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Critical Issue: Providing Professional Development for Effect...

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Saved by 54 people (-8 private), first by anonymouse user on 2006-08-08


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Whether technology should be used in schools is no longer the issue in education. Instead, the current emphasis is ensuring that technology is used effectively to create new opportunities for learning and to promote student achievement. Educational technology is not, and never will be, transformative on its own, however. It requires the assistance of educators who integrate technology into the curriculum, align it with student learning goals, and use it for engaged learning projects. "Teacher quality is the factor that matters most for student learning," note Darling-Hammond and Berry (1998). Therefore, professional development for teachers becomes the key issue in using technology to improve the quality of learning in the classroom.

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student learning

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ack of professional development for technology use is one of the most serious obstacles to fully integrating technology into the curriculum

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Lack of professional development for technology use is one of the most serious obstacles to fully integrating technology into the curriculum (Fatemi, 1999; Office of Technology Assessment, 1995; Panel on Educational Technology, 1997). But traditional sit-and-get training sessions or one-time-only workshops have not been effective in making teachers comfortable with using technology or adept at integrating it into their lesson plans. Instead, a well-planned, ongoing professional development program that is tied to the school's curriculum goals, designed with built-in evaluation, and sustained by adequate financial and staff support is essential if teachers are to use technology appropriately to promote learning for all students in the classroom.

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Lack of professional development for technology use is one of the most serious obstacles to fully integrating technology into the curriculum

Highlighted by beyondtech

traditional sit-and-get training sessions or one-time-only workshops have not been effective in making teachers comfortable with using technology or adept at integrating

Highlighted by beyondtech

well-planned, ongoing professional development program that is tied to the school's curriculum goals, designed with built-in evaluation, and sustained by adequate financial and staff support is essential if teachers are to use technology appropriately to promote learning for all students in the classroom.

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program that is tied to the school's curriculum goals, designed with built-in evaluation, and sustained by adequate financial and staff support is essential

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Most teachers want to learn to use educational technology effectively, but they lack the time, access, and support necessary to do so (Guhlin, 1996).

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Most teachers want to learn to use educational technology effecti

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improve student learning

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Professional development for technology use should be an integral part of the school technology plan or an overall school-improvement plan

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Integral Part of the School Technology Plan

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determine the school's current level of technology use

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The ultimate goal of professional development is to improve student learning (Speck, 1996).

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determine priorities

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a connection to student learning, hands-on technology use, variety of learning experiences, curriculum-specific applications, new roles for teachers, collegial learning, active participation of teachers, ongoing process, sufficient time, technical assistance and support, administrative support, adequate resources, continuous funding, and built-in evaluation.

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judge the value of their professional development activities by how much they see a leap in student learning

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research has shown the importance of current professional development emphasizing hands-on technology use.

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A good professional development program is job embedded and tied to learning goals: It provides activities in the context of practice.

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during these initial experiences, teachers should be thinking in terms of how the technology can enhance student learning and how it can be used in different content areas

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Within the classroom, technology supports student-centered instruction.

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experiences quite different from traditional workshops and how-to training sessions

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A professional development curriculum that helps teachers use technology for discovery learning, developing students' higher-order thinking skills, and communicating ideas is new and demanding and thus cannot be implemented in isolation

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utilizes key points from adult learning theory. Adults require relevant, concrete experiences with adequate support, appropriate feedback, and long-term follow-up

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teachers learn and incorporate new information best when it is presented over a long time frame instead of a single session.

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If technology is to be used equitably for all students, a majority of teachers should be included in the professional development program.

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Preferably, new strategies are modeled during routine school days in the classroom

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Sparks (1998) calls for 15 live or videotaped demonstrations "for a modest-size change in practice" (p. 34). Teachers then need opportunities for hands-on experience in using the new skill, developing a unit, and implementing it (Guhlin, 1996; Sparks, 1998; Yocam, 1996). Finally, follow-up support as well as opportunities for ongoing discussion and reflection on the new procedures

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A less traditional incentive program could give teachers credits for hours spent in professional development; teachers could use these credits to earn technology for their classrooms, loans of hardware and software to be used at home, or reduced prices on personal equipment

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Teachers need continued practice to become comfortable with and to implement change, especially in technology use.

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job embedded and tied to learning goals: It provides activities in the context of practice

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An effective professional development program provides "sufficient time and follow-up support for teachers to master new content and strategies and to integrate them into their practice," notes Corcoran

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helps them learn how to select digital content based on the needs and learning styles of their students, and infuse it into the curriculum rather than making it an end in itself,"

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does not simply show them how to add technology to their what they are doing

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encourages teachers to take on new and expanded roles,

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To address these professional development issues and to acknowledge that the demands of engaged learning using technology may lead to longer class periods, more team teaching, and more interdisciplinary work

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An effective professional development program provides "sufficient time and follow-up support for teachers to master new content and strategies and to integrate them into their practice," notes Corcoran (1995).

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build teacher networks so that teachers have additional opportunities to discuss the new instructional methods

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conducted as an ongoing process

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Professional development takes time and must be conducted over several years for significant change in educational practices to take place. Substantial change in school practice typically takes four to seven years, and in some cases longer"

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The overall technology plan and its professional development component cannot occur without a significant commitment of resources by the school district.

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nding the funding for ongoing technology needs and professional development can be difficult.

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adequate time and resources are allocated to support it.

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School administrators may not provide adequate time and resources for high-quality technology implementation and the associated professional development

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