May 2008 — News/In Brief
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Technology + Online + Industry + Partnerships
'Speak Up' Reveals Digital Disconnect
Results of the annual survey indicate a large gap between students and their parents and teachers on the role of technology in learning.
STUDENTS THROUGHOUT THE NATION have
voiced their opinions about the role technology
has in their education, and according to the
results of Speak Up 2007, they're singing a different
tune from that of their parents and teachers.
The Speak Up surveys are an initiative of Project Tomorrow, an educational nonprofit organization. Surveys are provided in English and Spanish for K-12 students, teachers, and parents, and this year, for the first time since the project was started in 2003, surveys were also given to principals, technology coordinators, district administrators, and school board members.
In line with past Speak Up surveys, the 2007 edition focused on teaching and learning with technology, 21st-century skills, and science instruction, and also touched on the influence of emerging education technology such as gaming, online learning, and mobile devices.
The survey findings point to what Project Tomorrow (formerly NetDay) calls "a growing digital disconnect" between students and adults, most evident in their conflicting thoughts on the quality of the education that kids are getting. Sixty-six percent of school administrators, 47 percent of teachers, and 43 percent of parents surveyed agreed that "local schools are doing a good job preparing students for jobs and careers of the future," but 45 percent of middle and high school students said that tools meant to protect them, such as firewalls and filters, are inhibiting their learning.
Even greater discord is found in attitudes toward online gaming. More than 50 percent of students in grades 3 to 12 said they'd like to see more educational gaming in school, while only 16 percent of teachers, 15 percent of administrators, and 19 percent of parents said they'd support that.
The survey results were released April 8 at a congressional briefing, during which Project Tomorrow representatives encouraged more than 90 national educational policy makers to pay more attention to the wishes of students. "Students continue to be on the leading edge in terms of adopting, modifying, and reusing digital content and technology tools to enrich both their personal and educational lives," Project Tomorrow CEO Julie Evans said in a statement. "The students in many ways are far ahead of their teachers and parents not only in the sophistication of their technology use, but in the adoption of emerging technologies for learning purposes. It is in our nation's best interest that we support and facilitate student usage of technology for learning."
Additional Speak Up 2007 data and special reports will be released throughout the year; check the Project Tomorrow website for updates and other information.
