Student IT Competencies

In this 40 minute podcast, we feature a speech from the EDUCAUSE 2007 Annual Conference entitled "Tomorrow's Students: Are We Ready for the New 21st-Century Learners?". The presentation is by Julie Evans, Chief Executive Office for Project Tomorrow - NetDay. Video and slides for this speech are also available here.

Abstract:

The national Speak Up initiative annually collects and reports on the authentic, unfiltered viewpoints of K–12 students, teachers, parents, and school leaders about education technology and 21st-century learning environments. Learn about the expectations of today's K–12 students (the higher ed students of tomorrow) for technology use and their new aspirations for learning as uncovered in the most recent survey data.

ECAR has released its fourth annual comprehensive student study focusing on the role of IT in student life, The ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology, 2007. Because of the topic's critical importance, ECAR has made the full study, as well as key findings and roadmap, publicly available to all.

In this podcast, we feature an eight minute interview with Bradley A. Cohen, Assistant Director and Coordinator for Curriculum Development at the University of Minnesota. This interview was recorded at the 2007 ELI Fall Focus Session in Boulder, Colorado where Mr. Cohen presented a session entitled, "Faculty Development and the Net Savvy Student".

Brad Cohen discusses the digital divide and shares guiding principles the University of Minnesota uses to deliver an integrated suite of faculty development programs designed to help faculty meet the needs of net savvy students. The University of Minnesota's approach is informed by the data routinely collected from their students and faculty, the literature, and their practice.

Ann Huffman, Assistant Professor at Northern Arizona University and Bill Huffman, Associate Professor at Northern Arizona University, examined factors which increase the likelihood that students will use technology effectively. Research with a college population assessed the technological skills of students. Results suggest that learning orientation and perception of use of technology in future occupations predict students' perceived ability and intentions to use technology in college.

In this 14 minute interview, Ann and Bill Huffman discuss their studies into student technological mastery and how their findings may lead to the ultimate goal of creating an even technological playing field for students. This interview was conducted at the EDUCAUSE Western Regional Conference in San Francisco, California, where they were presenting a session entitled, Student Technological Mastery: It's Not Just the Hardware.

Claremont McKenna College's FITness program (Fitness In Technology) allowed faculty to rapidly integrate teaching with technology and help struggling students catch up. Grants from the Mellon Foundation and the Fletcher Jones Foundation funded specialized programs to help students meet faculty expectations of their technical knowledge, skill, and application. It's a unique approach that garnered unanimous faculty buy-in.

In this 14 minute interview with Mike Malsed, Assistant Director for Student Technology Services at Claremont McKenna College, he discusses the development, implementation, and success of the FITness program. The conversation was recorded at the EDUCAUSE 2007 Western Regional Conference in San Francisco, California where Mike was delivering a presentation entitled, From FITness to Fantasy Congress: The Growth of FITness Within Faculty and Student Projects.

In this one-hour recording from the 2007 EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative Annual Meeting, we'll hear from Julie Evans in a session entitled K-12 Students Speak Up About Technology: Are We Listening? Evans will share results from the 2006 NetDay SpeakUp online survey, which asks K-12 students about their use of technology and their expectations for technology in the classroom and in their social lives.

In this 35 minute recording from the 2006 EDUCAUSE Annual Conference Session, we’ll hear from Kimberly Brookes and Susan Lees in a session entitled, “Self-Help Clinics: A Pragmatic Approach to Student Support.”  Brookes and Lees explain how Simmons College is teaching students to take charge of their own technology in guided self-help clinics on campus.

This 53 minute recording provides coverage of the 2005 EDUCAUSE Annual Conference Session entitled ECAR Study of Students and Information Technology, 2005.