Dani Davis

Article review 5

February 22, 2004

Citation

AR5: McKenzie J. (1993), The Educational Technology Journal: Staff Development for New Technologies. http://www.fno.org/staffd.html

Introduction

Have you ever thought “well, this new technology is great, but now I need to know how to use it?” If the answer is yes, you are not alone. As McKenzie states,”Adequate support for staff learning of new technologies is critical to the achievement of successful program integration across curriculum areas.” Designing a successful professional development program is a complicated endeavor for all school districts. McKenzie outlines the four steps necessary to designing a program that provides support for all staff members who work with technology. These steps are as follows:

1) Clarification of Expectations

2) Creation of Staff Development Planning committee

3) Design of Program Offerings

4) Adaptation of the Program

When these four steps are taken, the school staff will inherently have all of the support they require at their fingertips.

Summary

Clarification of Expectations

The administration needs to set forth a written document that describes all of the requirements for achieving technology literacy and competency. Once all staff members have received a copy of these required skills, they should be given a “reasonable” amount of time to fulfill these requirements.

McKenzie points out that the manner, in which certain groups achieve the delineated competencies levels, may very well be different, but equally expectable.

When hiring new staff members, an individual’s level of competency needs to be a part of the criteria of employment. This requirement will force universities to better prepare new teachers to teach in a technology rich environment. By requiring that new staff possess the skills before they are able to attain employment, school districts are saving money on the cost of training these individuals.

When addressing the technology literacy levels of senior staff members, a different approach should be taken. Individuals whom are planning to retire within three to five years should be given the choice to either sign an agreement to retire within five years or pursue training from a source provided by the school district.

For all staff members who are will continue to teach for more than five years, the expectation should be that they will participate in the training which is required by their respective districts, in order to attain the desired level of competency. Teachers should design a written plan for skill development, by participating in courses selected from the list that their school district provides to support the staff continuing educational needs. Also, teach need to make long-range plans for continued skill development, as technologies are sure to grow and change in the future.

Creation of Staff Development Planning Committee

Staff form all departments should be invited to be on the technology planning committee. This helps to ensure that everyone is being represented and that all needs are being addressed. This planning committee should make decisions based upon practices that have already been proven to be effective in other schools. “The goal is to create a five year adult learning plan with many different options and opportunities to match the diversity of styles and needs which exists within the ranks of any school district.”

Once the planning stage has been completed, the technology committee should provide a written copy of the technology plan to the entire staff. This plan needs to outline a “five year progression of learning.” Having this will equip the staff with a tool to help them determine the areas where they need farther training and support. The staff can then utilize the school districts list of training opportunities to choose expectable training to meet their individual needs.

Design of program offerings

McKenzie outlines eleven Guidelines for designing possible staff development program options.

“Guideline #1 - Programs should provide options suited to the different learning styles of participants.”

Everyone learns differently. Teachers should be given the option of learning via the mode that works the best for them. The staff could take on-line classes; attend traditional classes in the classroom, complete software tutorials, or complete independent study courses. Schools should provide their staff with as many expectable options as possible, allowing teachers to choose the best option for their individual needs

“Guideline #2 - In order to maximize successful transfer and integration, programs should provide substantial opportunities for staff members to practice the new technologies as they will actually be used within their own classroom learning situations, stressing strategies which are supportive of the district's mission statement.”

Teachers should undergo training that is related specifically to the subject areas that they teach. They should receive training on how to implement specific application in their classrooms. This will enable teachers to easily transfer the skills that they have learned into the classroom environment.

“Guideline #3 - Time for staff learning of new technologies should be provided on a paid basis by the school district.”

Schools should offer stipends and/or continuing education units to staff member who successfully complete technology training classes. Providing this incentive will help motivate teachers to approach this staff development with a positive attitude. At all makes it more likely that the goal of 100% participation will be reached.

“Guideline #4 - Instruction should be designed with the comfort and the attitudes of learners in mind as well as cognitive and skill objectives.”

For many people, these professional development courses may be the first experience that they have had with technology. Acknowledgement of the fact that some teachers are leery of technology is important. These issues should be addressed in a non-threatening learning environment. The atmosphere should be one of friendliness and encouragement. Also, one should be careful not to cover too much information too quickly. Overwhelming participants with too much information can cause them to become frustrated, thereby turning them off to technology altogether.

“Guideline #5 - Staff development should be defined broadly to include any meaningful way that staff might acquire the literacy and skills identified by the district.”

Giving technology development a broad definition helps to support the goal that the entire staff will reach competency levels, because they can achieve competency in a variety of meaningful ways. Staff members may participate in hands-on approaches to technology skill development such as: “Visits to other schools, peer coaching, visits to the workplace, graduate courses, and many other experiences.”

“Guideline #6 - School district administrators should be expected to achieve literacy along with the rest of the staff.”

Administrators should also be required to reach the school districts competency levels as defined in the technology plan. The leaders of are schools need to set the example for the rest of the staff. “It will be their role to support the rest of the instructional staff in their journey toward full integration.”

“Guideline #7 - Instructors for the staff development program should be selected from a broad cross section of the teaching staff, not a narrow segment with special affinity for technology.”

Having instructors who do not necessarily view themselves as “experts,” can help to ensure a good relationship with the staff. Teachers tend to learn better from peers who see themselves as an equal. They often have had similar experiences as their audience and therefore, they have an easier time understanding the needs of the teachers and of gaining credibility and respect.

Also, by having many different presenters in staff development opportunities, many different topics are able to be addressed. More people are likely to see the benefits of participating in the training, if they can participate in training pertaining to the needs of the students in their classrooms.

“Guideline #8 - The program should provide support groups and ongoing help-lines to maintain continued growth.”

Teachers should have avenue to get the help they need at all times. These resources need to be readily accessible at a moments notice to help teachers troubleshoot problems whenever the need arises. By having these supports in place, teachers who are just starting to utilize technology are more likely to take chances. After all, help is just a phone call away.

“Guideline #9 - The program should be thoroughly integrated with the rest of the district's staff development program so that technologies are seen as delivery systems to complement other instructional systems.”

Technology should be viewed as a part of the whole, not as a separate entity unto itself. In the past, technology was viewed as a machine to assist people in typing papers, rather than a tool to help students reach the standards and benchmarks in their academic classes. Professional development needs to help teachers recognize the computer as an educational tool, not just a typing instrument.

“Guideline #10 - The program should provide opportunities for participants to demonstrate mastery, literacy and competence.”

Upon completion of the program an approved assessment needs to be administered. Participants must pass the assessment in order to earn credits towards achieving technological competency.

“Guideline #11 - The program should require all staff members to develop some awareness of the change literature as well as a toolkit of innovative thinking skills and group decision making skills.”

Schools should require staff to develop technology collaboration and problem solving skills. Teachers need to be able to adapt to the ever-changing world of technology. The also need to work as a team to help solve problems that the students may face as the new technology is implemented in the classroom.

Adaptation of the Program

Data should be gathered at scheduled times, to be sure that the success of the technology plan is being evaluated regularly. When changes are deemed necessary, the planning committee needs to convene to institute corrective changes. Also, the school district needs to be ready to introduce new technologies as they arrive. The school district should also be responsible for providing training in the use of these technologies, before they are introduced into the classroom setting.

Implications of Staff Development by Author

The author’s view is that if technology is to become an “effective and widespread” tool, school districts need to facilitate and support the growth of technology skills within the teaching staff. This is done by implementing a technology staff development plan, providing the staff with resources to attain competency, providing help-line for troubleshooting, and evaluating the effectiveness of the plan to make necessary adaptations and changes. School districts are more likely to achieve 100% competency, if these steps are taken.

My Reaction

There is only one part of this article that I have a problem with. I agree with the author that planning and setting out the expectations in writing is extremely important. Teachers need to know exactly what is expected of them, so that they are not unexpectedly fired for not meeting expectations.

However, I do feel that once teachers have been teaching for a certain number of years, they should be grandfathered into the plan, not forced to retire. There is constantly something new to be learned. We will all eventually be asked to retire from this point of view. Experience should not be overlooked it should count for something.

I love the author’s views on all other topics such as; giving options to meet individual needs, accommodating different learning styles, and proving phone lines for troubleshooting and support. Schools that choose to follow McKenzie’s procedure for implement a staff development plan will overall be successful.