What day is it?

Digital Learning Day is celebrated annually on the last Thursday of every February. The digital revolution has provided people with unprecedented access to learning and research opportunities using digital devices.

Digital Learning Day aims to draw attention to the importance of using digital technologies in education. Innovative and improved technologies have an important place. This type of learning encompasses several different tools and aspects to empower students, including the Internet, blended learning, and resources. Digital learning is also used to improve the professional capacity of teachers who can share their experiences with students.

How did the idea to celebrate the Day of Digital Education come about?

Digital Learning Day was introduced in 2012 in the United States of America, where it was celebrated for the first time. Later, the holiday spread to other countries and gained international significance.

The celebration of the Day of Digital Learning provided an important impetus for leaders in the field of education to use gadgets for teaching practice and popularize educational technology programs that encourage students to achieve better results.

Such efforts turned into a massive international holiday, when educators realized that Digital Learning Day is very important for self-development. Technologies do not free teachers from their work, but rather strengthen the role of the teacher in the classroom. The Day of Digital Learning promotes the use of modern tools in various fields of knowledge.

Interesting Facts

• The first computing machine (computer) was created in 1822 by Charles Babbage.
• Surgeons who played video games as children made 37% fewer mistakes during their work.
• More e-books are bought on the Amazon trading platform than there are paper counterparts.
• In 1984, 1,000 devices were connected to the World Wide Web, in 1990 – 1,000,000, and in 2009 this number exceeded one billion.
• The first cellular conversation took place in New York in 1973. And the first person to talk on a mobile phone was Martin Cooper, an employee of the Motorola company.
• PC “BK-0010” is the first computer that appeared in school classes of the Soviet school. Serial production of these computers began in 1983. They were used to teach computer science.
• Online learning began in 1960 when Donald Bitzer, a laboratory assistant at the University of Illinois, created the first electronic learning system called PLATO. The device was originally designed exclusively for computer education, but thanks to its innovative networking capabilities, it quickly became the basis for online learning and online communities.

Advantages of digital learning

Digital learning is increasingly replacing traditional educational methods every day. Given how rapidly technology is developing, old teaching methods are being replaced by new teaching and learning methods based on digital tools and technology.

Digital learning can include:

• Using tablets instead of paper textbooks.
• Application of special computer programs and mobile applications.
• Implementation of distance education.
• Even social networks and communication platforms can be used to create and manage digital tasks and programs.

Regardless of how technology is integrated into the classroom, digital learning plays a crucial role in education. This gives students an opportunity to gain interest in learning and broaden their horizons.

Scientists believe that digital learning has many advantages over traditional educational methods.

• Digital learning tools and technologies enable students to develop effective self-education skills. They know how to find and use Internet resources, apply information about a current problem, and even evaluate the results. This increases their efficiency and productivity. In addition to engaging students, digital learning tools and technology help hone critical thinking skills, which are the foundation for developing analytical skills. Children who explore open questions with imagination and logic learn to make decisions, as opposed to temporary memorization of textbook material.
• Digital learning improves student motivation and accountability. Students who use digital learning tools are more deeply involved in the educational process, gain interest in acquiring knowledge. Thanks to wide interactive possibilities, digital technologies make the process more interesting, such material is better remembered than voluminous textbooks or one-sided lectures. This allows students to better interact with the learning material.
• Digital learning tools involve educators and parents in the educational process. Learning tools and technologies, such as social learning platforms, make it easy to create and manage groups. The transition to digital learning will make work with each student individual.

Why is this event important?

There is a great variety of modern digital devices (PCs, laptops, tablets, smartphones, 3D printers, 3D pens, etc.) in the world. Thousands of new educational computer programs, mobile applications and educational courses appear every day. Therefore, it is important to introduce and spread innovative practices, to ensure access to them for all young people and those people who are interested in the education they received.

Digital Learning Day is another opportunity to find out what knowledge can be obtained with the help of this or that gadget, using this or that software. Educational institutions themselves, developers of programs and applications, as well as ordinary people who have personally appreciated all the advantages of digital education are engaged in the dissemination of such information.

The Day of Digital Education has its own page on the Internet, where everyone has the opportunity to share their educational materials, textbooks, courses, etc., which will be publicly available to other users of the web resource. The site also publishes successful stories of the introduction of innovative digital technologies in various American schools.

When will we celebrate Digital Learning Day?