1105 Media Partners with Project Tomorrow to Expand Reach and Scope of Speak Up Data
Alliance Will Add Student, Educator and Parent Input into the Development of New Educational Resources
Irvine, Calif. – 1105 Media announced today a collaborative partnership between the 1105 Media Education Group and Project Tomorrow that will address the growing demand for more data to develop effective education technology products. The goal of this partnership is to share the insights and opinions of students, teachers, administrators and parents from the national Speak Up surveys with leaders in the educational technology market.
Speak Up data has been informing policymakers, education leaders and the public about students', teachers' and parents' views on their own technology use and aspirations since 2003. To date, more than one million respondents have been surveyed. With the additional audiences and resources provided by 1105 Media, Project Tomorrow will expand the reach and exposure of Speak Up nationwide.
The 1105 Media Education Group will develop products and services – powered by Speak Up data and expertise – that companies need to better serve the nation's schools. Some of the planned products and services include custom publishing based upon the Speak Up data, consulting services to help with product development, and a new Speak Up online newsletter.
"Speak Up is unique in the education market because they provide unfiltered opinions from those ‘on the ground' in the schools," said Wendy LaDuke, president and group publisher, 1105 Media Education Group. "In addition to asking about the types of technology being used today, they are asking students and teachers about the tools and resources they need to improve teaching and learning. We believe the additional information and services we provide will open new conversations and opportunities among those developing tools for our nation's schools."
Project Tomorrow compiles, analyzes and reports the Speak Up findings. "The insights we've been gathering each year from schools around the country have been used by education administrators, business leaders and elected officials to inform their decision-making," said Julie Evans, CEO of Project Tomorrow. "This partnership is coming at the perfect time to help those who are developing the educational tools and resources of tomorrow meet the needs identified by their end users – students and teachers."
"Project Tomorrow helps parents, educators and the community at large understand student technology use, equipping them with data to make key decisions on learning and funding at school and at home," added Evans. "Working with 1105 Media, we will now be able to reach an important new audience with our research--those who produce and market the products and technologies."
The Speak Up 2008 surveys for K-12 students, teachers, parents and administrators are online through December 19, 2008 at http://www.tomorrow.org/speakup/. By participating in Speak Up, schools and districts gain free online access to their own aggregated quantitative data – with national benchmark data for comparison. National data findings will be released in a Congressional Briefing in spring 2009.
About 1105 Media and the 1105 Media Education Group
The 1105 Education Group includes T.H.E. Journal, Campus Technology and Education Channel Partner publications and their respective online offerings; EducationPlaza, a state-specific marketplace for products and services; EduHound, an online resource for teachers and classrooms; and live events for both the K-12 and higher education markets, including FETC, the Innovative Learning Conference, the annual Campus Technology conference, and the Congress on the Future of Content.
1105 Media Inc. is a leading provider of integrated information and media in targeted business-to-business markets, including specialized sectors of the information technology community; industrial health, safety and compliance; security; environmental protection; and home healthcare.1105's offerings span print and online magazines, journals and newsletters; seminars, conferences and trade shows; training courseware; and Web-based services. For more information, go to www.1105media.com.
About Project Tomorrow
Speak Up is a national initiative of Project Tomorrow (formerly known as NetDay), the nation's leading education nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring that today's students are well prepared to be tomorrow's innovators, leaders and engaged citizens of the world. Since fall 2003, the annual Speak Up project has collected and reported on the views of over 1.2 million K-12 students, teachers, administrators and parents representing over 14,000 schools in all 50 states. The Speak Up data represents the largest collection of authentic, unfiltered stakeholder input on education, technology, 21st century skills, schools of the future and science instruction. Education, business and policy leaders report use the data regularly to inform federal, state and local education programs. For additional information, visit www.tomorrow.org.
Contact:
Amber Moore
703-276-2772, ext. 17