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Governor John P. deJongh Jr. has proclaimed February 6, 2013 as “Digital Learning Day” in the Virgin Islands to educate teachers, students, schools, parents, policy makers, and the public on ways to integrate high-quality digital learning and the effective use of technology into improving the educations of all the territory’s students.
“Digital Learning Day is a national campaign, designed to celebrate innovative teaching and highlight practices that make learning more personalized and engaging for students. The initiative provides a platform to explore how digital learning can provide all students with the opportunities they deserve to build the skills needed to succeed in college, a career, and in life,” Governor de Jongh said.
In observance of this day, a national town hall meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 6 to celebrate Digital Learning Day participants across the nation. Locally, digital practices utilized in schools and classrooms across the Territory will be featured at the Virgin Islands Department of Education’s new web portal, www.vide.vi.
Parents, students, educators, businesses and community partners are encouraged to email their ideas, lesson plans or a description of their involvement with using, supporting or being a part of an outstanding digital learning activity to ideas@doe.vi. Submissions will be showcased on the new VIDE web portal. Members of the community may also log on to to www.vide.vi to subscribe to receive SMS text messages about digital learning and other education related information.
Additionally, to promote the observation of Digital Learning Day, emails were sent to all the Territory’s schools, encouraging teachers to integrate technology into special lessons throughout the week. In recent years, the VIDE implemented several programs to promote learning through the use of digital tools, including the introduction of promethean boards into some classrooms and iPads into others to aid in the instruction of students with disabilities.
Virgin Islands teachers are also utilizing the Department’s online professional development portal to advance their professional abilities and effectiveness in the classroom.
The governor noted that digital technologies are the new front line, and that the Virgin Islands is continuing to make the investments in infrastructure and training to stay ahead of the curve and to effectively use technology to the benefit of all the Territory’s residents.
In referencing the trajectory of businesses in embracing digital technologies, he also stated, “Through the Virgin Islands Next Generation Network, for example, we are building out a high-speed Internet network Territory-wide, while the Virgin Islands Economic Development Authority is partnering with local businesses to boost their online capabilities.”
To learn more about how to be a part of this important day, sign up at www.digitallearningday.org. You can also “like” Digital Learning Day on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NationalDigitalLearningDay and follow the discussion on Twitter using the hashtag #DLDday.
Governor de Jongh encourages administrators, teachers, students, schools, parents, policymakers, and the public to participate in Digital Learning Day activities, and to use the day to explore new types of innovation in the classroom and to promote promising practices in digital learning already taking place around the nation.
