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!

Can Online Learning Support Critically At-Risk Students?

Last year, Project Tomorrow CEO Julie Evans shared Speak Up data in the 2014 Alternative Accountability Policy Forum in Coronado, California. The annual forum, held by the School for Integrated Academics & Technologies (SIATech), Reaching At Promise Students Association (RAPSA), and WestEd, is dedicated to improving and strengthening accountability for schools serving at-risk students. Check out a summary of Julie's presentation with Maria Worthen from iNACOL below:

Can Online Learning Support Critically At-Risk Students?

Online and blended learning can help close the opportunity gap in education by expanding learning opportunities otherwise unavailable to low-income students, students in small or rural communities, out of school youth, and others. The majority of high schools report using online learning for credit recovery and for keeping students on pace to graduate. When well designed and implemented, components of digital competency-based learning are well-matched for educating at-risk students for the following reasons:

• Students advance upon mastery.
• It provides explicit, measurable, transfer-able learning objectives that can empower students.
• Assessment is meaningful and can create a positive learning experience for students.
• Students receive timely, differentiated support based on their individual learning needs.
• Learning outcomes emphasize competencies that include application and creation of knowledge, along with the development of important skills and dispositions. 

Julie and Maria used Speak Up data and other research studies to show that student outcomes in blended learning exceed both traditional learning outcomes and online instruction-only outcomes, and that students enjoy digital learning because it personalizes instruction and is collaborative. At the end of the presentation they advised attendees that students are a "digital advance team" and can help educators plan technology programs for their schools; they also acknowledged a need for more information, as this type of online learning has the potential to change students' futures.

To learn more about Julie and Maria's session, as well as the 20 other sessions from the forum, check out WestEd's summary of the Third Annual Alternative Accountability Policy Forum.

Case study: Poudre School District Global Academy

Project Tomorrow has teamed up with Fuel Education to bring you a case study on Poudre School District (PSD) Global Academy in Fort Collins, Colorado.  This innovative online/hybrid school for students in K–12 grade is ranked among the highest in the state of Colorado for student growth across all grades for the 2013–2014 school year. This achievement marks the first time an innovative school using blended and online learning has ranked in the top 95 percent of all Colorado schools – including traditional brick and mortar schools, charter schools, and other online schools.

In this document, we outline:

• Proof of Program Results – The school’s desired student outcomes, Northwest Evaluaion Association’s Measures of Academic Porogress (MAP®) assessment results, Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS) assessements, and Transitional Colorado Assessment Program (TCAP) results.
• The PSD Global Academy Approach – The five unique approaches that the school believes is intetral to their positive results.
• Lessons Learned – The three takeaways for education leaders who want to implment successful blended learing programs.

Download a PDF of the case study: Online, Virtual, and Blended Learning in Action

To read a summary of a recent District Administration webinar featuring PSD Global Academy, click here.

Fuel Education's mission is to partner with schools and districts to personalize and transform the education experience inside and outside the classroom by leveraging the power of technology-enabled learning. Unlike legacy publishers and other online providers, Fuel Education offers a comprehensive, integrated approach to online learning based on their experience partnering with more than 2,000 school districts in all 50 states and D.C. To learn more about Fuel Education, visit http://www.getfueled.com/. 

Throwback Thursday

Happy #ThrowbackThursday! Each week we'll feature past Project Tomorrow news, events, Speak Up data, and more. This week we're focusing on last week's Twitter chat, Blended Learning Benefits. Click here to read the #SUchat, or click on the image below:

Don't miss Julie's third Twitter chat - tomorrow at 8pm ET!

Julie Evans will be hosting her third Twitter chat TOMORROW (Thursday, November 6th)! Join her at 8pm ET to discuss the benefits of blended learning. Check out some information below:

Blended Learning Benefits

Time: Thursday, November 6th at 8PM ET/7PM CT/5PM PT
Julie will be hosting her third Twitter chat on the benefits of blended learning while she is at the 2014 iNACOL Blended Learning Symposium. During this discussion she will include topics mentioned at the symposium, as well as data from past Project Tomorrow reports, such as our report, “2013 Trends In Online Learning Virtual, Blended And Flipped Classrooms” with Blackboard K-12.

Additionally, the following questions will be discussed during the chat:

1. Why blended? What are the advantages of implementing a blended learning classroom?
2. What are the barriers or obstacles to implementing blended learning - in a classroom or schoolwide?
3. What is your best advice for educators who are new to blended learning? What really works?

If participating, be sure to use the hashtag #SUchat in your Tweets! Click here to sign up to receive a reminder for tomorrow's #SUchat.

Julie Evans is now on Twitter!

Project Tomorrow CEO, Julie Evans, is now on Twitter! She will be hosting THREE Twitter chats over the next few weeks regarding mobile learning, digital content and games in the classroom, and the benefits of blended learning. All chats will take place at 8pm Eastern Time. You can follow Julie at @JulieEvans_PT. Below you will find all the information you need to join us on Twitter: ▪ ▪ Evaluating Mobile Learning Join us on Tuesday, October 21st at 8pm ET to discuss mobile learning ▪ ▪ Digital Content and Games in the Classroom Do you use digital content and games in the classroom? Join us on Tuesday, October 28th to discuss! ▪ ▪ Blended Learning Benefits What are the benefits of blended learning in schools? Let us know on Thursday, November 6th! As always, don't forget to follow us on our Facebook, Twitter, and our Blog. -The Project Tomorrow team

Evaluating Mobile Learning Time: Tuesday, October 21st at 8PM ET/7PM CT/5PM PT While attending the 2014 mEducation Alliance International Symposium, Julie will take content from the event and our report with Kajeet, "Making Learning Mobile: Leveraging Mobile Devices to Transform Teaching and Learning" onto Twitter during the "Evaluating Mobile Learning" Twitter chat. Join her to discuss how schools can use and evaluate mobile learning! If participating, be sure to use the hashtag #SUchat in your Tweets! Click here to sign up

Digital Content and Games in the Classroom Time: Tuesday, October 28th at 8PM ET/7PM CT/5PM PT Join Julie as she discusses the role of digital content and games in the classroom. Discussion will include findings from our September 2014 report with BrainPOP, "Digital Teachers, Digital Principals: Transforming the Ways We Engage Students." If participating, be sure to use the hashtag #SUchat in your Tweets! Click here to sign up

Blended Learning Benefits Time: Thursday, November 6th at 8PM ET/7PM CT/5PM PT Julie will be hosting a discussion on the benefits of blended learning while she is at the 2014 iNACOL Blended Learning Symposium. During this Twitter chat, she will include topics mentioned at the symposium, as well as data from past Project Tomorrow reports, such as our report, “2013 Trends In Online Learning Virtual, Blended And Flipped Classrooms” with Blackboard K-12. If participating, be sure to use the hashtag #SUchat in your Tweets! Click here to sign up

Thank you for your interest and continued support of Project Tomorrow! Be sure to stay updated on all things Project Tomorrow by following us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and our Blog. Again, don't forget to follow Julie Evans at @JulieEvans_PT!

Digital vs. print

As with anything new, digital reading has been met with hesitation. Mark Pennington, a reading specialist in Elk Grove, believes that digital reading can eventually be on the same level as reading print. He says that the trick to being a good reader is being an engaged reader, and that it does not matter whether students are reading digitally or through print. "It's pretty clear that good readers are active readers engaged with the text," he said.

While more and more schools adopt digital readers like iPads and Chromebooks, some research shows that students comprehend more from reading print. Even though digital readers allow students to interact with their text in new ways, a study done by West Chester University found that younger students may be overwhelmed by the multimedia environment that e-books provide (which can therefore overwhelm their limited working memory) and that older students find it difficult to take notes on digital readers.

Perhaps all it takes is a shift in perspective in order to alleviate these issues with digital reading. Hillview Middle's principal, Erik Burmeister, says that annotating digital books is actually better than traditional note-taking, as annotating provides permanent notes whereas traditional annotating typically means throwing away the books at the end of the year. Despite these achievements with digital reading tools, more research still needs to be done about whether digital tools or pen and paper are more effective. In the meantime, schools like Elk Grove and Hillview Middle will continue to use digital tools to help students understand what they're reading.

Interested in learning more? Check out the original article, "Can Students ‘Go Deep’ With Digital Reading?" and West Chester University's study.

Every year we ask questions about how educators and administrators are successfully using digital tools in the classroom, or which tools they wish they used in the classroom. An example is:

Imagine you are designing the ultimate school. Which tools would have the greatest positive impact on your (the student’s) learning? 

Speak Up provides an easy way for students, parents and educators to participate in local decisions about technology, as well as contribute to the state and national dialogue about educational technology. Data from the surveys - including data regarding online classes - will be released in February 2015. Click here to register for Speak Up 2014 and mark your calendars for the survey's launch date on October 6!

Flashback Friday: "Are Teachers of Tomorrow Prepared to Use Innovative Tech?"

Happy Flashback Friday! Every Friday we focus on Speak Up data, articles, and press releases from the past. This week we're looking at MindShift's article, "Are Teachers of Tomorrow Prepared to Use Innovative Tech?" from February 2013, which features data from a report we did with Blackboard Inc about the digital experiences and expectations of tomorrow's teachers. Check out a recap of the article below:

With a new generation of teachers coming into the work force, it's no surprise that there is a discrepancy between what principals expect of these teachers-to-be and what they're actually learning in school. 

Principals expect new teachers to be trained in educational technology.  They want new hires to incorporate social media into their classrooms as a way of communicating with students and parents; they also want new hires to already have experience with blended learning and teaching online classes. However, tomorrow's teachers' tech training focuses only on simple management tools. Despite this, 72% of pre-service teachers report they're well-prepared to use technology in the classroom; however their knowledge of technology may be from growing up with it rather than learning how to use digital tools during their training. 

Incoming teachers seem to be caught between generations: while they use technology in their own lives and to enhance their own education, they're learning to teach in a system that's behind the times. 68% of teachers-in-training learn about digital learning through field placements or by taking advice from their peers and professors. Despite these discrepancies between principals' expectations and the realities of tomorrow's teachers' tech education, it is certain that new teachers are more accepting and more knowledgeable of using technology in the classroom.

To learn more about the topic, check out the original article, "Are Teachers of Tomorrow Prepared to Use Innovative Tech?" (MindShift) and our report with Blackboard Inc.

Are you a principal and have something to add to this conversation? Participate in Speak Up 2014! Speak Up provides an easy way for students, parents and educators to participate in local decisions about technology, as well as contribute to the state and national dialogue about educational technology. Data from the surveys - including data regarding online classes - will be released in February 2015. Click here to register for Speak Up 2014 and mark your calendars for the survey's launch date on October 6!

Additionally, if you are a future teacher and want to leave your input, Speak Up for Higher Ed - Tomorrow's Teachers Speak Up! is open until October 6. Click here to learn more about the program and sign up.

Free webinar - Enabled, Engaged, Empowered: The New Student Vision for Digital Learning

What: Enabled, Engaged, Empowered: The New Student Vision for Digital Learning

When: Monday, September 15 at 3PM EST

Who: Julie Evans and Blackboard K-12

Register here

The dynamic profusion of emerging technologies, both in school and out of school, is propelling today’s K-12 students to make new demands on their schools for a dramatically different kind of educational experience. Enabled, empowered and engaged, our students have a unique vision for 21st century education that reflects their desires for social-based learning experiences that are un-tethered to the traditional classroom, and rich in digital media and content.  The annual Speak Up National Research Project provides an exclusive window into the views of students on personalized learning and new classroom models. In this webinar, we will share the latest Speak Up national findings from over 403,000 K-12 students, parents and educators with a special emphasis on the how today’s students want to be engaged with mobile learning, online and blended learning, and e-textbooks and digital content.  The discussion will provide new insights into the digital disconnect between students and educators, and stimulate conversations about how to effectively leverage new classroom models of innovation to drive both increased student achievement and teacher productivity.

About Blackboard: From their beginning as a small education technology company, Blackboard has been dedicated to improving every aspect of the education experience for millions of learners and educators around the world. They work with thousands of higher education, K-12, professional, corporate, and government organizations, providing them with tomorrow’s education experience today.

Going digital with Race to the Top

Teachers across the nation are enjoying the benefits of digital learning. Thanks to the federal Race to the Top-District grant, school are given grants in order to provide digital tools to their students, as well as fund blended learning initiatives that combine traditional teaching with digital instruction. "This is about changing the way we instruct students in order to meet the needs of every student," said Patrick Abele, the grant's executive director. "This is about having teachers be highly effective and highly engaged with students to close academic gaps."

Race to the Top's purpose seems to be at play, as evident with schools from North Carolina who received the grant. To ensure success with their new laptops, Iredell County administrators sought advice from a neighboring school district whose digital conversion in 2009 emerged as a national model for building the 21st century digital school district. Furthermore, the county hired 15 full-time blended learning coaches for each school to ensure that teachers were successfully transitioned to digital and personalized instruction; instead of focusing just on devices and software, Iredell focused on blended learning and how to apply digital instruction to lessons. Thanks to Race to the Top, administrators and teachers in Iredell County have seen an increase in student engagement and recount stories of once struggling students whose grades have improved.

However, the digital project was not completely welcome at first. Several parents were originally against it, saying they worried about their children having easy access to unsafe places on the web. In order to combat these concerns, the schools have been working on finding a balance between independent learning and digital discipline in order to teach students how to be good digital citizens. While it is still too soon to declare the program a success, many educators are convinced otherwise. Given Iredell's detail to their blended learning program and their Race to the Top - District grant, followed by an increase in student engagement and improved grades, it's safe to say that the addition of laptops was a good choice.

Interested in learning more about Race to the Top? Check out the original article, "What it actually takes for schools to ‘go digital’" (The Hechinger Report) and Race to the Top's website.

Our Speak Up surveys feature questions about blended learning and students' accessibility to digital devices. Here's a question that we've asked administrators in the past:

Some districts are considering adopting a Bring Your Own Technology (BYOT) to School program which would enable students to use their own mobile devices within instruction. What is your current policy on the use of student owned mobile devices (smartphones, tablet computers) within class? 

Speak Up provides an easy way for students, parents and educators to participate in local decisions about technology, as well as contribute to the state and national dialogue about educational technology. Data from the surveys - including data regarding online classes - will be released in February 2015. Click here to register for Speak Up 2014 and mark your calendars for the survey's launch date on October 6!

MIT Blossoms: Blended learning simplified

Nowadays, blended learning consists of iPads, smartphones, and laptops in the classroom. However, blended learning programs can use technology as simple as a television. MIT Blossoms (Blended Learning Open Source Science or Math Studies) provides free math and science video lessons for teachers to use in class. The program was inspired by "old-fashioned" blended classrooms that consisted of only a television and a VCR, which teachers used to play videos that accompanied their lessons. Blossoms's founder Richard Larson, a professor of engineering systems at MIT, put his own spin on this version of blended learning by adding active learning sessions designed to be conducted by a classroom teacher.

Each video lesson consists of video segments, a teacher's guide, printable hand-outs and a list of additional online resources that are relevant to the lesson. For example, Blossoms's first video lesson featured Larson teaching about triangles, random numbers and probability, which featured him sawing a yardstick into pieces. Today there are over one hundred free lessons available, which are being used all over the world in countries such as the US, China, Pakistan, and Brazil.

It's safe to say that the program isn't popular due to new and innovative technologies. Instead, MIT Blossoms focuses on what classrooms really need - full attention on both the teacher and the lesson. Unlike most blended learning classrooms, Blossoms is not "student-centered" but is instead "teacher-centric"; the lesson are designed to avert student attention at both the teacher on the video and the classroom teacher. Furthermore, the program is not BYOD - in fact, students must turn off their laptops and smartphones once lessons begin to ensure that "students are looking at the video, at the teacher, or at each other, not at their own screens."

While Blossoms differs from several other blended learning programs, it still focuses on the same outcomes: student-directed learning with guidance from an experience teacher, less distracted classrooms, and more student collaboration. Although the program may be much simpler than other programs, it is definitely seen as a "gentle bridge" to educational technology for teachers who are hesitant, and also enables teachers to play an active role in the classroom while bringing in educational technology to their students.

Interested in learning more about MIT Blossoms? Read the original article "Putting Teachers at the Center of Education Technology" (Slate) or visit visit the program's website.

Report Release! RSVP to attend the release of our latest report on Online and Blended Learning at ISTE, hosted by Blackboard--breakfast provided!

Online Learning Trends Breakfast at ISTE Hosted by Blackboard and Project Tomorrow When: Monday, June 30th Time: 7:30am to 8:30am Where: Omni CNN Center International Ballroom AB 190 Marietta St. NW Atlanta, GA 30303 Join us for breakfast and the launch of the latest Project Tomorrow and Blackboard report on Online and Blended Learning. During this special executive breakfast, Julie will discuss the online learning trends from the Speak Up 2013 national data and moderate a panel discussion with K-12 students. Be the first to learn about this new data on online and blended learning and receive a free copy of the report! Please visit Blackboard's website athttp://bbbb.blackboard.com/PTBreakfast2014 to RSVP or reply to this email to confirm your attendance. We also encourage you to share this invite with any additional colleagues that may be interested in attending. If you are not attending ISTE this year and would like to sign up to receive a copy of the 2014 Online and Blended Learning Trends Report, please click here.