Good Teachers = High Academic Achievement
by Karena O'Riordan
Recognizing that a school technology program is only as successful as the teachers who use it, the Milken Exchange on Education Technology has introduced the Professional Competency Continuum (PCC), a road map for educators to use to assess their skills in integrating technology in the classroom..
In order to answer a question many states, districts and schools are struggling to answer -- What are the skills for the digital age classroom? -- the Milken Exchange gathered a panel of experts to identify areas where teachers' professional skills should be developed in order to become effective users of technology. The experts' recommendations grew into the key elements of the PCC.
The goal of the Milken Exchange has always been to promote higher academic achievement in schools. "Using technology for technology's sake has little academic value," says Edward Coughlin, author of the PCC. "We think that education systems should first set high academic standards that are appropriate for their students, and then work towards those goals using technology as one tool in the process. There is no question that technology helps move students forward academically, but it must be used wisely."
The PCC is part of the Milken Exchange's series, Seven Dimensions for Gauging Progress with Technology in Schools and represents the third of the seven dimensions: professional competency.
"Our seven dimensions are being used all over the country in training programs, school districts and staff development initiatives," says Cheryl Lemke, executive director of the Milken Exchange. "The PCC helps those efforts by prescribing the specific steps educators can take to effectively integrate technology in their classrooms."
The PCC includes a set of introductory scenarios describing "how it could be" in technology-rich classrooms. While some of the scenarios depict situations that seem futuristic or expensive, all the technologies described -- as well as the contexts in which they are used and the research supporting their credibility -- are available. Yet few of them are encountered in our nation's school districts. "The goal of creating the PCC is to encourage teachers to think beyond the traditional classroom with its antiquated structure and learning style," says Coughlin. "But many cannot begin to do so without knowing what the possibilities are. We hope this document and its accompanying activities can help to expand their thinking."
The PCC also describes various "stages" of progress for educators. For example, in acquiring "core technology skills," an educator might be at stage one: Entry -- educators, students and the community are aware of the possibilities technology brings, yet learning, teaching and the system remain relatively unchanged by technology. Hopefully, the skills described by the PCC will lead that educator to Stage Two: Adaptation; and ultimately, Stage Three: Transformation, in which technology becomes a catalyst for significant changes in teaching learning practices.
The PCC is available in several formats. The first is the print publication described here. The second is the Web site, which will be dedicated to updating and evaluating progress with the PCC. And the third is an assessment tool, available both in print and online. The assessment tool is a matrix on which educators can plot their progress in various levels of technology integration and a tool to support the professional development planning process. The assessment tool consists of five parts:
20-question survey assessing educators' individual levels of comfort with technology.
A more in depth survey with at least 15 items per area which provides a more specific picture of areas of need.
Database of "advice essays" linked to the survey. Each advice essay corresponds to the levels of comfort described in the survey and recommends ways for educators to improve.
Database of resources -- Web sites, articles, books and training -- deemed valuable to the levels of comfort described in the survey.
Comprehensive reports. Reports are available both for individual teachers and for groups of teachers. Individual teachers can access comprehensive reports in each of 26 areas of competency. Professional developers working with groups of teachers can create "project groups" for whom they can develop summary reports for the group or for any subgroup within the project. The assessments can be taken multiple times and progress can be charted over time for individuals and groups.
by Karena O'Riordan
Recognizing that a school technology program is only as successful as the teachers who use it, the Milken Exchange on Education Technology has introduced the Professional Competency Continuum (PCC), a road map for educators to use to assess their skills in integrating technology in the classroom..
In order to answer a question many states, districts and schools are struggling to answer -- What are the skills for the digital age classroom? -- the Milken Exchange gathered a panel of experts to identify areas where teachers' professional skills should be developed in order to become effective users of technology. The experts' recommendations grew into the key elements of the PCC.
The goal of the Milken Exchange has always been to promote higher academic achievement in schools. "Using technology for technology's sake has little academic value," says Edward Coughlin, author of the PCC. "We think that education systems should first set high academic standards that are appropriate for their students, and then work towards those goals using technology as one tool in the process. There is no question that technology helps move students forward academically, but it must be used wisely."
The PCC is part of the Milken Exchange's series, Seven Dimensions for Gauging Progress with Technology in Schools and represents the third of the seven dimensions: professional competency.
"Our seven dimensions are being used all over the country in training programs, school districts and staff development initiatives," says Cheryl Lemke, executive director of the Milken Exchange. "The PCC helps those efforts by prescribing the specific steps educators can take to effectively integrate technology in their classrooms."
The PCC includes a set of introductory scenarios describing "how it could be" in technology-rich classrooms. While some of the scenarios depict situations that seem futuristic or expensive, all the technologies described -- as well as the contexts in which they are used and the research supporting their credibility -- are available. Yet few of them are encountered in our nation's school districts. "The goal of creating the PCC is to encourage teachers to think beyond the traditional classroom with its antiquated structure and learning style," says Coughlin. "But many cannot begin to do so without knowing what the possibilities are. We hope this document and its accompanying activities can help to expand their thinking."
The PCC also describes various "stages" of progress for educators. For example, in acquiring "core technology skills," an educator might be at stage one: Entry -- educators, students and the community are aware of the possibilities technology brings, yet learning, teaching and the system remain relatively unchanged by technology. Hopefully, the skills described by the PCC will lead that educator to Stage Two: Adaptation; and ultimately, Stage Three: Transformation, in which technology becomes a catalyst for significant changes in teaching learning practices.
The PCC is available in several formats. The first is the print publication described here. The second is the Web site, which will be dedicated to updating and evaluating progress with the PCC. And the third is an assessment tool, available both in print and online. The assessment tool is a matrix on which educators can plot their progress in various levels of technology integration and a tool to support the professional development planning process. The assessment tool consists of five parts:
20-question survey assessing educators' individual levels of comfort with technology.
A more in depth survey with at least 15 items per area which provides a more specific picture of areas of need.
Database of "advice essays" linked to the survey. Each advice essay corresponds to the levels of comfort described in the survey and recommends ways for educators to improve.
Database of resources -- Web sites, articles, books and training -- deemed valuable to the levels of comfort described in the survey.
Comprehensive reports. Reports are available both for individual teachers and for groups of teachers. Individual teachers can access comprehensive reports in each of 26 areas of competency. Professional developers working with groups of teachers can create "project groups" for whom they can develop summary reports for the group or for any subgroup within the project. The assessments can be taken multiple times and progress can be charted over time for individuals and groups.
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