May 1996 — Features
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Teacher Training: Helping to Construct the Information Highway
The future is overtaking the present at a breath-taking pace, creating chaos for the education community. Educators have been making decisions in frustration and confusion rather than careful calculation. Looming daily is the awareness of the great need to prepare children and young adults for the changing technological global community at our doorstep. Great leaps are needed to catch-up with a world that will continue to move at breakneck speed. Crucial to catch-up is the leap into technology. The urgent need for integrating technologies is emphasized and delineated by research reported by the National Science Foundation. These data led to the following goals at both the state and national levels:
- "By the year 2010 we will need more than 700,000 additional scientists and engineers;"[1]
- "Educate U.S. students to be first in the world in science and mathematics achievement by the year 2000."[2]
The thrust was to infuse technologies into the classrooms by providing teachers with skills, confidence, training, materials, access to information, a network and practice in applying these skills with children.
Addressing the Gaps
In the midst of this explosive information age, far too many computers are out of reach of children and teachers. And far too many computers are placed in labs for students to use and not on the teachers' desks. This configuration separates student from teacher and students become proficient while teachers fall further behind.
Teachers who entered the profession more than a decade ago preceded the advent of the personal computer, thus their training on this potent learning/teaching tool is non-existent. Obviously, teachers cannot just magically utilize technologies' many facets without training, guidance and models.
For example, the 30-minute per day planning period is not conducive to teachers learning Netscape Navigator or designing multimedia curriculum. Without easy access to computers and qualified instructions, teachers are in no position to grow and explore. Other factors that have delayed the meaningful infusion of technologies include support, leadership, funding and research priorities.
