Friday Focus - February 3

Digital Learning Day -- What's the big deal?

Digital Learning Day (this past Wednesday) was a nationwide celebration of innovative teaching and learning through digital media and technology that engages students and provides them with a rich, personalized educational experience.  While digital learning should not happen just one day out of the year, it was a day to try something new, showcase success, kick off project-based learning, or focus on how digital tools can improve student outcomes.

Recently I overheard another educator (not from our district) say how irritated he was with hearing about schools getting all kinds of new technology and how they're "just flashy toys."  New technology can certainly be seen as a "toy," but if you fail to learn how they can be used for learning, you're missing out on a great opportunity.  We are in the digital age now and tech tools are not going away.
Here's a great youtube clip that sums up my thoughts on it (I didn't make it):


That being said, I'm always amazed at how willing you all are to try new things and incorporate technology to engage your learners.  I can remember years ago the hesitation about us purchasing 1 portable SMARTBoard, and now you all have them and use them frequently! Not only are the SMARTBoards used just to project for your students to see, but you're finding some of the neatest activities on your boards to have all of your students become active participants and be fully engaged in the learning process.

For digital learning day I spoke to the 4/5th grade classes about what it means to be a digital citizen.  We used to talk about what it means to be safe on the internet, but to be quite honest, the biggest concern these days seems to be what students are "putting out there" about themselves as they go on facebook, blogs or other message boards.  We often hear about middle/high school students getting themselves into trouble, cyberbullying, or just looking bad by what they are posting.  I believe that it's important for us to start teaching them at a young age that how they behave online is no different than how they should act in real life and that as they post things online for others to see, they are creating their "digital footprint."  My vision for our students is that we can continue to integrate technology and teach them foundational skills they will need to be digital citizens as they use the technology for learning as they move up through the grades.

If you're interested, here are the two video clips I shared with the 4/5th grade students.  I know it doesn't apply to our youngest kiddos, but I found them quite interesting myself!
Digital Etiquette
CyberBullying