RESEARCH PAPER

North American University

Education Department
M.Ed. in EDLE & CUIN
EDUC 5324: INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGY INTO EDUCATION
Name:

Deniz Ozkaya

Date: 9/20/15

Topic Selected:
Teachers need to be trained and go through professional development in order to
successfully implement technology into education.
1. LITERATURE REVIEW:
What does the literature/research say about this issue/topic? By using NAU
Library or Online Search engines, conduct a literature review.

You need to include 5 different sources (book, journal article, web article
etc.) in your review. Try to use current sources as much as possible.

You need to summarize and synthesize your sources by discussing a

common theme or issue.

You don't need to critique your sources

You don't need to evaluate your sources (if the sources are trustworthy,
weather the author has a bias or not)

You need to provide background information such as history and

definitions

Brief Literature Review:

TECHNOLOGY TRAINING NEEDS OF TEACHERS
This study focuses on teachers need to be trained and go through professional
development in order to successfully implement technology into education. The review of
literature in this study analyze that how professional development of teachers may
ensure that teachers are better prepared to use information and communication
technology.
Teacher Professional Development, as the body of systematic activities designed
to prepare teachers to do their job at several stages of their professional life, has
become a major issue within educational research (Darling-Hammond, 1999; DarlingHammond &Bransford, 2005), because the preparation of quality teachers is considered

the most important factor affecting student performance (Rivkin, Hanushek, &Kain,
2005). If teachers are to engage in pedagogical innovation then they need to be
prepared with knowledge beyond what is essential for operating in classrooms, as they
are currently constituted (Law, 2008). However, research continues to find that, even in
teacher preparation programs that promote use of information and communication
technology for active student learning, it is used mostly for productivity and information
presentation (Graham, Tripp, & Wentworth, 2009).
All parents want their children taught by highly qualified teachers. However, this
requires both a solid pre-service education program and ongoing professional
development to keep teachers' skills up to date. To ensure highly qualified teachers for
every student, teachers need access to the right learning opportunities that meet their
needs, and a mechanism to ensure that they have the support, time, and knowledge to
implement what they learn.
In the past, some teachers may not have had access to ongoing professional
development due to their location or time limitations. Fortunately, technology eliminates
time and location problems, while improving professional development by delivering
high-quality content and support to teachers anytime, anywhere. Educators nationwide
can now rely on the Internet and video conferencing technologies to bring people
together to talk about common problems and find unique solutions.
There are several benefits associated with incorporating technology into the classroom
that should be highlighted for policymakers. First, technology facilitates the ability to
bring real-world applications to lessons, which allows for professional training long
before entry into the workforce. For example, the science teacher in one New York City
middle school built collaborations for her students to participate in, like real laboratory
experiences at the City College of New York and the STARS program through which
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) astronauts provided students
feedback on science projects. This encouraged students to examine and consider the
implications of their school projects in the real world as well as making them view their

work in a professional context.

Embedding a new technology will always require some additional workload. The
"late starters", those who may be less comfortable with technology generally or may
already be carrying a lot of time consuming additional responsibilities will then be able to
jump on board surrounded by colleagues and students who know the ropes. It also pays
to introduce new technologies in pairs. This allows those teachers to bounce ideas off
each other, troubleshoot and keep the momentum going. Professional Development is
key to the success of the implementation of an educational technology. There needs to
be initial professional development and with some technologies this should be ongoing
as there will be a lot to take on board. The professional development should be delivered
by someone with an understanding of classroom practice so that you learn not only how
to use it but crucially how to embed it. Ideally you need to look at a capacity building
element to the professional development so that you have an in house expert who can
train new staff.
Current educational reform efforts require teachers to engage in meaningful
learning and reinvent their practices to improve student outcomes. The key objective of
professional development is to alter teacher professional knowledge and classroom
practice in order to produce higher student achievement. To date, however, there is only
little empirical evidence demonstrating the positive impact of professional development
on teacher learning and student outcomes (e.g., Fishman, Marx, Best, & Tal, 2003).
Although an array of research has emerged on the characteristics of effective
professional development (e.g., Guskey, 2003; Hawley &Valli, 1999; Wilson & Berne,
1999), few studies have focused on identifying the extent to which these characteristics
relate to changes in teacher learning and practice (Garet, Porter, Desimone, Birman, &
Yoon, 2001; Supovitz& Turner, 2000). To create quality programs for in-service teachers,
it is imperative that we provide empirical evidence that links key components of
professional development to changes in teacher knowledge and practice. The need for
quality professional development is particularly evident in the field of technology. The

current influx of computers in schools places new challenges on teachers, who are now
required to master a variety of tools, redesign their lessons to incorporate technology,
adopt new pedagogical approaches, and reexamine deeply held beliefs about teaching
and learning (Presidents Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST),
1997).
Understanding the direct linkage between professional development and teacher
learning is a critical first step toward evaluating the eventual impact on student outcomes
and performance. Clearly, if professional development does not alter teacher knowledge
or practice, little improvement in student learning can be expected (Guskey, 2000).
When considering teacher learning as a direct outcome of professional development, it
is important to consider changes in ideas and beliefs as well as changes in knowledge
and practice. According to developmental theories of learning (Hall &Hord, 1987;
Sandholtz, Ringstaff, & Dwyer, 1997), teachers go through several stages in their
perceptions and feelings about an innovation as well as in their knowledge, skill, and
sophistication in using new instructional practices consistent with the innovation.
Sandholtz et al. (1997), for example, stipulate that teachers go through five stages
before changing their practices to make effective use of technology. These stages are:
entry, adoption, adaptation, appropriation, and invention. In the initial stages, teachers
struggle to acquire new knowledge and skills about technology and develop
management strategies. They also use new technological resources to reinforce
traditional practices. Such changes, however, do not occur until teachers see some
observable benefits for their students that help them confront prior beliefs about
schooling. These findings illustrate the interplay between teacher beliefs and changes in
practice. They also demonstrate the role of evidence in changing teacher beliefs.
According to Richardson (1996), beliefs play a strong role in shaping what teachers
learn and how they learn it. Existing beliefs act like lenses or filters through which
learning takes place. They also influence the ways in which teachers come to
understand and acquire a new set of practices (Borko& Putnam, 1995). Therefore,

professional development activities need to acknowledge, incorporate, and address the

prior ideas, beliefs, and experiences of teachers.
North Carolina's IMPACT Model Schools Grant is an example of professional
development. This Enhancing Education through Technology grant provides personnel,
connectivity, hardware, software, and professional development to improve student
achievement. A collaborative model, the program focuses on using technology as a tool
to encourage authentic, project-based learning that incorporates 21st century learning
skills into all curriculum areas. In a time when more than half of all teachers leave the
field within their first three years, teachers who are scheduled to retire often choose to
stay in these IMPACT schools, while others request transfers into them, and new
teachers clamor to be hired by them. "These teachers like the way technology is
changing the way they teach, and the enthusiasm with which their students approach
learning," says Frances Bryant Bradburn, director of instructional technology for the
North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. Increasing teacher retention in
Maryland; to provide additional support for new teachers, Prince George's County has
utilized Intel's Teach to the Future (www.intel.com/education/teach) program to provide
extensive technology integration training for teachers, and the opportunity for teachers to
earn graduate credit. Associated with Towson University, the first cohort of 125 beginning
teachers is demonstrating a 94 percent retention rate.
There are many benefits derived from including teachers in the change process
that results from technology integration in schools. Firestone describes the term
participation as formal opportunities for teachers to be present during the process of
making decisions about school improvement (Firestone & Corbett, 1989.) The three
reasons to include teachers in the process are; increasing their commitment to the new
practice, developing the local capacity for implementation, and improving the likelihood
of appropriate changes in a given, specific setting.
Assessing the effects of professional development on teacher knowledge,
practices, and beliefs is critical in identifying the processes that foster effective learning.

Technology integration in the classroom can mean that teachers need training in a
variety of competencies. Teachers who have not previously used computers may need
technical training. Teachers may also need to learn how to design the type of lessons
that capitalize on the benefits of technology. This includes training specific to using the
Internet and developing online projects.
Teachers that successfully incorporate technology into their classrooms often use
a constructivist framework with project-based teaching methods. Teachers need to be
aware of and learn to address the implications for curriculum choice, learning goals,
project selection and classroom management. Teachers must learn to use technology
only in instances where it is the tool that best supported the learning goal. For example,
although temperature gages can be attached to laptops to make measurements for
science labs, the students can concurrently use textbooks and conduct experiments with
lab supplies and then use their laptops to record, evaluate, and present information. In
this way, no skill set is lost and technology enhances, but does not replace, traditional
learning aims or processes.
Finally, teachers need to be appropriately prepared to bring technology into their
classrooms and into their schools. In addition to technical training and addressing
pedagogical questions, they can and often should participate in the change process in
order to provide support and assure the perpetuity of successful advances towards an
engaging learning process for all students. The shift in the teaching and learning
paradigm as a result of technology integration is raising questions about professional
development for teachers; assessment mechanisms; and, even the purpose of
education. Educators need to work to advance the beliefs and understanding about new
educational necessities. Teachers should help the public understand the shift in the
timing, place, and actors in the process of knowledge production and how those factors
change the classroom and makes its requirements even more challenging but necessary
in the preparation of its young people. Educators need to gather support to define
curricular goals integrating technology, including identifying optimal ages and aims

achieved by specific teaching methods.

2. REFLECTION:

What is your personal opinion on this issue? Do you agree with the
research? If you agree or disagree, please explain why?
Provide examples/experiences regarding this issue from school
perspective orIf you are not working in a school, from your profession. Be
specific with your examples. You can mention software/hardware names,
specific methods that you plan to use, etc.
How would you implement this research in your career? (At least 1
paragraph)

Reflection:
I agree with my research. Nowadays, more students grow up in digital age, this
necessities that teachers can satisfy their needs by attracting their interests. Therefore
the teacher should have knowledge and skills to use and apply various tools of
technology in their classes. In order to make teachers adequate about technology, they
should be provided the proper training before being handed new tools. So teachers
should adapt to technological changes by training and going through professional
development in order to successfully implement technology into education.
Today teachers technological literacy plays a crucial role in the educational field.
It is inevitable that they should learn and apply the technological innovations. However it
may not be very easy for teachers to integrate technology in classroom. Another issue is
if educators are less familiar with technology than their students, they may struggle
some problems about students point of views. Smart phones, laptops, PCs, online social
media, and other electronic devices are some examples of students' usage almost all the
time in a day. Teachers need to get training and development to integrate technology in
the classroom effectively. For example workshops may be arranged before starting
schools and they may be scheduled to continue. At least some technological tools can
be used in classrooms like IPad, Chromebook, projectors, smart boards, and Mimio
pads. Incorporating technology into classrooms helps to increase students academic
achievement. Mostly successful implementation of educational technologies depends on

the educators technological literacy.

As a summary the twenty first century demands the use of technology in peoples
daily life especially in education. It is very hard to catch up with it. Teachers
technological usage is directly proportional to their teaching effectiveness and students
learning processes. Teachers should possess a wide range of knowledge and abilities
about it. In order to this they should be provided a sufficient technological and
professional development training. The lack of teacher training prevents computer
assisted learning. By the way teacher improve their technological literacy. As their
capability of using technological tools improves, their confidence increases. So their
usage of technology will increase. Technology should be efficiently used in education
and integrated into the learning processes, because it has become part of the
instructional tools.
Finally, I already implement this research in my career by doing this master study.
Ill continue to take training of technology. If I complete my program and have a chance
to work as principle in a school, I try to encourage teachers and staff members to use
technology. I think principals are the key factor in its implementation and use. They
should establish the vision and goals for technology in the school, encourage the
technological development and training of teachers by providing sufficient technological
infrastructure support and making an effective school evaluation plan.

3. REFERENCES:

Cite at least 5References in APA.

You may use http://www.citationmachine.net/apa/cite-a-journal for citing
your sources in APA style.

References:
Barrett, J. (2008). Embedding educational technology. Education Today, (4), 22-23.
Developing Highly Qualified Teachers. (2005). T H E Journal, 32(12), 22.

Mouza, C. c. (2006). Linking Professional Development to Teacher Learning and

Practice: A
Multi-Case Study Analysis of Urban Teachers. Journal Of Educational Computing
Research, 34(4), 405-440.
Twining, P., Raffaghelli, J., Albion, P., &Knezek, D. (2013). Moving education into
the digital age: the contribution of teachers' professional development. Journal Of
Computer Assisted Learning, 29(5), 426-437.
Ziegel, M. m. (2004). Preparing Teachers for the Challenges of Technology
Integration. Issues In Informing Science & Information Technology, 1105-113.