Preparing Students for the 21st Century by Equipping Teachers with Technology
A special commission of a Midwest Board of Regents recognized the connection between a technology-rich classroom and effectively preparing K-12 students for the modern workplace. They took on the initiative of expanding technology use among teachers through two programs, one to provide professional development to help teachers use podcasts in their lessons, and another to foster collaboration between universities and K-12 institutions in the state. Outcomes of these endeavors included teacher training and a community of practice around technology use in the classroom.
Hezel Associates provided support by assessing the programs’ success in improving integration of technology into instruction, increasing teachers’ use and confidence with those new tools, and expanding teachers’ Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK). Our team’s evaluation demonstrated that post-program, teachers did in fact feel more self-assured in their use of technology and that their technological pedagogical knowledge improved.