Digital learning has not always been as ubiquitous as it is today–in fact, a decade ago, the concept made many educators uncomfortable. But today, digital learning resources are embraced as tools that highly-skilled educators can use to boost student engagement and connect classroom lessons to the real world.

Digital Learning Day celebrates this evolution and highlights how educators across the country are using digital learning tools to create authentic connections and personalized learning opportunities for every student, everywhere. Check out All4Ed’s Digital Learning Day resources to find digital learning tools, hear from fellow educators about their digital learning strategies, and more.

Here, five educators share the digital learning tools and resources that have proven successful in their classrooms and in their schools.

1. Specialized digital content can support students as they learn specific and individual skills. While digital science content is abundantly available, digital science content that supports and focuses on lab skills is more difficult to come by. Cristi Watkins Sims, department chair and AP Biology teacher in Arizona, shares her three favorite digital resources that can help support ALL science teachers teaching science lab skills.

2. Mixed reality glasses can help struggling readers. Hear from two East Carolina University educators and researchers about how they created a science reading experience for 5th grade students using the Microsoft HoloLens, a mixed reality technology that merges the real and virtual worlds to produce something entirely new. Young readers wore the mixed reality glasses and then looked at a page of scientific text in the real world. The HoloLens was programmed to deliver supplementary content in the virtual world that could only be seen and heard within the glasses. Because abstract concepts can be intimidating for young learners, the focus remained on supplying additional information for difficult scientific concepts. When the students’ eyes paused on a particularly difficult word or phrase, the glasses would deliver audio-visual information to supplement the reading.

Laura Ascione
Latest posts by Laura Ascione (see all)

Source: https://www.eschoolnews.com/digital-learning/2023/03/15/5-innovative-ways-educators-are-using-digital-learning-tools/