Here is a very interesting article (http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/marketwire/0411950.htm) that I read today that summarizes a recent Blackboard and Project Tomorrow report that states that 41% of 250,000 K - 12 students recently surveyed say online classes have greatest impact on learning. A couple key takeaways for me were the following:
When teachers and students were asked to envision what the ultimate school for 21st century learners would include, they demonstrated a strong interest in online learning and the use of online tools:
- Nearly half of students in grades 6-12 (46 percent) would like to have access to online tools to help them organize class work and assignments, while 41 percent would like tools to better communicate with their teachers.
- One-third of students (33 percent) would like to see greater use of Web 2.0 technologies in the classroom, including blogs, social networking sites, and wikis.
- Twenty percent of teachers say that online classes are a key element for increasing student achievement in the 21st century school, an increase of nearly 28 percent since 2006.