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Digital learning plan released by state superintendent’s council
Posted: 2/1/2012 3:37:01 PM
From the Department of Public Instruction
State Superintendent’s Digital Learning Advisory Council has completed its task of creating a plan to guide digital learning in Wisconsin schools. A Vision for Digital Learning in Wisconsin is a blueprint, including recommendations and action items, to help schools and education partners chart their future courses regarding technology. It is presented in the form of a website.
“We gathered good people to formulate these recommendations and action items in order to support innovation in schools and districts,” said State Superintendent Tony Evers. “Schools shouldn’t have to reinvent the wheel when it comes to figuring out how best to use technology. This plan will serve as a roadmap of best practices and maximum impacts.”
The Vision includes recommendations for schools divided into six topic areas, and action items which the council and partners will pursue. The Digital Learning Advisory Council is made up of a variety of representatives of education, libraries, and industry and is co-chaired by Connie Erickson, director, Cooperative Educational Service Agency 11, and Mike Kerr, executive director, Wisconsin Technology Initiative. The group will continue to serve; it will work to carry out the recommendations and action items contained in its Vision, forging new partnerships as necessary.
Among the council’s recommendations are:
- providing students the opportunity to take online and blended courses before graduating from high school
- exploring methods that allow teachers to maximize their efforts, such as the “flipped classroom”—where the tradition of transferring knowledge via lecture is replaced with a digital homework assignment such as a podcast; meanwhile, students do homework in the classroom, where teachers can engage in improved coaching and assessment
- invigorating collaborative efforts with businesses and industries
- allowing students to use their own devices for learning
- ensuring sufficient and affordable broadband access for schools and students, and equitable access for every household with students
- developing a statewide, online environment for Wisconsin educators to share and explore quality teaching resources and methods, to avoid redundant curriculum development tasks and to share best practices
“Digital tools are essential to helping students learn,” Evers said. “They can connect our many efforts to identify what students should learn, and to assess and ensure their progress in learning it. And, to ensure today’s students are college and career ready, we need to innovate, with technologies and techniques that truly engage the digital generation.”
The plan was released in tandem with the February 1 Digital Learning Day observation.
Links:
A Vision for Digital Learning in Wisconsin is available at http://tinyurl.com/WIDigitalLearningPlan.
The Wisconsin Digital Learning Day webpage is http://dpi.wi.gov/imt/dlday.html.