Teachers Driving Web 2.0 Use in Schools Says National Research Survey
A
national online survey on district use of Web 2.0 and Internet
technologies conducted by an independent research firm suggests that
teachers are the most important group driving adoption of these
technologies in K-12 education. The survey was the first phase of the
"Safe Schools in a Web 2.0 World" initiative, an ongoing effort by
Lightspeed Systems and Thinkronize, developer of netTrekker, to help
schools implement Web 2.0 technologies safely and effectively to
address individual learning needs, engage students, and provide 21st
century learning opportunities.
Bakersfield, Calif. and Cincinnati, OH (PRWEB) -- While many stakeholders are involved in developing
policies on the use of Web 2.0 technologies in K-12 education, new
research suggests that teachers are the most important group driving
adoption. This is a major finding from a national research survey of
more than 500 district technology directors. The survey was
commissioned by Lightspeed Systems Inc., a leader in network security and management software for schools, and Thinkronize Inc., creator of netTrekker, America's number one educational search tool, with support from Atomic Learning.
There is a persistent gap between how today's "digital" kids learn in
school and how they work and interact outside of school, a trend that
underscores the critical need for districts to keep pace with
technological advances and adapt to students' learning needs. Education
leaders are challenged with maintaining a high level of security and
safety while allowing for creative and collaborative work in a 21st
century classroom. To meet this challenge, Lightspeed Systems and
netTrekker developed Safe Schools in a Web 2.0 World, an ongoing
initiative to help schools implement Web 2.0 technologies safely and
effectively to improve teaching and learning.
In the first part of the initiative, Interactive Educational Systems
Design Inc. (IESD), an independent educational research firm, conducted
the "National Online Survey of District Technology Directors Exploring District Use of Web 2.0 Technologies"
in February and March 2009 to examine the current status, future plans,
and ongoing challenges of Web 2.0 in K-12 education. The research
survey broke down Web 2.0 into seven categories related to student
instruction and learning environments, rather than treating it with a
broad brush.
Teachers were most often identified as a key group leading the
adoption of a wide variety of Web 2.0 technologies. Specifically,
teachers were most frequently cited for driving the adoption of digital
multimedia resources (78 percent), online learning games and
simulations (65 percent) and teacher-generated online content (60
percent). They were also among the top three groups for
student-generated online content (45 percent) and student use of
virtual learning environments (42 percent). Another key group
identified was students, who were most frequently cited as driving the
adoption of social networking and student-generated online content.
"The research indicates that the movement toward Web 2.0 use to
engage students and address individual learning needs is largely being
driven in districts from the bottom up - starting with teachers and
students," said Dr. Jay Sivin-Kachala, vice president and lead
researcher for IESD. "Furthermore, the results show that many districts
are using or planning to use Web 2.0 tools in teacher professional
development, which suggests that teachers will become increasingly
comfortable with these technologies and better able to teach students
how to use them safely and productively."
Overall, the research confirms school districts are using or
planning to use several types of Web 2.0 technologies, but reveals
there is still resistance to using online social networking for
instructional purposes. In 83 percent of districts, very few or no
teachers use online social networking for instruction, and 40 percent
of districts currently have policies that don't allow use of this
technology. However, some trailblazing districts have plans for
adopting or promoting use of this technology.
Other key results of the survey include:
- The
three most frequently cited reasons for adopting Web 2.0 technologies
are: addressing students' individual learning needs, engaging student
interest, and increasing students' options for access to teaching and
learning.
- Online communications with parents and students
(e.g., teacher blogs) and digital multimedia resources are the Internet
technologies most widely used by teachers, and a majority of districts
have plans for adopting these technologies or promoting their use.
- Teacher-generated
online content (e.g., multimedia lessons, wiki-based resources) is
likely to be the next area of growth in the use of Web 2.0
technologies. Almost half of districts have plans for adopting or
promoting the creation and sharing of this content through Web 2.0
tools.
"Educators today face an overwhelming challenge, but
have an unprecedented and consequential opportunity. They are charged
with providing a collaborative, global education environment for
students - one that emphasizes 21st century skills and integrates the
many facets of Web 2.0," said Randy Wilhelm, CEO of Thinkronize. "We
felt it was important to design a survey that dug deep into the
challenges and innovations of Web 2.0 in education, and we're
encouraged by the depth and breadth of the responses. We look forward
to continuing to explore solutions to the adoption barriers that are
limiting the benefits our digitally native kids derive from these new
technologies."
Over the next several months, the companies will conduct online
focus groups, prepare a white paper summarizing and interpreting the
research, and develop resources based on the insights learned to help
guide districts in harnessing the educational power of the
collaborative Web. The companies are exploring reaching out to
curriculum directors and other educators next year to get their
perspective on Web 2.0 use.
"We are committed to helping teachers use Web 2.0 technologies such
as online videos and social networking sites with educationally rich
content in the classroom," said Scott Garrison, president of Lightspeed
Systems. "The finding that teachers are key drivers confirms what we
are hearing from our school district IT customers. Our mission is to
provide a safe online learning environment for students throughout the
world without over-blocking valuable learning tools."
This national survey of district technology directors has a margin
of error of 5.0 percent or less per question. To access the executive
summary and research report, visit http://www.lightspeedsystems.com/ResearchSurvey or http://new.nettrekker.com/surveyreport.
About Lightspeed Systems:
Lightspeed Systems Inc., founded in 2000, develops comprehensive
network security and management solutions for the K-12 education
market. Lightspeed is committed to helping schools operate their
networks effectively and efficiently, so educators can provide a safe
online teaching and learning environment. The company's flagship
product integrates content filtering, spam management, bandwidth
management, antivirus protection, extensive reporting capabilities,
email archiving, and mobile filtering into a single application.
Lightspeed Systems software is used in more than 1,500 school districts
in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia to protect more than
5 million students. For the past two years, Lightspeed Systems has been
recognized on the Inc. 5,000 list as one of fastest-growing private
companies. For more information, call 661-716-7600, or visit www.lightspeedsystems.com.
About Thinkronize:
Founded in 1999, Thinkronize is a leader in the digital delivery of
K-12 educational content and is dedicated to enhancing the education of
today's youth with highly effective technologies that deliver the rich
educational value of the Internet to every child in a safe, relevant,
easy-to-use format. With the mission to help every child learn and a
belief that technology can transform education, Thinkronize was first
to market with a standards-based educational search engine, utilizing
the services of Academic Benchmarks (www.AcademicBenchmarks.com),
the premier provider of comprehensive standards-based K-12 educational
databases, alignment tools, and integration products. Thinkronize's
flagship product, netTrekker, is the #1 educational search tool in K-12
schools and is currently used in over 21,000 schools nationwide. Peers,
educators, and parents have honored Thinkronize and netTrekker over 25
times for its contribution to education. In addition, Thinkronize was
named to the 2007 Inc. 5000 and 2006 Inc. 500 lists as one of the
fastest-growing private companies in the United States. The company was
founded by Robert Reinders and currently serves over 12 million
students in all 50 states, including adoptions by key districts and
states nationwide. For more information, visit www.Thinkronize.com or phone 877-517-1125.
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