June 2005 — Features

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One Size Does Not Fit All

By Janice M. Hinson, Kimberly N. Laprairie, and Janet M. Cundiff

As the technological age continues to render traditional classroom practices obsolete, many educators are still untrained and apprehensive when it comes to technology integration. Therefore, a paradigm shift is needed that requires more than just a quick-fix staff development solution, especially since the No Child Left Behind Act stipulates that educators must be “highly qualified” by the end of the 2005-06 school year. This leads to the expectation that teachers will create learning environments which challenge and broaden their students’ comprehensive use of technology.

But easy access to computers or labs d'es not always guarantee integration of technology into teachers’ lesson plans. This is illustrated in research from the National Center for Education Statistics (Stats in Brief: Teacher Use of Computers and the Internet in Public Schools, 2000, nces.ed.gov/pubs2000/2000090.pdf), which found that although 99 percent of full-time public school teachers had computer and Internet access in their schools, only 39 percent were integrating technology into their lessons. And when asked about preparation, 33 percent of public school teachers felt they were well prepared to use computers and the Internet in their teaching, while 66 percent felt somewhat or not at all prepared to use this technology.

So, it should come as no surprise that while many principals want to improve technology integration in their schools, they just do not know how or where to begin. They realize that to promote meaningful technological changes, their teachers must be given opportunities to acquire the skills needed to use technology and then apply them in the context of the curriculum (Trevor Shaw, “Professional Development Potluck: Successful Programs Offer a Dish for Every Taste,” MultiMedia Schools, 2003). However, technology professional development is usually delivered by district-level personnel as “one-size-fits-all”workshops that focus on techniques for using software packages and management tools. These workshops often are not part of a cohesive improvement plan; thus, instructional changes are not adopted or sustained over time.

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Technology integration model. Ultimately, the best solution in most cases is relying on in-house professional development to increase the number of teachers who can integrate technology into their curricula comfortably and effectively. The following five-step Technology Integration Model for developing, implementing, and sustaining technology integration draws upon the work of Fred Wood, Joyce Killian, Frank McQuarrie, and Steven Thompson (How to Organize a School-Based Staff Development Program, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 1993).

Stage 1: Planning

Success hinges on the development of a coherent, long-term professional development plan that focuses on desired changes. A professional development team (PDT) consisting of administrators, teachers, staff, community members, students, and parents should develop the plan and guide all aspects of the initiative.