Passing along the information below from the Dept. of Education... -------------------------------- Greetings Colleagues, The Office of Educational Technology at the U.S. Department of Education is launching the *Digital Literacy Accelerator* <https://tech.ed.gov/dla/> and hope that you will join me in getting the word out. Many learners spend significant time each day online, yet have never received training on how to engage with the information they encounter. *Our future depends on our ability to strengthen learners’ digital literacy skills, in order to combat misinformation and promote civil discourse in digital spaces. * The Digital Literacy Accelerator calls upon interested participants to design, prototype, pilot, and refine an educational intervention aimed at helping students and adults learn crucial skills related to strengthening digital literacy, particularly around civil discourse and identifying and combating misinformation. *Applications are due October 7, 2021.* The Digital Literacy Accelerator will offer participants a hands-on opportunity to iterate on new ideas that can be applied to innovative educational interventions related to digital literacy. Each team of 2-5 members will have a chance to win a minimum of $2,000 in prize money by completing 4 milestones in the design process. Teams will receive a minimum of $500 for each milestone associated with their acceptance and convening activities. Those selected to participate will receive support from leading experts in both digital literacy and design thinking as well as support from peers and leaders. I encourage you to share this opportunity with those in your network (especially undergraduate, graduate, and young professionals) who are passionate about this topic and are looking to learn more about design thinking and edtech development. The link to more information is here: *https://tech.ed.gov/dla* <https://tech.ed.gov/dla> We will also be holding an informational webinar on Thursday, 9/23, at 1pm ET / 10am PT. Registration details can be found on the DLA website <https://tech.ed.gov/dla/>. -------------------------------- Gary Lanoie, Executive Director ACTEM - The Association of Computer Technology Educators of Maine P.O. Box 187, Gorham, ME 04038 Phone: (207) 222-4353 FAX: (207) 222-2057 Email: [log in to unmask] *SAVE THE DATE * *• * *ACTEM 2021 Fall Conference **• Oct. 14-15, 2021*