Overview
As the use of computing and networking technologies in schools grows, educators increasingly incorporate online tools and resources into their curricula—some even replace traditional classroom interactions with “virtual” courses that take place entirely online. At the same time, administrators are concerned with helping students develop 21st century skills while bridging the digital divide between students and adults.
To address emerging trends in education, Project Tomorrow, a national education nonprofit group and Blackboard have joined together to bring you Education in the 21st Century, a series of reports that include data from the SpeakUp Survey, which shed light on issues related to learning and leading in K-12 education.
Learning in the 21st Century: 2010 Trends Update
Today’s students are ready now to seize and shape the future by leveraging technology tools to implement their personalized vision for 21st century education. Online learning is at the heart of this momentum as it satisfies the three essential elements of this new student vision: learning that is socially-based, un-tethered and digitally-rich. But with the demand for online learning projected to grow each year, are our schools and educators ready and able to fully meet the challenge? This latest installment in a series of focused reports on online learning provides new insights into both the demand and supply side of this challenge with interesting new trends in the preparation of new teachers and the role of parents in influencing student views on online learning.
- Key trends highlighted in the report include:
- The number of high school students who are taking online classes for school credit has almost doubled since Speak Up 2008.
- While the number of teachers who have taught online classes has tripled since Speak Up 2008, we still have more work to do to help teachers learn how to effectively leverage online learning to drive student achievement and increase their own productivity.
- Even as aspiring teachers are gaining experience with online classes and online professional learning communities as part of their teacher preparation programs, only 4 percent report that they are learning how to teach online classes in their instructional methods courses.
- Administrators are beginning to shift their focus on online learning from professional development for teachers to online classes for students.
- Thirty-three percent of parents report they have taken an online class for their own professional needs or personal interests. Parents’ personal experiences with online learning are affecting how their children view the benefits of online learning as well.
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Learning in the 21st Century: Parents' Perspectives, Parents' Priorities (Released October 2009)
Parents are important, but often overlooked, stakeholders in education. Learning in the 21st Century: Parents’ Perspectives, Parents Priorities’ explores the views of parents on the role of technology in education and how well they believe that schools are doing to prepare children for the jobs and careers of the future. Based upon the voices of over 21,000 parents collected through the Speak Up 2008 National Research Project, this landmark report investigates both the angst and the aspirations of parents on key education issues such as:
- Do parents believe that effective technology use at school is important for their child’s success?
- Are parents’ satisfied with the use of technology at their child’s school?
- What types of technology investments do they think schools should make to improve learning?
- How do America’s parents answer this question: Is your child’s school doing a good job preparing your child for the jobs of the future?
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Learning in the 21st Century: 2009 Trends Update (Released July 2009)
Learning in the 21st Century: 2009 Trends Update, examines the growing student interest for online learning and how schools are meeting that demand. This report, which is the third in a series of reports published by Project Tomorrow®, a national education nonprofit organization, in collaboration with Blackboard, examines the Speak Up 2008 survey data collected online in Fall 2008 from more than 335,000 K-12 students, teachers, administrators and parents from across the nation.
This report highlights how students are utilizing technology to become "free agent learners" and driving the demand for more online classes in and out of school. Yet, our schools are limiting online classes to remediation and credit recovery for students, and primarily focusing their online learning initiatives towards professional development for teachers. Through this report you will gain insight, from schools and districts across the nation, about why students and teachers want access to classes online, the current challenges faced by districts with online learning implementations, and how online learning presents unprecedented opportunities for meeting the needs of our 21st century learner.
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RELATED RESOURCES
- Powerpoint Presentation from 2009 Trends Update Release Event. View Now
- Press Release for the 2009 Trends Update Report. Read Now
- Podcast of Presentation at 2009 Trends Update Release Event. Listen Now
- Podcast of Panel Discussion at 2009 Trends Update Release Event. Listen Now
- Blog post about 2009 Trends Update on the Disrupting Class blog by Michael Horn. Read Now
Leadership in the 21st Century: The New Visionary Administrator (Released October 2008)
In 2007, Project Tomorrow surveyed administrators for the first time on their attitudes about technology and learning and found a group of tech visionaries who are bridging the digital divide. The report ”Leadership in the 21st Century: The New Visionary Administrator” highlights how these education technology visionaries are creating 21st century schools.
Throughout these administrator interviews and the accompanying survey data, you will find a common, heartfelt concern: the desire to help students develop 21st century skills. You will also see some shared beliefs about seamless, ubiquitous technology, in particular, the belief that when effectively integrated into learning, technology has the potential to expand classroom walls, transform the pedagogy and help students better prepare for life in the 21st century.
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Learning in the 21st Century: A Trends Update (Released July 2008)
Recent SpeakUp survey data revealed prevalent trends in online learning, compelling the release of “Learning in the 21st Century: A Trends Update.” This report provides new and timely data on the growth of online learning in U.S. schools, for both student learning and teacher professional development, and examines the challenges faced by school and district leaders in regards to technology and learning.
A sampling of key findings in the trends update:
- While only 7% of teachers in 2006 identified online classes as their preferred methodology for their own professional development, over 26% of teachers in 2007 chose online learning as their first choice for training
- Over 41% of students believe online classes will have the greatest positive impact on their learning, a growth of over 20% from the 2006 data
- More than 88% of education leaders say the effective implementation of instructional technology is core to their mission and 84% believe using technology enhances student achievement
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RELATED RESOURCES:
Podcast: NECC 2008 Presentation and Panel Discussion for "A Trends Update" (July 2008) Listen now
Learning in the 21st Century: A National Report of Online Learning (Released October 2007)
In October 2007, a national report was released that examined student, teacher, and parent attitudes and aspirations for online learning. This important publication, “Learning in the 21st Century: A National Report of Online Learning”, provides valuable insights that can inform our national conversation about how to best ensure every student has access to a 21st century education.
“A National Report of Online Learning” also contains interviews with administrators and teachers in school districts that use a range of innovative online learning models, providing additional insight into the integration of online learning into curricula and the benefits experienced by teachers and students.
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RELATED RESOURCES:
- Executive Summary: A National Report of Online Learning (October 2007) Download now
- Webinar: Release of A National Report of Online Learning (January 2007) Watch now
- NECC Presentation: Voices of Experience: Top Ten Tips for Online Learning Environments
(June 2008) Download now