Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology: Web Resources

Grant Site: Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology
http://www.ed.gov/teachtech/

RAND Report: MR-682-OSTP
Fostering the Use of Educational Technology: Elements of a National Strategy
http://www.rand.org/publications/MR/MR682/contents.html

http://www.horizon.unc.edu/TS/development/2000-01.asp

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2000

Luring Faculty to Technology's Field of Dreams by Mary Harrsch

"Build it and they will come" is the seductive promise that technology vendors whisper to education administrators as high-tech companies seek to garner a healthy share of the billions educational institutions will spend this year on hardware and software. But increasingly, administrators have discovered that simply offering the latest gadgets has not enticed faculty to integrate technology in their classrooms, enhance their course materials, or improve communication with their students. Like any innovation, technology enhancements must offer tangible personal benefits before faculty will embrace new approaches to teaching and assessment strategies. Financial incentives at public institutions are often limited by budgets already strained by tax reform movements and general fund reallocations toward public safety and transportation systems. To change promotion and tenure processes would impact faculty employability at other institutions and would therefore require interinstitutional collaboration for effective implementation, a lengthy process. Given these constraints, what "personal benefits" can be offered to faculty? When technology solves existing problems, faculty appreciate its value. Institutions must examine the instructional goals and methods of their faculty and design programs to help them achieve their desired objectives more effectively with new technologies. Often, this requires a comprehensive approach, which may encompass several programs to address each aspect of the instructional process.

Developing a Successful Information Technology Competency Strategy for Faculty and Staff

http://www.horizon.unc.edu/TS/development/1999-01.asp

by Mark Northover

Creating Training Resources
An Example of Paper and Web-based Resources
Competency Manual Online
Conclusion

Increasingly, educational institutions as well as commercial enterprises are making significant capital investments in information technology. The main objectives for these investments include instituting effective corporate data collection and manipulation (e.g., accounts, stock control, enrolments) and creating opportunities for faculty, staff, and students to improve the quality and efficiency of their work. However, in many cases the outcome does not justify the investment. Faculty, staff, and students struggle to come to grips with computer operating systems, network configurations and demands, and constant changes in system software, access procedures, and applications.

The value of providing staff and students with training systems that review technological skills is often underestimated. Although the capital value of the technology itself (hardware, software, telecommunications equipment, etc.) is well documented, audited, and depreciated, the skills of the people using this equipment are often not. Although a significant portion of capital investment includes upgrades for already-existing hardware and software, there is often little or no investment in providing opportunities to upgrade users' skills.

Instructional technology (IT) competency training must aim to remove barriers (real or perceived) that many faculty, staff, and students consider insurmountable. The major objective of a competency program must be to instill in the computer operator the level of confidence he or she needs to adapt easily to new applications and environments.

Modern graphical-user interfaces ease the transition between applications, but these must be supplemented by ready access to non-threatening support systems (e.g., a non-judgmental human alternative to the ubiquitous Help files). Despite the user-friendly nature of modern operating systems, many users struggle with the pace of technological change. The barriers to maintaining technological currency and competency fall into two categories: personal barriers and institutional barriers.

Personal barriers include

Users' Comfort with present skills and/or ignorance of current technological capabilities: "I'm doing OK now; why put all that effort into the new-fangled stuff?"
Lack of motivation or uncertainty about what they will gain by learning new technological skills. "Why should I bother-there's nothing in it for me!"
Bad previous experience: "I've been to training courses before, but I could never get the hang of it."
Technophobia: "I've never been any good with technical things like computers." Age concerns: "You can't teach an old dog new tricks. I'm too old to learn."

Institutional barriers include

an institution's lack of Adequate equipment (e.g., the computers are too old to run new software, or the institution has no access to new software).
Sufficient time for all employees to attend training sessions.
Readily and conveniently available training resources.
Clear associations between desired skill-sets and corporate aims (e.g., how will specific training benefit the institute?). Support from superiors who oversee others' technological development.
Recognition programs for those who upgrade their skills.

Creating Training Resources

There are essentially four categories of training resources available to faculty and staff:
IT workshops Software skills manuals for personal reference
Networked or Web-based Computer-Based-Training (CBT) materials
One-to-one consulting sessions (full article)

Horizon FACULTY STAFF DEVELOPMENT
http://www.horizon.unc.edu/TS/archives.asp?section=faculty_and_staff_development