Special to The Hays Daily News

TOPEKA -- In conjunction with the Alliance for Excellent Education's national Digital Learning Day on Wednesday, Gov. Sam Brownback has declared Digital Learning Day in Kansas.

In the proclamation signed Friday, the governor encouraged educators, students, parents, policymakers and members of the public to learn about innovations in the classroom and to promote promising practices in digital learning already occurring in classrooms in the state.

In Kansas, a number of schools are planning to host Digital Learning Day open houses Wednesday, showcasing the digital learning programs and use of technology in their schools.

A full list of school open houses is available at www.ksde.org/take.

"This is a day to celebrate and highlight the innovative teaching and learning that is occurring in a number of schools, districts and technology-rich classrooms across our state, while encouraging everyone to take some time to consider the exciting possibilities that exist to engage students in meaningful learning opportunities made possible through the effective use of technology in the classroom," said Melinda Stanley, education technology coordinator for the Kansas State Department of Education.

"As we work to prepare our students for their future, the effective use of digital learning tools is of critical importance. Digital Learning Day provides an exciting opportunity for the numerous Kansas schools who have implemented digital learning programs to share their successes with their communities and beyond."

KSDE also will release the results of a statewide digital learning survey.

The survey sought information from Kansas school districts related to technology available in their schools, district policies related to the use of technology as well as the type of applications and software being used.

The results of the survey will be posted online Wednesday at www.ksde.org/take.

For more information on Digital Learning Day activities, go to www.ksde.org/take.