Digital media and technology let students learn at their own pace and in their own style, thus increasing engagement and motivation.

After school programs play a key role in digital learning. Digital media and technology let students learn at their own pace and in their own style, thus increasing engagement and motivation. Within disadvantaged communities, after school programs help to close the digital divide.

One of the main challenges for after school programs is difficulty identifying the best methods for using digital tools to support their program objectives. Through trainings and related resources, quality after school programming can prepare students to become informed consumers, users and producers of digital content.

With Digital Learning Day drawing near, consider the following ideas to incorporate digital tools into your program: 

• Be aware of the levels of technological access and fluency in your students.
• Inform students about local and public venues to access digital content.
• Model and discuss strategies for critically evaluating digital content, finding useful information, expressing ideas in different formats and troubleshooting common problems.
• Create, find and share activity ideas that develop digital literacy, and refer students to organizations helping to develop those skills.

With their instructional freedom and flexibility, after school programs are ideal for supporting schools in the digital divide. To learn more, check out Edutopia's Ten Tips for Teaching New Media.