A Key to Technology in the Classroom: Educator Preparation and Development

The Texas Star (School Technology and Readiness) Chart is a self assessment tool that is aligned with the Texas Long Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020. The StarChart assesses four different domains, including Teaching and Learning, Educator Preparation and Development, Leadership, Administration and Instructional Support, and Infrastructure for Technology. Each of these areas is important to create an environment for students that is effective in a technology world.
I will focus on the area of Educator Preparation and Development because I believe this is where the basis starts for technology in the classroom. This area focuses on professional development for the teachers in order to regain their passion for teaching, acquire new skills, and understand how to integrate technology in their classroom. The adequate amount of time, resources, and models for this area is crucial.
The data shows that my school is slowly increasing and working its way up in the categories. The state and national data are also showing a slow increase in this area. In the state of Texas in 2007-2008, the number of Early Tech has dropped to only 5.4%. This shows a slow but steady increase of the years. The data also shows that Educator Preparation is the overall weakest area state and nationally. Locally, it is close to the bottom but is not the weakest.
I truly feel that this is the area that needs the most attention overall. In order for the expectations of the teachers to be so high in technology, they need to be trained in all of the areas. Where the data puts us as a state and nation shows that the majority of our technology professional development ranges from 9-18 hours a year and is in a large group session. I believe that a few large group sessions are important but overall it needs to be small group instruction that is specifically designed for the needs of the teachers at the time. The teachers are much more willing to use this in their classroom when they know exactly how and when to use it and feel confident in what they are doing. Preparing teachers is such an important part of the Texas Long Range Plan for Technology and many of the other areas will come into place once teachers are equipped with the knowledge and feel confident to teach with technology.