Your Comprehensive Guide to Digital Learning Day

Digital Learning Day 2019 will be held February 28, and we’re excited to see how schools across the country will celebrate. To help you kick things off, we’ve compiled some helpful information about Digital Learning Day, and we’ve included some Digital Learning Day ideas that will transform your classroom. So, buckle up and get ready!

What is Digital Learning Day?

Starting out as a grassroots effort, Digital Learning Day is now a national celebration of all the advances taking place in educational technology. As a quick refresher, digital learning refers to “any instructional practice that effectively uses technology to strengthen a student’s learning experience,” according to the official Digital Learning Day website In particular, Digital Learning Day emphasizes the importance of empowering teachers and students to adopt high-quality online courses, blended or hybrid learning, and digital content in their classrooms to increase equity and access to learning opportunities. With all the new edtech tools, mobile apps, and online educational content, it’s tough for educators to know which digital learning tools to invest in. Digital Learning Day encourages collaboration between educators and schools to share innovative edtech ideas and practices to ensure all students have access to modern educational opportunities. By creating a student-centric digital learning curriculum, teachers can prepare all students for college and career readiness. Sounds like a win-win-win situation! READ MORE: Find out how to create a culture of digital learning in your classroom

How do I celebrate Digital Learning Day?

Your imagination is the limit when it comes to celebrating Digital Learning Day 2019! Remember: This is a day to highlight the importance of learning and enhancing modern classrooms through the power of collaboration. So, get out there, talk to other educators, and share your favorite resources! For some Digital Learning Day ideas, check out the #DLD Event Map. This is a day to try new tools and methods to transform your classroom, so don’t be afraid to try some new activities. Here are just a few Digital Learning Day ideas to help you kick off your celebrations:

• Try a paper-free learning day. Conduct all activities digitally via Smartboards or projector, computers, tablets, laptops, and more. Instead of handing out worksheets, show a video and start a class discussion. Rather than reading from a textbook, display simulations and interactive images on your Smartboard or projector. The options are endless.
• Have an online research day. Challenge students of all ages to conduct online research on the importance of digital learning and create a digital presentation. You can even encourage older students to share their presentations with younger students, or have them help the younger students on their project.
• Host a digital learning showcase. Have teachers show off their favorite digital learning tools, activities, or resources in their classrooms. Students can test out the tools and activities as they rotate from classroom to classroom.
• Share digital learning activities with parents. Invite parents to your school to see the different measures you’ve taken to enhance the learning experience with digital tools and resources.
• Take a virtual field trip. There are plenty of ways to bring the outside world into the classroom. For example, Discovery Education has dozens of free videos to bring science to life in your classroom — without the mess! Or, explore a farm in a 360-degree virtual experience.

Because Digital Learning Day 2019 is about collaboration and resource sharing, don’t forget to check in with your colleagues. Let them know what Digital Learning Day ideas you have and ask what they’d like to try. If you know teachers or staff members at other schools, reach out and coordinate a larger, district or statewide celebration! READ MORE: Digital learning resources and solutions for every classroom

Digital Learning Day ideas for every grade level

Digital Learning Day ideas — elementary school

• Students are never too young to start learning about coding. Amazon Inspire has compiled the best coding apps for elementary students. Digital Learning Day 2019 is the perfect time to test them out.
• Unleash the power of STEM with the “Girls Get STEM: Unleash Your Inner Scientist” virtual field trips. Each of these 20-minute long videos explores different STEM concepts, and they’re all led by female scientists.
• “Bring the World to Your Classroom” with free, curated resources created by PBS and KPBS. Find standards-aligned videos, lesson plans, and more.

Digital Learning Day ideas — middle school

• Play digital hockey and learn about STEM in the process with online activity “Hockey Scholar: STEM Resource for Grades 4-7.” It also aligns with NGSS standards. Simply download the free program and start icing!
• Download the “Lightbot: Programming Puzzles” app (cost: $2.99) and start playing coding games. If you only have one computer and projector, no problem — play the coding games with the full class.
• Learn about natural gas and energy consumption through CenterPoint Energy’s free classroom activities. Show videos, answer online quizzes, and much more.

Digital Learning Day ideas — high school

• If you have a 3D printer, check out these fun new projects to try — including printing a new 3D printer.
• Try out Common Sense Education’s “Soccer Kicks: A Real vs Ideal Projectile Motion Experiment.” Don’t forget to download the necessary apps to make this a digital learning event.
• Explore genetics and the fascinating science of gene editing technology with interactive materials produced by the Innovative Genomics Institute. From audiovisual content to their “ask a scientist” series, there are plenty of ways to create a robust digital learning environment for your students.

If you’re looking for schoolwide Digital Learning Day ideas, this is a great opportunity to talk about digital citizenship. If you’re not sure how to get started, check out the free lesson plan “Digital Citizenship: What Stays, What Goes, What Tells Your Story?” Or, just start small with a few minor, digital tweaks to your existing curricula.

Celebrate digital learning year-round

Your digital learning initiatives don’t have to end when the final bell chimes on Feb. 28. In fact, they should remain at the forefront of your curricula going forward. At SolidProfessor, we’re passionate about digital learning, providing online engineering training resources for schools and corporations. If you’re ready to take your digital learning to the next level, start exploring our Library of more than 5,000 online engineering tutorials. And, whenever you’re ready for a free demo or to get set up with an evaluation account, just fill out our Technology Grant form and a team member will contact you. Keep the digital learning momentum going! READ MORE: FAQs about digital learning and how to implement digital learning practices in your classroom