Digital learning has always been something school districts like St. Cloud Area School District 742 has encouraged and talked about – its importance and how it will educate and prepare students for the 21st century work force. However, in the last year, digital learning has become the mainstream model of education in most schools due to a global pandemic. How apropos that it is also the tenth anniversary of Digital Learning Day!
Ten years ago, the Alliance for Excellent Education founded Digital Learning Day to “celebrate innovative teachers and improve learning experiences and outcomes for students.” Over those 10 years in District 742, digital learning has grown and evolved.
Digital learning is focused around four areas of learning: communication, collaboration, creativity and critical thinking, otherwise known as the Four C’s. Communication and collaboration look differently on a digital platform–whether students are in the classroom or at home.
During class in distance learning, students are placed into Google breakout rooms by their teachers. They are able to collaborate on projects and communicate with each other without the distractions of other groups talking in the classroom. Teachers then pop into each student group to check-in or answer questions.
South Junior High School sixth-graders Nolan and Jackson Stuber, Evan Ebnet-Cox, Aksel Newman and Andrew Brown all love learning through technology. They also support each other in the process.
“We are all friends in the same text group,” explains Jackson. “So, like during math, we can call each other and work together.”
What these students value most is their independent learning. They are also able to be more creative and expand their critical thinking skills.
Brown says, “You have a sense of relaxation and everything is in one place. It’s less stressful. You can focus on yourself and not everything else that is going on.”
Nolan adds, “If I don’t have something like colored pencils for art, you can substitute something else. You have a wider box of thinking.” Whereas, his twin brother says, “I can just mix colors online to create what I need.”
“Being creative,” explains Jackson, “is just using what you’ve got.”
Still, there are sometimes challenges with digital learning. Internet can go down. There can be delayed responses from teachers or group members. When that happens, these students think critically outside the box. They do their own research online, seek out other resources–whether it’s family, friends or the community. Through distance learning they have learned to manage their time, problem-solve and set their own pace.
“A lot of times in class a student will say, ‘I’m done’ and then another and another which adds a lot of pressure,” says Ebnet-Cox. “[In digital learning,] I can work at my own pace and not worry what other people are doing. Then when I’m done with my work, I go online and explore other areas of what I just learned and practice it.”
They dedicate the extra time they gain from the classes they excel at to those classes that need extra time.
The group agrees that they all appreciate digital learning and recognize how it prepares them for their future.
“I feel like as the world is evolving,” says Newman, “technology, in the future, will be more advanced. Our generation is going to know how to control it and use it. It’s more important that we learn it now.”
“Before distance learning, I did not know a lot about computers other than to play [games] on them,” shares Nolan. “Now for my tech ed class, we’re using computer-aided design (CAD) on our own.”
Nolan and Newman also work with CAD in the technology education class. Nolan wants to become an architect and Newman either wants to be an architect or a game designer.
“I think digital learning really helps prepare me,” says Jackson. “When I get older, I want to work with electronics. Computer programming really interests me.”
Ebnet-Cox wants to be a professor or software/computer engineer and Brown wants to be a chiropractor.
According to Alliance for Excellent Education, “Now, more than ever, digital learning is not confined to a school or classroom. Instead learning is mobile and should be available to students anytime and anywhere.”
These five students agree. They realize they are better prepared and educated, more empowered, engaged and inspired for their future because of digital learning.
What a great way to celebrate 10th Digital Learning Day!
View our celebration video!
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