Digital Learning will Transform Mainstream Education

Imagine a school where each child has a curriculum plan adapted to their individual needs, can progress at their own pace, and will graduate having learned all the core concepts needed for whatever they choose to do in life. Visualize a school where parents know what their child is learning, can see the work their child has done, can give feedback and help where needed, and can easily communicate and collaborate with the teacher. Dream of a school where the teacher has access to unlimited resources and updated curriculum to ignite the minds of individual students, where progress for each individual student can be monitored easily and help can be focused where it is needed. Now imagine that school available to every child no matter where they live or their economic status. We look at our current educational system with all its faults and think, it is impossible. Maybe some children can have that type of school, but it will never be possible for all children. That “vision of an education” can become a reality for all children by understanding the benefits and properly implementing “digital learning” in our mainstream schools.

What is digital learning? Digital learning is using technology to transform how teachers teach and how students learn. According to Digital Textbook Playbook, hereafter referred to as DTP, students learn thirty to eighty percent faster using technology. An example of that in my own life would be using my Kindle to read a book. Anytime I come across a word I don’t understand, I can click on it and get the definition right then and increase my comprehension of the text. Other examples of technology being used to facilitate learning would be online lessons that have links to:

·         interactive games

·         videos that show people, places, things, science experiments, etc.

·         questions to be answered as you read along

·         audible pronunciations and definitions of new words

·         quizzes

·         additional resource links for further study

Teachers have access to monitor how students are progressing through the lessons, online chalkboards that the student could save for future reference, and collaboration with many other teachers to share the best resources and ideas. Collaboration with others helps to solve one of the problems of transitioning to digital learning.

Anytime there is a change of this magnitude, there are all kinds of problems. Most people would rather use what is familiar even if it is ineffective. Administrators, teachers, and parents need to catch the vision before they will be motivated to change. Only then can the real problems, of implementing digital learning into the mainstream schools, be addressed. Some of those major problems would include, teacher training, transition costs, and internet safety issues.

What a tragedy it would be if administrators spent money to put all the necessary technology into place only to have it barely used because the teachers did not know how to implement the changes effectively. Teachers, most of all, need to catch the vision of the potential of digital learning for their students. Teachers need to be trained on how to use the technology. In many cases the students will probably master the technology before the teachers. One of the most crucial changes is learning how to facilitate the classroom to allow each student to progress at their own pace. Digital learning makes it possible to change the classroom so the learning conforms to the individual and becomes mastery based rather than grade oriented. Being aware of the resources and taking advantage of collaboration with other teachers will maximize those changes exponentially.

Administrators and lawmakers need to support teachers in focusing on mastery based learning. Funding will be one of their biggest concerns. All students will need to have their own digital devices like a tablet, laptop, or some other comparable device. They will also need to have access to the internet and enough supporting bandwidth to run all those devices efficiently. Transitions cost money, but understanding the cost benefits of digital learning will help convince administrators to make that investment. One example of the cost benefits of digital learning is the savings of textbook expense. According to DTP, using the digital textbook will save about $600 per student per year. There are several options for helping with the transition costs  listed in the DTP. One option is to have the students bring their own device.

Some concerns with having the student bring their own device are the potential incompatibility across the various devices, internet safety issues, and emphasizing economic inequality amongst the students.  If the school purchases the devices, all students have the same access and safety issues could be handled by password protection and not allowing access to unsafe internet content. Those are issues that will have to be discussed and decided by each school administration in the transition.

Making the transition to digital learning in the mainstream schools is not without challenges, but it is possible. Parents who have the time and are motivated can have that “vision of an education” for their children now and most of the time for no additional out of pocket cost. All our children deserve that same opportunity. We need to take action to have digital learning available in our mainstream schools. It starts with sharing the vision and letting teachers, administrators, and lawmakers know how to make it happen. Imagine every child graduating high school with the core knowledge they need for a productive future!

List of resources:

Digital Textbook Playbook   All the pertinent information for transition collected in one document

K12.com  An innovative company actively engaged in making the best curriculum available to schools and individuals

ProjectRED  A place for teachers and schools to collaborate and find resources