Week 2: Educator Preperation and Development Area of the STaR Chart

I argue that "Educator Preparation and Development" is a key element in the successful integration of technology into the classroom. The STaR chart has six sub-categories for this area.

1.) Content of Professional Development: What professional development opportunities are provided and for what content?
2.) Models of Professional Development: How is professional development presented (e.g., lecture, small group, focus group, etc.)?
3.) Capabilities of Educators: What is the level of understanding for teachers regarding SBEC's Technology Application Standards?
4.) Access to Professional Development: How many actual hours of professional development are teachers offered during a school year?
5.) Levels of Understanding and Patterns of Use: How much do teachers understand and how much integration has occurred?
6.) Professional Development for Online Learning: How much professional development have teachers been provided in the area of online learning?

This is the area of greatest weakness for my school, Giddens Elementary. I believe this leads to a significant decrease in the integration of technology into learning and the classroom. It makes intuitive sense. How can teachers implement technology resources into the classroom if they have not been trained in their use?