Enhancing Professional Development for Teachers


Book Description

Teachers, like other professionals, need to stay informed about new knowledge and technologies. Yet many express dissatisfaction with the professional development opportunities made available to them in schools and insist that the most effective development programs they have experienced have been self-initiated. Enhancing Professional Development for Teachers explores how the provision of professional development through online media has had a significant influence on the professional lives of an increasing number of teachers. Growing numbers of educators contend that online teacher professional development (OTPD) has the potential to enhance and even transform teachers' effectiveness in their classrooms and over the course of their careers. They also acknowledge that it raises many challenging questions regarding costs, equity, access to technology, quality of materials, and other issues. Enhancing Professional Development for Teachers suggests that teachers be active participants in planning and implementation of any new technologies that enhance professional development. The book recommends that federal and state policy makers take on the responsibility of promoting equal access to technology while the federal government and foundations play an important role by supporting the development, evaluation, and revision of OTPD.




Using Emerging Technologies to Develop Professional Learning


Book Description

Internationally, there is a growing body of research about learners’ responses to, and uses of, emerging technologies. However, the adoption of these technologies in teachers’ professional development is still largely under-researched. Much of the existing literature still positions teachers as playing ‘catch-up’ in terms of using technology for teaching and learning in an ever expanding and changing world, and ignores the roles that these emerging technologies can play in teacher, and teacher educator, development and learning. This book aims to address the lack of research in the area, and it contributes to the new knowledge area of how emerging technologies can effectively address professional learning, drawing on case studies and perspectives from across the world. Contributors use a wide variety of approaches to analyse the potential for emerging (and established) technologies, including digital, Web2.0, social media, and IT tools, to develop ‘effective’ or ‘deep’ professional learning for pre- and in-service teachers and teacher educators. This book was originally published as a special issue of Professional Development in Education.




How People Learn


Book Description

First released in the Spring of 1999, How People Learn has been expanded to show how the theories and insights from the original book can translate into actions and practice, now making a real connection between classroom activities and learning behavior. This edition includes far-reaching suggestions for research that could increase the impact that classroom teaching has on actual learning. Like the original edition, this book offers exciting new research about the mind and the brain that provides answers to a number of compelling questions. When do infants begin to learn? How do experts learn and how is this different from non-experts? What can teachers and schools do-with curricula, classroom settings, and teaching methodsâ€"to help children learn most effectively? New evidence from many branches of science has significantly added to our understanding of what it means to know, from the neural processes that occur during learning to the influence of culture on what people see and absorb. How People Learn examines these findings and their implications for what we teach, how we teach it, and how we assess what our children learn. The book uses exemplary teaching to illustrate how approaches based on what we now know result in in-depth learning. This new knowledge calls into question concepts and practices firmly entrenched in our current education system. Topics include: How learning actually changes the physical structure of the brain. How existing knowledge affects what people notice and how they learn. What the thought processes of experts tell us about how to teach. The amazing learning potential of infants. The relationship of classroom learning and everyday settings of community and workplace. Learning needs and opportunities for teachers. A realistic look at the role of technology in education.




Enhancing the Art & Science of Teaching With Technology


Book Description

Successfully leverage technology to enhance classroom practices with this practical resource. The authors demonstrate the importance of educational technology, which is quickly becoming an essential component in effective teaching. Included are over 100 organized classroom strategies, vignettes that show each section’s strategies in action, and a glossary of classroom-relevant technology terms. Key research is summarized and translated into classroom recommendations.




National Educational Technology Standards for Students


Book Description

This booklet includes the full text of the ISTE Standards for Students, along with the Essential Conditions, profiles and scenarios.




Technology, Curriculum, and Professional Development


Book Description

The 11 papers in this collection address various aspects of the adoption and implementation of technology in the education of students with disabilities. An introduction by David B. Malouf of the Office of Special Education Programs introduces the collection. The following papers are included: (1) "No Easy Answer: The Instructional Effectiveness of Technology for Students with Disabilities" (John Woodward, Deborah Gallagher, and Herbert Rieth); (2) "It Can't Hurt: Implementing AAC Technology in the Classroom for Students with Severe and Multiple Disabilities" (Bonnie Todis); (3) "Preparing Future Citizens: Technology-Supported, Project-Based Learning in the Social Studies" (Cynthia M. Okolo and Ralph P. Ferretti); (4) "ClassWide Peer Tutoring Program: A Learning Management System" (Charles R. Greenwood, Liang-Shye Hou, Joseph Delquadri, Barbara J. Terry, and Carmen Arreaga-Mayer); (5) "Sustaining a Curriculum Innovation: Cases of Make It Happen!" (Judith M. Zorfass); (6) "Technology Implementation in Special Education: Understanding Teachers' Beliefs, Plans, and Decisions" (Charles A. MacArthur); (7) "Why Are Most Teachers Infrequent and Restrained Users of Computers in Their Classroom?" (Larry Cuban); (8) "Designing Technology Professional Development Programs" (A. Edward Blackhurst); (9) "The Construction of Knowledge in a Collaborative Community: Reflections on Three Projects" (Carol Sue Englert and Yong Zhao); (10) "The Rise and Fall of the Community Transition Team Model" (Andrew S. Halpern and Michael R. Benz); and (11) "How Does Technology Support a Special Education Agenda? Using What We Have Learned To Inform the Future" (Marleen C. Pugach and Cynthia L. Warger). (Individual papers contain references.) (DB)




Championing Technology Infusion in Teacher Preparation


Book Description

Educators learning how to meaningfully integrate technology into their teaching practice will find resources and action plans to prepare them for today’s tech-infused lessons. Advancing teacher preparation to full adoption of technology infusion is no small undertaking. Written by 20 experts in the teacher prep field, Championing Technology Infusion in Teacher Preparation provides research- and practice-based direction for faculty, administrators, PK-12 school partners and other stakeholders who support programwide technology infusion in teacher education programs. Such organizational change involves almost every individual and system involved in teacher preparation. Topics addressed include: • Defining technology infusion and integration. • Systemic planning and readiness of college-level leadership. • Programwide, iterative candidate experiences across courses and clinical work. • Technology use and expectations for teachers and students in PK-12 settings. • Instructional design in teacher preparation programs to include integration of technology in face-to-face, blended and online PK-12 teaching and learning. • Strategies to support induction of new teachers in PK-12 settings. • Technology use, expectations, and professional development for teacher educators • Models for effective candidate and program evaluation. • Roles for government agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in nationwide collaboration for technology infusion in teacher preparation. This book will help administrators in colleges and schools of education as well as teacher educators in preparation programs support the developmental needs of teacher candidates as they learn how to teach with technology. With action steps and getting started resources in each chapter, the book is well-adapted for small group study and planning by collaborative leadership teams in colleges and schools of education. The book is also appropriate for the study of effective organizational change in education by graduate students.




Teachers and Technology


Book Description

Shows that helping schools to make the connection between teachers and technology may be one of the most important steps to making the most of past, present, and future investments in educational technology and in our children's future. Addresses issues, such as: potential of technology in education; federal support; use of technology to enhance instruction; assisting teachers with the daily tasks of teaching; what technologies do schools own and how are they used; technology-related training programs; and other related issues. Tables and figures.




Integrating Technology into the Curriculum 2nd Edition


Book Description

This updated edition provides teachers with practical information and the support they need to navigate the ever-changing advancements in technology which affects the learning environment for students. Featuring great tips, suggestions, and lesson ideas, this resource supports the purposeful infusion of technology into instruction across all content areas. Teachers will find resources and websites with free tools to help every educator navigate the often-intimidating technological landscape. A useful guide for all grades, this book will cut through the clutter and get the essential information needed to capitalize on the benefits technology has to offer 21st Century classrooms.