Ed tech Trends
2015 National Speak Up Survey Opens
Education nonprofit Project Tomorrow has kicked off Speak Up 2015, the latest in the organization's series of annual surveys focused on technology-enhanced teaching, learning and administration. Some 500,000 people are expected to participate this year.
Separate surveys are being conducted for:
- Students;
- Parents;
- Education professionals (teachers, administrators and librarians); and
- Community members.
A survey for "future teachers" will be coming in the spring.
The survey is intended to gauge education stakeholders' views on technology in education — its value, perceptions of how well it's being implemented, perceived benefits and perceived negatives. It's also meant to gauge the level of technological expertise of respondents and asks respondents for suggestions on how tech can be used to bridge the gap between K-12 and post-secondary education.
Results from past surveys are available publicly on the Speak Up site.
"Speak Up data provides insight at the district level for the current use of technology in and out of school. Data not only shows level of use, but what technology is considered important to the users and what is fading from regular reliance," said Mark Evans, Program Coordinator, Texas Virtual School Network & High School Tech Apps/Tech Ed, Klein Independent School District in Texas, in a prepared statement. "Data from the multi-faceted perspectives helps to give a more rounded view of perceptions, attitude, need, and reliance of technology. The results help to guide the district and campuses to better plan and prepare for technology, especially in terms of funding, training, and integration into the classroom."
The surveys are open now through Dec. 18 at speakup4schools.org/Speakup2015.