Usually, once a year, I try to give an online survey (using Survey Monkey) to my sixth graders to get a sense of how they are using technology and how they perceive technology and education. The first seven questions that I posed to my students were itemized and the last two questions were short answers.
Tomorrow, I will share some of the short answer responses, but here are the results from the first seven questions:
I find it interesting that so many consider themselves “advanced” in using technology tools; that video and music are at the heart of how they are using technology (it must be at home); that a good majority of them enjoy writing (yeah!); that so many think the use of the computer as a tool allows them to be a better writer (although I did not define what I meant by “better” so it may be a bit unclear if I am talking about content or proofreading); and that so many want to learn more about interacting with others via technology.
Peace (in unofficial data),
Kevin
I have been wondering about the extent of the digital divide in my own school. I plan to do a survey with my high school students, but I was going to ask for their email address so I can verify that they have one and access to the internet outside of school. I just started a new semester (all of my classes are a semester in length) so I thought this would be a good time to set up the survey. Sixty-six percent of my school receives a free or reduced lunch. I know that many families in that economic status spend a high percentage of their money on entertainment – I don’t know if that includes a computer with Internet access. My school received a grant for “technology” but the grant reciepiants have to teach English/Language Arts or Math.