Indiana edtech leader Candice Dodson highlights digital learning moves

Candice Dodson has always been passionate about helping fellow teachers do more with technology.

The former Indiana elementary school teacher’s enthusiasm didn’t go unnoticed. Her efforts in leading digital media instruction eventually landed her a senior post as director of e-Learning for the Indiana Department of Education, and recognition by her peers as the ” State Leader of the Year” by the State Education Technology Directors Association (SETDA) at its annual convention last month.

Dodson sat down with EdScoop to talk about some of the education technology initiatives Indiana has underway this year.

“We have a such a great momentum around digital learning at our 292 public school districts,” she said, describing a variety of initiatives including a week devoted to involving students and teachers, and reaching out to parents, about the importance of digital citizenship.

“We also hosted the Summer of eLearning, with 25 regional conferences, looking at what do we do now that students have all this technology in their hands,” she said. The conferences brought together nearly 10,000 teachers over the months of June and July, with face-to-face meetings with experts, to better understand the impact of mobile technology, the cloud and social media.

Dodson also stressed the importance of SETDA, where Dodson currently serves as the 2016-2017 board chair.

It provides an unparalleled opportunity to hear how states are dealing with a wide range of issues, she said, including the procurement of digital technology and content, the impact and requirements of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

It’s also provided an chance to explore how states can take fuller advantage of SETDA’s latest national broadband recommendations , announced in September.

Reach the reporter at wyatt.kash@ScoopNewsGroup.com and follow him on Twitter @wyattkash and @edscoop_news .