Assessing the Technology Training Needs of Elementary School Teachers

Summary:
Current in-service teaches must rely on staff development opportunities to help keep them updated and knowledgeable about technology and its use in the classroom. This study found that teachers are largely using technology for administrative purposes such as grading and organization, not so much as a tool for teaching and learning. Also they found that staff development often served to reinforce these uses as the majority of classes offered involved word processing. The authors/researchers suggest that districts offer their teachers courses in curriculum integration, presentation software, research, using the WWW and CD-ROMs. According to the authors, “one of the largest factors which determines computer integration in elementary schools is the mount of computer knowledge a teacher possesses” (95). One interesting side note is that upper elementary grade level teachers tend to integrate technology into their classrooms more often than primary teachers. The findings of this article show that teachers need to be more knowledgeable about how to integrate technology into the existing curriculum would be hugely beneficial in helping teachers use computers as teaching tools and resources. Barriers noted to this type of staff development included limited resources and no financial incentive for the extra effort involved in attempting this type of learning and planning. Some suggestions made based on their research include that administration needs to reward teachers who participate in this type of staff development monetarily or by offering more of these types of courses.

Response:
I whole-heartedly agree with the findings of this article! There is not nearly enough staff development in the areas of technology that we know the least about. We do not need more courses of Word Processing or Excel spreadsheets. I’d love to learn more about Goggle, PowerPoint and WebQuests! Perhaps the problems is that many districts use teachers from their own district to teach their staff development and no one knows enough about these things yet to teach others. Hiring a professional is expensive. I see and acknowledge the barriers yet hope that we can find a way to help our fellow teachers learn more about the many amazing ways to integrate technology and the existing curriculum.

McCannon, M. & Crews, T.B. (2000). Assessing the technology training needs of elementary school teachers. In J. Hirschbuhl & J. Kelley (Eds.), Computers in education (95-99). Dubuque, IA: McGraw Hill.