New Models Of Teaching And Learning
While parents and communities stress the importance of students having access to technology, it is a mistake to focus primarily on students. For the educational enterprise to adapt appropriately to our new world, we must invest in training teachers to integrate technology into the curriculum. School districts frequently use staff development opportunities to train their teachers to incorporate new technologies; this is a complex process. Traditional staff development training in technology involves a day's instruction, including hands-on experience with the software. Most of this training ignores the developmental process of adults--the need to understand relationships, to reinforce concepts with frequent use, to explore and be challenged, and to conceptualize an entirely different teaching methodology. Districts rarely have support staff available to help the teachers work through these innovations. The combination of reticence, frustration, and inadequate training threatens to sabotage the opportunities for technology to enhance classroom learning.