Harness the Power of Digital Learning with Gaming

1. Dr. Julie Evans
CEO, Project Tomorrow
Harness the Power of Digital
Learning with Gaming
Key Findings from the Speak Up Research Project
September 23, 2016

2. Something new in the air in schools today . . .

3. Significant finding from our research :
Students, educators
and parents agree
–
we need a different
kind of learning
experience to
prepare students for
the future

4.  Game based learning
 Maker spaces
 Project based learning
 Experiential learning
 Personalized learning
 Career technical education
Key Trend: Learning = Doing

5. “Knowing it and seeing
it are two different
things.”
Suzanne Collins, Mockingjay

7. Without data, you are
just another person
with an opinion.
W. Edward Deming

8. “Without data, you are just another person
with an opinion …
Introducing the
Speak Up data to inform
new discussions and
better decision-making around
the future of learning

9. Speak Up Research Project on Digital Learning
 Annual research project since 2003
 Uses online surveys + focus groups
 Schools/districts register to participate
 Surveys for: K-12 Students, Teachers, Parents, Administrators,
Community Members
 Open for all K-12 schools and districts
 Schools and districts receive free report with their own data
– and state and national data for benchmarking
4.5 million
surveys since
2003
Data informs: policies,
programs, funding at
local, state and
federal levels

10. K-12 Students 415,686
Teachers & Librarians 38,613
Parents (in English & Spanish) 40,218
School/District Administrators/Tech Leaders 4,536
Community Members 6,623
About the participating schools & districts
o 7,825 schools and 2,676 districts
o 25% urban / 35% rural / 40% suburban
o All 50 states + DC + Guam + DODEA schools
Speak Up 2015 national participation: 505,676

11.  Learning & Teaching with Technology
 College and Career Ready Skills
 Students’ Career Interests in STEM
 Professional Development / Teacher Preparation
 Internet Safety / Data Privacy Issues / Homework Gap
 Administrators’ Challenges / Bandwidth Capacity
 Emerging Technologies both in & out of the Classroom
o Mobile Devices, Online Learning, Digital Content, E-texts
o Educational Games, Social Media tools and applications
o New Classroom Models, Print to Digital, Online
Assessments
 Designing the Ultimate School/Classroom
Speak Up survey question themes

12. Congressional Briefing to release the national report
May 5, 2016
Focus on videos, games,
animations and simulations
 Growth of digital content
usage in K-12 classrooms
 How these tools are being
used in classrooms
 How students are using these
tools outside of school

13. How students want to learn
Gaming within K-12 classrooms
What’s next for digital learning & gaming
Using Speak Up data to understand how to
harness the power of gaming for education

14. @SpeakUpEd
@JulieEvans_PT

17. DIGITAL
LIVES of
STUDENTS

18. In his/her digital life, this student ….
 Plays digital/video games regularly in school (65%)
 Wants to learn how to code (54%)
 Takes tests online in class (50%)
 Has a personal tablet – not school provided (55%)
 Prefers reading on a tablet to reading a printed book
(57%)
 Watches videos to learn math (59%)
 Is interested in a future job in a STEM field (45%)

19. Who is a . . . . . ?
o 3rd grade girl
o 6th grade boy
o 9th grade girl
o 12th grade boy

20. Correct
response:
Who is a 3rd
grade girl?
Results from 17,567 3rd grade
girls in fall 2015

21. Social–based learning
Un–tethered learning
Digitally–rich learning
Students & Digital LearningFrom the Speak Up Research:
Introducing the Student Vision for Learning
Today’s students are interested in learning that is:

22. How students want to learn

23. Let’s play a word association game!
Do students and adults perceive characteristics
and values of school and learning differently?

24. School

25. Perceptions of teachers and administrators:
o A place for learning and knowledge
acquisition – preparation for college
o A place for socialization
School

26. Students’ valuation:
o Not their primary place of learning
o School learning is passive and detached
o Still a place for socialization, but that role
is diminishing as well
School

27. School
“I am interested in what I am
learning at school”
Only 46% of students in grades 6-12 nationally
agree with this statement

28. School
“I wish my classes were
more interesting”
55% of students in grades 6-12 have this
aspiration

29. School
“Doing well in school is
important to me”
But 82% of students in grades 6-12 nationwide
agree with this statement

30. School
“Teachers are important for my
learning”
And 54% of students in grades 6-12 say this is true

31. School
“I am learning things that are
important for my future on my own
outside of school”
52% of students in grades 6-12 say this is a fact of
their learning life

32. School
Examples of how students are self-directing learning outside
of school
Watching a video to learn how to do something (79%)
Research a website to learn more about a topic (77%)
Reading news stories or reports (64%)
Using social media to follow experts or learn what people are thinking
about (55%)
Playing online games or simulations (50%)
Using online writing tools to improve writing skills (38%)

33. School
“I use technology outside of school mostly for academic
activities. I play a game called total war which explains the
battles/events of a country thousands of years ago. This helps
me learn about history especially when were learning about
Rome, Egypt, and any other country/civilization back then. I
also use technology for websites like Aleks or Khan Academy
or to research things I need to know for school work.”
Middle School Student (California)

34. College and
career
preparation

35. Perceptions of teachers, administrators,
parents and policymakers:
o Get in line
o Pay attention
o Be quiet
o Follow the rules
o We know best
Preparation

36. Students’ valuation:
o Taking control of my educational destiny
o Learning skills outside of school that will
help my future plans
o Placing a premium on experiential
learning and creativity
o Following my own path
Preparation

37. “I like learning about new ideas.”
o 64% of students in grades 6-12
“I like learning how to do things.”
o 72% of students in grades 6-12
“I like learning when I am in
control of when and how I learn.”
o 53% of students in grades 6-12
Preparation

38. How do you want to explore future careers?
Goal: Gain real world life experiences to “testdrive” future careers
Students are more interested
in:
o Playing an online or
digital game about the
career
o Taking an online quiz to
evaluate strengths/interests
o Researching career field mobile
apps/websites
o Watching videos about different
jobs/careers
o Using social media to follow
people in different jobs
And less interested in:
o Participating in an after
school program about
careers
o Going to a summer camp
like science camp
o Participating in competitions
to see how my skills compare
with others
o Taking CTE classes at school

39. Games

40. Perceptions of teachers and administrators:
o Entertainment only
o Not academically rigorous
o Engagement is good – but limited value
for in-school usage
o Difficult to implement effectively
Games

41. Students’ valuation:
o Game experience + content = learning
o Failure is a learning process
o Easier to understand difficult concepts
o Way to personalize learning
o Supports development of critical thinking
and problem solving skills
Games

42. Playing digital games for learning
Grades Girls Boys
K-2 77% 77%
Gr 3-5 65% 65%
Gr 6-8 22% 24%
Gr 9-12 16% 16%

43. Girls and boys value game play differently
Girls:
1. Games increase my interest in school
2. Games provide a more interesting way to learn
3. Games make it easier to understand difficult concepts
4. I learn more through a game
5. Games personalize my learning
Boys:
1. Games make it easier to understand difficult concepts
2. Games increase my interest in school
3. Games provide a more interesting way to learn
4. Games adapt to what I know or need to know
5. I am a better thinker and problem solver when I play games

44. Game usage within K-12 classrooms

45.  82% of school administrators say their
teachers are using digital content and online
resources regularly within classroom
instruction
 49% say digital games specifically
Usage of technology within classrooms today

46. What digital approaches are already demonstrating
positive results in academic achievement?
16%
22%
25%
27%
47%
54%
10%
27%
23%
22%
33%
28%
11%
15%
10%
13%
9%
8%
63%
36%
41%
38%
11%
10%
1:1 mobiles
Blended learning
Online textbooks
Games
Online assessments
Digital content
Positive results Too early for results Considering No plans

47. 20%
21%
30%
9%
21%
30%
36%
47%
27%
30%
33%
36%
36%
48%
49%
68%
Animations
Online textbooks
Software apps
Content subscriptions
Online curriculum
Games
Teaching aids
Videos - found online
2015
2012
Growth in teacher use of digital content – 3 years
2012 N = 53,947
2015 N = 35,909

48. Differences in teacher use of digital content
Digital content K-2
teachers
Gr 3-5
teachers
Gr 6-8
teachers
Gr 9-12
teachers
Content subscriptions 48% 49% 33% 21%
Games 65% 59% 44% 31%
Online textbooks 27% 32% 33% 33%
Teaching aids 48% 53% 50% 47%
Videos 60% 67% 72% 69%

49. What are the benefits of using digital games
within learning?
Benefits of using digital games Teachers who are
using digital games in
their classroom
All teachers
Increased student engagement 88% 74%
Address different learning styles 80% 63%
Help students reinforce learning 62% 49%
Provide practice opportunities 59% 46%
Differentiate instruction 59% 48%
Help students visualize different
concepts
51% 40%
Introduce new concepts within
lessons
50% 41%

50. How does technology use within instruction impact
your students’ success?
Student outcomes Teachers who are
using digital games
in their classroom
All teachers
Students are more motivated to
learn
70% 53%
Students develop critical thinking
and problem solving skills
49% 38%
Students develop creativity skills 48% 39%
Students take ownership of their
learning
39% 30%
Students develop collaboration
skills
37% 30%

51. How does technology use within instruction
impact your effectiveness as a teacher?
Teachers who are using digital games in their
classroom say that games have:
 Improved their productivity
 Increased classroom management effectiveness
 Provided time to differentiate instruction
 Made it easier to assess student learning

52. What’s next for digital learning & gaming

53. Principals: What are the primary benefits of using more digital
content within instruction at your school?
o Increases student engagement in school and learning (80%)
o Extends learning beyond the school day (69%)
o Provides a way for instruction to be personalized for each
student (60%)
o Increases the relevancy and quality of instructional materials
(57%)
o Improves teachers’ skills with technology (51%)
Digital Content: valuation of usage

54. Greatest challenge?
54% of principals say biggest challenge is
motivating teachers to change the way they are
teaching to leverage digital content, tools and
resources within instruction
Aspirations for digital learning

55. What do teachers say they need to use digital
content more effectively?
1. Classroom set of mobile devices (59%)
2. Planning time to work with colleagues (57%)
3. Professional development (52%)
4. Confidence students have out-of-school Internet
access (51%)
5. Consistent, reliable, high bandwidth Internet access
(46%)

56. Teacher Professional Development
Are district PD priorities in alignment with teachers’ needs?
District PD priorities
1. Differentiating
instruction
2. Using tools for
assessment
3. Using tools for
SE/ELL
4. Using mobiles
5. Identifying digital
content
Teacher PD Wish List
1. Differentiating
instruction
2.Using games
3. Using tools for
assessment
4. Using mobiles
5. Finding mobile
apps

57. Teacher Professional Development
Most effective modes of professional development
1. In service school or district training days (52%)
2. In school peer coaching and mentoring (51%)
3. Observations of other teachers (48%)
4. Teacher led trainings (43%)
5. Conferences with experts (43%)

58. What types of PD experiences do librarians recommend
 Mentoring with an instructional coach on site
 Access to a curated collection of vetted, grade level,
content specific resources
 Support from a librarian/media specialist
 Peer coaching and mentoring
 Participation in a PLC at the school

59. Principals: What challenges do you face
implementing digital content within instruction?
Top challenges Elementary Middle High School
Provide enough
technology
62% 55% 48%
Lack of teacher
training
60% 56% 54%
Balancing
instructional needs
60% 51% 44%
Evaluating quality
of digital content
51% 47% 45%
Locating
appropriate digital
content
51% 47% 45%

60. Metrics for evaluating the quality of digital content
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
Colleague referral
Created by teachers
Student achievement
No ads
Inc. online assessments
Inc. teacher PD
Modifiable by teachers
Adjusts to reading levels
Research based
Principals Teachers

61. Librarians are building teacher capacity for digital
content and gaming usage in the classroom
 Participating with teachers in school PLCs (74%)
 Sourcing digital content such as games for classroom
usage (60%)
 Providing PD on sourcing and evaluation quality within
digital content (52%)
 Supporting classroom implementations (42%)
 Curating collections and lib guides for teacher usage
(41%)

62. Librarians – harnessing the power of digital learning
Helping teachers look beyond what they think they “see”
to imagine what learning should be

63. Social–based learning
Un–tethered learning
Digitally–rich learning
Students & Digital LearningFrom the Speak Up Research:
Introducing the Student Vision for Learning
Today’s students are interested in learning that is:

64. National Speak Up reports and infographics
Targeted and thematic reports
Digital learning trends
Mobile learning & social media
Games in the classroom
Blended learning outcomes
Presentations, podcasts and webinars
Services: consulting, workshops, evaluation and
efficacy studies
More Speak Up? www.tomorrow.org

65. Online surveys for:
o K-12 students – individual + group
o Parents – English and Spanish
o Teachers
o Librarians/Media Specialists
o School Site & District Administrators
o Technology Leaders
o Community Members & Communications Officers
All schools/districts
are invited to
participate
Surveys open
Oct 12 – Dec 20
Speak Up 2016!
Calling all librarians – be
your school or district
contact for Speak Up!
Learn more at
tomorrow.org

66. Thank you for inviting me to be part of this
important discussion!
Julie Evans
jevans@tomorrow.org
949-609-4660 x15
Twitter: JulieEvans_PT and SpeakUpEd
Copyright Project Tomorrow 2016
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67. Your
questions,
ideas and
comments