Ten Things Everyone Should Know about K-12 Students’ Digital Learning, 2018

Students Speak Up on Technology & Learning

#1 It’s not just about engagement
Sure, digital learning may be engaging but middle school students say the real benefits are getting better grades (54%), learning at their own pace (53%) and developing creativity skills (50%).

#2 Personalizing learning their way – with a personal smartphone

No surprise: 91% of high school students have a smartphone.

News flash: #1 mobile device that high school students use in class for schoolwork – their own smartphone (58%).

New trend: Chromebook use in high school increased 3 times from 2014 to 2017.

#3 Print vs. Pixel Preferences
77% of high school students say they prefer to read a printed book or article. But 66% of students in K-2 classes say reading is best for them on a screen – even more fun with audio and lots of interactivity!

#4 Make me a Math Whiz!
Elementary students say doing math problems with a friend and playing online math games are the best ways for them to develop into stronger math skills. Goodbye worksheets, hello games!

#5 Put on that VR headset!
Get ready for virtual reality in school – 41% of middle school students say VR is a must in their ultimate school of the future!

#6 My school is called “YouTube”
Three-quarters (77%) of grade 6-8 students and 90% of grade 9-12 students say that they regularly find and watch online videos to learn how to do something when they are at home.

Over 1/3 also say that they learn more from watching a video than reading a book.

#7 Media literacy skills for all!
Echoing librarians’ call for media literacy skill development, only 42% of students say they know how to detect bias or opinion in what they read online, and only 38% say they know how to evaluate its accuracy.

#8 Creating good digital citizens
Good news: students report they are getting instruction in how to be safe online. But who has the greatest influence on developing good online behaviors?

High school students say mom and dad are #1 – followed by students teaching themselves.

#9 Using technology to develop workplace skills
Students get it: learning how to use technology effectively is an important workplace skill (42% of grade 6-12 students). But students say too many rules prevent tech use at school.

Maybe that is why 51% of students say they use technology more for learning outside of school than in school.

#10 Time for students to Speak Up!
Only 1/3 of high school students in urban, rural and suburban communities say their principal or teachers are interested in their ideas about how to improve school – isn’t it time for students to speak up and adults to listen?

Speak Up Research Project for Digital Learning, 2017 Findings – the results of the authentic, unfiltered views of 340,927 K-12 students from around the world. Speak Up is an annual research initiative of Project Tomorrow, a global nonprofit organization. Learn more about Speak Up and other research findings from Project Tomorrow at tomorrow.org.

https://tomorrow.org/speakup/speakup-2017-ten-things-to-know-students-digital-learning-september-2018.html

Advertisements

OPEN NH Fall 2018 Session Registration is Open

Fall 2018 Session
Online Course Session Dates: October 10 – November 27

Register for Fall 2018 Courses Here!

Each Session runs for seven weeks. The content is broken up into units, which are one week long. Units begin on a Wednesday and end on the following Tuesday. This puts the weekend in the middle of a unit, allowing for greater flexibility. The courses are asynchronous, which allows you to login and participate at a time of your choosing. However, due to the discussion-based nature of the units, you do have to participate regularly throughout the 7 weeks of the session.

The following courses are  Scheduled to RUN:

AR-01 Arts Integration in the Elementary Classroom
AS-01 Full STEAM Ahead! Introducing Design Thinking as a Reflective Teaching Strategy through Integration of a Project-based Invention Curriculum
BP-01 Creating and Using Meaningful Rubrics that Assess Student Work
BP-17 Moving to Competency Based Teaching and Learning
LA-07 Using Content to Increase Reading and Writing Skills
SC-06 Next Generation Science: Concepts in Earth Space Science
SS-05 Teaching American History Using Primary Sources and Internet Resources

Register for Fall 2018 Courses Here!

Learn more at OPENNH.org.

Lin-Wood Student Wins 2018 ArcGIS Online National Competition for Middle School

The national competition judges have conferred and, from 16 Middle School state winner entries, have chosen the project by Lin-Wood 8^th Grader,  Andrew Wilson, “Gordon Pond Railroad and the Johnson Lumber Company” as the National Middle School Winner.

For more information, please visit http://esriurl.com/funwithgis234.

A total of 180 projects were entered into the Middle School competition, and Andrew’s will be one of two labeled as “MIDDLE SCHOOL NATIONAL HONOREES” in the map.

Check out the project at http://linwood.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapJournal/index.html?appid=ad3385e13aa14df9911e19f86c4c9dd3.

Congratulations to Andrew, and teacher Carol Smith.  New Hampshire has a strong team of ArcGIS teachers who engage their students to do great things!   Learn more about the competition at:

https://community.esri.com/thread/201531-2018-arcgis-online-competition-for-us-hsms-students

Learn more about the NH ArcGIS community at www.NHEdGIS.org.

Today, CompetencyWorks released a new report, Levers and Logic Models: A Framework to Guide Research and Design of High-Quality Competency-Based Education Systems.

Competency-based education is designed to ensure all students develop the skills they will need to be successful for college, career and life. Competency education is gaining momentum and visibility across the country as districts and schools transition to it using various entry points and roll-out strategies. It is critical, therefore, that new models be designed with quality and equity to realize the promise of this system.

Logic models are tools used to conceptualize organizations, programs or strategies to bring about change and to support the evaluation of effectiveness. The logic models presented in this paper are intended to help researchers and practitioners understand the critical components of competency-based education at multiple levels of practice. The paper uses logic model frameworks to convey relationships between essential levers (outcomes, drivers and mediating factors) that inform the design of competency-based education systems and critical components of competency-based practice at four interdependent levels (student experience, professional practice of educators, district and school systems and culture).
Levers and Logic Models: A Framework to Guide Research and Design of High-Quality Competency-Based Education Systems  https://www.inacol.org/resource/levers-and-logic-models-a-framework-to-guide-research-and-design-of-high-quality-competency-based-education-systems/

 

Registration for OPEN NH Summer 2018 Session of Courses is Open

OPEN NH Summer 2018 Session
Online Course Session Dates: July 11 – August 28

Courses are $130 for 7 weeks and earn 35 Professional Development hours.

Early Bird Special !  Register early and save $10.00.  Early Bird Special offer ends on June 26, 2018.

The following courses are scheduled to be offered in the Summer 2018 Session of OPEN NH courses

• AS-01 Full STEAM Ahead! Introducing Design Thinking as a Reflective Teaching Strategy through Integration of a Project-based Invention Curriculum
• BP-14 Universal Design: Teaching and Learning in the 21st Century
• BP-16 Understanding Gender Equity Issues in STEM Education
• CE-11 Using Digital Tools to Engage Students and Personalize Learning
• HE-01 Teaching and Learning About HIV in the 21st Century Classroom
• IE-06 Designing Blended Learning
• LT-08 ESOL Literacy Development: Part 3 – Oral Language Acquisition

Register for Summer 2018 Courses Here!

Learn More About OPEN NH Course Sessions Here!

Graduate Credit options are available.

Pelham Student Wins Google Doodle Competition! Help Her Win Nationals!

On Thursday, May 3, representatives from Google came to Pelham Elementary School to announce the New Hampshire winner of their 2018 Doodle 4 Google competition. First grader, Molly Baker, was thrilled to be the recipient!  Now we have an opportunity to help Molly become the National Winner.  She has a chance to win a trip to visit Google, a $30,000 college scholarship AND $50,000 of technology for our school.

The voting site went live at noon today, May 7. Please help Molly and the Pelham Elementary School by voting for Molly’s Google Doodle!  Thanks for your support!

Vote for Molly Baker

Feel free to share this email with anyone and everyone!

“Meeting Students Where They Are” Report Release by CompetencyWorks

Today, CompetencyWorks (@CompetencyWorks), an initiative of iNACOL, released a new report, Meeting Students Where They Are. This paper explores how K-12 competency-based schools and districts can more effectively meet students where they are, fully preparing students for success in college, career and life.
Competency-based education (CBE) models are organized to advance learning, starting with where students are in terms of academic, cognitive and lifelong learning skills (growth mindset, habits of work and learning, metacognition, and social and emotional skills). The models stand in stark contrast to traditional education systems, which use a one-size-fits-all approach to delivering grade-level content.