Digital Learning Day

The fifth annual Digital Learning Day will be on February 17, 2016. This day is a time to highlight best practices and great tools for education that exist in the digital realm. While digital learning day is highlighted on Feb. 17, it is more than just one day; it is an ongoing campaign to ensure that EVERY child gets the best possible education in today’s world economy and global society. Digital Learning Day celebrates innovative teaching and learning through digital media and technology that engages students and provides them with a rich, personalized, educational experience.

What does Digital Learning Mean?

Digital learning is any instructional practice that effectively uses technology to strengthen a student’s learning experience. It emphasizes high-quality instruction and provides access to challenging content, feedback through formative assessment, opportunities for learning anytime and anywhere, and individualized instruction to ensure all students reach their full potential to succeed in college and a career.

Digital learning encompasses many different facets, tools, and applications to support and empower teachers and students, including online courses, blended or hybrid learning, or digital content and resources. Additionally, digital learning can be used for professional learning opportunities for teachers and to provide personalized learning experiences for students.

Digital learning advances school reform by increasing equity and access to educational opportunities, improving effectiveness and productivity of teachers and administrators, providing student-centered learning to ensure college and career readiness for all students, and recognizing teachers as education designers.

Why celebrate Digital Learning Day?

With so many new types of digital devices, educational software and mobile apps continuously developed, it’s hard to keep up with the latest and greatest advancements in educational technology. In some classrooms and out-of-school programs across the country,educators are doing some pretty amazing things with technology. Yet, these pockets of innovation are confined to a small number of schools and communities. Digital Learning Day was started as a way to actively spread innovative practices and ensure that all youth have access to high-quality digital learning opportunities no matter where they live.

Started in 2012, Digital Learning Day has provided a powerful venue for education leaders to highlight great teaching practice and showcase innovative teachers, leaders, and instructional technology programs that are improving student outcomes. This grassroots effort blossomed into a massive nationwide celebration as teachers realized that Digital Learning Day is not about technology, it’s about learning. It’s not about laying off teachers for laptops, it’s about enhancing the role of the teacher in America’s classrooms. Digital Learning Day promotes the effective use of modern day tools afforded to every other industry to improve the learning experience in K-12 public schools.

Ways to Participate:

Conduct digital-learning activities
Participate in a Google Hangout
Get students coding
Set up showcases of digital student work
Share information about digital learning resources, tools and strategies
Get online and on social media to spread the word about digital learning

However you choose to participate, be sure to add your celebration to the Digital Learning Day map, and follow #DLDay on Twitter for updates.

More Information

Looking to dive more into technology and incorporate it into your classroom? Register for one of Learners Edge’s continuing education tech courses below. These online teacher courses will help you understandthe basic elements of teaching with technology and will also explore more in-depth uses for technology in your classroom.

Teaching Channel is passionately committed to providing you with continuing education coursework, materials, and tools that will help you succeed in your classroom and in your career.

Offering more than 120 online courses for teachers, you can earn the graduate credit you need for salary advancement and meet your professional development needs. Contact us today to get started!