Using Digital Tools to Personalize Learning and Empower Student Thinking

Using Digital Tools to
Personalize Learning and
Empower Student Thinking
Julie Evans, CEO – Project Tomorrow
Speak Up 2013 National Research & Trends

Today’s Discussion Topics
 How is K-12 learning and teaching being
transformed by digital tools?
 How are administrators, teachers, and students
using technology to support learning?
 What is the future for personalized, blended
learning in the elementary and middle school
classroom?
(c) Project Tomorrow 2014

Project Tomorrow, a national
education nonprofit organization
Programs:
• Research & evaluation studies
• STEM education programs
• Advocacy for digital learning
Mission: To ensure that today’s
students are prepared to become
tomorrow’s leaders, innovators and
engaged citizens of the world.

Speak Up National Research Project
Annual national research project
 Using online surveys + focus groups
 Surveys for: K-12 Students, Teachers, Parents,
Administrators, Community Members
 Special: Pre-Service Teachers in Schools of Education
 Open for all K-12 schools and schools of education
 Schools, districts & colleges receive free report with their
own data
Inform policies, plans & programs
 Local: your stakeholder data
 State: state level data
 Federal: national findings
+ 3.4 million
surveys since
2003

Speak Up survey question themes
 Learning & Teaching with Technology
 21st Century Skills: Digital Citizenship & Global Awareness
 Math and Science Instruction/ Digital Writing
 Students’ Career Interests in STEM
 Professional Development / Teacher Preparation
 Internet Safety/Digital Footprints
 Administrators’ Challenges/Bandwidth Capacity
 Emerging Technologies both in & out of the Classroom
 Mobile Devices, Online Learning, Digital Content, E-texts
 Educational Games, Social Media tools and applications
 Flipped Classroom, Print to Digital, Online Assessments
 Designing the 21st Century School

National Speak Up 2013 Participation: 403,292
K-12 Students 325,279
Teachers & Librarians 32,151
Parents (in English & Spanish) 39,986
School/District Administrators 4,530
Community Members (new this year!) 1,346
About the participating schools & districts
o 9,005 schools and 2,710 districts
o 90% public schools—10% private/parochial/charter/other
o 32% urban / 31% rural / 37% suburban
o 30% school wide Title 1; 43% majority minority school
o All 50 states + DC + Guam + DODEA schools

Why do schools and districts participate in
Speak Up?
.
 Power of local data
 Use data as input for planning
 To justify budget and purchasing decisions
 Inform new initiatives – as an evaluation tool
 As a tool to engage parents
 Use for grant writing and fund development
 Content for professional development
 To counteract mythology

Commonly heard ed tech mythology
“New teachers don’t need any training in how to use
technology within teaching”
“Parents won’t accept online textbooks”
“Kids only want to use mobiles so that they can
text & play games in class”
“Online learning undercuts the role of the
teacher in learning.”
“There is so much great content online for teachers to
use in the classroom – so, what is the problem?”
“Just put technology XYZ in the classroom and
magically students will learn more!”

District administrators’ views on solutions
that have greatest potential to transform
teaching & learning
1. Enhancing teacher effectiveness (58%)
2. Integrating 21st century skills into curriculum
(49%)
3. Leveraging technology more effectively (46%)
 Digital content
 Blended learning
 Tablets and other mobile devices
 1:1 programs
 Online textbooks and content
 Flipped learning models

How important is the effective implementation
of technology within instruction on student
success?
41%
45%
62%
46%
57%
55%
35%
52%
District Administrators
Elementary/Middle School
Principals
Elementary/Middle School
Teachers
Parents of K-8 school students
Not important Important Extremely important

Students & Digital Learning
Social–based learning
Un–tethered learning
Digitally–rich learning
Path to more
personalized
learning
Student Vision

Speak Up 2013
National Reports

The New Digital Learning Playbook:
Current uses of technology
Four types of technology usage for learning
 In school:
o teacher directed or sponsored
o student self – initiated to support learning
 Out of school time:
o doing assignments and homework
o supporting personal learning

Teachers’ use of digital tools for professional
tasks
Teachers who self assess their skills as
“advanced” compared to peers:
 Internet research to info a lesson (90%)
 Watch an online video to learn something
(74%)
 Text with colleagues (67%)
 Customize digital content for class use (56%)
 Participate in online PLC (55%)

Students’ Use of Teacher-Facilitated
Technology in the Classroom
Digital Activity
Elementary
School
Grades 3-5
Middle
School
Grades 6-8
High
School
Grades
9-12
Access class information
through online portal 31% 68% 75%
Take tests online 44% 47% 52%
Use online textbooks 14% 32% 37%
Use a mobile device
provided by school 25% 30% 32%
Watch teacher created
videos 14% 22% 22%

Learning modalities:
Digital
Online
Mobile

Teachers’ use of digital content in the
classroom
6%
22%
19%
21%
19%
35%
47%
11%
22%
29%
21%
49%
Videos that I find online
Game environments
Online textbooks
Real time data
Animations
Videos that I create
Middle school teachers Elementary school teachers

Who is playing games for learning?
K-2 students 60% 68%***
.
2007 2013
Gr 3-5 students 47% 60%***
Gr 6-8 students 40% 48%***
Gr 9-12 students 23% 30%
*** no gender differentiation in frequency of game playing

Benefits of games within the classroom
Elementary teachers say:
Increase student engagement
79%
Address different learning styles 72%
Reinforce understanding 53%
Provide practice opportunities 52%
Visualize difficult concepts 43%
Gain immediate feedback 38%
Personalize learning process
34%

What do students say are the benefits of
playing educational games?
Benefits of Games Students
.
K-2
Students
Gr 3-5
Students
Gr 6-8
Students
Gr 9-12
Helps me
understand
difficult learning
concepts
57% 48% 56% 48%
School would be
more fun
48% 43% 52% 44%
Games engage
me in learning
43% 40% 47% 43%
Learn more
about a subject
49% 44% 39% 31%

Particular interest in intelligent adaptive
software benefits
Elementary school principals say:
2012 2013
Providing “just right” instruction 67% 74%
Differentiating instruction within large classes 66% 72%
Enabling self-directed learning 65% 73%
Supporting teachers with real time reporting 54% 56%
Increasing the effectiveness of using technology 46% 52%

Middle school students’ interest in online
learning
Advantages of personalized learning:
To work at my own pace 52%
I would be in control of my learning 52%
To get extra help in a tough subject
47%
It will make it easier for me to succeed 42%
I could review materials whenever I needed
41%
I would be more motivated to learn
38%

What subject would students prefer
to take using an online format or
content?

How widespread is “blended learning?”
Primarily face-to-face instruction with
some use of online curriculum, resources and
tools to supplement or remediate instruction
• 46% of teachers are using videos within class
Other models per Christensen Institute
• Regular rotation between online & F2F
• Online curriculum w/onsite teacher
• Off site teacher – onsite students
• Occasional online class
• Primarily online class
62%
21%
(total)

Why offer online learning? Principals say:
Reasons for online learning 2013
Keep students engaged in
school
66%
Academic remediation 60%
Provide programs for gifted/at
risk students
51%
Motivate teachers to change
teaching methods
40%
Personalize instruction 40%

K-12 Students’ Personal Access to Mobile
Devices
21%
50%
73%
89%
41%
66%
61%
66%
62%
41%
58%
50%
18%
39%
48%
39%
Gr 9-12
Gr 6-8
Gr 3-5
Gr K-2
Digital Reader Tablet Laptop Smartphone

Benefits of mobile devices for schoolwork
Provides way for students to review
materials anytime
Extends learning beyond school day
Personalizes learning
Increases student engagement
55%
67%
58%
49%
55%
57%
54%
52%
63%
49%
52%
75%
48%
62%
86%
Improves school to home
communications
Principals Teachers Parents

Parents are mobilists also – and believe
in potential of mobile learning
6 out of 10 parents
want their child in a
class where they can
use a mobile device
for learning

Parents’ desires for mobile learning – in class
with devices / willingness to buy devices
Parent by Community / Age
of Child(ren)
I want my child in
a BYOD class
I would buy my
child a device
Parents from urban
communities
64% 65%
Parents from rural
communities
64% 66%
Parents from suburban
communities
59% 64%
Parents from Title 1
communities
63% 64%
Parents of elementary
students
58% 62%
Parents of middle school
students
63% 67%
Parents of high school
students
65% 67%

Personalizing
learning with
transformational
technologies in the
classroom

Key Trends Discussed Today
 Students have wide access to a wide
range of digital tools – and ideas for
effective usage
 Parents are becoming an important
driver for digital learning and
communications
 Personal technology use by educators
increases value for learning
 A disconnect exists between
administrators’ aspirations and teachers’
implementation
 Creating a shared vision increases

More Speak Up? www.tomorrow.org
National Speak Up Findings and reports
Targeted and thematic reports
Online learning trends
Mobile learning & social media
Print to digital migration
Social learning
Intelligent adaptive software
Digital parent series
Presentations, podcasts and webinars
Services: consulting, workshops, evaluation and
efficacy studies
Speak Up 2014 opens on October 6

Thank you.
Let’s continue this conversation.
Julie Evans
Project Tomorrow
jevans@tomorrow.org
949-609-4660 x15
Twitter: @JulieEvans_PT
@SpeakUpEd
Copyright Project Tomorrow 2014
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.

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