National Online Learning Day on September 15th is a great opportunity to explore the potential of technology in the classroom. Instead of simply having students do their regular work online, this day can be used to reflect on and celebrate how digital tools can transform learning.
Here are some lesson ideas for teachers to use, from elementary to high school:
For All Grade Levels
- Reflect on Digital Learning: Start the day with a discussion. Ask students to think about something they recently learned to do—it could be anything from a new recipe to a video game trick. Then, lead a discussion on the role digital tools played in their learning.
- How many examples involved a digital tool?
- Did a digital tool make the process easier or more effective?
- Could they imagine doing it differently with a new digital tool?
- Virtual Field Trip: Take a virtual tour of a museum, national park, or even a different country. Many museums and institutions offer free online tours and curated educational content.
- Digital Scavenger Hunt: Create a list of things for students to find and photograph or record on their phones or tablets. The scavenger hunt can be academic (e.g., “Find a picture of a historical artifact from ancient Rome”) or creative (“Take a picture that represents the theme of gratitude”).
- Collaborative Digital Project: Use a tool like Google Docs, Jamboard, or a collaborative whiteboard to have students work together on a single project. This could be a group story, a brainstorm for a new science experiment, or a mind map of a historical event.
Elementary School
- Online Games for Learning: Use educational websites and apps that feature games for math, reading, spelling, and other subjects. A quick search for “free learning games for kids online” will provide many options.
- Digital Storytelling: Have students use a simple app or website to create their own digital story, complete with drawings, photos, and voice recordings. They can tell a story they’ve written or create a non-fiction presentation about an animal or a historical figure.
- “Show and Tell” Digitally: Give students a theme and have them find an item at home that fits. They can then take a picture or video of the item and share a short explanation with the class, either live or by submitting it ahead of time.
Middle and High School
- Digital Citizenship and Media Literacy: National Online Learning Day is a perfect time to talk about digital responsibility. Have students investigate how and why copyright law has changed over time and apply this information to current events. You could also have a discussion about their digital footprint and what a positive online presence looks to them.
- Create a Digital Presentation: Challenge students to use a creative online tool (like Canva, Google Slides, or a video editor) to summarize a topic they’ve recently learned about. The presentation could be a persuasive argument in five slides, a video about a historical figure, or a series of infographics explaining a scientific concept.
- Online Research Day: Dedicate the day to having students conduct online research on a topic of interest. They could then create a digital presentation to share their findings with the class. This is also a good opportunity to teach them how to evaluate online sources for credibility.
- Virtual Guest Speaker: If possible, invite a guest speaker to your virtual classroom. This could be an expert on a topic you’re studying, a professional who uses online tools in their work, or a representative from an online learning company.
- Design a “Rube Goldberg Machine”: For a STEM-focused lesson, challenge students to work in groups to design a virtual Rube Goldberg machine using a design program or simply by drawing it out. The goal is to create the most inventive and intricate machine to perform a simple task.