Every fourth Thursday in the month of February is Digital Learning Day. This year it falls on the 28th. Before you get carried away thinking this day is meant to drown out the need for teachers and educational personnel in our school systems, just know that you are jumping to the wrong conclusion.
What is Digital Learning?
Digital learning is any kind of instruction given that uses technology for educational purposes. With digital learning, teachers and educators are able to give more individualized instruction, feedback, provide better assessments, access challenging information, and provide opportunities for learning anywhere or anytime.
This type of instruction is not limited by any one kind of technology either. It may incorporate digital, content, blended or hybrid learning, online courses, digital resources, and more. This is high-quality instruction to ensure that each child is able to reach their full potential.
Digital learning is not just beneficial for the student though. It also provides tremendous support and assistance to teachers and educational personnel across the board. Using different technologies, professional educators are able to increase productivity and effectiveness which allows for more time to devote to their students.
The History and Purpose of Digital Learning Day
In this day and age, it can be difficult to keep up with the latest form of technologies available and to make sure they are effective as learning tools. Technology gives us the opportunity to do some pretty amazing things for education. However, only a handful of schools and teachers typically have access to some of these technological advances.
This day was started in 2012 as a way to share these new innovations and technologies with teachers and educators to make sure that all children are given access to digital learning opportunities.
Every year teachers and educators from all over the country get together to celebrate this day. Thousands of events take place nationwide to participate. Classrooms, schools, districts, and states all host these events with the sole purpose of sharing ideas and learning new ones. These pooled resources, lessons, and digital innovations make it possible for students’ education to improve and for teachers to become better at their jobs.
Many educational websites, schools, and companies also host webinars, online classes, and video-conferences on this day to help promote the sharing of these ideas. This day is not about replacing a teacher with a screen or any other form of technology. It's about creating the most effective learning environment for all students with tools that are used everywhere else besides the education industry. Let’s create better classrooms for America by spreading innovation and effective technology. Our children’s education depends on it.
