Digital ATDN Turns 5: Growing the Work of Digital Learning

An image of a tree representing Digital ATDN’s growth over five years, with branches showing its work in technology integration, digital literacy, Digital Navigator support, artificial intelligence, and collaboration.

Today Digital ATDN turns five years old!

Five years gives us a good reason to look back, but even more importantly, to look at how the work has grown.

Digital literacy has always been part of Digital ATDN. The purpose of the initiative has remained consistent: support adult education agencies as they integrate technology and digital learning into their programs. What has changed is how deeply we have been able to build on that foundation.

In the early years, much of the work focused on helping agencies navigate technology after the shutdown. Programs were figuring out what to keep from remote and hybrid learning, how to integrate technology into instruction, and how to build routines that made digital tools part of everyday teaching and learning. From there, the work continued to grow.

Building More Pathways for Digital Literacy

One way we grew was with our work with digital literacy curricula. Google Applied Digital Skills provided an early option for project-based digital skill development. Northstar Digital Literacy added assessments and interactive modules that helped agencies identify and address specific skill gaps. DART expanded that work further by supporting learners who are developing digital skills while also learning English.

With learners entering at such different skill levels, choosing the right curriculum was only part of the challenge. We also needed to understand how the resources could build on one another to create a coherent pathway.

Using the BRIDGES Digital Resilience framework, we developed a crosswalk connecting DART, Northstar, and Google Applied Digital Skills into a broader pathway. Agencies can use the guide to identify where their learners are, determine what they need, and choose a starting curriculum that fits those needs while still providing differentiated resources and clear options for what comes next.

That means instructors do not have to create every lesson, activity, or resource from scratch. Instead, they have a clearer starting point and more flexibility to customize instruction for their learners.

Growing the Support Around the Work

That same idea has shaped our Digital Navigator work. Through training, meetings, pilots, power-user groups, and conversations across agencies, we have continued to build the support around digital learning, not just the tools themselves.

Digital Navigators have helped connect learners, technology, instruction, and support while also giving agencies space to develop models that work within their own programs.

Collaboration with other states and national partners has strengthened that work as well, allowing us to bring promising practices back to Connecticut while sharing what we are learning here.

Adding New Branches

And then, of course, came artificial intelligence. The arrival of tools such as ChatGPT opened another area for exploration. We began supporting agencies in understanding how AI could reduce repetitive work, help differentiate instruction, generate resources, and support planning.

At the same time, we emphasized safety, privacy, accuracy, and thoughtful use.

AI became another branch of the work, but it grew from the same foundation: helping educators understand new technology through resilience and make intentional decisions about how it can support adult learners.

Five Years of Growing the Foundation

Looking back, Digital ATDN has not moved away from its original purpose. It has grown into it.

The roots have become deeper. The pathways have become clearer. And more of the work now lives together in a structure that agencies can use, adapt, and continue building from. Whether through digital literacy curricula, Digital Navigators, artificial intelligence, professional learning, or collaboration, the goal remains the same: give adult education programs the support they need to make digital learning more intentional, accessible, and sustainable.

Five years later, we are still building on that foundation, just with stronger roots and a little more shade.

Thank you to the agencies, educators, partners, and learners who have helped shape Digital ATDN over the past five years. Your ideas, collaboration, and commitment have made this work possible and continue to move it forward.