Computer Skill Requirements for New and Existing Teachers: Implications for Policy and Practice

The integration of technology into the classroom is a major topic in education today. Many national and provincial/state initiatives specify the technology skills that students must demonstrate at each grade level. The Government of the Province of Alberta in Canada has mandated the implementation of a new curriculum, which began in September of 2000, called Information and Communication Technology. This curriculum is infused within core courses and specifies what students are “expected to know, be able to do, and be like with respect to technology ” (Alberta Learning, 2000). Since teachers are required to implement this new curriculum, school jurisdictions are turning to professional development strategies and hiring standards to upgrade teachers ’ computer skills to meet this goal. This paper summarizes the results of a telephone survey administered to all public school jurisdictions in the Province of Alberta with a 100% response rate. We examined the computer skills that school jurisdictions require of newly hired teachers and the support strategies employed for currently employed teachers. Computer Skill Requirements for Teachers 2 Background Various government authorities have recognized that Information and Communications Technology (ICT) has a major impact on our economy. The Alberta Science and Research Authority (1998) acknowledges that ICT is “the world's strongest, fastest growing economic sector ” and the Government of Canada (2000) recognizes that “Canada can benefit by becoming a world leader in the development and use of advanced information and communications technologies. ” Furthermore, the U.S. Department of Education (2000) has stated that technology is transforming the American economy. As a result, these authorities are pursuing initiatives to incorporate technology into K-12 schools not only to prepare students for this new economy, but also because they see the “potential for technology to transform the teaching and learning experience ” (U.S. Department of Education)