The remaining critical success factor needed to complete the information technology-effected classroom is continuous professional development of all teachers and staff. Computers and software on the networks with Internet are flowing into Arizona classrooms. But recent studies and focus groups have shown that professional development is lagging. There are many federal, business and district programs that deliver training and some professional development. This effort is valuable as a start but it effects only small percentage of the teachers, is not continuous, and not comprehensive.

The ALTP decided to launch a three-pronged professional development study:

• Determine the need and demand using The Milken Exchange 1999 survey data of 95% of Arizona’s K-12 districts.

• Determine the supply by surveying 100+ training providers such as CBT (computer based training) web sites, training companies, school district staff, Arizona community colleges and universities, etc.

• Design a curriculum framework that focuses on integrating technology into the classroom curriculum and practice.

At the core of the curriculum framework design is:

• The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) list of competencies (Spring 1999) that were submitted to the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education.

• The CEO Forum’s STAR Report – School Technology and Readiness that addresses the need for technologically aware personnel in the workforce.

• A decade of research by ACOT – Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow providing a qualitative and quantitative analysis of technology integration and the required professional development.

• The Milken Exchange’s The Seven Dimensions for Gauging Progress for identifying the need for technology in schools, a method for determining that need and a set of indicators for evaluating the use of technology by assessing the following: learners, system capacity, community connections, technology capacity and accountability.

The team, addressing the practical needs for Arizona schools and the research developed and defined five unique categories of teacher and staff professional development (Appendix A). These categories not only focus on the teacher and librarian, but the entire system of professional staff that assures improved academic performance of Arizona’s K-12 students:

The main contribution of this team is the Personnel Recommendations in Appendix B that place these categories into the ISTE Program and Performance standards. From these specific categories, the Arizona supply and demand will be quantified. Further analyses can determine gaps in supply and costs as an Arizona strategic plan is developed for K-12 professional development.

The Net-Generation is here. Eighty-eight million offspring produced by 85 million baby boomers have eclipsed their parents in size and impact. The youngest of these kids are still in their diapers, and the eldest are just turning twenty. The N-Geners are most numerous in North America, but there are similar echoes, albeit less in strength, occurring in Europe and the Pacific Rim.

There is nothing more important to parents, policy makers, marketers, business leaders and social activists than understanding what this younger generation intends to do with its digital expertise.

Don Tapscott

(McGraw-Hill, New York, 1997).

The role that technology will play within the American school system is a topic that requires a great deal of thought, planning, support and assessment of its impact. In order to start such an undertaking it is necessary to initially view the integration of technology within schools from several different vantage points. To effectively and appropriately integrate technology into classroom instruction several steps or stages must take place ranging from developing and installing a capable infrastructure to providing professional development opportunities as well as support mechanisms.

Prior to planning for and implementing such a project it is necessary to discuss what are the benefits of such an undertaking as well as the rationale and motivation behind such an endeavor. The reason behind such a holistic analysis is the need to determine whether or not the benefits warrant the effort and cost behind such an initiative. If it is determined that the educational benefits warrant the time, energy and expense of such an initiative then the planning process should continue. Since the focus of this document is professional development of educators and its role in the technology integration process a second broad view is required. This view identifies the stages that an educator will follow while advancing their own technology skill base.

The document will then narrow its focus to identify the overall skills required of an educator to effectively use technology within instruction. It is these skills which can form the foundation for a comprehensive professional development program. Finally, the document will again widen its view to identify how such a technology integration initiative can positively impact the classroom, the school and the community.

One can look outside of the educational arena to find organizations that are independently addressing the issues related to technology integration into America’s public schools. One such organization is the CEO Forum on Education and Technology which was founded in the Fall of 1996 to help ensure that America's schools effectively prepare all students to be contributing citizens and productive workers in the 21st Century.

To meet this objective, the Forum has developed a mechanism by which the technological preparedness of a classroom, school or district can be measured on a continual basis. The CEO Forum also issues an annual assessment (STAR Report – School Technology And Readiness) of the nation's progress toward integrating technology into American classrooms through the year 2000. The report identifies two areas of importance relating to the professional development of teachers in the area of technology.

First and foremost, the report identifies the educational benefits of the effective and appropriate integration of technology into the learning process:

• Student centered authentic project-based learning is utilized to a
  greater degree.
• The use of higher-order thinking and research skills are evidenced.
• Increased universal access to greater information resources for research and education is made available.
• Collaborative learning that allows students to develop teamwork, communication and problem-solving skills is common.

• All students and teachers are able to communicate with parents, subject area experts, other students and teachers.

It is through the efforts of the CEO Forum that an individual is able to answer the question, "Why should technology be an important part of America’s schools?" The benefits identified by the CEO Forum are general in nature and serve as a point of departure in this discussion.

Second, the report acknowledges the decade of research performed by ACOT (Apple Classrooms Of Tomorrow) of the instructional changes that occur during the process of integrating technology in an effort to transform the learning environment. The research identifies five stages that an educator migrates through as he/she integrates technology into classroom instruction:

• Entry – Educators struggle to learn the basics of using technology.
• Adoption – Educators move from the initial struggles to successful use of technology on a basic level.
• Adaption – Educators integrate technology into traditional classroom practice. The focus for the educator is increased student productivity and engagement in basic productivity software applications.
• Appropriation – Having achieved complete mastery over technology, educators use it "effortlessly" as a tool to accomplish a variety of instructional and management goals.
• Invention – Educators are prepared to develop entirely new learning environments that utilize technology as a flexible tool. Learning becomes more collaborative, interactive and customized.

The value of such research is that a clearly defined pattern for professional growth has been identified and, more importantly, that process of change is backed by scientific research. This allows individuals both in and outside of the educational establishment to measure an educator’s growth in the area of technology integration by identifying key observable behaviors.

Once the question as to what are the educational benefits of technology integration is answered as well as what will educators experience in their technological professional growth, it is time to identify what are the general skills that need to be developed in educators in order to effectively and appropriately use technology in the classroom.

Several entities and state organizations have spent much time determining what set of skills is required in educators in order to integrate technology into the classroom. The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) has developed such a list and has submitted the competencies to the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) for approval. ISTE has consistently taken a leadership role in establishing standards for the effective use of information technology in education in order to adequately prepare our students for adult citizenship in the Information Age.

The Milken Family Foundation as part of its mission promotes stimulating creativity and productivity among educators and students of all ages — especially by using technology to improve learning and teaching. In its effort to achieve this objective the foundation has created the Milken Exchange on Education Technology. This exchange has created among other items a document that allows individuals to plan for and assess the use of technology within a classroom, school, district or state. The Seven Dimensions for Gauging Progress: A Policymakers Guide focuses on several key issues related to the learning environments that can be found in our school systems and the professional development of teachers in regards to the use of technology in our schools. These areas can be defined in more detail by discussing the specific points identified here:

Learning Environments. In the area of learning environments the Milken Exchange identifies the following as questions to consider when establishing criteria for measuring the impact of technology on learning:

Are educators establishing a learning context that requires and enables students/student teams use of contemporary tools to research issues, solve problems and communicate results?

Do the standards, curriculum, instruction and assessment reflect the knowledge-based, global society of today? Are educators reflecting societal changes in school practice?

Is the school culture one that encourages, enables and rewards educators individually and collectively to improve learning and teaching processes through the effective use of technology and communication networks?

Do teachers and learners have sufficient access to productivity tools, online services, media-based instructional materials, and primary sources of data in settings that enrich and extend their learning goals?

Is the learning environment a place where the effective use of information and communication technology is modeled for and by students?

Professional Competency. In the area of professional competency the Milken Exchange identifies the following as questions to consider when establishing criteria for measuring the impact of technology on learning. It is the process by which these questions get answered that allows technology to be effectively integrated into the learning process thereby creating the learning environment defined above.

Are the faculty and staff proficient, knowledgeable and current with contemporary technology?

Has the teacher’s fluency with technology translated into unique opportunities for students to learn more quickly, with more depth and understanding? Is the teacher’s knowledge about technology’s impact in his/her field of study reflective in the context of his/her student’s learning?

Through their use of technology and telecommunications are teachers creating learning contexts that require students to take on more independent roles in their own learning?

The work completed by the Milken Family Foundation allows us to view the use of technology from several key areas. Two of those areas are identified and have been expanded upon above. The The Seven Dimensions for Gauging Progress: A Policymakers Guide also identifies five other key areas that should be considered when planning for and assessing the use of technology in America’s schools: Learners, System Capacity, Community Connections, Technology Capacity and Accountability.

In order to gain a basic understanding of the remaining five dimensions one can ask a simple series of questions relating to the areas. Each of the items also contains a series of questions that the public, policymakers, community members and business leaders and industry leaders should be able to ask and receive answers to when addressing the issue of technology within our schools. It is through this systematic, holistic approach that technology can be planned for, supported, maintained and assessed in schools.

To create a systems wide view of the use of technology in education the following areas need to be discussed:

Learners. Are learners using technology in ways that deepen their understanding of the content in the academic and, at the same time, advance their knowledge of the world around them?

System Capacity. Is the education system re-engineering itself to systematically meet the needs of the learners in this knowledge-based, global society?

Community Connections. Is the school-community relationship one of trust and respect, and is this translating into mutually beneficial, sustainable partnerships in the area of learning technology?

Technology Capacity. Are there adequate technology networks, electronic resources and support to meet the education system’s learning goals?

Accountability. Is there agreement on what success with technology looks like? Are there measures in place to track progress and report results?

It is the consideration, planning for and assessment of all seven areas which allows for the appropriate and effective use of technology within the classroom. But without an appropriate and meaningful environment of professional development it is quite likely that our students will have a most difficult time acquiring the knowledge and skills needed in the information, knowledge based economic climate of today.

Appendix A

Basic Technical Support Professional development in this area builds in an individual the skills to provide basic support of technology used within a school. After training, this individual is capable of completing basic hardware and software installations as well as some support and troubleshooting. This individual will gain a basic, comprehensive understanding of technology and its operation. This individual is ready to advance his/her skills through industry recognized certification programs.

Advanced Technical Support Professional development for this area builds in an individual the skills to master advanced areas of technology through industry recognized certification programs, associate or bachelor level degree programs or additional vendor specific workshops or training. After training, this individual is capable of completing basic technical support tasks as well as support of advanced technologies such as LANs, WANs, Internet, networks, operating systems, server installation, etc..

Fundamentals Professional development in this area builds in an individual the skills required to use common software applications such as word processing, spreadsheets, simple graphics, email, web browsers, etc. This individual is capable of using most productivity software with little or no assistance.

Integration This professional has student contact responsibilities and requires the skills necessary for effectively and efficiently participating in developing curriculum, instructional activities, assessments and evaluations of technology in the learning and teaching process within the scope of that individual’s teaching environment. This individual effectively uses curriculum specific software and multi-source and multi-media information resources while transforming teaching practice to improve student performance. This individual transforms teaching practice to take advantage of learning technology.

Leadership Professional development in this area allows an individual to manage the integration of technology within a classroom, school or school system. After training, this individual is capable of providing leadership and/or staff support in the areas of technology integration, professional development, mentoring, curriculum/instructional development, technology planning, support, staff development, assessment and/or evaluation.

Appendix B