RebelNet on a Snow Day

Last week's blizzard required the school district to close for two consecutive days. In the past, this kind of unexpected break in the middle of the week before conferences would make it difficult for many students and teachers to stay on track with their daily tasks. However, with more staff and students now familiar with RebelNet, getting access from home was easier than ever before.

We sent out a short survey (using Google Forms, both easy and free) to all staff in the district and students in grades 6-12. The survey simply asked if they used RebelNet at all during the snow days and if so, what prompted them to. Here are some of the results:

Of the 173 responses, 129 were from staff members and 44 were from students. That's more than half of staff members and about 1% of students with access to RebelNet. That's not a great sample, but the survey also included a place to submit comments and suggestions which together, gave us some strong insight into how they use RebelNet.

Of the staff members who responded, 83% accessed RebelNet during the snow days. Their primary reason for logging in was to check Google Mail. After that, over half of the staff members were also accessing Google Docs and Infinite Campus (for grades, reports, etc.). Only about 20% of these staff members used RebelNet to access files stored on the district network.

Of the students who responded, only 25% had accessed RebelNet during the snow days. The primary reason given for not accessing RebelNet was that they had no reason to. Some students mentioned that they did not have an available internet connection.

Probably the most helpful information gathered from this survey can be found in the comments and suggestions section by the students. One student commented, "I had no reason to use RebelNet. Have more teachers give work on-line for us to do at home."

Another student commented, "I love RebelNet. It makes it easy to talk to my teachers and my friends."

In order for students to learn how to utilize technology as a tool rather than just a distraction, they need to be given the opportunities to use it properly. What is stopping teachers from posting more assignments online? What is keeping students from being engaged inside and outside of the classroom? Feel free to post your comments here.