California Edcators & Tech Leaders, don't miss Julie's presentations this week!

California educators and technology leaders - Julie Evans is hosting sessions this week at the CETPA Annual Conference and eLearning Strategies Symposium! If you're attending these events, be sure to mark her sessions down to learn more about our Speak Up data about students, digital learning, blended learning, and more.

CETPA Annual Conference
Top 10 Things Tech Leaders Should Know about Today’s Students and Digital Learning
Tuesday, December 1st
4:50pm-5:40pm in Room 411B

Since 2003, the Speak Up Research Project has collected the authentic, unfiltered views and ideas of almost 4 million K-12 students, parents and educators on digital learning. The annual data findings regularly inform federal, state and local policies, programs and funding for education technology. In this session, we will leverage the national and California specific findings to debunk lingering mythology around student use of technology, in school and out of school, and provide you with new insights on digital learning expectations and aspirations. With a focus on the key trends in mobile, blended and virtual learning, we will also examine the role of digital content, social media and online assessments in the development of new learning environments – and what tech leaders need to know to best support your stakeholders. In addition to the student data, the session will also include key findings from parents, teachers and administrators. Tech leaders will have opportunities to share their perspectives on these topics in this highly interactive session and to learn how their school or district can participate in the annual Speak Up process.

eLearning Strategies Symposium
Keynote: Taking the Pulse on eLearning Today: The Views of K12 Students, Educators and Parents
Friday, December 4th
8:30am-9:30am in Pacific 2-4

For the past 13 years, the Speak Up Research Project has collected and reported on the views of almost 4 million K-12 students, educators and parents regarding digital learning. Using current and longitudinal Speak Up data, we will provide new insights into the students’ vision for the use of games, mobile devices and digital content within learning, and counter mythology with the authentic views of teachers and parents regarding technology use within instruction. Going beyond anecdotes and assumptions, this interactive and eye-opening presentation will provide leaders with new metrics for evaluating the pulse of eLearning in their school or district.

1-2-3-4 New Ways to Examine Blended Learning Outcomes
Friday, December 4th
11:05am-12:05pm in Emerald Bay 3

While the debate continues as to how to measure outcomes in blended learning environments, some districts are now evaluating their blended learning programs based upon student annual growth, student engagement in learning, teacher effectiveness and parental support. In this flipped seminar, we will explore the how/when/why/what of those outcome measures, and collaboratively develop a new template for assessing the real impact of blended learning.

We look forward to seeing you this week!

Thank you to our Speak Up schools and districts!

Before we celebrate Thanksgiving tomorrow, we want to give a big thank you to all of our Speak Up schools and districts! Thank you for taking the survey and for supporting Speak Up throughout the years - without you, none of this would be possible!

Special thanks to the following schools, districts, and states for their superb participation during this year's survey period:

Top states:

• Indiana
• Texas
• Alabama
• California
• North Carolina

Top Districts:

• Klein ISD, TX 
• Weslaco ISD, TX 
• Elkhart Community Schools, IN 
• Brevard County School District, FL 
• Baltimore City Public School System, MD

Top Schools: 

• Klein Oak High School, Klein ISD, TX 
• Klein Forest High School, Klein ISD, TX 
• Arrowhead High School, Arrowhead UHS School District, WI 
• Klein Collins High School, Klein ISD, TX 
• San Elijo Middle School, San Marcos Unified, CA

Thank you again to all of our participants! Be sure to participate in Speak Up America, our week long celebration of past, present, and new Speak Up participants! Learn more about the week long event at http://www.tomorrow.org/speakup/speakupamerica.html. 

Please note that the Project Tomorrow office will be closed tomorrow and Friday (Nov. 26 & 27). We hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Thank you to our Speak Up partners!

With two days left until Thanksgiving, we'd like to give a big thank you to our Speak Up partners! Thank you for your endless support! Click on the logos below to learn more about our partners:

We'd also like to give a big thank you to the following organizations and partners for donating free conference registrations as prizes for our Speak Up America campaign:

• Blackboard, Inc.
• CETPA
• CoSN
• CUE
• iNACOL
• ISTE
• NCCE
• NETA
• TCEA

To learn how you can win a free conference registration from one of the above organizations, as well as classroom/school grants, visit our Speak Up America homepage.

In need of a last minute classroom activity before Thanksgiving break? Take the Speak Up survey with your students! Visit our promotional materials page to download our sample lesson plans for grades K-12.

Thank you to our Speak Up sponsors!

Happy Monday! In honor of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, we're giving thanks all week to our Speak Up partners, sponsors, and participants. Today we'd like to recognize our Speak Up sponsors, who generously support the survey through grants and in-kind support:

Click on each sponsor's logo to learn more about their organizations. Thank you again to our wonderful sponsors - without them, Speak Up would not be possible! To view our full list of champion sponsors, outreach partners, and non-profit partners, visit our website.

Give thanks to your school and district by taking the Speak Up survey - your answers will help plan programs and funding throughout your school and district, as well as education policy throughout the nation. Visit bit.ly/SU15survey to participate.

Speak Up America 2015 is almost here!

Mark your calendars! Speak Up America is just around the corner, taking place from December 7th through 11th! In honor of this year's superb survey period, we're holding a celebration just for you - our Speak Up participants and supporters. During this week long event, we're bringing back our Speak Up 2015 preliminary data snapshots, opportunities to win free conference registrations, and our photo and video challenges with chances to receive classroom or school grants. Now's the time to kick your survey promotion into high gear - visit our Speak Up America promotional materials page for ideas on how you can spread the word before December 7th. Check out what we have planned for Speak Up America: ▪ National Speak Up Day - Wednesday, December 9th ▪ Classroom/School Grant Photo and Video Challenge - with 5 chances to win! ▪ Free National Conference Registrations - multiple chances to win throughout the week! ▪ Free Regional Conference Registrations to CUE, NCCE, NETA, and TCEA. ▪ Speak Up 2015 Preliminary Data Snapshots - released daily!

We hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! Feel free to share your thoughts with us on Facebook, Twitter, and our Blog. -The Project Tomorrow team

National Speak Up Day Wednesday, December 9th The highlight of the Speak Up America 2015 Campaign will take place on Wednesday, December 9, 2015 with National Speak Up Day! National Speak Up Day is the day to encourage your community to participate. We would like everyone to have a voice in the future of how technology is used in our nation’s schools, so please share this link http://www.speakup4schools.org/speakup2015 with your students, teachers, parents, administrators, community organizations, members, affiliates or anyone who has a passion for improving education and ask them to take the Speak Up survey.

Photo and Video Challenge Educators, win a grant for your classroom or school just by having your students participate in Speak Up! Planning to have your class or school participate in Speak Up this week? Already had your class or school participate? Need a little incentive to get your class or school to participate? Get your photos and videos ready for our Speak Up for America Photo and Video Challenge - we've already had a few entries submitted, so start brainstorming! Photo Challenge Hashtag: #SpeakUpSnapshot To celebrate technology and all our wonderful Speak Up participants, we will be offering $225 grants to three lucky Speak Up participating classroom or school during the week of December 7th. All you need to do is take a picture with the Speak Up for America 2015 Badge (above) highlighting your Speak Up experience and upload to one of our social media sites or the photo challenge page. Contest is open now, so get your cameras out and shoot a photo showing you and your students Speaking Up! For contest rules please visit our photo challenge page here. Video Challenge Hashtag: #VoicesofSpeakUp Last year, we heard you loud and clear with multiple #speakupsnapshotssubmitted to the 2nd annual Speak Up America photo challenge. Now in our third year of Speak Up America, we want to see you and your class “Speaking Up” in action! In our social media video challenge, Project Tomorrow wants to know: "Why is using digital tools for learning important for your (students’) future?” All you need to do is create a short 15-30 second video answering the question above. Use this opportunity to get your class involved by making this into a class project. Submissions can come in the form of videos, animations (PowToon), slideshows, voice snippets and more! The more creative the better! In this challenge, there will be 2 grant opportunities to win $225! Never has your chance of earning a classroom grant been easier. Enter your#VoicesofSpeakUp video into the Speak Up America video challenge today! Learn more about the video challenge contest rules here.

Free National Conference Registrations We are excited to announce chances to win free conference registrations toBbWorld 2016, the 2016 Annual CoSN Conference, the 2016 iNACOL Blended and Online Learning Symposium, and the International Society for Technology in Education 2016 Conference and Expo! One lucky district will be chosen for each free registration, and two will be chosen for ISTE 2016. Winning is easy – just follow the instructions below to enter your district into our competition: 1. Get in any last minute surveys! Any survey that comes in during Speak Up America 2015 campaign beginning Monday December 7, 2015 through Friday December 11, 2015 (in addition to surveys already submitted earlier in the survey period) will be entered into the competition. Increase your chances to win! 2. Encourage participation in National Speak Up Day (12-9-15)! Every survey submitted on this date will be entered into a separate drawing for a free ISTE 2016 Conference & Expo registration.

Free Regional Conference Registrations to CUE, NCCE, NETA and TCEA. Are you a California, Nebraska, Nevada, Texas or Northwest (Idaho, Montana, Oregon, or Washington) district? You're in luck - the awesome folks at CUE, NCCE, NETA, and TCEA are also offering free conference registrations! Winning is as easy as speaking up! All you need to do is encourage your staff, students, their parents and the local community to participate in Speak Up. Every participant from your district will enter you in to the drawing to win – the more surveys you have in the more chances you have to win!One winner will be selected for the NETA, NCCE, and TCEA conferences, and three for the CUE conference. We will randomly select a survey from your state and announce the winners on Friday, December 11th at 5PM PT/7PM CT/8PM ET.

Daily Speak Up 2015 Preliminary data snapshots During Speak Up America Week, we'll pull a special snapshot of preliminary data for students, parents, teachers, administrators and community members. Each day we will release a special video infographic on NEW Speak Up findings. Check below to see when we will be releasing each snapshot of data: ▪ Monday, December 7, 2015 —Teachers ▪ Tuesday, December 8, 2015 —Parents ▪ Wednesday, December 9, 2015 —Students ▪ Thursday, December 10, 2015 —Librarians ▪ Friday, December 11, 2015 — Principals

We will also be releasing preliminary data reports to all participating schools and districts during Speak Up America week! Stay tuned for more details.

Thank you for your interest and continued support of Speak Up! Be sure to stay updated on all things Speak Up by following us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and our Blog. If you have any questions please feel free to contact our Speak Up Operations Manager, Jenny Hostert, at jhostert@tomorrow.org or via phone at (949) 609-4660 ext. 17.

Many thanks to our sponsors and partners for the support of Speak Up: Blackboard, Inc., BrainPOP, CDW, DreamBox Learning, Fuel Education, Qualcomm Wireless Reach, Rosetta Stone, Scholastic Education, American Association of School Administrators, Consortium for School Networking, CUE, Digital Learning Day, iNACOL, International Society for Technology in Education, National School Boards Association, National School Public Relations Association, National Science Teachers Association, National Secondary School Principals Association, State Education Technology Directors’ Association and TCEA (Texas Computer Education Association).

Speak Up School and District Spotlight: Berea City School District, OH

Happy Thursday! Each week during the Speak Up survey period we will feature participating schools and districts who have gone above and beyond in promoting the survey within their communities. Follow our Speak Up School and District Spotlight series for ideas on how to spread the word about Speak Up to your students, parents, teachers, and community!

Berea City School District in Ohio has gone above and beyond in spreading the word about the survey to their students' parents! They've targeted their elementary building parent teacher conferences in a number of ways:

• Posted direct start survey links for each school on their district webpage
• Set up tables at the parent teacher conferences with Chromebooks so parents could take the survey
• Created parent survey cards (above) with a shortened URL and QR code linking to each school's direct start link - with parent directions on the back so if parents did not have time to take the survey at the conference, they could do so at home
• Building principals have been adding Speak Up information in their weekly newsletters

With hundreds of parent surveys submitted so far, Berea City School District has made excellent use out of their direct start links. If you are interested in gaining direct start links for your school(s), please contact Lisa Chu at LChu@tomorrow.org with your school/district name. Click here to learn more about our direct start links.

How is your school or district Speaking Up and spreading the word? Let us know by contacting Lisa Chu at LChu@tomorrow.org. Check back next week to see the next featured school/district!

Speak Up Family and Friends: CoSN's Awards & Recognitions are open for nominations!

Calling all edtech leaders! Our friends at CoSN are accepting nominations for their 2016 awards through this Friday, November 20, 2015. Awards are given to individuals and teams who demonstrate outstanding vision in K-12 education technology. Feel free to nominate yourself or any great leaders you know! All award winners will be recognized at CoSN's Annual Conference and will receive complimentary conference registrations, honoraria, and media coverage.

CoSN is accepting nominations for the following awards:

Withrow CTO Award
This award recognizes an exceptional district CTO who serves as a technology champion and whose leadership has been transformative for his or her school system.

Team Award
The Team Award honors a district leadership team for its transformative impact on ed tech and its work to improve student learning.

Award for Excellence in Public Service
This award recognizes an elected or appointed official for his or her achievements in advocacy and policy to promote the use of K-12 education technology. In some years, a similar award, the Partnerships that Matter Award, is given to an organization (rather than an individual) which has been a public service champion.

Kathy Hurley Private Sector Champion
The Private Sector Champion award honors an individual from the private sector for outstanding service to the education technology community.

Volunteer of the Year Award
This award honors a volunteer who has provided exemplary support to CoSN in a volunteer capacity, including on our committees or state chapters. We also honor several of our volunteers with induction into the CoSN Volunteer Hall of Fame.

OTHER RECOGNITION
CoSN sometimes recognizes members outside the structure of our formal awards program. Current recognition opportunities include:

NextGeneration Leaders Program
CoSN created the NextGeneration Leaders program in the fall of 2015 to recognize and support emerging leaders in education technology. If you have been in the industry for no more than 5 years, this is the program for you!

To learn more about CoSN's Awards, please visit their website here.

How loudly is your district Speaking Up?

How loudly is your district Speaking Up? Visit our new, interactive participation page to view our detailed participation map and our list of top schools, districts, and states - updated every Monday during the survey period.

Sneak peek: Speak Up America 2015

Speak Up America 2015 is only three weeks away! Our weeklong celebration of past, present, and new Speak Up participants takes place from December 7th-11th. During this event there will be a daily release of Speak Up 2015 preliminary data snapshots, recognition of our current top participants, and opportunities to win free conference registrations and multiple chances to receive a classroom or school grant! Get a sneak peek of some of our prizes below:

Free National Conference Registration

BbWorld 2016: Mark July 12-14, 2016 on your calendar because our friends at Blackboard, Inc. are giving away one free registration to BbWorld 2016 in Las Vegas – a $550 value! Start promoting the survey and encouraging participation throughout your district to increase your chances of attending this annual premier education technology training, networking, and professional development event for Blackboard users from around the globe. To learn more about BbWorld, click here.

Free Regional Conference Registration

California and Nevada Districts: Want a free CUE membership and conference registration to the CUE conference ($320 value) this upcoming March in Palm Springs? Now’s your chance, CUE has offered two free conference registrations/memberships to one lucky district in California and one lucky district in Nevada! Encourage your schools to participate to increase your chances at winning! Learn more about the conference and all its great offerings here.

To enter into your district into our competition for a chance to win these conference registrations, all you need to do is submit as many surveys as you can during Speak Up America week! Every survey submitted from December 7th through December 11th will be entered into the drawing. Start spreading the word about our weeklong event to your school(s) - visit our website for more information.

Speak Up School and District Spotlight

Happy Friday! Each week during the Speak Up survey period we will feature participating schools and districts who have gone above and beyond in promoting the survey within their communities. Follow our Speak Up School and District Spotlight series for ideas on how to spread the word about Speak Up to your students, parents, teachers, and community!

Returning Speak Up participants, Sampson County Schools in North Carolina, created a tutorial video explaining where to take the survey and how to find your school. Providing a tutorial is a great and quick way of simplifying the survey taking process. Sampson County Schools is currently one of our top Speak Up 2015 districts - keep up the great work! Click here to view their tutorial.

If you are interested in creating your own Speak Up tutorial or would like to use a pre-made one, visit our participation tutorial webpage for videos explaining how to take the survey, how to check your data, and more. Visit our promotional materials page for more ideas on how to spread the word about Speak Up to your school(s).

How is your school or district Speaking Up and spreading the word? Let us know by contacting Lisa Chu at LChu@tomorrow.org. Check back next week to see the next featured school/district!

District Communications and Public Relations Officers, Speak Up!

NEW survey for communications officers

In a special partnership with the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA), we've created a special new survey just for Communication Officers! As a companion to the other Speak Up surveys, your input will help complete the picture of what’s required to effectively use technology tools to facilitate communications and engagement within your community. Now's your chance to get involved! Be a part of the conversation and share your ideas about how to leverage technology in schools to promote better learning. Click here to take the survey.

Not a communications officer? Spread the word about this all new survey to your school and/or district's communication officer(s)! Contact Lisa Chu at LChu@tomorrow.org for sample emails and tweets.

Haven't taken the Speak Up survey yet?

If so, be sure to take the survey by Dec. 18!

If you haven't participated in Speak Up yet, be sure to take the survey by December 18th. Click here to take the survey or follow the link: bit.ly/SU15survey. Learn more about which survey you should take below:

Take the educator survey if you are a...

• Teacher, Librarian or Media Specialist
• Administrator, Tech leader, or Communications Officer
• School or district employee (but not a teacher or administrator)

Take the parent survey or padres de familia en español survey if you are a...

• Parent
• Spanish speaking parent

Take the group survey if you are administering group surveys for...

• K-2 student group
• Grades 3-5 student group
• Parent group
• Parent Spanish group
• Community members group

If you do not fall into any of the above categories but are interested in sharing your thoughts and ideas, please select the community survey.

Once you've submitted your survey, share the following link with five friends and encourage them to take the survey: bit.ly/SU15survey

Word of mouth is the best way to spread the word! If you need help promoting Speak Up to your friends and colleagues, visit our promotional materials page for downloadable flyers, instructions, sample emails, and more.

Don't forget - our #SUchat about blended learning outcomes is today!

Blended Learning Outcomes

Tuesday, November 10

3pm PT/6pm ET

#SUchat

Are you at the 2015 iNACOL Blended and Online Learning Symposium in Orlando, Florida and want to continue the conversation about blended learning after today's sessions? Or are you interested in learning about blended learning outcomes? Join Julie Evans for a special blended learning #SUchat, today at 3pm PT/6pm ET!

While the debate continues as to how to measure outcomes in blended learning environments, some districts are now evaluating their blended learning programs based upon student annual growth, student engagement in learning, teacher effectiveness and parental support. Let’s discuss all of these – and your ideas – for the best approaches for measuring the impact of blended learning today. Drawing in lessons learned from sessions at iNACOL this year, get ready for a lively Twitter chat! 

If participating, please include #SUchat in your tweets. Don't forget to follow us at @SpeakUpEd, @ProjectTomorrow, and @JulieEvans_PT - give us a shoutout if you plan on attending! We look forward to seeing you on today's chat!

#SUchat: Blended Learning Outcomes

Blended Learning Outcomes

Tuesday, November 10

3pm PT/6pm ET

#SUchat

Join Julie Evans for a special blended learning #SUchat while she attends the 2015 iNACOL Blended and Online Learning Symposium in Orlando, Florida. 

While the debate continues as to how to measure outcomes in blended learning environments, some districts are now evaluating their blended learning programs based upon student annual growth, student engagement in learning, teacher effectiveness and parental support. Let’s discuss all of these – and your ideas – for the best approaches for measuring the impact of blended learning today. Drawing in lessons learned from sessions at iNACOL this year, get ready for a lively Twitter chat! 

If participating, please include #SUchat in your tweets. Don't forget to follow us at @SpeakUpEd, @ProjectTomorrow, and @JulieEvans_PT - give us a shoutout if you plan on attending! We look forward to seeing you on tomorrow's chat!

Announcing the Youth Leadership Video Challenge

Students, win a $100 Amazon gift card!

About the Youth Leadership Summit Video Challenge
Did you attend the 2015 Youth Leadership Summit on October 24th? Would you like to share what you learned at the summit with other students? Would you like a chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card? Enter the Youth Leadership Summit Video Challenge!

About the video challenge
Share what you learned at the Youth Leadership Summit for a chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card! Enter your #YLSChallenge video into the challenge today. Just follow these 3 easy steps:

• Create a short 15-30 second video answering one of the following questions.
• “What was your favorite part of the Youth Leadership Summit?”
• “What new career did you learn about at the Youth Leadership Summit?”
• “What was one of your favorite breakout sessions and why?”
• “What would you tell other students about this event to encourage them to come next year?”
• Post the video to one of our social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter) or by email (innovation@tomorrow.org) with the hashtag #YLSChallenge. Please include @ProjectTomorrow, your name and school name. Contest is now open so start getting your videos in! Be sure to post your video as soon as possible to be considered in the contest.
• Encourage your school community to like your video, and share the video to increase likes!

Challenge rules

• You must have attended the Youth Leadership Summit (this will be verified by our check-in list).
• You must be a current high school student in grades 9-12
• At least 25 submissions must be present for selection to occur, be sure to encourage others to participate.

Prize
There will be ONE gift card awarded to our first place video:

• 1st place: $100 Amazon gift card

Good luck to all of our participants!

At #AASL15 this weekend? Attend our TWO sessions on November 6th!

Librarians and media specialists, are you at the American Association of School Librarians (AASL)17th National Conference & Exhibition in Columbus, Ohio this weekend? If so, don't miss Julie Evans's TWO sessions tomorrow, November 6th:

We Got This - Integrating Digital Databases Within Classroom Instruction
11:20am - 12:20pm
Room C216
Julie Evans (Project Tomorrow), Victoria Jones (Westtown School), Elizabeth Cousins (The Shipley School)

Many school leaders report challenges in the integration of digital content within classroom instruction and yet school librarians and libraries are uniquely positioned to address these key challenges.  We will present the results from a study and discuss findings with the librarians from two project high schools.   Audience members will learn key strategies for integrating digital databases within classroom instruction, and how innovative librarianship can enhance both student and teacher outcomes.  Modeling interactive learning, the audience will be polled throughout the session regarding their views on the outcomes using a Jeopardy style game format.  The session supports the AASL strategic plan by demonstrating the relevancy of librarians within digital learning adoptions.

Enabling, empowering and engaging digital learning – the pivotal role of the school librarian in education transformation
4:30pm - 5:30pm
Room C213-214
Julie Evans (Project Tomorrow)

Since 2003, the Speak Up Research Project has polled 4 million K-12 students, educators and parents about their views on digital learning. A key finding from the resulting data has been the increasingly importance of curated digital content and in school mentoring to actualize the promise of technology to transform education. Enter the school librarian. In this interactive session, we will share new Speak Up findings that demonstrate the pivotal role of the school librarian in school and classroom adoption of digital content.

Will you be at our sessions? Give us a shoutout on twitter at @SpeakUpEd, @ProjectTomorrow, and @JulieEvans_PT! Be sure to include the #AASL15 hashtag in your tweets as well. See you there!

Speak Up family & friends: Fall registration for ISTE is now open!

Spark extraordinary learning and teaching. Be a catalyst!

We encourage all digital age educators to join the International Society for Technology in Education as members - whether it's as an individual member, as a team, or as an institutional member. As a digital age educator, you’re a catalyst for learning, teaching and education transformation. It’s what you do. Let ISTE be the spark that ignites your passion by providing innovative ed tech resources and access to a global community of education leaders committed to connected learning in a connected world.

Our friends at ISTE have multiple membership options available:

• Individual membership
• Group membership
• Institutional membership

ISTE also has a sampling of free ed tech resources available if you are interested in seeing what they have to offer - click here to view the resources.

About ISTE

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE®) is the premier nonprofit organization serving educators and education leaders committed to empowering connected learners in a connected world. ISTE serves more than 100,000 education stakeholders throughout the world. ISTE membership is a powerful way for educators to connect with peers, share knowledge and ideas, and help lead the transformation of education. ISTE also offers innovative ed tech resources to support professional learning for educators and education leaders. Visit http://www.iste.org/ to learn more.

Speak Up News - November 2015

Happy November! Can you believe we are already one month into Speak Up? We are off to a great start with 90,000 surveys submitted! Thank you to all who have participated, and a big thanks to our top states: Texas, Indiana, Alabama, Maryland, and California. Keep up the great work and encourage others to take the survey! Visit our promotional materials page for ideas on how to spread the word. In this newsletter... ▪ Speak Up 2015: Surveys are open through December 18th! ▪ Calling all Communications Officers! We want to know how you're using technology to facilitate engagement within your community. ▪ Speak Up America 2015: Get a sneak peek at our week long event before it begins on December 7th. ▪ Speak Up on the go! Check out this month's upcoming events with Project Tomorrow CEO Julie Evans.

Thanks for reading! Feel free to share your thoughts with us on Facebook, Twitter, and our Blog. -The Project Tomorrow team

Haven't taken the Speak Up survey yet? If not, be sure to take the survey by Dec. 18! If you haven't participated in Speak Up yet, be sure to take the survey by December 18th. Click here to take the survey or follow the link: bit.ly/SU15survey. Learn more about which survey you should take below: Take the educator survey if you are a... ▪ Teacher, Librarian or Media Specialist ▪ Administrator, Tech leader, or Communications Officer ▪ School or district employee (but not a teacher or administrator)

Take the parent survey or padres de familia en español survey if you are a... ▪ Parent ▪ Spanish speaking parent

Take the group survey if you are administering group surveys for... ▪ K-2 student group ▪ Grades 3-5 student group ▪ Parent group ▪ Parent Spanish group ▪ Community members group

If you do not fall into any of the above categories but are interested in sharing your thoughts and ideas, please select the community survey.

Once you've submitted your survey, share the following link with five friends and encourage them to take the survey: bit.ly/SU15survey Word of mouth is the best way to spread the word! If you need help promoting Speak Up to your friends and colleagues, visit our promotional materials page for downloadable flyers, instructions, sample emails, and more.

District Communications and Public Relations Officers, Speak Up! NEW survey for communications officers In a special partnership with the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA), we've created a special new survey just for Communication Officers! As a companion to the other Speak Up surveys, your input will help complete the picture of what’s required to effectively use technology tools to facilitate communications and engagement within your community. Now's your chance to get involved! Be a part of the conversation and share your ideas about how to leverage technology in schools to promote better learning. Click here to take the survey. Not a communications officer? Spread the word about this all new survey to your school and/or district's communication officer(s)! Contact Lisa Chu atLChu@tomorrow.org for sample emails and tweets.

Speak Up America 2015 December 7th - December 11th, 2015 Get ready - Speak Up America starts in one month! Mark your calendars for this year's campaign, which will take place from December 7th through December 11th, 2015. Our week long event will feature opportunities to win free conference registrations, Speak Up 2015 preliminary data snapshots, and more! Speak Up America 2015 features free conference registrations to: ▪ Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) 2016 Annual Conference ▪ CUE 2016 National Conference ▪ 2016 iNACOL Blended and Online Learning Symposium ▪ 2016 Spring Nebraska Educational Technology Association (NETA) Conference ▪ Northwest Council for Computer Education (NCCE) 2016 Conference ▪ Texas Computer Education Association (TCEA) 2016 Convention & Exposition

With more to be announced! Stay tuned for more information about Speak Up America as we get closer to December 7th.

Speak Up On the Go! Don't miss Julie's events this month! We Got This! Integrating Digital Databases within Classroom Instruction American Association of School Librarians National Conference & Exhibition Friday, November 6 Click here to learn more Many school leaders report challenges in the integration of digital content within classroom instruction and yet school librarians and libraries are uniquely positioned to address these key challenges. We will present the results from a study and discuss findings with the librarians from two project high schools. Audience members will learn key strategies for integrating digital databases within classroom instruction, and how innovative librarianship can enhance both student and teacher outcomes. Modeling interactive learning, the audience will be polled throughout the session regarding their views on the outcomes using a Jeopardy style game format. The session supports the AASL strategic plan by demonstrating the relevancy of librarians within digital learning adoptions. The Pivotal Role of the School Librarian in Education Transformation American Association of School Librarians National Conference & Exhibition Friday, November 6 Click here to learn more Since 2003, the Speak Up Research Project has polled 4 million K-12 students, educators and parents about their views on digital learning. A key finding from the resulting data has been the increasingly importance of curated digital content and in school mentoring to actualize the promise of technology to transform education. Enter the school librarian. In this interactive session, we will share new Speak Up findings that demonstrate the pivotal role of the school librarian in school and classroom adoption of digital content. 1-2-3- 4 New Ways to Examine Blended Learning Outcomes iNACOL Blended and Online Learning Symposium Tuesday, November 10 10am-11am PT Click here to learn more While the debate continues as to how to measure outcomes in blended learning environments, some districts are now evaluating their blended learning programs based upon student annual growth, student engagement in learning, teacher effectiveness and parental support. In this flipped seminar, we will explore the how, when, why, and what of those outcome measures, and collaboratively develop a new template for assessing the real impact of blended learning. Twitter chat: Blended Learning Outcomes #SUchat Tuesday, November 10 3pm PT/6pm ET While the debate continues as to how to measure outcomes in blended learning environments, some districts are now evaluating their blended learning programs based upon student annual growth, student engagement in learning, teacher effectiveness and parental support. Let’s discuss all of these – and your ideas – for the best approaches for measuring the impact of blended learning today. Drawing in lessons learned from sessions at iNACOL this year, get ready for a lively Twitter chat! If participating, please include #SUchat in your tweets.

Valuing the Voices of Experts

During Connected Educator Month, Project Tomorrow CEO Julie Evans teamed up with Cable Impacts Foundation VP of Education Frank Gallagher to write a blog post about the importance of teacher voices while planning for "future ready" schools. Read the article below, and be sure to check out the original article on Connected Educators' blog. Special thanks to Connected Educators for inviting Project Tomorrow to celebrate Connected Educator Month.

Change is easier, and often more effective, when it’s done with you rather than to you. Many times in the past, education reform has come from the top down, without teachers having a voice.

We’ll never get “future ready” schools without the active involvement of educators in all aspects of the process. At Cable Impacts Foundation, when we embarked on the project to create “Building Your Roadmap for 21st Century Learning Environments,” a tool education leaders could use to map out and manage transforming their schools into technology-rich hubs of personalized digital learning and 21st century teaching, we involved teachers from the beginning. Their voices defined the teaching component of the Roadmap. The voice of teachers played a key role in constructing the Future Ready Schools initiative, as well.

So what do teachers think is most needed for creating a “future ready” school? Since 2003, the Speak Up Research Project has been asking students and teachers that kind of question. Julie Evans, CEO of Project Tomorrow, the organization that runs the Speak Up Project summarizes what the teacher survey data tells us.

Teachers have a unique perspective on what is working, what is not working and what other things should be done to improve their effectiveness and impact student learning. They see four things that are vital for creating a future ready school.

First, teachers realize that they need professional development but the traditional in-service methods just don’t work anymore. Educators want PD that is highly personalized to their strengths and weaknesses, contextualized to be relevant to their curriculum, and timely – providing just the right amount of coaching and mentoring exactly when they need it.

Second, teachers value opportunities to collaborate and learn from each other. Increasingly, that’s being done through social media tools and online communities that become their “home team” of colleagues and coaches with whom they can share advice and support.

Third, teachers want to be at the table when digital tools are being evaluated and selected for classroom use. In many schools and districts, the decisions about and investments in online curriculum, digital content licenses, e-textbooks and even what websites can be used with students are being made by individuals several steps removed from the classroom. Administrators look first for digital content that is research based while teachers seek products that are created or evaluated by other teachers, and that they can modify or customize.

Fourth, teachers want their administrators to be authentic, co-learners with them on the journey to creating future-ready schools. Educators want to have confidence that their leaders truly understand the challenges they face, that they have a personal understanding of a new classroom models, and that they will provide the supports necessary for teachers to build capacity.

In the Roadmap project, teachers gave us great insight into what was needed and the best ways to deliver resources and PD to meet those needs. Too often school reform has failed, in part because teachers weren’t an integral part of the process. With the fast-paced, constantly evolving, globally economy, complex civic and social spaces, change is a given. We can’t afford to ignore the voices of teachers.

Frank Gallagher is VP of Education at Cable Impacts Foundation, the pro-social foundation of the cable telecommunications industry dedicated to leveraging cable’s resources – including its platform, technology and content – to empower consumers and enhance communities. Cable Impacts is the lead sponsor and curator of the Future Ready theme of Connected Educator Month.




Julie Evans is CEO of Project Tomorrow, a non-profit group driven to ensure that today’s students are well prepared to be tomorrow’s innovators, leaders and engaged citizens of the world and well known for its Speak Up surveys.