Trends in Digital Learning and community engagement

Dr. Julie Evans
CEO, Project Tomorrow
June 28, 2016
Trends in Digital Learning and Community
Engagement
Two new reports based upon the Speak Up 2015 Research

Today’s Discussion
o About Project Tomorrow and the Speak Up
Research Project for Digital Learning
o Share highlights from two new digital trends
reports:
Empowering personalizing learning
Expectations for digital communications
o Discussion of the findings

#ISTE2016
@Blackboardk12
@SpeakUpEd
@JulieEvans_PT

Project Tomorrow, a global 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 Research Project about Digital
Learning Trends
 Annual research since 2003
 Uses online surveys + focus groups
 Schools/districts/associations register to participate
 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
4.5 million
surveys
since 2003
Data informs:
policies, programs,
funding at local,
state and federal
levels

 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

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
Speak Up 2015 national participation:
505,676

Significant finding from our 14 years of research:
Students, educators and parents agree –
we need a different kind of learning
experience to prepare students for the future

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

In collaboration with Blackboard, two new trends reports
based upon the Speak Up 2015 data to stimulate new
discussions and inform planning.

“The answer is not to standardize
education, but to personalize and
customize it to the needs of each
child and community. There is no
alternative. There never was.”
Sir Ken Robinson

Trends in Digital Learning: Personalizing Learning in America’s Schoo
Key concepts central to personalized
learning:
o Centering learning experience on student
needs
o Empowering teachers to understand
student strengths & weaknesses
o Moving away from school as a fixed entity
to a blending of learning experiences
o Redefining education outcomes around

But, what is the best way for
my school to personalize
learning for all of our
students?

But, what is the best way for
my school to personalize
learning for all of our
students?
Experiences and insights from
principals who have implemented
blended and competency based
classroom models at their schools

Principals who have implemented blended and
competency based classroom models at their schools
o 46% of K-12 schools have implemented blended or
competency based learning
o 1/5 say they are already seeing positive student
achievements results
o Principals tie effective technology use in school to
students’ future success
o Leading a schoolwide transformation including using
student data to personalize instruction (76%) and
using digital content (54%)

Benefits of blended
learning models
School principals that have implemented blended learning
All principals Principals in rural
schools
Principals in
suburban schools
Principals in
urban schools
Learning is extended
beyond the school day
71% 69% 77% 67%
Learning is more
personalized for each
student
65% 59% 72% 62%
Students are more
engaged in learning
62% 58% 64% 66%
Students take more
responsibility for their
own learning
54% 47% 54% 57%
Students develop self-
efficacy as successful
learners
52% 41% 60% 51%
Curriculum is more
relevant
50% 44% 52% 58%

The top challenges reported by principals who have
implemented blended learning include:
 Educating parents on their role in supporting blended learning for
their child (61%)
 Developing a culture of student responsibility for learning (55%)
 Ensuring that students have safe and consistent Internet access
outside of school (46%)
 Providing a school network infrastructure to support online
curriculum and digital content (44%)
 Identifying best practices for teachers and rethinking instructional
practices (43%)

Scaling personalized learning?
Key is increased access by students and
teachers to digital content, tools and
resources for learning.
Case point:
Examining benefits and challenges
associated with competency based learning
environments

Benefits of digital
content usage
School principals that have implemented competency-based learning
All principals Principals in
rural schools
Principals in
suburban
schools
Principals in
urban schools
Students are more
engaged in learning
77% 79% 74% 82%
Learning is extended
beyond the school
day
72% 71% 72% 75%
Curriculum is more
relevant and higher
quality
63% 65% 68% 69%
Learning is more
personalized for
each student
58% 51% 59% 70%
Differentiates school
as innovative in the
use of technology
56% 55% 54% 61%

The top digital content usage challenges reported by
principals who have implemented competency-based
learning model include:
 Training teachers how to use digital content effectively (52%)
 Balancing instructional time constraints between traditional
instruction and digital learning (50%)
 Evaluating the quality of digital content (48%)
 Providing technology and Internet access in school to support
digital content usage (45%)
 Locating appropriate digital content aligned to school curriculum
goals (38%)

Enhanced teacher effectiveness = improved student
outcomes
per 62% of district administrators
District leaders’ priorities for teacher professional developmen
o Using technology to differentiate instruction (78%)
o Using technology tools for formative assessment (62%)
o Implementing a blended learning model (55%)
o Identifying and evaluating high quality digital content
(52%)
o Integrating digital content components into a
comprehensive curriculum (52%)

Online learning as optimum for both teachers and
students
 40% of districts are now offering online classes for
both teachers and students
 38% of district administrators connect students
taking a fully online class with developing college
and career ready skills
 55% say that a blended class environment is an
effective format for teacher PD ; 44% endorse an
online PLC

"Crowley ISD prides itself on its progressive
approach to integrating teaching and learning
technologies in our classrooms to ot only help our
students succeed today, but also to prepare them
for future success in college and the workforce.
Blackboard enables us to utilize a consistent
platform that makes it easy for our teachers to
deliver digital content and learning activities that
students can use at school, at home and on the
go."
Jerry Allen, Director of Technology, Crowley ISD
(TX)

Your
thoughts,
ideas,
questions

“How well we communicate is
determined not by how well we say
things, but how we are understood.”
Andrew Grove
Former Chairman and CEO of Intel

Trends in Community Engagement: Expectation for Digital Communic
Realities that are shaping the ways schools
communicate with parents:
 Stakes are higher than ever for effective school to
home communications – engaging parents as
partners
 64% of families with school aged children have two
working parents
 Decreased interest in traditional communications
modes
 94% of parents have a smartphone – only 58% said
the same in 2010
 Parents increased use of social media in their

Digital
communications
vehicles
All parents “Elementary
School
Parents”
Under 40
“Secondary
School
Parents”
Over 40
Text messaging 55% 59% 51%
Mobile app 30% 37% 25%
Auto phone
message about
child’s
academics
23% 33% 26%
School or district
Facebook
account
17% 23% 12%
Class blogs 15% 20% 13%
Preferences for digital school to home communications

Digital
communications
vehicles
All parents
Text messaging 55%
Mobile app 30%
Auto phone
message about
child’s
academics
23%
School or district
Facebook
account
17%
Class blogs 15%
2010:
only 5% of
parents wanted
a text message
from their
child’s teacher
or school

Emerging trend lines:
Increasing importance of the school mobile app for
communications
Potential of Twitter to be an effective tool for timely
updates from administrators to families
Use of digital tools for communications can be a
gateway for increased parent involvement –
especially with fathers

Parents’ personal usage of social media tools
32%
19%
63%
80%
65%
19%
30%
47%
62%
77%
Instagram
Twitter
Social messaging apps
Facebook
YouTube
Fathers of school aged children Mothers of school aged children

Parents’ expectations – districts’ responses
Reaching the right audiences with
the right messages using the right
tools?
 Significant challenge (a wake up
issue) for 1/3 of district
communications officers

Administrators: most effective digital tools for
communicationsDigital
communications
vehicles
Elementary
School
Principals
Middle School
Principals
High School
Principals
Text messaging 61% 57% 55%
School portal 50% 52% 47%
School or district
Facebook
account
45% 41% 39%
Auto phone
message about
child’s
academics
40% 46% 51%
Mobile app 37% 38% 33%
Class blogs 26% 19% 17%
Twitter 24% 24% 30%

“The biggest change that we have seen in the last
five years would have to be the multitude of
platforms that parents are using to receive
messages. We use the website, e-mails, social
media, an online feedback component where
people can provide feedback through texting, and
we use one-on-one meetings, that whole deal. We
have to be constantly vigilant about identifying what
the best communication platforms are and how
parents are using them.”
Ray Weikal, Coordinator, Public Relations and
Marketing at Kansas City Public Schools (MO)

Your
thoughts,
ideas,
questions

New trends reports – a collaboration with Blackboard
http://offers.schoolwires.com/community-engagement-report
http://bbbb.blackboard.com/2016digitaltrendsreport

National Speak Up reports and
infographics
New reports coming soon!
 Communications officers
 Science teachers
 Cloud computing
Presentations, podcasts and webinars
Services: consulting, workshops,
evaluation and efficacy studies
More Speak Up? www.tomorrow.org

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
All K-12 schools
and districts are
invited to
participate
Surveys open
October 2016
Participate in Speak Up 2016!
Sign up to receive
information at:
www.tomorrow.org

Thank you for this discussion today!
For additional information about Speak Up please
contact:
Julie Evans
jevans@tomorrow.org
949-609-4660 x15
Twitter: JulieEvans_PT and SpeakUpEd
Copyright Project Tomorrow 2016
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.

Trends Impacting the K-12 Classroom
Blended & online
learning are
becoming
the norm
Professional
development
is critical
amidst
change
Common standards
pave way for
competency
learning
Content is digital and
open #GoOpen
Competency learning
is opening doors to
innovation &
student
centered
learning
Mobile ubiquity

One Learner.
One learner who should get every opportunity
to learn.
One learner whose parents are motivated to connect
with school but face barriers of time, language
and technology.
One learner who sits in a classroom, attends a school,
plays on a team, and lives in a neighborhood.
One learner whose academic network exists within
a district, a state, a country of policies and demands.
One learner whose teachers want to teach
them personally and must report on progress.
One learner who will achieve academic success based
on this ecosystem around them.
One learner whose achievements will build,
and who will continue learning for life.

Focused on the learner & their environment
Source: iNACOL 2015
Student
Parents
Transportation
Social
Networks
Teachers
Meals
After school
programs
Online courses
Pre-K High School
Safety

Blackboard is committed to
improving learner success by
advancing and enabling a new kind
of learning experience. Our unique
approach brings schools, districts,
parents, teachers, and learners
together in an integrated approach
that ensures every student has the
opportunity to realize their full
potential.

The New
Learning
Experience
A new approach
to education that fosters
better engagement,
interaction and quality
learning through
the delivery of leading-
edge technology, services
and data capabilities
A focus on
the learner
Connected and tightly integrated
workflows
A delightful
new user experience
Integrated
data and analytics
An accessible and always-on
environment

Technologies
Integrations •
•
•
Solutions
Services •
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
K-12 New Learning Experience Platform
Blackboard Mass Notifications
Blackboard Social Media Manager
Blackboard Collaborate
Blackboard
Web Community Manager
Blackboard
Mobile Communication Apps
Moodlerooms or
Blackboard Learn
Bb Student
Blackboard Open Content
Blackboard
Safety & Security
Blackboard Community
Engagement
Blackboard Personalized
Learning

Trends in Digital Learning and community engagement

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