Educator professional development for technology in the classroom: an evaluation study

2018-06-29There is a need for professional development for teachers and on-going instructional support. The project evaluated the degree to which a self-contained special education learning environment is meeting its goal to improve technology for differentiated instruction to develop 21st century technology skills. The evaluation focused on knowledge, motivation, and organizational influences related to achieving organizational goals. The questions that guided this study were 1) To what extent is the organization meeting its goal to integrate 21st century technology in every classroom by providing technology resources training to all teachers; 2) What is the teacher’s knowledge and motivation related to the use of 21st century technology skills and collaborative tools; and 3) What is the interaction between organizational culture and context and teacher’s knowledge and motivation? ❧ The project used a qualitative methodology that included interviews, observations, and document analysis. The participants consisted of elementary and high school teachers. The findings suggest that to improve collaborative tool use within an organization, teachers need to know which collaborative tools are available for professional practice; how to use technology-based collaboration tools; and have opportunities to reflect on the effectiveness of technology integration. The motivation influences that affect technology use is the utility value of the tools that are provided to teachers as well as self-efficacy. Finally, the organization must manage collaborative equipment and resources to meet organizational goals. The New World Kirkpatrick Model was used to create recommendations to address the knowledge, motivation, and organizational influences that affect technology integration