Teacher Tech 101

How to help novice teachers soar

By Gail Marshall

Gail Marshall is a technology consultant in St. Louis, Mo.

Once upon a time, all a new teacher had to worry about on the first day of school was whether the chalkboards were clean, the bulletin boards were decorated, and the basal readers were ready to hand out. Today's first-time teacher has an additional concern: what to do with the computers in the back of the classroom.

Novice teachers have heard about the computer revolution taking place in classrooms, and they've no doubt used computers themselves as high school and college students. But chances are their undergraduate training hasn't prepared them to make good instructional use of your school's technology. Teachers and Technology: Making the Connection, a 1995 report by the U.S. Office of Technology Assessment on the status of technology in American schools, says graduates of teacher-education programs have had little, if any, preparation for life in technology-rich classrooms. The reason: Most education colleges offer technology courses only as electives, and many teachers-in-training are so busy amassing credits in required courses that they miss the opportunity to learn how technology can be used effectively in the classroom.

The report also suggests a good news/bad news scenario is developing in districts around the country. Schools have invested so much money in computers in recent years that the students-to-computer ratio is now nine-to-one. But the average school district spends only 15 percent of its district's technology budget on staff development--even though most experts agree twice that amount is needed. As a result, classrooms and labs are filling up with computers that are not being used to their best potential.

What can you do?

Before you say that couldn't happen in your district, check your technology budget and see how much is allocated for staff development. Low funding levels mean your existing staff might not be much more technologically adept than the newcomers. Without proper funding, it's almost impossible to meet your existing technology goals, let alone bring new teachers up to speed. If you want new (and experienced) teachers to get on the technology bandwagon, your board will have to be part of the solution and not part of the problem.

You can start by making sure your new-teacher orientations include information about the district's technology program. Most don't. The ideal orientation should introduce teachers to the school system, show off some new software, and demonstrate a few model lessons. But that's just a start: New teachers need more help than one or two orientation sessions can provide.

Veteran technology coordinator Jackie Lipsitz, who has taken dozens of teachers in Clayton, Mo., from the "I-don't-know-if-I-want-to-use-it" stage to the "I-need-much-more-time-and-many-more-computers" stage, says the long-term solution is to develop a good technology plan (one that includes training on a regular basis), stick with the plan, and support everyone who is part of the plan.

In the short term, Lipsitz advises identifying the technology pioneers on your teaching staff and using these people to help newcomers along. Ask the pacesetters to serve as mentors for the new teachers; and make sure they have time to meet together to plan, observe, and discuss lessons. Administrators can check in on them every once in a while with a few "How's it going?" sessions. Technology updates at the beginning of faculty meetings or shared sessions involving technology-based lessons can also help newcomers fit in.

Watching some pros

It's especially helpful for novices to observe their technology mentors' classes. By watching a pro in action, the newcomer will see how computer-based work is set up, how the veteran teacher demonstrates the kind of thinking that will be enhanced by computer use, how he or she handles emergencies, and what kind of interaction occurs between the teacher and the students. Good computer-based instruction, the new teachers will see, pretty much follows the rules for the good pedagogical practices they learned in college.

Both new and experienced teachers also need professional days to visit other schools. It's been my experience that few teachers avail themselves of opportunities to see how other teachers work. So when a new (or experienced) teacher asks how to organize a technology classroom or get students involved, I always suggest visiting a few other schools and bringing back ideas to discuss with colleagues.

It's also helpful for new teachers--and veterans--to go to a resource center for periodic training sessions. Almost every state has tech centers, teacher centers, or other training arrangements that provide daylong or weeklong courses on software and hardware. At these centers, teachers can preview software; check out books, videos, and journals; and return to their schools with information to pass along to others. Most local or regional hardware and software vendors also have training programs, and you can often work out a deal: In exchange for the purchase of 15 new computers, for instance, the vendor might provide 20 hours of training.

Visits to other classrooms or centers raise a question, of course: Who's teaching the newcomer's class? Sometimes the novices' classes can be covered by scheduling library visits or educational films. But the Monterey (Calif.) Unified School District has a better idea: "Super Subs." Retired teachers who are proficient technology users are available as substitutes so other teachers can attend training during school hours. Super Subs also visit classrooms and team-teach with novice teachers until they get the rhythm of moving from basal texts to computers and back again.

Your district can also send teachers to a local college or university or bring the college into the school. Higher education institutions are becoming more flexible about where their courses are taught and what they teach. The teacher-training staff at your local college will probably be delighted to work with your schools to design and deliver a course that shows teachers how to use science software to teach problem solving, for example, or how to use manipulative materials and microcomputers to teach math. If you can't arrange such a partnership, videos and CD-ROMs are available that show exemplary lessons, demonstrate approved software, and provide planning assistance. (One possibility: Apple Computer's Teaching, Learning, and Technology--A Planning Guide, which comes with a CD-ROM.)

Many colleges and universities also offer on-line courses. Two pioneers are Pepperdine University in Culver City, Calif., and Rosemont College in Rosemont, Pa. Pepperdine offers a distance-learning postgraduate program for teachers, and Rosemont has a program that combines on-campus technology courses during the summer with on-line fall and spring courses teachers can complete from their own schools. For more information about different options, contact your state department of education or technology-based organizations such as the International Society for Technology in Education, 1787 Agate St., Eugene, Ore. 97403-1923; (541) 346-4414.

Walking a fine line

Of course, some of the best help will come from sources the new teachers find on their own. Lipsitz says novice teachers should "jump in, take risks, get ideas from magazines, and attend local technology conferences." Local user groups can also be a good source of support (see the sidebar). The point, she says, is to learn a little bit about what's happening, try it out in the classroom, and then build on those experiences.

That's good advice, but schools need to support such initiatives. A new teacher can't plan lessons, get in the swing of school rules, and develop all the skills needed for a successful first year without help.

And there is such a thing as having new teachers get too involved too quickly. When novice teachers walk into a school for the first time, they're often filled with ideas, energy, and more than a little trepidation. If the school expects too much--"Welcome, we really need a young teacher here. How about being our technology coordinator as well as our science teacher?"--the newcomer is likely to be frightened off. Or, the new teacher might jump to the challenge and work like crazy until along about February, then begin to burn out. That's why it's important to make sure new teachers are aware of your support as well as your high expectations.

Of course, new teachers aren't the only ones who sometimes have trouble using technology effectively in their classrooms. Experienced teachers also complain about inadequate training and implementation. Everyone--teachers, administrators, and school board membersalike--should work together to identify problems and to devise solutions.

The solutions often require a serious commitment of time, money, and resources. By making such commitments, your district will show teachers, whether novice or veteran, that the use of technology is a districtwide priority and a shared goal.