Education

So Far, 27 States Sign On to Digital Learning Day

By Ian Quillen — December 15, 2011 1 min read
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Two months after the announcement of Feb. 1, 2012 as the nation’s first Digital Learning Day, 27 states have agreed to take part with their own statewide observations, according to a press release from Gov. Bob Wise’s Washington-based Alliance for Excellent Education issued Tuesday.

Celebrations will vary by state, and may include gubernatorial proclamations, digital learning student showcases, lesson plan contests, highlights of best practices, and the launch of statewide projects, the release says. The initiative also has 26 instructional technology experts working to craft resources for observance of the day in each state.

What’s unclear is how the day will help forward the message of ed-tech advocates who push for technology embedded within existing practices, rather than layered on top of them. If anything, it could be argued that it actually does the opposite, calling special attention to practices that advocates would like to be viewed as mainstream.

And states like Florida, Georgia, New Hampshire, North Carolina, and Massachusetts, considered more open to policies pushed by Wise and Gov. Jeb Bush, who teamed up to launch the Digital Learning Now initiative, have yet to sign on to observe the day, according to the release.

A version of this news article first appeared in the Digital Education blog.