Digital Learning Day 2016 is just a week away!
DIGITAL LEARNING DAY 2016 (#DLDay) provides an opportunity to share ideas, collaborate with peers, try new digital tools, and celebrate education innovation. This year it’s celebrated on Wednesday, February 17th.
How will your school or library participate? If you are looking for inspiration, we’ve identified practical tips and ideas that you can implement immediately.
10 IDEAS FOR PARTICIPATING IN #DLDay:
1. Join in the Fun!
Classrooms worldwide are celebrating Digital Learning Day. See what other educators are doing, and take away new ideas that you can use in your classroom on another day.
2. Share!
Post a short video or image so that others can see how you integrate digital learning into the classroom. If you’re a subscriber, we want to hear from you! How are you using Britannica resources to enhance your students’ learning? We’re on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We would love to see how you make the most of your Britannica resources. Use #DLDay to share your new ways of using technology for learning!
3. Listen Up.
Identify a voice you admire in the Education industry…is it a teacher, a publisher, a blog? Find one (or more) and be inspired on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. And make it easy for yourself—subscribe to newsletters or social media news feeds, so that the information comes to you and you don’t have to search it out. Interested in receiving our monthly newsletters?
4. Put the Kids in Charge.
We all know that kids are embracing technology like never before. They willingly talk about technology and share what apps and sites they like. Take 15 minutes and let students present their favorite educational app or site. It will engage and empower the students, and might give you some new ideas for the classroom. Delve into why they love that app or Web site…is it the self-pacing, the colorful interface, or a unique twist on the topic? How can that tool apply to a topic that you’ll cover in class this year? This is also a great way to build students’ evaluation and analysis skills!
5. Lunch & Learn.
This never goes out of style! Does your school or library have a forum to share new technologies and ideas? If so, great—take the time to participate! If not, be the one to start something. Designate one day a month for a Digital Lunch & Learn session and take turns leading the lunch.
6. Do Something New.
Think about what interests YOU most about digital learning. Chances are you’ve seen a new digital product (ImageQuest or Pathways: Science might come to mind) or technique (flipping the classroom) that piqued your interest. Now is the time to do something about it! Sign up for a free trial to a new product, locate a free or recorded Webinar to get some new classroom ideas, or find a whitepaper that provides more background about a topic. Take the first step!
7. Find Virtual Pen Pals.
Get connected, discover new cultures and learn together. To get started, try a site like PenPal Schools—a worldwide online pen pal learning community. Find a class of similar age in a foreign country. Great for students who have family in other countries!
8. Lights, Camera, Action!
Have the kids use an app like iMovie to interview a grandparent, family friend, or relative. Tales can range from war experiences to moving cross-country to being the first in the family to attend college. Students will be excited to use the technology and the movies will spark interesting class discussions. No technology at home? Make use of the public library!
9. Travel the World.
Use a trusted Web site like Britannica School and use video to take a virtual field trip, on Digital Learning Day or any day. Visit Ireland on St. Patrick’s Day, go inside the Smithsonian to see gems from American history, visit a college, or ask students to compare their life to someone their age in South Africa.
10. Get Ready for College and Careers.
Career Day can be any day, and location isn’t a problem anymore! Tap into your network of alumni, parents, former college professors, and others who want to serve as a career role model for students via Skype or Facetime.
We believe that incorporating the spirit of Digital Learning Day every day will help all students reach their true potential. What ideas will you try?
