Plugging educators into technology

By Dennis Sparks

As states invest millions of dollars in new technology for schools, education leaders and policymakers should not overlook what matters most in ensuring technology's effective use.

The power of technology as a learning tool will be wasted unless teachers have the training and follow-up they need to use computers and the Internet to raise student achievement.

Two recent studies underscore the need for developing teacher skills and knowledge in using technology to bolster students' higher-order thinking and problem-solving skills.

The clearest evidence on the impact of appropriate use of technology on student learning comes from Harold Wenglinsky, who analyzed data from the 1996 National Assessment for Educational Progress in mathematics. Wenglinsky found that 8th graders whose teachers focused on computer simulations and applications performed up to a half grade better than those whose teachers used computers for drill and practice. Likewise, 4th graders whose teachers used computers mainly for "math/learning games" scored higher than those who didn't. The research found no association, positive or negative, between 4th graders' scores and either simulations and applications or drill and practice. The study also found that students of teachers who had received any kind of staff development in computer technology during the past five years outperformed students whose teachers had no training. Eighth graders whose teachers had technology training, the study noted, were a third of a grade level better than those whose teachers lacked this training. Schools in which teachers had professional development and used computers to teach higher-order skills also enjoyed lower student absenteeism and higher teacher morale.

Market Data Retrieval's recent study on technology and education found that in only seven percent of schools are teachers advanced enough in their technology skills that they can integrate technology into their lessons. The dearth of training in using new technologies may explain why teachers lack what it takes to effectively use computers. About 36 percent of the schools surveyed offered no technology training while 29 percent provided only one to 14 hours per year. The report called teacher development "one of the biggest technology challenges facing schools."

It's common sense that teachers must be comfortable with technology to use it at all, and teachers who are fluent with technology are more likely to use it effectively. How can we make common sense more common practice in schools to ensure that teachers can fully integrate technology into a standards-based instructional program?

NSDC believes all schools should provide teachers with abundant opportunities to become fluent in using technology to bolster instruction and help students develop higher-order thinking and problem-solving skills. NSDC believes teachers should have time to learn, to plan, and to practice what they have learned. The Council recommends that states, school districts, and individual schools devote at least 30 percent of their technology budgets to teacher development and initiating teacher learning simultaneously with purchase of the technology.

While research indicates that any staff development is better than none at all, imagine the benefits to students if all teachers were provided with extensive, well-designed professional learning on using technology to achieve high standards. Quality staff development extends beyond once-a-year training events to include generous amounts of at-the-elbow classroom coaching as a regular feature of teachers' work lives. It also includes frequent opportunities for teachers to share their technology-based practices with colleagues and to help one another solve the problems inherent in such innovations. The recent studies remind us that technology's contribution to student learning depends on school leaders' wise investment in teachers' knowledge and skills. Without that investment, you may as well leave the hardware in its boxes.

Technology's contribution to student learning depends on a wise investment in teacher knowledge and skills.