Research reveals which tools are popular in schools, which aren't--and why
Primary Topic Channel: Research
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Teachers and students are largely driving the adoption of Web 2.0 technologies in schools, but human and technological barriers are holding back the use of these as learning tools in many classrooms, according to a new study.
Commissioned by Lightspeed Systems and Thinkronize Inc., creator of the kid-friendly search engine netTrekker, the study reveals that Web 2.0 technologies are making inroads into schools--but some of these technologies are being adopted faster than others. Online communication tools for parents and students have caught on quickly, but online social networking for instruction has a long way to go.
According to Lightspeed Systems, there is a persistent gap between how today's digital natives learn in schools and how they work and interact outside of school--a trend that underscores the need for districts to keep pace with technological advances and adapt to students' learning needs.
"Education leaders are challenged with maintaining a high level of security and safety while allowing for creative and collaborative work in a 21st-century classroom," said Ileana Rowe, vice president of marketing for Lightspeed Systems. "To meet this challenge, [Lightspeed] and netTrekker developed Safe Schools in a Web 2.0 World, an ongoing initiative to help schools implement Web 2.0 technologies safely and effectively to improve teaching and learning."
During the initial phase of the initiative, Interactive Educational Systems Design Inc. (IESD), an independent educational research firm, conducted a national survey in February and March 2009 to examine the current status, future plans, and ongoing challenges of using Web 2.0 technologies in K-12 schools.
The survey organized Web 2.0 technologies into seven categories related to student instruction and learning environments:
1. Student-generated online content;
2. Teacher-generated online content;
3. Online social networking used as part of instruction;
4. Online learning games and simulations;
5. Student use of virtual learning environments;
6. Digital multimedia resources; and
7. Online communication tools for parents and students (outside of school hours).
According to the survey, which polled more than 500 district technology directors online, the top three reasons districts are adopting Web 2.0 technologies are to address students' individual learning needs (54 percent), engage students' interest (41 percent), and increase students' options for access to teaching and learning (33 percent).
"It's also important to note that districts are at many different stages of use and adoption of Web 2.0 technologies. This report is a broad look taken from a large sample," said Jay Sivin-Kachala, lead researcher for the study.
The Web 2.0 technologies that are most widely used in schools today are online communication tools for parents and students. Sixty-five percent of those polled said at least 75 percent of their teachers use online communications tools, and three-fourths of those polled said their district has a plan for adopting or promoting the use of these technologies.
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Staff stratification..
I would guess that many in educational technology within a K-12 system can see the difference in staff--I call them "the kids and the grownups"--the younger teachers who have brought a higher comfort level with them into the classroom, and the veteran teachers who have had to learn, adopt (and adapt) to new technologies.. The difference between staff members is often quite striking, and any effective staff development program has to take this range of ability and familiarity into account. Today's high school students--'screenagers'--have pockets full of electronics ready to use at any opportunity, and failing to use collaborative tools misses that opportunity. (Tim Sheie, Anoka High School, Anoka MN)
Posted By: tsheie, 2009-04-23 9:16 AM
web 2.0 in college classroom
I am beginning a master's program in teaching and have no personal teaching experience yet myself. I have my bachelor's degree in English from a liberal arts university (Towson University). Towson has been reluctant to get on board with the whole internet craze because they did not want to be viewed as an online school. But, just recently, a few of my professors have been implementing the BlackBoard program into our classes. This is a web 2.0 program which is campus-wide but not used by all teachers. It allows students and teachers to post discussions about lessons and materials, grades, syllabi, etc. This semester, I have had a teachers make a class "hybrid," meaning half in the classroom and half online. I know this is not possible for the secondary classroom, not reasonable. However, I have interacted more with my classmates during these online discussions than I have in several semesters. Some of them get very interactive. And because they are being monitored by the professor, (and facilitated by her questions) the writing is quite intelligent and error free--or at least the writing is thought out. When students have the chance to write their thoughts out, they are able to think about their reactions, which leads to critical thinking. I would encourage all skeptical educators out there to adopt some form of social networking for you classes. I think it extends the classroom into the students' virtual lives, which is exciting for both the teacher and students.
Posted By: amberg, 2009-04-22 8:41 AM
Web 2.0 has a different meaning here
The top three examples of web 2.0 technology given in this article are arguably not web 2.0 at all: email, digital multimedia, and single-user- (teacher-) generated web pages are the old web. If it doesn't involve student-generated content, it's old, it's not what students use at home, and it doesn't involve interacting with students in the world they live in. Wikis, blogs, forums, nings, etc. are web 2.0--they are all about user-generated content. They are about student voice when used by students. Teachers should learn to navigate these waters, so that they can enter the real student-centered classroom, the new web.
Posted By: tloughran, 2009-04-21 7:30 PM
IMS Digital Learning Services solves the security issues
If you are a district leader you should be asking your suppliers to make use of the latest standards from the IMS Global Learning Consortium, collectively called "Digital Learning Services Standards." These address seamless integration, single sign-on, and user provisioning from the authoritative system of record - specifically for web 2.0. It's specifically designed to remove some of these web 2.0 technical barrier issues. Oracle is already using this with Inigral to integrate FaceBook - just one example. The key standards to know about are Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI), Learning Information Services (LIS), and Common Cartridge. For more information you can Google those terms or see: http://www.imsglobal.org/digitallearningservices.html
Posted By: rjabel, 2009-04-20 5:20 PM
Safety, CIPA, USF/E-Rate and AUP's
My gut says the survey referrenced in this article is flawed - geared to point to schools being unaware or to having a lack of desire. I didn't see any validation/consideration of the serious safety issues associated with myspace, facebook, etc. It does not mention the public perception issues that these types of sites need to be deal with before social networking can go mainstream in a public K-12 schools. Lack of use of these resources has more to do with Acceptable Use Policies which are driven by concerns with social networking sites and participation in the USF/E-Rate program which requires compliance with CIPA.
Posted By: ajpintar, 2009-04-20 1:51 PM
education is still the caboose
[Note: this should replace an earlier submission that was posted a bit prematurely] The tenor of many articles such as this is that Web 2.0 is some sort of global standard for the quality of technology use in education. Schools who have balked at adopting every possible form of so-called Web 2.0 technology are described as encountering "barriers," implying that the other side of those barriers is the place to be. I'm glad the article mentioned that there are issues such as security that deserve consideration when deciding what social networking tools are appropriate. But there's a much bigger elephant in the room--the fact that for the most part, education must adopt, or adapt, or use what's already out there "as-is" because (for the most part) the field of education is neither driving nor directing the creation of genuinely new technology. Why? Well, as long as we're willing to spend tons of money without even blinking for equipment and software developed to meet the needs of business, why should the tech industry bother sharpening up a new cutting edge for our sake? The most innovative, developmentally-appropriate educational tech tools being developed now are the result of an impulse to provide modern tools for prospective users who have next to no modern technology, educational or otherwise--not even land lines or electricity in some cases. But there was no similar high-profile impulse to provide something fresh and cutting-edge for educational use in the developed world because our purchasing power has already been earmarked for the status quo. There isn't anyplace much farther back in line than that. Chip Hedler Educational Technology Resource Teacher Rumney Memorial School Middlesex, VT chiph@rumney.org
Posted By: chiph, 2009-04-16 4:05 PM
How long is education going to be the caboose?
The tenor of many articles such as this is that Web 2.0 is some sort of global standard for the quality of technology use in education. Schools who have balked at adopting every possible form of so-called Web 2.0 technology are described as encountering "barriers," implying that the other side of those barriers is the place to be. I'm glad the article mentioned that there are issues such as security that deserve consideration when deciding what social networking tools are appropriate. But there's a much bigger elephant in the room--the fact that for the most part, education must adopt, or adapt, or use what's already out there "as-is" because (for the most part) the field of education is neither driving nor directing the creation of genuinely new technology. Why? Well, as long as we're willing to spend tons of money without even blinking for equipment and software developed to meet the needs of business, why should the tech industry bother sharpening up a new cutting edge for our sake? The most innovative, developmentally-appropriate educational tech tools being developed now are the result of an impulse to provide modern tools for prospective users who have next to no modern technology, educational or otherwise--not even land lines or electricity in some cases. But there was no similar high-profile impulse to provide something fresh and cutting-edge for educational use in the developed world because our purchasing power has already been earmarked for the status quo. There isn't anyplace much farther back in line than that.
Posted By: chiph, 2009-04-16 3:58 PM
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Research on social group learning
Cognitive psychology has some key research showing the highest full integration of new material to occur in small social groups of 3-5 students. Could this also apply in the online environment?
Posted By: thomascy, 2009-10-05 10:55 PM