The Texas Long Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020 includes recommendations for Educator Preparation and Development. The recommendations outline the current status of technology integration in Texas classrooms and the future of technology education for teachers. Included are specific improvement recommendations for state and local agencies, regional service centers, colleges and universities, and community members.
Progress in the area of teacher preparation and professional development is slow, although new teachers who graduated from college education programs seem to know more about technology integration than teachers who completed alternative certification programs. As far as staff development is concerned, I am blessed to be teaching in a school that opened in 2006 and was built with technology as a component of instruction where most teachers are eager to integrate technology. Professional development programs I have attended in the last three years have been useful, but the most helpful information comes from time we are given each week to collaborate with other teachers.
In my district, online sources of professional development are becoming increasingly popular and available. Online courses provided by the district are accessible through the district website. Courses from using Excel spreadsheets to creating a podcast are available 24/7.
It has been my experience that teachers on my campus want to learn to use technology; they simply do not have time. More time should be devoted to technology-related professional development. Technology lessons for teachers could be broken down into small segments that teachers would be more likely to attend.
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