Communication among adults in these schools has been reported to increase with teachers collaborating more about the curriculum and student needs. The process of a teacher going from having little knowledge of technology to one who is both comfortable and skilled in its use is one that can be described in stages. This progression to greater competency as a result of exposure to technology-rich classroom environments reflects the research by David Dwyer and colleagues. Description Professional Development Needed Entry Teachers struggle to cope with technology and new learning environment, or have no experience at all. 30 hours Adaptation Teacher moves from basic use to discovery of potential in a variety of applications.
Teacher has good operation knowledge of hardware and can perform basic troubleshooting.
Promoting the skillful integration of technologies into the classroom should be a driving force in planning staff development. Teachers who are taught to be proficient in just using a piece of software without support for an appropriate accompanying pedagogy will most likely not make the transfer in using the technology to empower student learning. Staff development for new technologies should support the use of the current and effective instructional strategies. Problem-solving and collaboration should be promoted through the use of applications that require student interaction. Educational software is available for developing both procedural and declarative knowledge and should be used for purposes in addition to basic skill development.