Attributes of the Digital-Age Learning Plan

From their research and visits to nationally-recognized schools, Council members have crafted a plan for Indiana with several essential attributes:

• The plan is student centered. It focuses the investment on ensuring that Indiana students will be competent, knowledgeable, and competitive in a global, high tech society.
• The plan is systemic. It defines a common vision for the state and key goals for digital-age learning in Indiana centered on the acquisition of 21st Century skills. It provides metrics, ongoing research and evaluation and accountability measures.
• The plan honors local control of schools. It recognizes there should be no “cookie-cutter” solutions with technology, that every community, every school and every classroom teacher has different starting points and different needs. Customization of local planning is the key to success.
• The plan is for everyone. Its benefits are extended to every community, every school, every principal, every teacher and every classroom over a six-year period.
• The plan builds the capacity of Indiana educators. It recognizes that while greater investments in technology are critically needed, especially to achieve an ultimate environment of one-to-computing and online testing, the primary need at this point is to go beyond digital access, to increase readiness and build capacity by investing in our most critical resource for success, people. The plan focuses heavily on developing the capacity of local school leaders and providing personalized coaching and training for every teacher.
• The plan honors pioneering work in Indiana. It acknowledges that there are many great schools in Indiana that are ready now to step up to new models that re-engineer classrooms to incorporate 21st Century skills.