AUBURN — One of the Auburn School Department’s leaders in education through technology is leaving to take on similar work for the Maine Department of Education.

Mike Muir, the Multiple Pathways director for Auburn schools, will be the director of the state’s Learning Through Technology Team. He replaces Jeff Mao, who has joined Common Sense Media, according the Maine Department of Education.

Muir’s new position begins Monday.

The Learning Through Technology Team oversees the Maine Learning Technology Initiative, best known for the laptop program started by former Gov. Angus King.

In announcing the position Thursday, DOE spokeswoman Samantha Warren described Muir as “one of the state’s leading learning technology integrators.”

Muir was involved in Auburn schools being among the first in the nation to provide one-on-one iPads for kindergarten students four years ago.

While the state’s Maine Learning Technology Initiative is best known for providing seventh- and eighth-graders with iPads or laptops for more than a decade, it also supports libraries and student learning initiatives.

“The Maine Department of Education sees technology as not hardware and software, but tools to help learning,” Muir said Thursday.

In his new position, he will help develop the proficiency-based diploma program “to see how technology can support that, and all the other initiatives that need support with instructional strategies and ways to motivate students,” Muir said.

Auburn Superintendent Katy Grondin said, “Auburn’s going to miss his expertise and thoughtfulness. We’re very proud he’s been selected for such an important position for our state. He understands it’s not just about technology,” the learning and content are important. “He really has the big picture of what’s needed in these times.”

While Auburn will miss him, Grondin said Maine students will benefit from him in the state position. He’ll be involved in the implementation of the new Maine Educational Assessments beginning in March, the so-called “Smarter Balance” tests, and the Maine Learning Technology Initiative.

Muir said he feels good about Auburn’s iPad initiative, which is now in grades K-3. Use of the iPads has improved test scores where there’s been strong professional development for teachers, Muir said.

“They’ve also increased student engagement. We have strong parental support for iPads,” he said. “We want to deepen our level of implementation” through improved use, “and better support teachers. There’s a lot on their plate.”

Muir has also helped develop the School Department’s customized learning, where student learning is geared to individuals and professional development.

Muir said he’ll miss working for Auburn, praising the department staffers as those who have a “growth mindset” of student learning. “They get behind the shared vision.”

One thing he’ll take with him from working in Auburn is “the notion of continued improvement and constantly checking and adjusting, so we don’t get too far down the road without adjusting.”

Before working for Auburn schools, Muir was a math teacher in Winslow and Skowhegan, and a professor of middle grade education and education technology at the University of Maine at Farmington.