Daily Dish: Another Successful Digital Learning Day Celebration! #DLDay

Yesterday the Alliance hosted the fifth annual Digital Learning Day (DLDay), showcasing innovative teachers, leaders, and programs that are improving student learning experiences through the effective use of technology. There were over 2,300 DLDay events across the country, including celebrations in classrooms, libraries, and afterschool programs. DLDay was celebrated across whole schools and districts, in all fifty states, and in fifteen countries across the world.  To see a map of the over celebrations throughout the U.S. and across the world, visit http://www.digitallearningday.org/domain/25.

So, how do students and teachers celebrate DLDay? Check out some of the tweets below:

Who doesn’t love digital learning? #Engage109 #kip109 #DLDay pic.twitter.com/xjEVcZDO4e

— Tim Victorine (@Mr_Victorine13) February 18, 2016

.@AbingonGIFT student watches as the house she designed for her pet turtle is 3D printed today! #APSDLDay2016 pic.twitter.com/0YRZAZPwHc

— Mr. Fox’s Class (@FabledFoxes) February 17, 2016

Everyday is #DLDay when we use powerful tools to propel learning. @OfficialDLDay @All4Ed #edtech #njed #wwprsd pic.twitter.com/mXF53C0So1 — R. McLelland-Crawley (@Bec_Chirps) February 17, 2016

4th and 5th graders programming robots to complete tasks on Digital Learning Day at MPES #CCSDLDay#NCDLDay#DLDaypic.twitter.com/l9OefGotks — Erica Williard (@EWilliard) February 17, 2016

For more photos, videos, and messages from DLDay, visit www.twitter.com/officialdlday. This year’s DLDay had a special focus on digital equity, exploring how the digital divide is impacting communities and what national and local leaders, educators, and students are doing to minimize it. Digital Learning Day Live! featured a mix of live webcasts, Twitter chats, and Google Hangouts focused on access, leadership, teacher preparation, college and career readiness, instructional quality, and the road ahead towards achieving digital equity. These segments are all available to view at http://www.digitallearningday.org/equity. The DLDay Live! event was moderated by Rafranz Davis, executive director of professional and digital learning at Lufkin Independent School District in Texas, who guided the conversations with guests and shared her personal experience and expertise in several of the issue areas.

During DLDay Live!, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel discussed the important of student access to broadband internet and the FCC’s plans to modernize the Lifeline program. Zac Chase, a ConnectED Fellow of the Office of Educational Technology, U.S. Department of Education, shared ways in which the National Education Technology Plan (NETP) provides roads to achieve digital equity. Darryl Adams, superintendent of Coachella Valley Unified School District in California, connected via Skype from a Wi-Fi equipped school bus that the district parks in neighborhoods with low-income families to provide students with internet access. Adams expressed his desire to do whatever it takes to get students connected, as captured in the tweet below:

“We’ll do whatever we can to connect students-even put a router on a pigeon if that’s what it takes!”-@DrAdamsCVUSD pic.twitter.com/JwOP5Y1LA5 — Digital Learning Day (@OfficialDLDay) February 17, 2016

Alliance President Bob Wise joined Commissioner Rosenworcel and Ms. Davis in the DLDay Live! studio to discuss the critical work of expanding digital learning opportunities for students, both inside and outside of school.

.@BobWise48@RafranzDavis@JRosenworcel ready to kick off #DLDayAccess segment @ 10am ET https://t.co/EawPERFnhjpic.twitter.com/ukheoCwxQG — Digital Learning Day (@OfficialDLDay) February 17, 2016

Wise expressed the importance of focusing on digital equity on digital learning day, and but also every day. He shared these and more thoughts on Digital Learning Day in a post on Medium.

The work for digital & educational #equity does not end today. #DLDay is just the beginning: https://t.co/k9mgbRHvqfpic.twitter.com/TOp0OhWdbb — All4Ed (@All4Ed) February 17, 2016

During DLDay, those passionate about the issues raised took to Twitter to join in the conversation:

#DLDayTeach “The desire to try new things….” has to be matched with the autonomy to bring them into the classroom.

— Lori Stahl-Van Brack (@Loristava) February 17, 2016

“I like about DL..I can work at my own pace, get ahead & I’m responsible for my learning.” from #ncvps student #ncvpsDLDay #DLDay #NCDLDay — Brian Whitson (@scibri) February 18, 2016

#Makerspace knows no age limits! Provide opportunities to muck around, to make, to create and to make! #dldaystem #DLDay @mitmedia — Steve Guditus (@sguditus) February 17, 2016

Real world experiences in learning environments allow Ss to be eased into the world of work-Real life learn/g 4 LIFE. #DLDaySTEM @All4Ed — Barbara Cotter (@BcCotter) February 17, 2016

The #HomeworkGap is the cruelest part of the digital divide. #DLDayAccess is all about finding ways to bridge it and improve #digitalequity. — Jessica Rosenworcel (@JRosenworcel) February 17, 2016

The winners of the Alliance’s Excellence and Innovation in Secondary Schools awards were announced and celebrated during DLDay. Cleveland’s MC2 STEM High School, Indiana’s Warsaw Community Schools, and California’s Santa Ana Unified School District were honored for their work to successfully transforming the learning experience and improving outcomes for traditionally underserved secondary students. For more on Digital Learning Day, visit: www.digitallearningday.org.