There was a great R/W/W article this week by Audrey Watters about the newly-released Speak Up 2010 data on K-12 students and parents.
The project—which surveyed about 300,000 students, 43,000 parents, 35,000 teachers, 2000 librarians and 3500 administrators—asked communities from 6500 private and public schools last fall about technology use in education. The researchers were interested both in how the tech is currently being used and how parents and students want it to be used. The results point to a big gap between adoption of technology and willingness of administrations to use it in schools.
The key findings include:
- Parents have shifted significantly in favor of online textbooks, moving from just 21 percent to two-thirds in just two years. Only one-third of high school students report they are currently using an online textbook, however.
- About two-thirds of parents said they like the idea and would purchase a mobile device for their child to use for schoolwork, if the school allowed it.
- Just over half of middle and high school students reported that the biggest obstacle they face are school policies restricting the use of cell phones, smart phones or MP3 players. 71 percent of high school students said the best way schools can help is to facilitate greater access to the digital content currently blocked by filters and firewalls.
- Nearly 30 percent of high school students have experienced some type of online learning.
The most telling indicator of the gap, though, is generational. While most high school teachers (74%), principals (72%), and parents (62%) thought their school was doing a good job using technology to enhance learning, only 47% of high school students agreed.