Speak Up News, November 2014

Happy November and Speak Up monthly newsletter update! Can you believe it? We are already one month into Speak Up and are off to a fantastic start with over 85,000 surveys taken! A big shout out goes to our top 5 states: California, Indiana, Texas, North Carolina and Florida. Be sure to check out our newparticipant map to keep track of who’s Speaking Up. There are still 7 more weeks to go—Share your ideas and opinions with policy makers and the broader education community by taking the survey today. Take the survey, and pass it on! In this newsletter, you will find information regarding... ▪ Speak Up 2014: Teachers, Librarians and Administrators - take the survey today! Surveys are available for input through December 19th, 2014. ▪ School and district leaders: Learn how Speak Up can benefit your school(s) and district. ▪ Speak Up in Action: See what this year’s Speak Up top schools and districts had to say about why they participate in Speak Up. ▪ Speak Up America: Our weeklong celebration of Speak Up participants will take place in December! ▪ Speak Up On the Go: Check out this month's events. Happy reading! Feel free to share your thoughts with us on Facebook, Twitter, and our Blog. -The Project Tomorrow team

Teachers, Librarians and Administrators: Share your ideas about digital learning by completing a Speak Up survey today How do you use technology for learning? Share your perspective in the Speak Up 2014 survey, and help steer the future of education technology. To achieve real and positive change in the field of education technology, it is crucial that you share your ideas and opinions with policy makers and the broader education community. Make a difference today by expressing your views in the Speak Up 2014 National Research Project! Surveys are open for input through December 19th, 2014 at:www.speakup4schools.org/speakup2014. For additional information on the Speak Up surveys, including FAQs, promotional materials and more please visit www.tomorrow.org/speakup.

School and District Leaders: Use Speak Up to learn about the unique digital learning aspirations of your students, parents, staff and community members Sign up to be a part of this year’s Speak Up Research Project and start learning about the ideas and views of your stakeholders regarding digital learning, both in school and at home. Promote the online surveys and Project Tomorrow will send you an online report in early February that documents your locally collected data plus the national data to use for benchmarking or to compare results. How do your students compare to other students within your state or the nation in terms of their interest in mobile, online and digital learning? Are the expectations of your parents aligned with national goals? Are your teachers ready for digital learning today? Join your colleagues nationwide who are already using Speak Up data to inform school or district plans, policies, purchases and programs around digital learning. There is simply no substitute for understanding the specific aspirations of your own students, parents and staff for improving the use of technology within teaching and learning. Get started today by: ▪ Having your K-12 students complete their grade level and reading level appropriate 20 minute online surveys – either in school or after school ▪ Facilitate opportunities for your teachers, librarians, technology coordinators and school/district staff to complete their own online surveys ▪ Share the online survey link with your parents via social media, school websites and/or newsletters: bit.ly/SU14survey ▪ Promote participation in the surveys to your wider community – business partners, after school programs, civic leaders, support staff Need help? Contact the Speak Up team at speakup@tomorrow.org.

Speak Up in Action See what this year’s Speak Up top schools and districts had to say about why they participate in Speak Up, and learn how they utilized their school/district’s data! Below are a few quotes from our top schools and districts: "Via Speak Up, I finally have data that is useful and meaningful; it is an amazing service that is provided to schools. I can't wait to compare data from last year to this year to see how we've changed, how we've grown, etc. It is an amazing planning tool." —Milena Streen, St. Ignatius High School (OH) "Speak Up reports provide the opportunity for the state to hear student and teacher voices from school districts across the state and compare the state data to the national data. The higher the level of participation by schools, the more impact their voices have. This is especially beneficial for planning and policy decisions at the state level. Speak Up data was invaluable in the development of the Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020 and continues to be used when progress reports on the plan are submitted to the Texas Legislature.” —Anita Givens, former Associate Commissioner for Standards and Programs at the Texas Education Agency "Themes included in the survey questions align with a majority of technology initiatives implemented by districts. The Speak Up survey allows school administrators to gauge the student’s access, use and need for additional classroom technologies and supports throughout the learning process." —Dr. Kristy Sailors, Blue Valley School District (KS) Click here to learn more about Speak Up in Action and tell us your Speak Up story!

Speak Up America starts next month! Mark your calendars! Speak Up America 2014 takes place from December 8th to December 12th. In honor of the superb survey period that took place during Speak Up 2013, Project Tomorrow launched the inaugural “Speak Up America” campaign, a weeklong event to celebrate Speak Up participants, past, present and new! Now in its second year, Speak Up America 2014 will feature infographics using current survey data, a weeklong photo challenge with a chance to win classroom grants, and more! Be on the lookout for more information about Speak Up America 2014 before it starts on December 8th. Click here to learn more about Speak Up America

Speak Up on the Go! Attend Julie's session at the iNACOL 2014 Symposium in Palm Springs! The Self-Directed Professional Development Lives of Online Leaders Education leaders who are designing and delivering online courses are leading the pack in leveraging online tools to transform learning. But, are they also pioneering the use of digital tools to self-direct their own professional development? In this session we will share Speak Up data about how online educators are tapping into informal PLCs and social media to develop online teaching skills, and learn about the first hand experiences of educators participating in ETLO’s online community.Click here to learn more about the symposium and Julie's session. Additionally, Julie would love to meet up with any attendees of the iNACOL 2014 Symposium who are interested. Please contact Lisa Chu at LChu@tomorrow.org if you would like to meet Julie Evans during the symposium. Twitter chat: 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. If participating, be sure to use the hashtag #SUchat in your Tweets! Click here to sign up.

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.