Ready for a tech-rich school year? 

An eSchool News article published last spring, "Aspiring teachers ill-prepared to use ed tech effectively", presented results from a survey on teacher preparedness to use technology in the classroom. The survey found that teacher preparation programs are often falling short when it comes to helping new teachers learn to integrate technology effectively into their teaching practice. While many new teachers feel comfortable with using some technology tools, they are not always getting the instruction they need in pre-service training.

The survey highlights several key areas of classroom technology integration and the disconnect between what principals would like their teachers to know, and the types of technology instruction pre-service teachers are receiving. While many of the teachers reported learning how to use technology in fairly traditional ways (word processing, spreadsheets and interactive whiteboards), few had received instruction in the areas that were ranked highly by principals (multimedia creation, Bring Your Own Device/BYOD, social media, online classes). It appears that much of pre-service technology instruction focuses on teacher productivity and less on the innovative use of technology to differentiate instruction.

As you begin another school year, PowerUp WHAT WORKS can meet you where you are to integrate technology tools into your teaching in ways that support evidence-based practices, Common Core Standards, and address the unique learning needs of your diverse students.

Teachers:

• Just getting started with technology? Explore our technology articles for simple explanations of strategies for incorporating technology into your teaching.
• Looking for inspiration? Check out the featured videos on From Inspiration to Action! 
• Want ideas for ways to use technology tools to differentiate your content area instruction? Browse our ideas, suggestions, resources and tips for differentiating instruction in our Instructional Strategy Guides for ELA and Math.

School Leaders:

• Planning Professional Development for your teachers around technology and evidence-based practices? Use the resources on PD in our PD Facilitator Guide to help you get started.
• Looking for ideas and resources to get started with a technology implementation plan? Make Tech Happen in your school with our Technology Implementation Practice Guide and related resources.
• Putting together resources for your teachers? Consider incorporating pieces of the Instructional Strategy Guides for ELA and Math, along with our Technology Research Briefs, into a mini-PD workshop. Use sections and ideas that work best for your context and create your own customized workshop.