Digital Learning Day

Arkansas Celebrates Digital Learning Day!

We are a partner state in the national Digital Learning Day campaign. The Arkansas Department of Education invites classrooms to integrate digital tools in new ways, not only on this day, but during the remainder of the school year.

"Our celebration of Digital Learning Day is meant to encourage all Arkansas educators to recognize the importance of technology as a tool to enhance learning and to provide schools an opportunity to showcase their digital learning efforts." Shelley Dirst, Arkansas on iTunes U

http://www.digitallearningday.org/ Registration is now open for the National Town Hall Meeting to be held at 12:00 PM CST on February 1, 2012.

Arkansas on iTunes U is launching a competition for schools to submit videos demonstrating how their students are using iTunes U. Resulting videos and instructional resources will be published in iTunes U. Contest opens February 1 and closes June 1. You can win technology tools for your school!

The Arkansas Digital Sandbox now has a Digital Learning Day group. Simply create a short video discussing or demonstrating how you are transforming your classroom to a Digital Classroom. Deadline February 29.

TICAL-The Technology Information Center for Administrative Leadership, through the Arkansas TICAL Cadre, brings visionary digital leadership to Arkansas educational leaders. Beginning February 21, 2012 they will come together at the Peabody Hotel in Little Rock to create a common vision for digital-age learning and share ideas at: The 2012 TICAL Conference, Embrace the Leadership Cube: Connect, Create, Collaborate .

This group of instructional leaders challenges schools to get involved in any of the following ways, and use the Twitter hashtag #ARDLDay to share with the Arkansas community! Send a video diary of your efforts to the Sandbox group.

What Can I Do in My Classroom?

Take the one-day, no paper/pencil challenge! Can your school or classroom plan an entire paperless day? See No Paper, No Pencils Day or http://abpc21.org/withoutpaper.html
Use Skype to contact other schools, professionals, or other countries: http://www.teachingdegree.org/2009/06/30/50-awesome-ways-to-use-skype-in-the-classroom/
Take a virtual field trip http://www.onlineeducation.net/virtual-field-trips
Try a QR Code activity in your instruction: http://www.andrewkmiller.com/2011/12/twelve-ideas-for-teaching-with-qr-codes/
Download the new iTunes U app and search for free instructional media! http://www.apple.com/education/itunes-u/
For more ideas, check out the Toolkits here: http://www.digitallearningday.org/toolkits/

Questions? Contact Shelley Dirst