The City of Dallas is giving youth better opportunities for learning through The Dallas City of Learning project. According to an article from Dallas News, the project will allow students to earn digital badges by utilizing chances to learn throughout the city. Over 50 organizations, from museums to theater camps and zoos are involved in the project, which starts on June 9th and was announced by the nonprofit group Big Thought and Mayor Mike Rawlings.
The article cited the President and CEO of Big Thought, Gigi Antoni, who said, “We know that kids spend 80% of waking hours outside the classroom, yet chances for out-of-school enrichment aren’t typically available to many of the kids in our city.” This project may teach students that learning doesn’t end when the bell rings, but is possible anytime between the ring of the morning alarm and the flick of the last lamp at night.
This happened to me when I left college to start my first full-time job. While in school, I thought the only time we can learn is when we have a book in our hand. Reading is an essential aspect of learning, but it is important, especially for children, to have multiple senses involved in learning.
This new program seems like it will have both short and long term benefits to the community of Dallas. It could make students more interested in learning, and it will expose them to new ways of learning, new places to learn, and new ideas. This may spark interest and ignite previously untouched kindling in the minds of these students. A child’s first visit the zoo through the program may have ripple effects in the future revealing a passion for studying and caring for animals. That child may grow into a future veterinarian.
In this day there are many different career options. Exposing students to more workplaces and ideas will help them better decide their career path in the future. We will see how the program plays out, but it seems to be a step in the right direction for Dallas.
* Hyperlink to http://educationblog.dallasnews.com/2014/05/dallas-to-become-learning-lab-for-students-seeking-digital-badges.html/
-Tony Johns (Customer Account Manager)