Effective Integration of Instructional Technologies (IT): Evaluating Professional Development and Instructional Change

It is well known that society is currently experiencing great technological momentum and that technology has found its way into our classrooms. Yet, many teachers have not demonstrated an adoption of such advances and their instructional practices do not reflect the integration of instructional technologies. This article examines Trek 21, an innovative professional development embracing the need for technology training, and its effects on teachers' ability to integrate instructional technologies into their educational practice. The study findings suggest that following the intense training provided during Trek 21, participants integrated significantly more instructional technologies into their practice and an increase was also noted in active student engagement within these practices. Findings also indicate that although teachers changed their instruction to increase the number of instructional technologies and active student engagement, the basic instructional design remained intact. ********** Jl. of Technology and Teacher Education (2003) 11(3), 397-414 Research on schools and teaching has suggested for decades that student success and achievement are intricately associated with students' interactions with effective teachers (Darling-Hammond, 1997; McCaleb, 1994; Mizell, 2001). Recommendations in the National Plan for Improving Professional Development (Sparks & Hirsh, 2001) indicated that professional development has the power to change the culture of a school and inform educators of more effective methods of teaching. By providing effective professional development, teachers can excel at helping all students reach the high levels of achievement they need to succeed (Sparks & Hirsh, 2001). To assist in efforts to create effective training, the National Staff Development Council has revised their professional standards and suggested that today's professional development must "... push the boundaries of normative staff development practice" (Mizell, 2001, p. 19) to improve the quality and results of public education (National Staff Development Council, 2002). It is evident that professional development of our educators is an important factor in the academic success of our students. Paralleling the assumption described above are the technological changes that have dominated the twentieth century. These changes have introduced new instructional technologies into our classrooms and pushed educators to make decisions about how to use these tools (Riel & Becker, 2000). Today, 98% of all schools and 77% of classrooms are connected to the Internet (National Center for Education Statistics, 2001). With all this connectivity in our schools, teachers must be trained to create intellectually powerful and technology rich learning environments for students while maintaining sound pedagogical practices (Anderson & Becker, 2001). The U.S. Department of Education, through its Office of Educational Technology, acknowledged this need for training by designating that trainers should " ... increase the quantity, quality, and coherence of technology-focused activities aimed at the professional development of teachers" (Office of Educational Technology, 2000, p. 8) as a national goal in its National Technology Plan (Office of Educational Technology, 2000). Further, the National Center for Education Statistics (2001) found that only 33% of teachers feel prepared to use computer related tools in their teaching. To assist in the development of effective teacher training regarding technology integration, Congress created the Department of Education's Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology grant program (PT3). PT3 is built on the premise that educators must understand how to create and deliver high quality, technology-infused lessons that engage students and improve learning (http://www. …