Survey: Students Take “Free-Agent Learner” Approach to Education
Filed by Christine C. at 8:10 am on March 19, 2010 in Civic Engagement, Participatory Learning, Policy, Research and Studies, Schools • Leave a comment
A national education survey found that students are increasingly creating personalized learning experiences, using a wide range of outside-the-classroom resources, technologies and collaboration with other students.
“Speak Up 2009,” conducted by the nonprofit group Project Tomorrow, surveyed online more than 368,000 K-12 students, parents, teachers and principals from all 50 states. The national findings were released this week during a Congressional briefing.
The first report based on the 2009 Speak Up data, “Creating Our Future: Students Speak Up About Their Vision for 21st Century Learning,” (PDF) describes three essential elements of this emerging student vision for education:
• Social-based learning – students want to leverage emerging communications and collaboration tools to create and personalize networks of experts to inform their education process.
• Un-tethered learning – students envision technology-enabled learning experiences that transcend the classroom walls and are not limited by resource constraints, traditional funding streams, geography, community assets or even teacher knowledge or skills.
• Digitally rich learning – students see the use of relevancy-based digital tools, content and resources as a key to driving learning productivity, not just about engaging students in learning.
“Students are no longer waiting for policy changes within their schools, or from Washington, D.C.,” said Julie Evans (PDF), Project Tomorrow CEO. “Students want their voices heard by those making education policies, but we are now seeing them move beyond their attempts to share their needs with adults. They are taking the technology they have grown up with and using it to help them learn — inside and outside of the classroom.”
“A growing chorus of students say they are required to step back in time when they enter the school building each morning, powering down the productivity, learning and connectedness tools they use outside of school and that many adults now take for granted,” added Evans. “And this is despite overwhelming agreement among parents, teachers and principals that the effective implementation of technology in schools is crucial to student success.”
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