AFrameworkfor

PowerfulLearningwithEmergingTechnology

November2025

AccratingInnovationinEducation

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D·g'ta·l

Emergingtechnologiesholdimmensepromisetopromotepowerfullearning.Thisframeworkandthe

accompanyingpaperprovideaguidefordevelopers,learners,andeducatorstocreatepowerfullearningexperienceswithemergingtechnology.

OurFrameworkforPowerfulLearningwithEmergingTechnology,drawingfromacomprehensive

reviewofresearchandrecommendedpracticesincluding59expertinterviews,articulatespractical

designrecommendationstopositionemergingtechnologiesasaresourcethateducators,caregivers,andlearnerscanleveragetosupportlearningexperiencesanddeveloplifelongskills.Theworkisbasedonthefoundationalunderstandingthatemergingtechnologiescomplementhumanintelligenceratherthanreplaceit.

Theframeworkisgroundedinthreeprinciplesfordevelopingproductsthatenablepowerfullearning:

Evidence-Based:

Thestartingpointfor

developingemerging

technology-enabledtoolsistoapplyresearchand

usemeaningfulmeasuresoflearning.Developers

shouldleveragerelevant

expertisethroughout

theseprocesses,suchas

researchers,subjectmatterexperts,andeducatorsandlearnersthroughco-design.

Learner-Centered:

Emergingtechnologytools

canrealizelearnervariability,helpingallstudentsreach

theirfullpotential,when

theypromoteagency,foster

metacognitionandwhen

developersenableaccessibility.Thesetechnologiescan

enhancepowerfullearning

experiencesthroughrelevance,purpose,productivestruggle

andreflection.

Skill-Building:

Emergingtechnology-enabledtoolsmustfocusbothonacademiccontent

andbuildingdurableskills.Amongthose,toolsshouldsupportcriticalthinking,sparkcreativity,andcultivatecollaboration.Building,andnotstunting,thesedurableskillsdemandsthoughtfulandintentionaldesignguidedbyexpertswhounderstandtheresearchandhowtotranslateittopractice.

DigitalPromise?AFrameworkforPowerfulLearningwithEmergingTechnology|2

DigitalPromise?AFrameworkforPowerfulLearningwithEmergingTechnology|3

Table1.PowerfulLearningwithEmergingTechnologiesFrameworkOverview

Principle

Evidence-Based

Practice

ApplyResearch

Strategy

Leveragelearningtheories

Integrateresearch-basedinstructionalpractices

Use

MeaningfulMeasures

Definelearningoutcomes

Planforiterativeproductimprovements

Leverage

RelevantExpertise

Collaboratewithexpertsthroughoutdevelopment

Co-designwitheducatorsandlearners

Learner-Centered

PromoteAgency

Personalizeforlearners

Makelearningrelevant

Groundinpurpose

Safetyspotlight:Privacy

FosterMetacognition

Enableproductivestruggle

Providereflectiveopportunities

Safetyspotlight:Explainability

EnableAccessibility

Includeassistivetechnologies

Considermultimodality

Allowfortranslanguaging

Safetyspotlight:Fairness

Skill-Building

Support

CriticalThinking

Fosterinquiry

Promotelearner'sunderstandingofemergingtechnologies

Encourageevaluationofemergingtechnologies

SparkCreativity

Elevatethehumancreativeprocess

Scaffoldcreativity

Cultivate

Collaboration

Createopportunitiesforhumanconnection

Facilitatecollaborativeefforts

Weadvocateforproductdevelopmentteamstoleveragetherecommendationswithinthisframeworkandaccompanyingpaperthroughoutproductdesignanddevelopment.Similarly,weadvocate

foreducationleaders,educators,andlearnerstoleveragetheseprinciplestoevaluatethetools

theyconsiderusingforlearningandtoinformthedesignoflearningenvironmentsthatintegrate

emergingtechnologies.Byembeddingtheseprinciplesthroughoutproductdesign,selection,and

implementation,weaimtocreateafoundationthatmakeslearningpowerfulforeachuniquelearner.

Continuereadingforactionablestepstotakeandaccesstoproductspotlightsexemplifyingeachprinciple.

DigitalPromise?AFrameworkforPowerfulLearningwithEmergingTechnology|4

Introduction

TheFrameworkforPowerfulLearningwithEmergingTechnologiesprovidesdeveloperswith

recommendedactionstodesignanduseedtechtoolsinwaysthatareevidence-based,learner-centered,andskill-building.Thesethreeprinciplesprovideguidanceforemergingtechnologiestobeintegratedinwaysthatpromotepowerfullearning,enhancinglearneragency,curosity,purposeandconnection.We

recommendthatdevelopersconsiderthepracticesandstrategiesholisticallyacrossallthreeprinciples,ratherthanfocusingononeprinciple,astheconceptsaremutuallyreinforcing.Additionally,theyshouldconsiderhowedtechtoolsareimplementedwithinsystemsofeducatorsandlearners,ensuringthatthetechnologyisnotinterferingwithhumanrelationshipsorinteractionsthatpromotelearning.Byapplyingtheactionsbelow,edtechproductscanmoreeffectivelyandequitablyservelearners.

Forgreatercontextandtoexploretheresearchbehindtheserecommendedactions,weencouragedevelopersto

readtheaccompanyingpaper

.

★★★

PromoteAgency

ApplyResearch

V

E

ERED

D

I

T

N

E

N

E

C

Foster

Metacognition

Use

C

-

R

Meaningful

E

Measures

E

N

B

-

R

Powerful

Learningwith

Emerging

Technology

A

A

S

E

L

D

E

LeverageRelevantExpertise

Enable

Accessibility

G

S

D

I

N

K

I

L

L-BUIL

Support

Cultivate

Collaboration

CriticalThinking

Spark

Creativity

Digita·l

promise·

DigitalPromise?AFrameworkforPowerfulLearningwithEmergingTechnology|5

Principle:

Evidence-Based

E

D

I

V

T

N

E

Leveragelearningtheories

Integrateresearch-based

instructionalpractices

★★★

PromoteAgency

ApplyResearch

ERED

De?nelearningoutcomes

E

C

Use

Meaningful

Measures

Foster

C

N

-

R

Metacognition

Planforiterativeimprovements

E

E

N

-

R

A

B

A

Powerful

Learningwith

Emerging

Technology

S

E

Collaboratewith

expertsthroughoutdevelopment

Co-designwitheducatorsandlearners

E

L

D

LeverageRelevantExpertise

Enable

Accessibility

I

N

G

S

K

I

D

L

L-BUIL

Support

Cultivate

Collaboration

CriticalThinking

Spark

Creativity

PRODUCTSPOTLIGHTS

Checkouthowtheseemergingtechnology-enabledtoolsaredesigningtoaligntothisprinciple.

Google

DigitalPromise?AFrameworkforPowerfulLearningwithEmergingTechnology|6

Practice

Strategy

Actions

Apply

Research

Leverage

LearningTheories

?Groundproductsinalearningtheory,andunderstandthe

designandimplementationimplicationsofthatlearningtheory.

?Developatheoryofchangegroundedinresearchabout

learning,withaclearlyarticulateddescriptionoftheproduct’sintendedimpactonlearning.

Integrate

Research-BasedInstructional

Practices

?Leverageresearch-basedframeworksandpracticesthattargetsubject-areaskilldevelopmenttosupportproductdesign

decisions.

?Communicatetheevidencebaseforproductswithcurrentandpotentialusers.

?Reviewandapplyneweducationresearchrelevanttotheproduct.

Use

Meaningful

Measures

DefineLearningOutcomes

?Definelearningoutcomesthatcentertheskillsandknowledgeoflearners.

?Measurebaselinemetricsandlearnergrowthusingvalidatedandreliableinstrumentstoensureoutcomesareproperly

captured.

PlanforIterativeProduct

Improvements

?Leveragemultiplemethodsofmeasurement(withinandoutsidetheproduct)acrossperiodiccheckpointstoevaluategrowthoflearners’skillsandknowledgeandtoassesslearneroutcomes

andtooleffectiveness.

?ReviewESSA’sTiersofEvidencetodeterminehowtheproductteamcanalignwithrecommendedresearchpracticesto

evaluateanddemonstrateimpact,andcreatearesearchplantomeetthemostmeaningfullevelofrigor.

Leverage

Relevant

Expertise

Collaborate

withExpertsThroughoutDevelopment

?Includesubjectmatterexperts(e.g.learningscientists,

educationresearchers,andpractitioners)inthedesignprocessfromconceptthroughdevelopmentandlaunch.

?Collaboratewithexpertsinspecificdisciplinestosupportsubjectarealearning.

Co-DesignwithEducatorsandLearners

?Engageeducators,children,andfamiliestoco-designtools

thatsupportlearners’socialandemotionalmaturity,cognitivecapacities,andlearningneeds.

?Includerepresentativeusersfromtheproduct’stargetaudiencewithdiversebackgrounds,abilities,andcontextsasactiveco-creatorsthroughoutdesignanddevelopment.

?Includeuserswhenmakingdecisionsaboutkeyproduct

featurestoensuretoolsauthenticallyreflecttheirneeds,goals,andintendedusecasesinreal-worldcontexts.

DigitalPromise?AFrameworkforPowerfulLearningwithEmergingTechnology|7

Principle:

Learner-Centered

Personalizeforlearners

D

E

S

A

B

-

E

C

N

E

D

I

V

E

T

N

E

C

-

R

E

N

R

A

E

L

Safetyspotlight:privacy

Groundinpurpose

ApplyResearch

productivestruggle

Enable

ERED

Providere?ectionopportunties

Use

Meaningful

Measures

Safetyspotlight:explainability

Powerful

Learningwith

Emerging

Technology

Includeassistivetechnologies

Considermulitmodality

LeverageRelevantExpertise

Allowfortranslanguaging

Safetyspotlight:fairness

Makelearningrelevant

PromoteAgency

Foster

Metacognition

Enable

Accessibility

I

N

G

S

K

I

D

L

L-BUIL

Support

Cultivate

Collaboration

CriticalThinking

Spark

Creativity

PRODUCTSPOTLIGHTS

Checkouthowtheseemergingtechnology-enabledtoolsaredesigningtoaligntothisprinciple.

TeachFX

DigitalPromise?AFrameworkforPowerfulLearningwithEmergingTechnology|8

Practice

Strategy

Actions

Promote

Agency

PersonalizeforLearners

?AllowuserstochoosewhenandhowtheyuseadaptiveAIfeaturesandsupportstoincreaseengagement,includingallowingforopt-out.

?Providecustomized,real-timeformativeandadaptivefeedbackaswellasactionable,data-drivenrecommendationsfor

learners,educators,orcaregivers.

MakeLearningRelevant

?Incorporateandaligncontentwithlearners’fundsofknowledge(theirlivedexperiences,personalcultures,andbackgrounds).

?Leverageframeworkstoapplyfundsofknowledgeintothelearningenvironmentthatconnectlearningtoreal-world

experiences,includingchallenge-basedlearning,connectedlearning,andlife-relevantlearning.

GroundinPurpose

?Helplearnerstounderstandhowtheireffortonataskis

meaningfulandalignedtotheirvaluesandlong-termgoals.

?Embedcontentlearninginreal-worldscenariosthatcanhaveanimpactonthelearner’scareerpathwayorlocal/global

community.

SafetySpotlight:Privacy

?Establishdataprivacyandsecuritymeasurestoprotectdataandguardagainstunauthorizedaccess.

?Carefullyconsiderwhatdataiscollectedandhowit’sused,publishingprivacyprinciplesthatadheretoandexceed

applicableregulations.

Foster

Metacognition

EnableProductiveStruggle

?EncouragelearnerstobringtheirownthinkingandideastothetablebeforeusinggenerativeAI,allowingthemtoengagemoredeeplyintheirownthinkingandlearning.

?Createasafespacefortakingrisksandmakingmistakes,andprovideproductivefeedbacktoencouragelearningfromthosemistakes,pairedwithopportunitiestotrymultipletimes.

?Ensurecontentisappropriatelychallengingwhileofferingnewstrategiesforlearnerstoconsiderastheymakeadjustmentstotheirlearningprocess.

Provide

Reflection

Opportunities

?Encouragelearnerstomaketheirthinkingvisible,andprovideopportunitiesforthemtopause,reflecton,andadjusttheir

thinkingbeforecontinuingwiththeirlearning.

?Providelearner-facingdatareportingtohelplearnersmaketheirowndecisionsabouthowtoadjusttheirbehaviorsandgoals

andengageinself-regulatedlearning.

?Allowlearnerstocustomizethefrequency,length,andcontentoffeedbackandreflectiveprompts.

DigitalPromise?AFrameworkforPowerfulLearningwithEmergingTechnology|9

Practice

Strategy

Actions

SafetySpotlight:Explainability

?Ensurelearnershavescaffoldstounderstandhowtointerprettheirdataandapplyfeedbacktomeettheirlearninggoals.

?Whenpredictiveanalyticsprovideautomaticsuggestions,

supportlearnerstobeawareofhowtheirdatawasutilizedto

makepredictions,andofferopportunitiesforthemtoconfirmoradjustthesuggestednextstepstomeettheirlearninggoals.

?Provideopportunitiesforlearnerstocustomizehowtheirdataissummarizedandsharedtobestsuittheirneedsandlearninggoals.

Enable

Accessibility

IncludeAssistiveTechnologies

?Providesupporttomeetalllearners’abilitiesandneeds,suchasclosedcaptioningsystems,translationservices,AmericanSignLanguage(ASL),text-to-speech,adjustabletextformats,text-

to-audioandtranscriptionsupportfeatures,and,whenrelevant,wearableemergingtechnology-enableddevices.

?Conductanaccessibilityauditusinga

VPAT

(VoluntaryProductAccessibilityTemplate)toensureadherencetoaccessibility

guidelineslike

WCAG2.1

(WebContentAccessibilityGuidelines)and

Section508

.

Consider

Multimodality

?Embedoptionsthatallowlearnerstoreceiveinformationacrossdifferentmodalities,suchasspeech-to-text,andutilizemultiplemodesofresponding,includingdrawing,speaking,orwriting.

?Ensurethatmultiplerepresentationsdonotaddtocognitiveloadbykeepingthemclearandlevel-appropriate,andallowuserstoselectwhichmodality(s)theywouldlikepresentedratherthanpresentingthemall.

Allowfor

Translanguaging

?Allowopportunitiesforlearnerstocommunicateacrossmultiplelanguages.

?Supportandintegratelearners’homelanguageswhenincorporatingculturalcontentintolessonstopromoteacademicgrowth.

SafetySpotlight:Fairness

?Ensurehumans(e.g.,learners,educators,caregivers)haveopportunitiestoapplyjudgmentinregardtotheethicsandimpactofdatacollection,reporting,anduse.

?Implementongoingandactiveprocessestoidentifyand

mitigateriskswithingeneratedoutputstopreventexacerbatingexistinglearningbarriers.

DigitalPromise?AFrameworkforPowerfulLearningwithEmergingTechnology|10

Principle:

Skill-Building

★★★

PromoteAgency

ApplyResearch

V

E

ERED

D

I

T

N

E

N

E

C

Foster

Metacognition

Use

Meaningful

Measures

C

-

R

E

E

N

-

R

A

B

A

Powerful

Learningwith

Emerging

Technology

S

E

E

L

D

LeverageRelevantExpertise

Enable

Accessibility

D

I

N

G

S

K

I

L

Encourageevaluationofemergingtechnologies

Promotelearner’s

understandingofemergingtechnology

Createopportunitiesforhumanconnection

Facilitate

collaborativeeforts

Elevatethehumancreativeprocess

Scafoldcreativity

L-BUIL

Support

Cultivate

CollaborationSpark

Creativity

CriticalThinking

Fosterinquiry

PRODUCTSPOTLIGHTS

Checkouthowtheseemergingtechnology-enabledtoolsaredesigningtoaligntothisprinciple.

DigitalPromise?AFrameworkforPowerfulLearningwithEmergingTechnology|11

Practice

Strategy

Actions

Support

Critical

Thinking

FosterInquiry

?Encouragelearnerstoaskquestionsinordertoconsidermultipleperspectivesandmissinginformation.

?Scaffoldbackgroundknowledgeandpromotecontent-areaskillsetssothatlearnerscanmorereadilyengageincriticalthinking.

?Embedemergingtechnologiesininquiry-drivenlearning

experiencestopromotelearners’curiosityandmotivationtoengageincriticalthinking.

Promote

Learner’s

UnderstandingofEmerging

Technologies

?Indicatewhereemergingtechnologiesareleveragedwithintoolstogenerateoutputsorrecommendations.

?Providedevelopmentallyappropriateexplanations,platforms,andlearningexperiencestohelplearnersunderstandhowAIoutputsandrecommendationsaregenerated.

Encourage

Evaluation

ofEmergingTechnologies

?Provideopportunitiestoverifysourcesandcross-check

informationaswellasopportunitiesforuserstoreporterrorsorbiasingeneratedoutputs.

?SupportlearnerstoevaluateAIbyencouragingreflectionontheaccuracyandpotentialbiasofoutputsor

recommendations.

?Allowlearnersandeducatorstoconfirm,override,adapt,

andmodifyoutputsorrecommendationsasneededfortheintendedpurposeandaudience.

Spark

Creativity

Elevatethe

HumanCreativeProcess

?Providescaffoldsandstartingpointstosupportlearnersintheirowncreativeprocesses,ratherthandesigningthetooltobe

creativeonthelearner’sbehalf.

?Integrateemergingtechnologiesintolearningexperiences

thatpromotecuriosity,whichcanengagelearnersinsustainedcreativelearningandproblem-solvingexperiences.

Scaffold

Creativity

?Encouragelearners’creativitybyprovidingopen-ended

opportunitiesforlearnerstoexploreandapplynewideas.

DiscouragementaloffloadingtoanAIsystembybalancingthedepth