SPEAKING UP: "Only 17 percent of high schools are not offering online classes." So says Project Tomorrow's latest report, "Digital Learning Playbook: Advancing College and Career Ready Skill Development in K-12 Schools." Data comes from Project Tomorrow's annual Speak Up Survey, which last year had over 300,000 students, 30,000 teachers and 3,000 administrators from 9,000-plus schools respond. (An earlier report, also based on this survey, looks at students' attitudes toward tech in the classroom.) Key findings include:
- The percentage of principals who reported being "unlikely" to allow students to use their own mobile devices dropped from 63% (in 2010) to 32%;
- Sixty-six percent of high school principals say online learning is good for academic remediation, while only 41% say it supports gifted students;
- Eighty-six percent of principals say mobile learning "increases engagement in learning," but only 37% say it develops stronger communication skills.
All teachers, regardless of years of experience, put "How to differentiate instruction using technology" at the top of their professional development wishlist. They may want to take a cue from science teachers, though, who "are leading the pack in terms of their use of digital content in their classrooms."
