1 INTRODUCTION TO DIGITAL LEARNING Michael Carrier What Is Digital Learning? scpose of ths introduction isto set the wider context of digital learning— +s, what is happening in this fold, where it seems to be going—and to ‘broader perspective on the field that is the subject of this book. Digital ‘he application of technology to the learning and teaching process. eis by the Alliance for Excellent Education (2016) as follows: “any instruc practice that effectively uses technology to strengthen a student’ learning cachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has set up its own internal Office al Learning. This group is charged with improving learning and teaching university via digital learning, which MIT characterizes as follows: Digital Learning technologies can enable students to grasp concepts more cicly and fully o connect theory and application mote adeptly, and to .ge in learning more readily, while also improving instructional tech~ sues, leveraging instructor time, and facilitating the widespread sharing of cowvledge. Digital technologies will enable this in new and better ways and -ae posibilities beyond ehe limits of our eurtent imagination, (MIT, 2016) s book, we will employ the term digital leaning to embrace all uses of in language education, It abo serves as an umbrella term to refer to Fhniques, methodologies, and activites we have inherited ffom the 1s and practitioners of previous disciplines, such as computer-assisted Jearning (CALL), technology-enhanced language learninig (TELL),