- Feb 2016
-
dogtrax.edublogs.org dogtrax.edublogs.org
-
I should just put my cynical self aside for the day, and try to pop into some of the conversations when I can (or check out the archives later).
My thought is that you should give cynical Kevin the day off but let critical, reflective Kevin run wild. Critical, reflective Kevin can keep days like this from becoming knee-jerk tech boosterism. He can also call out "fetishization" of tools. Channel your inner Diego the Explorer. He rights wrongdoing and has a jaguar as a pet.
-
If we want a brighter future for all of our students, regardless of gender and socioeconomics, then we have to be having these discussions, and here, the folks at Digital Learning Day have given over the stage to it.
We'll know that efforts like #dlday are having an impact when we can see authentic teacher discourse about equity and when the student work that results shines a light on promising equitable practices. -
And I don’t see a Pearson in the mix.
This reminds me of watching Dora the explorer with my daughter when she was young and how we would boo when Swiper the fox showed up. No matter how loudly we yelled, "Swiper, no swiping!" that fox fleeced Dora and confounded her plans every time.
Sticking with that crazy analogy, Dora's friends Backpack and Map are good guys who help her in her efforts. Can we see the good guys on #dlday? In my mind, when teachers have a voice and a platform to model innovative instruction, they can advocate for useful tools (Backpack) and promising practices (Map) that might inch teaching and learning forward. 
-
It can feel as if it is government influencing our views of how to reform education. The mission statement about digital learning reads like a passage of the Common Core. Still, there is an entire page of video tours of various schools who are sparking change with digital learning opportunities for students. And I do see some classroom teachers will be part of the webinars.
I think you're doing an important critical read of this event. I've looked at the Hour of Code and Computer Science Education Week in a similar way. There is usually some industry influence behind this but it is also heartening that both of these events put issues of equity at the center of their promotion. How can we use events like these to champion equity?
-
In the past, I have tried to do digital learning activities on Digital Learning Day, if only to bring my students into the national conversation about learning in the age of technology
This seems like a good rationale. These kinds of events can feel contrived for teachers, especially for those who use digital tools thoughtfully throughout the year. The potential benefit probably lies in helping students connect with the world, so to speak, and to understand how teaching and learning are changing as a result of technology advancements.
-