WELCOME TO THE MAINE INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR DIGITAL LEARNING

MICDL is a non-profit organization that provides professional development and support for middle and high school leaders and teachers (both in-service and pre-service) regarding student-centered learning and teaching practices in 1-to-1 digital environments for the purpose of fostering student creativity, engagement, empowerment, well-being, and readiness for citizenship, college, and careers in a rapidly changing global society. MICDL also identifies, uses, conducts, and disseminates collaborative action research and formal research, and supports the development of local, state, national and international policies and practices in the field of digital learning and teaching.

MICDL was founded in 2008 by former Maine Governor Angus King and Bette Manchester. The idea was to create a nimble organization that would complement and build upon the successes of the Maine Learning Technology Initiative (MLTI). MLTI was initiated in 2000 by Governor King and Ms. Manchester based on the advice of Seymour Papert, and Ms. Manchester directed the program until 2008. Since 2002, MLTI has provided laptop computers and wireless classrooms to all 7th and 8th grade students and their teachers, along with resources, technical assistance, and professional development for administrators and teachers. The program has since expanded into Maine high schools and continues to be the largest and most learning-focused 1-to-1 “laptop” program in the world.

Currently, Governor King serves as MICDL’s board chair, Ms. Manchester serves as its president, and John Newlin serves as its executive director. In addition to King and Manchester, MICDL’s board includes two former Maine Commissioners of Education, Susan Gendron (SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium) and Duke Albanese (Great Schools Partnership).

The MICDL website is also the home of and builds on the MaineLearns.org website that served teachers and students in the MLTI program for several years. The MICDL website is intended to be a valuable resource and portal for collaboration for teachers, administrators, researchers, educators of teachers, and policy makers regarding student-centered learning and teaching practices in 1-to-1 digital environments.

We have strong connections to a large number of Maine’s middle and high schools, and we are continuously exploring new projects that bring innovative ideas about 1-to-1 digital learning into Maine classrooms. We encourage you to browse our resources and become an active collaborator on this website, and please contact us directly if you wish to explore the possibilities of collaborating on an in-depth project with us.

For more detailed information about MICDL please see the About Us section of this website.