What is Digital Learning Day?

What do we mean by digital learning?

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?

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

Past Digital Learning Days

Explore Digital Learning Day celebrations of years past, including live webcasts, Google Hangouts, awards, and more.

When is Digital Learning Day?

Digital Learning Day will be celebrated nationally on February 23, 2017. The Maryland Department of Education has designated February 22, 2017 as Digital Learning Day for Maryland. Feel free to celebrate on either day, or BOTH!

How is BCPS Celebrating Digital Learning Day?

Every day is Digital Learning Day for Team BCPS! Teachers leverage technology daily to provide tools and support to each student based on his or her learning needs. Our students are empowered to make choices about how they can learn a skill or concept and demonstrate their learning because they have daily access to robust digital content and tools. Learning experiences are connected to real-world problems, and designed to encourage student collaboration, communication, creativity and other 21st century skills. To continue to push innovative ideas we have curated some things you may want to try!

What Activities Are Available?

Coding Activities

Maker Activities

Digital Connections

Other

Hour of Code Activities

Recess Game (from MSDE)-

The purpose of this project is for students to use their creativity, grit, and maker mindset skills to create and build a new game that can be played safely inside.

Catapult (from MSDE)-

Students will use the provided materials to build a catapult that will face three tests for launch distance, power, and accuracy. Students will record their information on the provided charts.

Mystery Skype

The global guessing game that gets kids learning about geography, culture, and the similarities and differences of how children live all over the world

Virtual Field Trip

Take your students for an adventure without leaving the classroom.

Connect Beyond the Classroom Walls

Connect digitally with other teachers and students beyond your classroom walls to create unique learning opportunities. Create a Padlet post to make a connection!

Digital BreakoutEDU-

Elementary

Secondary

Slow Twitter Chat- A Slow Twitter Chat occurs over multiple days and is focused on a specific topic, with one question being posted each day. Participants answer the questions on their own time throughout the week using the agreed upon hashtag. Responses shared during an ODL Slow Twitter Chat will be archived.

Student Showcase

Ask students to select their best digital work. Host a gallery walk around your school.

Digital Citizenship Photobooth

Create a photobooth for your students to share what they consider the most important thing to remember to be a good digital citizen.

SlamDunks

Online Research Modules

Genius Hour- During genius hour students of all levels are empowered to explore their own passions. Discover how to transform your classroom into a place where students want to come in and learn.

Destiny eBooks- Use a URL or QR Code to share a book with your students.

Tumblebooks- Take time out of the day to drop everything and read an ebook.

Official Digital Learning Day Lesson Ideas