American schools were originally designed to prepare students for a national industrial economy. As our world has evolved, the 
foundational structure of American education, however, has remained largely unchanged. 
But schools can take advantage of technology too, especially to help foster deep, multi- dimensional learning opportunities that will better prepare students for the challenges of the 21st century.

As we have come to better understand how people learn, inquiry and project-based
instructional pedagogy that encourage a collaborative learning environment have begun to supersede traditional styles of teaching. At the same time, traditional educational tools have been modernized by incorporating digital technology (e.g., interactive white boards, video projectors, digital microscopes), and this has allowed them to be used in more collaborative ways.

In parallel, the Internet has changed the ways we can access and share information, and computers and handheld devices have become more ubiquitous, portable, and versatile. Such technologies and others that are being developed will allow communication, sense-making, collaboration, and new kinds of learning experiences that will foster deep learning and critical and creative thinking needed to succeed in the modern world. The challenges are to imagine the roles technology might play in education, to continually design innovative learning technologies, and to understand how to use them well to support learning.