From the wwwedu list - Mark



_____

From: wwwedu@yahoogroups.com [mailto:wwwedu@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of
Keith Krueger
Sent: Friday, May 01, 2009 9:33 AM
To: wwwedu@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [WWWEDU] Web 2.0 Promise Hits Reality in U.S. Schools



For Immediate Release

CONTACT:

For CoSN

Jennifer Cummings

202/822-9491

jcummings@fratelli. <mailto:jcummings%40fratelli.com> com

Web 2.0 Promise Hits Reality in U.S. Schools

New CoSN Study Underscores Importance of Aligning the Realities of the
Classroom with School Leaders Positive Outlook on Web 2.0 for Learning

Washington, DC (May 1, 2009) - The Consortium for School Networking
(CoSN) today released a new study, which found that school district
administrators understand the significance of Web 2.0 for teaching and
learning, but the actual use of Web 2.0 to improve the learning
environment in U.S. schools is quite limited. The study, Leadership for
Web 2.0 in Education: Promise and Reality, which was made possible
through a grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation,
was produced to gain understanding of the beliefs, perspectives, and
practices of administrators which are conducive or constraining of
effective use of Web 2.0.

"The study's findings help to put a spotlight on the discrepancy that
exists between attitudes toward Web 2.0 and actual implementation and
use at the classroom level," said James Bosco, EdD, Principal
Investigator of the MacArthur Foundation grant and Co-Chair of CoSN's
International Advisory Council. "If U.S. students are to be the next
inventors, entrepreneurs and leaders in the global economy, we must see
to it that our young people have the innovative tools they need to be
successful in the 21st century, particularly in the classroom."

The study collected data from nearly 1,200 school administrators on the
role of digital media in American schools. CoSN worked with the Metiri
Group, which conducted the survey of three key groups of education
administrators - school district superintendents, curriculum directors
and technology officers.

The key findings of the study include the following:

* The nation's district administrators are overwhelmingly positive
about the impact of Web 2.0 on students' lives and their education.
* Keeping students interested and engaged in school is the top
priority for Web 2.0 in American schools.
* The majority of district administrators believe that student use
of Web 2.0 should be limited to participation on approved educational
Web sites.
* The majority of school districts ban social networking and chat
rooms while allowing prescribed educational use for most of the other
Web 2.0 tools.
* While curriculum directors report low levels of general use of
Web 2.0, they describe significant opportunities in curricula and
teaching materials.
* Curriculum directors reported that Web 2.0 will be used most
effectively in social studies, writing, science, and reading at all
grade levels.
* The use of these tools in American classrooms remains the
province of individual pioneering classrooms.
* Web 2.0 is outpacing the capacity of K-12 education to innovate.
* District administrators, the persons responsible for the
decision-making on Web 2.0 in schools, are more passive than active
users in the Web 2.0 space.

"From Facebook and other social networking applications to wikis, blogs
and digital media, children in the United States are fully engaged in
the use of Web 2.0 tools outside of the classroom. The study is
encouraging since it shows that school leaders believe that Web 2.0
collaborative applications expand the resources available for classroom
learning, but it also reveals that use of these technologies inside the
classroom is often constrained by a number of factors." said Keith R.
Krueger, CEO of CoSN. "Our schools must better align the reality of the
technology-rich world in which our students live outside of school with
the learning experiences they have in the classroom each day."

This survey is part of a grant that CoSN received last July from the
MacArthur Foundation as part of the foundation's digital media and
learning initiative. The initiative focuses on how digital media are
changing the face of education, learning and students' daily lives.
CoSN's Schools and Participatory Culture: Overcoming Organizational and
Policy Barriers grant aims to identify the organizational and policy
barriers that impede the adoption of new media in schools, and to
develop and implement an action plan with recommendations on how to
overcome the barriers.

For a full copy of the study, please click here
<http://www.cosn.
<http://www.cosn.org/Portals/7/docs/Web%202.0/CoSN%20Report%20042809Fina>
org/Portals/7/docs/Web%202.0/CoSN%20Report%20042809Fina
l%20w-cover.pdf> . For a copy of the executive summary, click here
<http://www.cosn.
<http://www.cosn.org/Portals/7/docs/Web%202.0/ExecSummaryCoSN%20Report04>
org/Portals/7/docs/Web%202.0/ExecSummaryCoSN%20Report04
2809Final.pdf> .

To learn more, visit www.cosn.org <http://www.cosn. <http://www.cosn.org/>
org/> or
www.macfound.org <http://www.macfound <http://www.macfound.org/> .org/> .

About the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN)

CoSN is the premier professional association for district technology
leaders. The mission of CoSN is to empower K-12 district technology
leaders to use technology strategically for the improvement of teaching
and learning. CoSN provides leadership, community and advocacy essential
for the success of these leaders.

CoSN leadership initiatives include:

Cyber Security for the Digital District (www.securedistrict.org
<http://www.securedi <http://www.securedistrict.org/> strict.org/> )

Data-Driven Decision-Making (www.3d2know.org <http://www.3d2know.
<http://www.3d2know.org/> org/> )

Empowering the 21st Century Superintendent
(www.superintendentempower.org <http://www.superint
<http://www.superintendentempower.org/> endentempower.org/> )

Green Computing (www.cosn.org/greencomputing)

IT Crisis Preparedness (www.cosn.org/ITCrisisPrep)

K-12 Open Technologies (www.k12opentech.org
<http://www.k12opent <http://www.k12opentech.org/> ech.org/> )

Small District Technology Leadership
(http://72.3. <http://72.3.238.178/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page>
238.178/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page)

Taking Total Cost of Ownership to the Classroom (www.classroomtco.org
<http://www.classroo <http://www.classroomtco.org/> mtco.org/> )

Value of Investment (www.edtechvoi.org <http://www.edtechvo
<http://www.edtechvoi.org/> i.org/> )

Web2.0 Policy and Leadership (http://www.cosn. <http://www.cosn.org/web2_0/>
org/web2_0/).

CoSN's membership is a unique blend of education and technology leaders,
and decision makers from the public and private sectors. Visit
www.cosn.org <http://www.cosn. <http://www.cosn.org/> org/> or phone
866/267-8747 to find out
more about CoSN's programs, events and resources supporting and
promoting leadership development, advocacy and connections to ensure
that technology is used strategically for the improvement of teaching
and learning in elementary and secondary schools.

About the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

The MacArthur Foundation supports creative people and effective
institutions committed to building a more just, verdant and peaceful
world. In addition to selecting the MacArthur Fellows, the Foundation
works to defend human rights, advance global conservation and security,
make cities better places, and understand how technology is affecting
children and society. With assets of $7 billion, the Foundation makes
approximately $300 million in grants annually. More information is at
www.macfound.org <http://www.macfound <http://www.macfound.org/> .org/> .

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