Netday
Announces Speak Up Day For Students 2004
SECOND ANNUAL SURVEY
WILL BUILD ON SUCCESS AND EXPAND OUTREACH
TO LEARN HOW K-12 STUDENTS ALL ACROSS AMERICA ARE USING TECHNOLOGY
|
IRVINE, CA, October 8, 2004. – NetDay,
(www.netday.org), the national education technology nonprofit group,
today announced Speak Up Day for Students 2004, the second annual
online event where students across the country speak out about
using technology and the Internet. The survey will be open for
student input from October 11 through 29 with a goal of collecting
input from 500,000 K-12 students representing public, private,
charter and parochial schools from all 50 states, DC, Puerto Rico
and on American military bases worldwide.
NetDay held its first Speak Up Day for Students in 2003. During that
landmark event, 210,000 K-12 students from 3,000 schools in all 50 states
as well as schools on American military bases worldwide went online from
their classrooms and shared their opinions and ideas on technology use
in their schools. Last year’s national findings were shared with
national, state and local policymakers and decision-makers on technology.
These results informed the development of the National Education Technology
Plan to be released by the US Department of Education later this year.
The National Report, Voices and Views of Today’s Tech-Savvy Students,
is available online at http://www.netday.org/speakupday2003_report.htm.
Every school in the United States is encouraged to have a minimum of
10% of their students participate in this year’s Speak Up Day.
Already, 410 schools have registered for Speak Up Day with 115, 757 K-12
students slated to take the 15-minute online survey from 50 states, DC
and overseas American schools in Europe and Asia. Surveys are grade-level
appropriate and include lesson plans for their teachers. Schools can
register now at www.NetDay.org. All student responses are 100% confidential
and no advertising or popup ads are on the survey site. NetDay Speak
Up Day is supported by a grant from the BellSouth Foundation.
“Speak Up Day is a tremendous opportunity for students in our nation’s
schools to engage in meaningful civic engagement. Last year many schools used
Speak Up Day data to inform parents about technology, draw local businesses into
supporting their schools, educate teachers about today's students, and bring
attention to their technology needs. NetDay once again plans to share the ideas
and insights of the students surveyed with policymakers at the national and local
level. All students should have this opportunity to express their views, share
their insights and offer their unique perspectives on how technology can improve
education,” noted Julie Evans, NetDay CEO.
“We are proud to be part of this important initiative that’s added
the students’ voice to the national dialogue on education technology,” said
Kim Mulkey, technology director, BellSouth Foundation. Students have distinct
and innovative ideas on how technology can be leveraged for learning. Their critical
input has changed the direction of the conversation and is shaping education
policy as we know it.
“I am pleased that NetDay will once again be surveying students as part
of Speak Up Day. The information gathered as a result of the 2003 survey was
a powerful addition to the National Education Technology Plan. Student engagement
in technology decision making at schools is essential if we are to fully realize
the power of technology as a tool in the educational process,” added Susan
Patrick, Director, Office of Educational Technology, US Department of Education.
The 2004 NetDay survey includes the following new features:
- New, timely questions
Approximately 40% of the questions on this year's survey are new
questions covering such timely topics such as plagiarism, online
bullying, technology-based
writing, science resources online, video games, and why students like
using technology for schoolwork.
- Presidential Campaign
The survey will be asking students “What is the one thing you would
like to tell the next president about how you use technology for learning?” NetDay
plans to send these answers to the elected president after his inauguration
next year.
- Access to Data
Every school that participates in Speak Up Day for Students will have
access to their own aggregated data - at no charge or fee. Schools will
be able to analyze this data, learn about how their students are using
technology and compare responses to the national average.
In addition
to reaching out to students NetDay is also working to reflect the voices of
teachers. NetDay recently released the results of the first-ever
Speak Up Day for Teachers, a nationwide online survey which gave teachers
in all grades and subjects the opportunity to share their voices and
views about their personal and professional use of technology and the
Internet. More than 11,000 teachers from 1,885 schools in 50 states
completed
the online survey. The survey found teachers are using technology to
enrich their lessons plans and to engage students in learning. Results
also revealed that teachers are relying more and more on technology
to meet the requirements of No Child Left Behind. The report, Insights
and
Ideas of Teachers on Technology: NetDay National Report on Speak Up
Day for Teachers 2004 is available at http://www.netday.org/sud4teachers_2004_report.htm
NetDay’s success in reaching students and teachers is a direct
result of the outstanding support provided by its nonprofit partners.
NetDay is working with a group of over 60 committed partners in reaching
out to students in rural communities, inner city schools and suburban
areas to solicit their views on how technology is impacting them both
in the schoolhouse and in their lives.
About NetDay
NetDay's mission is to connect every child to a brighter future
by helping educators meet educational goals through the effective use
of technology.
NetDay (www.NetDay.org), the national 501.c.3 non-profit organization
known for its successful school wiring programs, today manages community
and web-based programs that promote enhanced student achievement through
the effective use of technology. Speak Up Day is NetDay’s latest
initiative and focuses awareness on the importance of student and teacher
voices in the national dialogue on education and technology.
About BellSouth Corporation
BellSouth Corporation is a Fortune 100 communications company headquartered
in Atlanta, Georgia and a parent company of Cingular Wireless, the
nation’s
second largest wireless voice and data provider.
Backed by award winning customer service, BellSouth offers the most
comprehensive and innovative package of voice and data services available
in the market.
Through BellSouth Answers®, residential and small business customers
can bundle their local and long distance service with dial up and high
speed DSL Internet access, satellite television and Cingular® Wireless
service. For businesses, BellSouth provides secure, reliable local and
long distance voice and data networking solutions. BellSouth also offers
online and directory advertising through BellSouth® RealPages.com® and
The Real Yellow Pages®.
More information about BellSouth can be found at www.bellsouth.com.
NetDay Speak Up Day Nonprofit Partners
Alliance for Excellent Education ,American Association of School
Administrators ,American Electronics Association (AeA), American Federation
of Teachers,
Benton Foundation ,Cable in the Classroom, The Children's Partnership,
College Board, Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), Corporation
for Public Broadcasting, Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), Educational
Testing Service (ETS), The Centers for Quality Teaching and Learning,
Florida Virtual School, Following the Leaders, Generation Yes ,George
Lucas Educational Foundation,GiveKidsGoodSchools.com, Greater Lafayette
Chamber of Commerce, GreatSchools.net, High Tech High, International
Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), Kidz Online, McKenzie
Group, MAR*TEC, MassCUE, Math Forum @ Drexel, MOUSE, National Association
for College Admission Counseling (NACAC,) National Association of Elementary
School Principals (NAESP), National Commission on Teaching and America's
Future, National Council for Community and Education Partnerships (NCCEP,
GEAR UP), National Council of Teachers of English, National
Education Association (NEA), National Education Knowledge Industry
Association (NEKIA), National Park Foundation, National Rural Education
Association
(NREA), National School Boards Association (NSBA,) National Science
Digital Library, North American Council for Online Learning, One Economy,
Points
of Lights Foundation, Project Tomorrow, Public Education Network,
Software & Information
Industry Association (SIIA), State Educational Technology Directors
Association (SETDA), TechCorps, TechNet,Technology Information Center
for Administrative Leadership, Think.com, USATODAY Education, US Conference
of Mayors, Virtual High School, Inc., Who’s Who Among American
High School Students and WinWin Strategies Foundation
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MEDIA CONTACTS:
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