Welcome to The Digital Educator Global Academy
The Digital Educator Global Academy (DEGA) is an initiative of The Digital School, with the vision of developing a global community of skilled and confident digital educators.
DEGA provides educators across the world with tailored learning programmes structured to develop their skills and competencies in digital teaching and learning. Developed in association with Arizona State University, the professional development programmes are aligned with the National Standards for Quality Online Learning.
We aim to develop a community of educational practitioners, who have the confidence, skills and knowledge to effectively facilitate students’ self-directed online digital education, through remote and hybrid delivery models, and who can share best practices and discuss applications with their peers at a worldwide level, through technology-driven approaches.
DEGA will also aim to influence the global education community through scalability and new models, thought leadership, establishing standards, and by influencing international policy and access.
The importance of developing digital capabilities
Effective teaching and learning supported by technology offers the potential to improve the quality and relevance of education and provides the potential to support personalized learning and make learning more effective for all. High-quality, inclusive and accessible digital learning, if it is supported by evidence and linked to clear and proven pedagogy, can transform the lives of those unable to access to mainstream education.
However, technology by itself will not transform children’s learning: it is essential to design and deliver technology-supported transformation programmes holistically. Teachers are still crucial to the success of educational initiatives. Effective blended learning practices involve using technology alongside face-to-face learning and interactions.
Success in achieving global impacts for learners depends on educational practitioners who have the confidence, skills and technology to deliver quality digital education. Capacity building and the continual development of digital skills and competencies in the teaching workforce is therefore a core factor in achieving those learning impacts.
Current courses
Level 1: Orientation – How to use TDS LMS
- What is an LMS
- How to access LMS
- Using LMS for PD
- Using LMS with your students
- Online, self-paced, completion certificate
Level 2: Digital Educator – Educating in an online environment
- Basics of digital schooling
- Classroom management
- Whole and small group instruction
- Cyber Safety
- Online, self-paced, completion certificate
Level 3: Supporting Self-Directed Digital Learners
- The Digital School Pedagogy Model
- Planning
- Teaching
- Assessing
- Online, self-paced, completion certificate
About The Digital School
The Digital School aims to create the means to reach marginalised and underserved learners, wherever they are, and regardless of context, to provide quality learning opportunities and deliver the knowledge, skills and competencies for them to be able to thrive in 21st century society and steer them towards a brighter future.
Established by Mohammad bin Rashid’s Global Initiatives, the Digital School is a global, integrated online and hybrid school targeting those in marginalised and hard-to-reach communities: students who may not have had equitable access to educational opportunities, and communities facing educational, socio-economic and political challenges.
The Digital School believes that a combination of cutting-edge technology, innovative pedagogy and capacity development will play a central role in supporting and facilitating teachers, students, and the learning process more broadly. It has a vision for a world where educators have the confidence, competencies and motivation to engage students in learning, where digital technologies empower them to deliver, and where students develop the life skills they will need to prosper, including socio-emotional, and digital skills. These educational opportunities will be quality-assured, safe and affordable to everyone and accessible to all.
The Digital School has developed an innovative approach to teaching and learning. Its pedagogical model aims to develop students’ agency and self-directed learning skills by blending a range of well-established, research-based, student-centred learning practices, into a clearly defined learning cycle. Its infrastructure, built around the Digital School’s core delivery platform, is structured to fully support this model and facilitate our students’ self-directed learning.
Navigating the DEGA platform
- On your dashboard you can select the courses that are either ‘In progress’ or ‘Completed’, together with any certificates that you have gained, by clicking on the relevant buttons.
- To return to your Dashboard at any time, you can click the ‘Dashboard’ button in menu at the top of the screen.
- To view or change your account details, including your password, you can click on the blue icon at the top right of the screen.
- Remember, you can change the language of the platform menus by clicking on the flag icon at the bottom of the screen. This will give you the option of Arabic, English, Spanish and French.