Professional Development for Educational Leaders on Integrating Technology into Classrooms Part II by Diane H. Zack

Educational leaders have a professional responsibility to provide professional learning to support teachers learning to create engaging lessons and curricula that incorporate technology and 21^st Century Skills.  The following is the second part of a five part series designed to provide educational leaders insights on the content, structure, and strategies necessary for developing effective professional learning to support their teachers learning to integrate technology. Click here for part one on “Answering ‘Why’ Integrating Technology Into our Lessons is Imperative.”

PART 2:  Content for Professional Learning: Understanding the Changing Role of the Classroom Teacher, Instructional Design, and Coping with Changing Technology

Developing teacher capacity for writing engaging lessons infused with technology is essential for teaching our students the 21st Century skills defined by the Partnership for 21^st Century Learning [P21] and the International Society for Technology in Education [ISTE].  Teachers must learn to design lessons and assessments that incorporate technology designed to encourage critical thinking, develop digital literacy, work collaboratively, allow for global communication, inspire creativity, and develop ethical thinking (ISTE, 2016a; Office of Educational Technology [OET], 2016; P21, 2017).   Teachers’ personal teaching philosophies about student-centered curricula, existing attitudes about technology, and dispositions for self-efficacy influence teachers’ desires and therefore capacity to successfully integrate technology into their lessons and curricula (Ertmer, Ottenbreit-Leftwich, Sadik, Sendurur &  Sendurur, 2012; Vannatta & Fordham, 2004).  Research by Vannatta and Fordham (2004) indicated that teachers are more likely to integrate technology into their lessons depending on the amount of training a teacher receives combined with the teacher’s openness to change and time to prepare lessons outside of class.

To support teachers learning to integrate technology, educational leaders must provide professional learning targeted to increase teachers’ capacity to design learner-centered lessons and willingness to change and take risks.  For these professional learning sessions, essential content to increase teacher capacity must include: (1) helping teachers understand how their classroom roles will evolve; (2) lessons on instructional design; and (3) coping mechanisms on effectively managing rapidly changing educational technology.

Classroom Role of the Teacher:  Technology will necessitate the role of a classroom teacher to evolve from a disseminator of knowledge to a facilitator for learning (Anderson, 2008; Eyal, 2012; Koehler & Mishra, 2005; Looi, Lim & Chen, 2008; McCombs, 2000; Underwood, 2009; Yoon, Ho, & Hedberg, 2006).  Effective integration of technology into classroom lessons will result in more learner-centered lessons, assessments, and curricula (Bonk & Cunningham, 1998; Buzzetto-More, 2007; Eyal, 2012; Kanwar, 2012; Santos, Cook, Hernandez-Leo, 2015).   Learner-centered activities require an increased involvement by students in the learning process (Eyal, 2012).   Integrating 21^st Century Skills into learner-centered lesson requires students to learn how locate and acquire knowledge independently (McCombs, 2000; Stansbery & Kymes, 2007; Tondeur, Forkosh-Baruch, Prestridge, Albion, & Edirisinghe, 2016; Wang, 2007).  Our 21^st Century students must learn to extend their learning outside of the classroom; they must make informed choices and critical evaluations (Hmelo-Silver, Duncan, & Chinn, 2007; Kanwar, 2012; McCombs, 2000; Stansbery & Kymes, 2007; Tondeur, et al., 2016; Wang, 2007).  Twenty-first Century students must develop their communication and collaboration skills, be reflective, creative, and productive, construct their own knowledge, and take ownership of their learning outcomes (Anderson, 2008; Bonk & Cunningham, 1998; Kanwar, 2012; Stansbery & Kymes, 2007; Tondeur, et al., 2016; Wang, 2007).

Educational leaders have an obligation to provide teachers with professional learning with content related to the evolving role of the classroom teacher.   Classroom teachers will need instruction and support to understand that their new role is to provide scaffolding that supports students’ individual construction of knowledge (ISTE, 2016b; Jacobs, 2012; Stronge, Grant, & Xu, 2015).  By integrating technology and 21^st Century Skills, the teacher’s becomes a partner in students’ learning (ISTE, 2016b; Jacobs, 2012; Stronge, et al., 2015).   A teacher’s new role will be to provide learning experiences that are authentic, relevant, and engaging to students (ISTE 2016b; Jacobs, 2012; P21, 2017).  Through professional learning, educational leaders must inform teachers that 21^st Century lessons simultaneously and creatively differentiate instruction.  Teachers’ lessons must communicate content through multiple means, provide a multidisciplinary perspective, and provide learning opportunities for students of all abilities (ISTE, 2016b; Jacobs, 2012; Stronge, et al., 2015).     Through professional learning, teachers can begin to understand how their role must change to create a learning-centered environment to help our students acquire 21^st Century Skills.

Lessons on Instructional Design:  For teachers to become facilitators of learning, the content of professional learning sessions must include lessons on instructional design.  The teacher’s role in lesson planning will evolve and become more complex.  Within the learning environment, the teacher must step aside and allow students the opportunity to direct their learning; however, the teacher is still responsible for student understanding of the curriculum and for teaching 21^st Century Skills (Eyal, 2012).   Because the learning is more learner-centered, a challenging aspect of the teacher’s role becomes one of a lesson designer.  As lesson designers, teachers will need professional learning on how to write student-centered lessons that integrate technology, 21^st Century Skills, as well as learning theories and pedagogy, which can lead students to construct content area knowledge (ISTE, 2016b; Koehler & Mishra, 2005; Lee & Kim, 2014; Stronge, et al., 2015).

To support teachers learning to integrate technology, educational leaders must provide professional learning targeted to increase teachers’ capacity to design learner-centered lessons and willingness to change and take risks.

The teacher must create complex lessons that infuse content knowledge, learning theories and pedagogy, as well as knowledge of technology (Koehler & Mishra, 2005; Koehler & Mishra, 2008).  The teacher must design and create the environment, which will afford students an opportunity to construct their knowledge (ISTE, 2016b; Jimoyiannis, 2010; Koehler & Mishra, 2005; Koehler & Mishra, 2008; Voogt & Knezek, 2008; Yoon, et al., 2006).  The lesson designer must be capable of creating complex learning environments designed to promote and stimulate deep cognitive learning about specific content, mix students’ academic needs with their interests, and extends students’ 21^st Century Skills (ISTE, 2016b; Jimoyiannis, 2010; Koehler & Mishra, 2005; Koehler & Mishra, 2008; Voogt & Knezek, 2008; Yoon, et al., 2006).

As the facilitator of learning and lesson designer, the teacher must be provided with professional learning to understand how to support, motivate, and encourage students to extend their knowledge using research, collaboration, reflection, and self-correction (ISTE, 2016b; Jimoyiannis, 2010; Koehler & Mishra, 2005; Koehler & Mishra, 2008; Voogt & Knezek, 2008; Yoon, et al., 2006).   Integrating technology to creating student-centered learning requires teachers’ roles in the classroom to change and these changes will require support from our educational leaders.

Coping and Adaptability:  Through professional development, educational leaders must help teachers adapt and evolve to meet and respond to the new challenges presented through the integration of technology into their lessons and curricula.  The topics of the professional learning sessions must specifically provide opportunities for teachers to increase their self-efficacy, to develop coping skills, and to understand that it is okay to make mistakes and to get messy during the learning process.  Increase self-efficacy, content of professional learning must include learning how to become a self-directed learner; teachers must learn how to assess and identify their own learning needs (Van Merriënboer & Kester, 2005).  Teachers must learn how to search for online help, how to differentiate digital practices that are effective from those that are less effective (Van Merriënboer & Kester, 2005).  Teachers must learn how to select new learning tasks to adjust to new learning environments and teachers need to build effective support systems that include administrators, technology coaches, a global community, their school peer, and their own students (Ertmer, et al., 2012).  Training should include sharing pedagogy, trouble shooting, and adapting when technology fails (Howard & Gigliotti, 2016).  To become more technologically capable, teachers must feel confident and adequately trained; teachers must learn how to access help when required and how to adapt and build upon their prior knowledge (Ertmer, et al., 2012).

Content of the professional learning sessions should include teaching how to take risks in the classroom.  Teachers are more likely to learn and use technology as an instructional tool if they are more willing to make mistakes and take risks (Ertmer, et al., 2012; Howard & Gigliotti, 2016; Vannatta & Fordham, 2004).  Teachers must be reassured that their educational leaders support taking risks to advance student understandings (Buzzetto-More & Alade, 2006; Law, 2003; Van Merriënboer & Kester, 2005).   Teachers must know that experimenting with technology is expected, that there is no shame when the technology fails, and that flexibility in adapting to failure is part of the learning process (Howard & Gigliotti, 2016).  People will be willing to take risks if they feel the possibility of a gain in student understanding outweighs the possible risks or anxiety when using classroom technology.

Content of the professional learning sessions should include topics intended to increase teachers’ coping skills, adaptability, and flexibility within the ever-changing world of educational technology.   Teachers must learn how to adapt and change as the technology advances.  Educational leaders must provide professional learning to support teachers as they learn to design the complex lessons and assessments needed to advance our students knowledge of core curricular content blended with 21^st Century Skills.  Essential to increasing our teachers’ willingness and desire to use technology to design student-centered lessons is to provide professional learning with content aimed at helping teachers understand how their role will evolve, how their new role includes instructional design, and developing coping mechanisms to manage rapidly changing classroom technology.

Diane H. Zack is currently completing a Certificate in Administration through the Pennsylvania State World Campus and recently earned an Ed.D. from the University of Delaware in Educational Leadership with concentrations in Curriculum, Technology and Higher Education.  Diane has worked for years as a public high school math teacher, curriculum writer & coordinator, and as a writer and presenter of teachers’ professional development. Diane is dedicated to providing teachers with professional development to increase students’ opportunities to learn 21st Century Skills.

References:

Anderson, R. (2008). Implications of the information and knowledge society for education. In J. Voogt, & G. Knezek (Eds.), International handbook of information technology in primary and secondary education. Berlin Heidelberg New York: Springer.

Bonk, C. J., & Cunningham, D. J. (1998). Searching for learner-centered, constructivist, and sociocultural components of collaborative educational learning tools. Electronic collaborators: Learner-centered technologies for literacy, apprenticeship, and discourse, 25.

Buzzetto-More, N. A. (Ed.). (2007). Advanced principles of effective e-learning. Santa Rosa, California: Informing Science Press.

Ertmer, P. A., Ottenbreit-Leftwich, A. T., Sadik, O., Sendurur, E., & Sendurur, P. (2012). Teacher beliefs and technology integration practices: A critical relationship. Computers & Education, 59(2), 423–435. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2012.02.001.

Eyal, L. (2012). Digital assessment literacy—the core role of the teacher in a digital environment. Educational Technology & Society, 15 (2), 37–49.

Hmelo-Silver, C. E., Duncan, R. G., & Chinn, C. A. (2007). Scaffolding and achievement in problem-based and inquiry learning: A response to Kirschner, Sweller, and Clark (2006). Educational psychologist, 42(2), 99-107.

International Society for Technology in Education. (2016). ISTE standards for students. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/standards/standards-for-students.

International Society for Technology in Education. (2016b). ISTE standards for Teachers.  Retrieved from  https://www.iste.org/docs/pdfs/20-14_ISTE_Standards-T_PDF.pdf

Jacobs, H.H. (2012). Curriculum 21: Essential education for a changing world. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Jimoyiannis, A. (2010). Developing a technological pedagogical content knowledge framework for science education: Implications of a teacher trainers’ preparation program. Proceedings of the Informing Science & IT Education Conference (In SITE 2010) (pp. 597–607). Cassino, Italy.

Kanwar, S. (2012). Assessment – An important facet of learning.  Literacy Information and Computer Education Journal (LICEJ), Special Issue, Volume 1, Issue 2, 2012.

Law, N. (2003). Innovative classroom practices and the teacher of the future. In C. Dowling, & K. W.

Lee, C. C., & Kim, C. (2014). An implementation study of a TPACK-based instructional design model in a technology integration course. Educational Technology Research & Development, 62(4), 437-460. Doi:10.1007/s11423-014-9335-8

Looi, C. K., Lim, W.Y., & Chen, W. (2008). Communities of practice for continuing professional development in the twenty-first century. In J. Voogt & G. Knezek (Eds.), International handbook of information technology in primary and secondary education (pp. 489–505). New York, NY: Springer.

Mccombs, B. L. (2000). Assessing the role of educational technology in the teaching and learning process: A Learner-centered perspective.

Joo, Y. J., Lim, K. Y., & Kim, N. H. (2016). The effects of secondary teachers’ technostress on the intention to use technology in South Korea. Computers & Education, 95, 114-122.

Office of Educational Technology. (2016). U.S. Department of Education. https://tech.ed.gov/

P21-Framework for 21st Century Learning. Retrieved March 16, 2017. http://www.p21.org/our-work/p21-framework

Santos, P., Cook, J., & Hernandez-Leo, D. (2015). M-AssIST: Interaction and scaffolding matters in authentic assessment. Educational Technology & Society, 18(2), 33-45.

Stansberry, S., & Kymes, A. (2007). Transformative Learning through “Teaching With Technology” Electronic Portfolios. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 50(6), 488-496. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/40015500

Stronge, J., Grant, L., Xu, X. (2015). The changing roles of teachers: What research indicates. Part 1 of 2. P21 Partnership for 21^st Century Learning Volume 2(13), Number 3.  Retrieved from http://www.p21.org/news-events/p21blog/1791-the-changing-roles-of-teachers-what-research-indicates-part-i-of-ii-

Tondeur, J., Forkosh-Baruch, A., Prestridge, S., Albion, P., & Edirisinghe, S. (2016). Responding to challenges in teacher professional development for ICT integration in education. Educational Technology & Society, 19 (3), 110–120.

Underwood, J. D. (2009). The impact of digital technology: a review of the evidence of the impact of digital technologies on formal education. Retrieved from http://dera.ioe.ac.uk/10491/3/A9RF934_Redacted.pdf

Van Merriënboer, J. J., & Kester, L. (2005). The four-component instructional design model: Multimedia principles in environments for complex learning. The Cambridge handbook of multimedia learning, 71-93.

Vannatta, R. A., & Fordham, N. (2004). Teacher disposition as predictors of classroom technology use. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 36(3), 253e271.

Voogt, J., & Knezek, G. (Eds.). (2008). International handbook of information technology in primary and secondary education. New York, NY: Springer.

Yoon, F. S., Ho, J., & Hedberg, J. G. (2006). Teachers as designers of learning environments. Computers in the Schools, 22(3/4), 145–157.

Wang, T. H. (2007). What strategies are effective for formative assessment in an e‐learning environment?. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 23(3), 171-186.