

productivity!

• “Long tail” of training & education

Key trends we are watching:


• National Speak Up Findings and reports

• Speak Up 2011 data: release to participating districts on Feb 1

• Speak Up 2011 data: national release in April

• Presentations, podcasts and webinars

• Evaluation services & reports

• Speak Up 2012!

More Speak Up? www.tomorrow.org


Thank you. Let’s continue this conversation.

Julie EvansProject [email protected] x15Twitter: JulieEvans_PT

Copyright Project Tomorrow 2011.

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