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Much has already been written about the inaugural Digital Learning Day yesterday, which included a full day of virtual visits to schools across the country making good use of digital media to engage high schools students and address a variety of learning needs and styles and a Town Hall meeting that featured U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, among other high profile policymakers and education leaders. 

As someone who has advocated for effective and appropriate use of technology to support teaching and learning, I found much about yesterday’s event to appreciate.  For sure, the ideas expressed aren’t new or revolutionary, and Arne Duncan and Julius Genachowski are not the first national leaders from the Department of Education and the FCC to express such optimism around the promise of technology to improve student outcomes (remember Secretary Richard Riley and FCC Chairman Reed Hundt??).  But the renewed focus on the promise of innovation supported with technology in education comes at a pivotal juncture in our history.  While the economic status of public schools is precarious, the price point of digital devices has come down dramatically at the same time the functionality of those devices has expanded and the availability of digital content continues to explode….much of it free to the user.

If we can coalesce this renewed enthusiasm to unleash American ingenuity to figure out how to move the education experience into new “digital spaces”, we’ll begin to address the pressing educational needs of our country and the students who will serve as tomorrow’s leaders.  Let’s hope yesterday’s celebration motivates all of us who care about public schools and the students they serve to move quickly to make digital learning experiences the norm, not the exception.

Photo from Wikimedia Commons