 JANUARY 2022
Welcome to the Digital Learning Plan (DLP) monthly newsletter
This newsletter will explore the Wyoming DLP, its goals, and suggested strategies to ensure equitable access to opportunities and success in postsecondary, career, and civic life.
Digital Learning Plan Implementation
This month’s focus is the DLP Future Ready Framework gear Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment. The goals of this gear are:
 |
|
- Provide a common understanding of what students should know, understand, and be able to do specific to digital learning and digital citizenship.
- Technology is used to gather and utilize data to inform educators and students with personalized instruction.
- Educators use instructional practices that shift their role to be facilitators of learning.
|
The Wyoming Department of Education (WDE) is launching the Digital Citizenship PK-12 Curricular Framework course to support educators in helping students become informed, safe, and responsible digital citizens. The WDE believes it is important for students to be able to identify and access credible resources and information from a variety of sources and to make contributions as knowledgeable, healthy, and engaged citizens in any environment.
This course was designed specifically for Wyoming educators by the Dig Cit Doctors, Dr. LeeAnn Lindsey and Dr. Kristen Mattson, to provide a foundation for teaching students how to navigate our digital world and become competent decision makers. The course features the Digital Citizenship Curricular Framework, which was developed by Lindsey and Mattson, based on their years of combined experience in the classroom and providing professional development to thousands of teachers.
Interview with the Dig Cit Doctors
Question: As a former teacher, what do you wish you had known about Digital Citizenship when you were in the classroom that educators will find helpful in this course?
Answer: “When we were in the classroom, much of the conversation around technology was fear-based and told kids what 'not' to do. There was a very narrow definition of digital citizenship that was limited to stranger danger, password protection, and filtering adult content. Now we know how much richer and fuller digital citizenship is and how exciting these topics can be for students to engage with. We agree that having resources to empower our learners with digital-aged skills would have been helpful, and you will find so many of those in this course.”
Q: What do you want teachers to know before they take the class?
A: “Digital citizenship does not have clear 'right' and 'wrong' answers. You do not have to be an expert in all things digital to help your students engage in meaningful discussions and experience rich lessons. Oftentimes, opening the door to the conversation is all you need to do and you will learn just as much from your students as they will learn from you and from one another.”
Q: What do you wish everyone knew about Digital Citizenship?
A: “Digital citizenship is not just for young people. This course will help you grow as a digital citizen yourself by empowering you with new knowledge, encouraging you to examine your digital habits, and pushing you to try new things. We are all citizens of digital spaces and share a responsibility for creating and sustaining the digital communities we are part of.”
Be one of the first to enroll. in the Digital Citizenship PK-12 Curricular Framework, self-paced, eight-hour Canvas course. Enrollment is open to anyone, and .5 virtual education PTSB credit is available upon successful completion.
Join the fun: Digital Learning Day (#DLDay).
-
Clever Panda Program - Free online course designed to help Canvas users take their knowledge to the next level and earn the title of Clever Panda.*
-
eLearning Collaborative - New professional development series. Series focuses on two strands; improving online content and courses, and supporting students at a distance.
-
ISTE Certification Training - WDE-sponsored International Society for Technology in Education Certification for Educators training for 100 Wyoming teachers.*
-
Open Educational Resources - Free, open enrollment online course about open education resources; class is available to all Wyoming educators. Check out Open Range Wyoming for open education resources created and vetted by a professional group of Wyoming teachers. In partnership with UWYO and aligned with OER, the WDE would like to highlight the outstanding Learning Actively Mentoring Program (LAMP). LAMP Roadshow.
-
Quality Matters - WDE-sponsored workshops or virtual courses on developing and delivering quality online content available to all Wyoming educators at no cost.*
-
Quality Matters Teaching Online Certificate - Series of seven workshops focused on effective online teaching practices sponsored by the WDE available to all Wyoming educators at no cost.*
-
Wyoming Digital Learning Guidelines Course - Free, open enrollment online course about using education technology in the classroom available to all Wyoming educators.*
*Eligible or available for PTSB approved virtual education credit.
Stay Tuned
For more information on the Wyoming Digital Learning Plan or the Future Ready Framework, contact Laurel Ballard, Supervisor, Student & Teacher Resources Team, at 307-214-0170 or laurel.ballard@wyo.gov.
| 
