State teacher certification requirements that ask that teachers have a working knowledge of educational technology and how to use it in the classroom to improve student achievement would send important signals to teacher training institutions and prospective teachers. Once teachers are in the workforce, states and school districts can require and encourage ongoing training in the use of technology. For example, as part of state and local professional development strategies, states and school districts can require in-service training in technology that is both sufficiently sustained and intensive to bring teachers up to speed with this new tool for teaching and learning. States and school districts can also tie pay raises and promotions to training in technology and effective use of technology in the classroom. They also can ensure that teachers have the technical support they need by budgeting for staff to maintain equipment and otherwise provide much-needed technical support.
Teachers can often help each other learn new technological skills.
For example, a trained cadre of exemplary technology-using teachers can help train and support other teachers, and, in this manner, sustain a state's efforts over the long term. Or, through the use of local or state wide networks, teachers can communicate with each other, get advice from each other on how to use technology to improve their teaching and their students' performance, and update each other on technological advances. Finally, states and districts can allocate adequate resources to teacher training and support in the context of their overall technology budget. Today, less than 9 percent of technology funding is allocated to teacher development and ongoing support, but at least 30 percent is necessary for teachers to have the training and support they need to use technology effectively to improve student achievement. Here are some questions to ask while planning for the use of technology.