Like World Tourism Resilience Day – in 2023 – International Digital Learning Day is a recent creation. Specifically, it is being commemorated a year late: 2024.
Therefore, in 2025, the second edition of this day will be celebrated, sponsored by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). Let’s see what its origin is.
Origin of this day
The International Day of Digital Learning was declared in November 2023 by UNESCO, as we have just mentioned, one of the specialised agencies of the United Nations.
Its first edition was commemorated on 19 March 2024 after recognising ‘the possibilities offered by high-quality and accessible digital learning to address educational challenges worldwide and promote inclusive sustainable development’.
Similarly, the approved resolution emphasises that the proclamation of this day ‘promotes action at the international and national levels’ by generating new activities or strengthening existing ones.
For this reason, 19 March of each year was proclaimed as International Digital Learning Day, inviting UNESCO Member States and partners to support the activities, as well as encouraging the organisation of commemorative events.
Digital Learning Week
In addition to this global digital learning day, UNESCO has also been commemorating Digital Learning Week since 2023, an event whose 2025 edition will take place at the organisation’s Paris headquarters between 1 and 5 September.
As UNESCO itself recognises, during this week it ‘brings together the community of leaders, policy makers, researchers and digital education professionals from various organisations, including United Nations agencies, governments, NGOs and the private sector to guide technology for education’.
The 2024 edition focused on two issues in particular: the first was how education systems need to foster mindsets that are centred on both the human being and digital skills.
On the other hand, technological progress is also associated with challenges of a different nature, as is the case with the rise of generative AI and the fact that it is outpacing the regulations that should govern it.
What does digital education or digital learning consist of?
Digital education is presented as a highly relevant issue for improving learning in the future and for being able to focus on those who are less fortunate.
Based on the fact that digital learning has three fundamental factors for its development, according to the United Nations – the content of digital platforms, the capacities of students and teachers and connectivity – its progress can help in closing the digital divide.
Digital education has a number of advantages such as personalisation, increased autonomy, improved digital skills, a greater variety of options, better planning, greater teacher interactivity and greater reach.
However, it should also be borne in mind that some of these benefits can become drawbacks depending on the circumstances, as they can lead to social isolation, a sedentary lifestyle or difficulty disconnecting from the digital world.
Digital learning also faces a series of challenges. In addition to making progress in minimising the digital divide, another challenge for the implementation of this educational model is the training of those who teach in this way.
To this end, the Líderes Digitales programme of the Fundación Telefónica seeks to make the most of the possibilities offered by technology for the entire educational community, with a focus on issues such as the management of screen time, privacy, identity and the digital footprint, the development of critical thinking and empathy, the handling of cybersecurity, and the response to cyberbullying.
