Technology Usage up With K-12 Students

From staff reports, e-School News, February 25, 2013 — More than half of students in grades 6-8 now have access to a tablet computer—a percentage that has doubled since last year. And Twitter use has grown three-fold among high school students in the last year, with a third of high schoolers now using the popular micro-blogging service.

These are a few of the results that the nonprofit Project Tomorrow has released from its annual Speak Up survey of students’ and parents’ technology use, as well as their attitudes and opinions about ed tech.  The findings come from Project Tomorrow’s survey of more than 364,000 students last fall.

Here are those 10 facts…

1. Students say they use the internet to help with homework at home.

2. Students want to learn any time, any place—and at their own pace.

3. A majority of students support the “flipped classroom” model.

4. A growing number of students are asking for digital texts—but print is still the preferred method of reading.

5. More students are learning via YouTube.

6. Students would like to be able to text their teachers for help.

7. Students are experiencing gaming at a younger age.

8. Use of Twitter is exploding among young people.

9. Facebook is now a regular destination for group projects.

10. Students’ use of mobile devices continues to rise.

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Teachers concerned about students’ online research skills

By eSchool News staff, eSchool News, November 5, 2012 — Teachers are concerned that students are a little too quick to turn to Google and other internet search engines for answers: That’s one finding of a Pew Research Center survey of more than 2,000 teachers nationwide queried about students’ digital research habits.

“Now, by default, they go online and they search,” said Lee Rainie, director of Pew’s Internet and American Life Project. “In some respects, that simplifies things.” On the other hand, Rainie said, it means that students are prioritizing that information in a way that might not give them access to all the high-quality and relevant stuff that would be useful.

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Five Myths About How Students Learn

From eSchool News, 19  September 2012, by Laura Devaney, Managing Editor — Neuroscience offers an exciting glimpse into how the human brain develops and changes over time. And while theories on the brain and its development abound, brain research can help to clear up a handful of myths about how students learn and develop. Here are five myths challenged by these brain studies:

Myth 1:  ADHD isn’t real, or conversely is permanent.

Myth 2: “Redshirting” kindergarteners is, on average, good for child’s mental development.

Myth 3: IQ is the biggest predictor of student achievement.

Myth 4: Learning styles are a good way to guide teaching practice.

Myth 5: Autism is on the rise and is strongly affected by environmental influence.

Each of these myths are examined and explained by Sam Wang, Associate Professor of Neuroscience at Princeton University’s Dept. of Molecular Biology and the school’s Neuroscience Institute.

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From eSchool News: Are American Schools Too Easy?

From eSchool News, July 13, 2012, by Jeff Festa — Millions of kids simply don’t find school very challenging, a new analysis of federal survey data suggests. The report could spark a debate about whether new academic standards being piloted nationwide might make a difference.

The findings, released July 10 from the Center for American Progress, a Washington, D.C., think tank that champions “progressive ideas,” analyze three years of questionnaires from the Department of Education’s National Assessment of Educational Progress, a national test given each year.

Among the findings:

• • 37 percent of fourth-graders say their math work is “often” or “always” too easy;
• • 57 percent of eighth-graders say their history work is “often” or “always” too easy;
• • 39 percent of 12th-graders say they rarely write about what they read in class.

The data suggest that many kids simply aren’t pushed academically: Only one in five eighth-graders read more than 20 pages a day, either in school or for homework. Most report that they read far less.

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From eSchool News: One Teacher’s Thoughts on Why Kids Hate Math

From eSchool News, July 10, 2012, by Patrick Welsh — When summer school opened July 9 at T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Va., where I teach, remedial courses in math had more students than any other subject.

That is because of the high failure rate not only in math courses, but also on the state’s standard of learning exams in math. The summer school pattern is similar in most high schools around the country, where kids will be trying to learn the math they never figured out during the year.

I worry that we’re pushing many kids to grasp math at higher levels before they are ready. When they struggle, they begin to dread math, and eventually we lose thousands of students who could be the scientists and engineers of tomorrow. If we held back and took more time to ground them in the basics, we could turn them on to math.

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From eSchool News: New website promises free teacher resources

From staff and wire services, published by eSchool News — Share My Lesson is expected to be the largest online resource for teachers in the U.S. and comes at a time when cuts to education budgets have led many districts to slash professional development. The American Federation of Teachers (AFT)  and TSL Education, a United Kingdom-based company, have pledged $10 million to develop and maintain the site, which should be ready for teachers by August, offering teachers access to more than 100,000 user-generated lesson plans and other classroom resources.

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eSchool News: Great Summer Reading for High Schoolers

Whether compiling a school booklist or addressing a parent’s request, teachers can be challenged to come up with numerous summer reading suggestions. eSchool News has suggested 10 books for high school students’ summer reading based on works “that not only provide educational value through themes such as self-discovery, culture, social mores, feminism, and political activism, but also . . .inspire students to keep reading.”

Compiled with the aid of school library lists and literary awards, here are the choices in alphabetical order:

1.  Bluefish by Pat Schmatz (2012 Notable Children’s Book)

2.  The Color Purple by Alice Walker (1983 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction; National Book Award for Fiction)

3.  Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? By Philip K. Dick (1968 Nebula Award nominee; 1998 Locus Poll Award for All-Time Best SF Novel before 1990; inspired film Blade Runner)

4.  Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card (Winner of 1986 Hugo Award and 1985 Nebula Award)

5.  From the Barrio to the Board Room, or Mi Barrio by Robert Renteria (Endorsed by leaders since release; used in schools, universities, juvenile justice centers, battered women’s shelters, foster homes, etc.)

6.  The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (Translated into 26 languages; production rights sold in 38 countries; positive major reviews; now major motion picture)

7.  House Rules by Jodi Picoult (2012 Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Award nominee; German Reader’s Choice award “Leserpreis 2011” for Audiobook)

8.  Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, accompanied by Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys (First book inspired adaptations and scholarly study; latter: WH Smith Literary Award winner in 1967;  among Time’s 100 best English-language novels since 1923; #94 on Modern Library’s list of 100 Best Novels; 1966 winner of Cheltenham Booker Prize)

9.  Raising Stony Mayhall by Daryl Gregory (Author’s works have won or been nominated for many awards such as 2009 Crawford Award, World Fantasy and Philip K. Dick Awards; book received positive critics’ reviews)

10.  Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe (Among Time’s 100 Best English-language Novels from 1923 to 2005; translated into 50+ languages)

What other books are on your must-read summer list?

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