Digitally Enhanced Education in California Briefing Paper

Abstract

This briefing document has been developed for the California Teacher Advisory Council (CalTAC), in support of its proposed initiative entitled “The Digitally Designed Class Room Without Borders.” The initiative is intended to create a dialogue between teachers and companies producing digital materials and tools as well as academia, federal laboratories, neuroscientists and others to identify newly emerging technologies offering promising innovations in digitally enhanced education and online learning with potential to empower student learning and academic performance and build increased capacity for state-of-the-art instructional design and curriculum content both within the classroom and in an alternative learning environment.

The document includes a snapshot of leading state-level digitally enhanced education programs currently in operation serving California’s K-12 or K-16 education segments; a brief summary of digitally enhanced education models in operation in various locations across California and beyond; and an inventory of California laws, regulations and policies having direct impact on delivery of digital learning in the State.

In addition, the paper contains examples of new and emerging educational technology tools, applications, networks and strategies being developed and deployed by private-sector digital-learning experts; perspectives regarding deployment of digitally enhanced education in California from both school administrators and educators; and a summary of perceived barriers and potential recommendations regarding expanded deployment of digitally enhanced education.