Digital Learning Day: 4 Ways to Celebrate in Your Classroom

At Edmentum, we know that technology isn’t a silver bullet—but it can be a powerful tool. With our digital curriculum, proven assessments, and educational services, the Edmentum team is so lucky to be able to work side-by-side with students and educators on a daily basis and see all the creative ways technology is being used to support deeper learning and positive student outcomes. That’s why we love celebrating Digital Learning Day.

Started in 2012, Digital Learning Day, or DLDay, is a nationwide event dedicated to recognizing and sharing high-quality instruction and future-focused student achievement that integrates technology through innovative and impactful approaches.

It’s a day that’s truly intended to be for everyone, with the goal of expanding educational opportunities and promoting equity. Here’s how the organization defines 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.

Ready to take part in this year’s Digital Learning Day celebrations? Here are five fun (and easy) ways to get involved:

Host your own Digital Learning Day event

One of the coolest things about Digital Learning Day is that it is all about participation.

Last year, educators across the U.S. hosted over 2,300 local celebrations to spotlight or encourage new and different ways of using technology to support learning. Each event is unique, and the possibilities for your own are nearly endless.

Get students out and exploring the community, showcase student-created films or podcasts, host your own TEDx event, introduce students to coding, and so much more.

The whole point is to utilize technology to learn something new and share in the process with other educators and students.

Sign a Digital Citizenship Pledge

There’s no better opportunity than Digital Learning Day to sign a digital citizenship pledge with your students. 

While you’re on the topic of online safety, be sure to explain and discuss with your students why digital citizenship is so important and how it can affect their future college admission decisions, job searches, and more. 

Organize a Digital Scavenger Hunt

Encourage students to embark on a quest to find information related to specific topics or concepts using a variety of educational apps or websites. Whether exploring historical events, scientific phenomena, literary works, or mathematical concepts, the possibilities for scavenger hunt themes are endless. Students can use search engines, educational platforms, or subject-specific websites to uncover clues, solve puzzles, and gather information.

Try incorporating multimedia elements such as videos, images, and interactive quizzes to make the scavenger hunt more engaging. For example, you could create a quiz using a platform like Kahoot!, where students answer questions related to the scavenger hunt clues. Additionally, consider including bonus challenges or hidden clues to encourage critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

Talk About the Importance of Internet Safety

Part of navigating our online world is making sure that your students are practicing safe behaviors every time they use the Internet. Take some time on Digital Learning Day to explain the importance of Internet safety to your students.

Common Sense has put together some awesome lesson plans for grades K–12 that talk about a variety of subjects like talking safely online, risky online relationships, and more. Also, be sure to decorate your classroom with our free downloadable handy Internet Safety poster.

Evaluate Online Source Credibility

As an educator, you have an important role in helping your students build investigation, evaluation, and critical-thinking skills when it comes to conducting research.

The ability to evaluate different types of media and forms of content has even made its way into the Common Core State Standards, as this skill is becoming increasingly important for your students to learn as they transition into adulthood.

We’ve gathered a few age-appropriate resources to help you teach your students how to navigate the different parts of a website, how to find the right site, how to evaluate its credibility, and how to start the conversation about credibility in your classroom.

Technology will never replace those critical interactions between teachers and students—but it can inspire some pretty incredible, student-centered learning activities. Take advantage of this Digital Learning Day not only to celebrate the amazing doors that technology has opened but also to help your students understand the importance of using that technology appropriately. By learning and applying strong digital citizenship skills, we can continue to make meaningful strides forward for everyone.

Need a little push to start incorporating more tech in your school or classroom? Check out this blog post on Implementing Tech Tools without the Headaches.