NWP Teams with Alliance for Excellent Education for Digital Learning Day!

Inaugural National Day Around Digital Learning to be Focused on Personalized Learning and Effective Teaching

For Immediate Release

NWP Radio: Digital Writing Matters

• When: January 26, 7 p.m. EST/4 p.m. PST
• Where: on NWP Radio

Press Contact

• Caroline Griswold
  National Writing Project
  510-225-0963
  media@nwp.org

Berkeley, California, November 14, 2011 – Building upon a growing movement, the National Writing Project (NWP), is calling on teachers, schools, principals, community leaders, parents, and students to participate in the inaugural national Digital Learning Day on February 1, 2012. An effort of the Alliance for Excellent Education, Digital Learning Day links together a wide range of states, organizations, and corporate partners to call attention to the powerful work going on in the many districts and classrooms where educators are making thoughtful use of the potential of digital tools.

Digital Learning Day will celebrate innovative teaching practices that make learning more personalized and engaging and encourage exploration of how digital learning can provide more students with more opportunities to get the skills they need to succeed in college, career, and life.

"Digital Learning Day is more than just a day," said Bob Wise, president of the Alliance for Excellent Education, co-chair of Digital Learning Now, and former governor of West Virginia. "It is about building a digital learning movement that truly provides a quality education for every child."

Technology has made nearly everything in modern life more efficient, accessible, richer, and faster. It is hard to imagine modern life without the rapid innovations that have boosted productivity, created jobs, and changed our daily lives, yet education remains largely untouched by the power of technology in the classroom and particularly in teaching and learning.

"Simply layering on technology alone will not move the education needle very much," said Wise. "Effective technology combined with great teachers and engaged students has the potential to transform the world of learning. The time has come to ensure that every child has access to the engaging experience that comes with powerful teaching and rigorous content available through digital learning. The teachers are here, the technology is everywhere, and the students are ready and able."

February 1, 2012, will be the culmination of a continuous celebration of innovation, personalization, and imagination to build a movement that provides a high quality education to every child. No matter the approach, no matter the grade level, no matter the subject or geographic location, no matter a teacher's specific comfort with using technology, this day will challenge education professionals and policy makers at all levels to start a conversation, make a proclamation, improve a lesson, or create a plan.

"Young people are writing more than ever in today's world of texts, tweets, blog posts and status updates," said Sharon J. Washington, NWP Executive Director. "The NWP has been deeply involved for years in equipping teachers with innovative approaches to integrate new technologies into their teaching while they redefine writing and learning for the 21st century. We look forward to bolstering the digital learning momentum with our participation in Digital Learning Day as we strive to make sure every student is an accomplished writer, engaged learner, and active participant in a digital, interconnected world."

The website, DigitalLearningDay.org , offers customized toolkits for all audiences, grades, and subjects to help you think about how you can contribute to the campaign. Teachers, principals, students, leaders, parents, and communities are invited to visit DigitalLearningDay.org today to register to receive toolkits, resources, and invitations to run-up events and activities.

The National Writing Project has several digital writing initiatives in place, including Digital Is , a website that collects ideas, reflections, and stories about what it means to teach writing in our digital, interconnected world. The National Writing Project also recently published Because Digital Writing Matters, which examines what teachers, administrators, and parents can do to help schools meet the challenges of digital writing and to equip students with the technology-related communication skills they need to thrive in our information-rich, high-speed, high-tech culture.

The National Writing Project (NWP) is a nationwide network of educators working together to improve the teaching of writing in the nation's schools and in other settings. NWP provides high-quality professional development programs to teachers in a variety of disciplines and at all levels, from early childhood through university. Through its network of 200 university-based sites located in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, NWP develops the leadership, programs, and research needed for teachers to help students become successful writers and learners.