New Report Highlights Educators' Need for Technology-Related Professional Development

May 13, 2010

A recent report on the availability and use of educational technology among teachers in public elementary and secondary schools reinforces the need for educators to participate in technology-related professional development, according to a faculty member at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology. 

Teachers’ Use of Educational Technology in U.S. Public Schools: 2009was released by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) in the Institute of Education Sciences at U.S. Department of Education. The NCES is the primary federal entity for collecting, analyzing, and reporting data related to education in the United States and other nations. It fulfills a congressional mandate to collect, collate, analyze, and report full and complete statistics on the condition of education in the United States; conduct and publish reports and specialized analyses of the meaning and significance of such statistics; assist state and local education agencies in improving their statistical systems; and review and report on education activities in foreign countries.

"Technology is having an impact on teaching and learning at all levels of education.  As technologies have advanced and access increased there is a demand for individuals that can successfully integrate technology into learning activities and mentor others to do so as well,” says Andy Petroski, Director of Learning Technologies and Assistant Professor of Learning Technologies at Harrisburg University.  An award-winning instructional technologist has more than 13 years of eLearning design and development experience in multimedia production firms, independent consulting, corporate learning and education, Petroski received the "2010 Technology Educator of the Year" honors from TECHQuest PA for using current technologies to educate, motivate and inspire students to develop careers in technology fields and become lifelong learners."


Key findings on teachers’ use of educational technology in public schools during the winter and spring of 2009 in the report:

·        Ninety-seven percent of teachers had one or more computers located in the classroom every day, while 54 percent could bring computers into the classroom . Internet access was available for 93 percent of the computers located in the classroom every day and for 96 percent of the computers that could be brought into the classroom. The ratio of students to computers in the classroom every day was 5.3 to 1.

·        Teachers reported that they or their students used computers in the classroom during instructional time often (40 percent) or sometimes (29 percent). Teachers reported that they or their students used computers in other locations in the school during instructional time often (29 percent) or sometimes (43 percent).

·        Teachers reported having the following technology devices either available as needed or in the classroom every day: LCD (liquid crystal display) or DLP (digital light processing) projectors (36 and 48 percent, respectively), interactive whiteboards (28 and 23 percent, respectively), and digital cameras (64 and 14 percent, respectively). Of the teachers with the device available, the percentage that used it sometimes or often for instruction was 72 percent for LCD or DLP projectors, 57 percent for interactive whiteboards, and 49 percent for digital cameras.

·        Teachers sometimes or often used the following for instructional or administrative purposes: word processing software (96 percent), spreadsheets and graphing programs (61 percent), software for managing student records (80 percent), software for making presentations (63 percent), and the Internet (94 percent).
The report’s findings suggest the need for teacher professional development and education as part of integrating technology into the K-12 classroom but that the development should be structured so that it provides more than just random training, notes Petroski, whose work has included efforts in the areas of educational technology strategy, games and simulations, classroom technology, web 2.0, patient education, social learning and faculty development.

The Educators’ Technology Clinics in the LTMS program at Harrisburg University, for example, are structured to provide a hands-on, graduate-level opportunity for teachers to concentrate on technology integration as part of their summer planning. 

“Teachers are required to implement their project into the classroom in the fall as part of the course and report back the results in a presentation day in the fall.  Implementation of the project has a profound effect on the teachers, the school and the students that other professional development and education does not provide.  This, along with the professional dialogue and personal learning network that is created can provide a long-lasting impact on the teachers’ technology integration strategy,” says Petroski.

For this survey, 2,005 public schools in the 50 states and the District of Columbia were asked to provide sampling lists of full-time teachers. Questionnaires were mailed to 4,133 teachers selected from these sampling lists. The unweighted and weighted list collection response rates were 80 percent and 81 percent, respectively.
Findings in the report that support the importance and value of professional development include:

·        The percentage of teachers that reported that the following activities prepared them (to a moderate or major extent) to make effective use of educational technology for instruction are 61 percent for professional development activities, 61 percent for training provided by school staff responsible for technology support and/or integration, and 78 percent for independent learning. 

·        The percentage of teachers that reported spending the following number of hours in professional development activities for educational technology during the 12 months prior to completing the survey was 13 percent for none, 53 percent for 1 to 8 hours, 18 percent for 9 to16 hours, 9 percent for 17 to 32 hours, and 7 percent for 33 or more hours.

·        Of the teachers who participated in technology-related professional development during the 12 months prior to completing the survey, 81 percent agreed that ―it met individual goals and needs; 88 percent agreed that ―it supported the goals and standards of their state, district, and school; 87 percent agreed that ―it applied to technology available in their school; and 83 percent agreed that ―it was available at convenient times and places.

The University is responding to the need for educators to have professional development by offering   graduate courses from its Master’s Degree in Learning Technologies to educators who are interested in building their skills and knowledge of various types of learning technologies and strategies during its Summer 2010 Educators' Technology Clinics.

The Summer 2010 Educators' Technology Clinics provide hands-on exploration of technologies and instructional approaches that incorporate best practices for effective teaching and learning in today’s dynamic learning environments. Graduate credit applicable to the master’s degree and ACT 48 credit are available.

The 2010 Clinics include: Classroom Technology ; Media Selection, Design and Production; Course Management Systems; Digital Literacy; Engaging with Learning Activities, Games and Simulations; Implementing Web 2.0 in the Classroom; Visual Representation for Learning and Communication; Social Learning in the Organization; and Writing for Learning Solutions.

Visit www.edtechclinics.net. Sign up for updates at EdTechClinics@HarrisburgU.edu or call 717.901.5101 for more information.

Additionally, Harrisburg University is home to a Learning Technologies Master of Science (LTMS) program that is the only one of its kind in Central Pennsylvania. A key element of the University's LTMS program is the use of technology to integrate and develop new ways of learning and ways to assess learning, as well as explore new approaches to work with an emphasis on collaboration. The degree is a blend of theory and practice which develops skills that can be applied to complex education and training issues.
The 36-semester credit hour program which provides educators and trainers with the leading edge approaches and skills to help them understand and integrate existing and emerging learning technologies into a variety of learning environments.

Founded in 2001 to address Central Pennsylvania’s need to meet the demand for careers in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields, Harrisburg University is an innovative and ambitious private institution.  It has begun to produce graduates who provide increased competence and capacity in science and technology disciplines for Pennsylvania and the nation.  Harrisburg University ensures institutional access for under-represented students and links learning and research to practical outcomes.  As a private University serving the public good, Harrisburg University remains the only STEM-focused comprehensive university between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
For more information on the University's demand-driven undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs in applied science and technology fields, call 717.901.5146 or emailConnect@HarrisburgU.edu.