Blog Post 1: Educator Preparation and Development

The Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020 has four main areas that it focuses on: Teaching and Learning; Educator Preparation and Development; Leadership, Administration, and Instructional Support; and Infrastructure for Technology (Texas Education Agency, 2006). I'd like to use this post to focus on the area of Educator Preparation and Development. The goal of this area is to have educators graduate from programs that both model and prepare educators to use current technology practices, as well have educators design new learning environments that allow technology to be customized and used collaboratively. In addition, educators would ensure that appropriate technology is integrated through the entire curriculum and used as a routine part of regular instruction.

I am part of the generation that has seen great strides made in technology, especially where Internet and cellular technology are concerned. My students today do not know what life was like before you were able to call someone from almost anywhere or what it was like when you couldn't just 'google' something to find information. In the article Adopt and Adapt: Shaping Tech for the Classroom, Marc Prensky refers to two categories of people: 'digital immigrants' (those who learned technology later in life) and 'digital natives' (those who were born into technology) that have very different ideas about technology (2005). Because of this fact, it is vital that educators today are not just familiar with technology, but know how to integrate it into curriculum and instruction, and know how to use it to create new learning environments environments that foster higher-order thinking skills in real-life experiences.

As a 'digital immigrant' this is not always easy. Many teachers are intimidated by technology, and many have no desire to sit through training after training taking notes about how to integrate technology into the classroom. I think the best way for teachers to learn is to teach them the way we expect the students to be able to do it: collaboration on projects that have them use critical thinking skills to solve real-world problems. With a hands-on professional development session, the learning is much more meaningful because it is learner-centered. The collaboration helps to foster discussion and generate ideas, as well as keeps individuals from feeling 'singled out' if they do not understand something.

There has been some progress in these areas, and educators are now seeing more and more opportunities to participate in technology-centered professional development sessions around the district, state, and country. In addition, teaching programs are now creating courses that focus on technology and how to integrate it into the classroom. Surveys such as the STaR Charts are being utilized to gather data on how schools integrate technology, and are also being used to plan on how to improve technology use in curriculum and instruction.

I think that as technology becomes more and more of a driving force in our lives, educators will need to become familiar with it, and learn to use it effectively. It will ultimately become a 'sink or swim' type situation.