The Importance Of Professional Development And Student Achievement

Technology in the classroom is important for teachers, parents, and students alike, because technology use has become a necessary skill for survival in today’s vastly expanding technology driven global economy. Research has shown an increase in student’s success rates when exposed to technology in the classroom. Also technology has opened lines of communication between educators and parents to keep students on track, and help teachers educate better.

C. (2014). The positive effects of technology on teaching and student learning. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy.cecybrary.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=ED554557&site=ehost-live

226). Before a professional development program can be developed, leaders must know what type of training is needed to use technology as a teaching tool. In assessing training needs, the superintendent must understand that all teachers are not the same and that the training provided should not be just random training, but training that relates to the applications to be used and training that fits into the overall district professional development

Technology is everywhere, it is involved in almost every part of our culture. It affects how we live, work, play, and most importantly learn. With technology being such a fundamental part of our lives and growing each day, it only makes sense that schools incorporate technology in the classrooms. Even though many people support the use of technology in schools, there are those that have concerns about the effectiveness of technology and whether or not it undermines education to solely prepare students for the workforce. Despite the concerns, technology is being integrated with classroom lessons daily, and proving how beneficial it is for student success.

Professional development is any type of learning opportunity that a person goes through, it can range from college degrees to some formal coursework or conference attended and any practical experience acquired in the performance of their job. Coaching, lesson study, consultations, seminars and workshops are some of the ways one attains the desired professional development ADDIN EN.CITE Penuel20071187(Penuel, Fishman, Yamaguchi, & Gallagher, 2007)1187118717Penuel, William R.Fishman, Barry J.Yamaguchi, RyokoGallagher, Lawrence P.What Makes Professional Development Effective? Strategies That Foster Curriculum ImplementationAmerican Educational Research JournalAmerican Educational Research Journal921-9584442007American Educational Research Association00028312http://www.jstor.org/stable/30069418( HYPERLINK l "_ENREF_5" o "Penuel, 2007 #1187" Penuel, Fishman, Yamaguchi, & Gallagher, 2007). Reasons that lead to people participating in professional development are various and diverse; career progression, professional competence maintenance, due to new technology, lifelong desire and interest, and as a compliance to a professional organization ADDIN EN.CITE Lawless20071188(Lawless & Pellegrino, 2007)1188118817Lawless, Kimberly A.Pellegrino, James W.Professional Development in Integrating Technology into Teaching and Learning: Knowns, Unknowns, and Ways to Pursue Better Questions and AnswersReview of Educational ResearchReview of Educational

Educators across the nation are faced with increasing demands on their workday, from data-driven instruction, emerging research on best practices, administrator observations, and continuing education in addition to creating lessons to compete with distracting technologies, professional development that is turn-key and tailored to individual educators is integral to professional growth. Professional development offerings have long been of the one and done variety leaving educators feeling excited by the prospect until implementation fails. Without the ongoing support of the content provider, often, professional development lessons are not utilized in the classroom as much as educators would like. One response to the growing need for professional

As we navigate through the 21st century, technology in the classroom is becoming further predominant. iPads are replacing our textbooks, and we can research any desired topic on our smartphones. The impact that technology has had on today’s schools has been utterly momentous. Educators have now seen firsthand the numerous benefits of technology in the classroom. According to a study by IT Trade Association CompTIA, around 75 percent of educators have come to the conclusion that technology has a positive impact on the education process. Educators have also recognized the significance of developing these technological skills in students so they will be prepared to enter the workforce after they graduate (Cox). By incorporating technology in the classroom, teachers are setting our students up for a successful life outside of school. The increase of technology has even changed how teachers teach along with how

In recent years of educational reform, professional development for teachers has served as a bridge between the current standards implementation and student achievement (Hirsch & Killion, 2009). Educational leaders recognize teacher effectiveness is an intrical part of improving student achievement, focusing valuable resources toward effective professional development (Jacquith, Mindich, Wei, & Darling-Hammond, 2010). Despite national trends to improve the quality of professional development, a disparity still exist among schools in the type and quality of teacher professional development presentations offered. In the past, teacher learning in the United States has primarily emphasized development opportunities that are unlikely to influence teacher practice or student achievement. To address this apparent disconnect, the National Standards Development Council (NSDC) developed 12 standards by which to create high quality, effective professional development in schools (Hirsh, 2005).

The professional development of teachers should be an important objective for school administrators, since teachers affect student lives daily. Understandably, teachers are required to receive formal training and certification, based primarily on subject matter content, communication skills, classroom management abilities, and student interaction. An important consideration is the professional development training that teachers receive and the method used to deliver the training. Of course, there is the traditional face-to-face method, but with organizations, seeking ways to reduce training cost and travel expenses technology is an effective alternative for training. Technology implementation increased to reach the needs of teacher

Teaching is a complex and developing process. The complexity of teaching increases when a teacher focuses on; raising his or her teaching standards, assessment and student achievement, changes in curriculum models, changes in subject specification and on the different experiences every classroom presents. Therefore, for a teacher’s professional development and effective performance, refining, reviewing and proper planning of his or her teaching process and techniques is important. Additionally, pedagogical approaches and techniques are significant in a teacher’s professional development.

Picture a school in an urban district that has been struggling for years and now is an “F” school. Now, imagine the success of the school in a professional way and being recognized for improving your skills. One of the most critical aspect of education is the success of Professional Development. The primary focus of a successful school is student learning and the effectiveness and the responsibility of administration. This is a necessity of the facilitator, a teacher lead, one that uses strategies to focus on the professional development that allows the educator to experiment with instructional practices.

Professional Development is a necessary component in the world of education, offering new methods and strategies to the teacher for use in their classrooms. Unfortunately, some professional developments have good intentions, but fail to be relevant for all teachers. Effective professional development sessions are based on the needs of the teachers and interests and include opportunities to collaborate and enhance their content knowledge. Teachers are given opportunities to reflect on what was learned as well as be accountable to implement a new strategy and be provided feedback throughout the implementation process. Many teachers view Professional Development as a one-time event rather than a continual process, spanning over years of implementation.

As technology is becoming more accessible and portable, it is no longer unusual to see a class that uses some kind of technology to aid the teaching process. On the one hand, many praise technology in classrooms as innovative tools that can finally democratize the classroom. On the other hand, others agree that technology offers sources of distraction, which undermine students’ ability of critical thinking. It is not true, however, that all the technology in classrooms has negative impacts. Thus, it is important to distinguish which kind of technology can help develop critical thinking skills among students.

Teachers and educators need to take professional development more seriously as they are the only means by which they will be able to be updated, enriched and to keep up with changes occurring in the educational world and to keep up with new developments. Bell and Gilbert (1996) found that effective professional development needs to meet teachers’ professional, personal and social needs. They also argue that professional development programs need to provide teachers with new teaching ideas, new resources and equipment to improve the learning of their students. The advisory group for Professional Learning and Development (PLD) in their report (June, 2014) saw the need for change in PLD and therefore put forward six principles that frame a new approach for PLD. One of these six principles is Disciplined Inquiry (DI). I strongly believe that DI is central to PLD and will aid in the transforming of schools in Tonga since it provides teachers with opportunities to improve their teaching skills, arouse students’ curiosity and cause motivation which will accelerate valued students’ outcomes. In addition this enables teachers to develop their expertise, initiate collective responsibility based on evidence, deepen their subjects’ knowledge, while also being responsive to the diversity of leaders’ and teachers’ learning needs. Timperly and Parr (2010) state that

Professional development refers to the development of a person in his or her professional role. According to Glattenhorn (1987), by gaining increased experience in one’s teaching role they systematically gain increased experience in their professional growth through examination of their teaching ability. Professional workshops and other formally related meetings are a part of the professional development experience (Ganzer, 2000). Professional development for new and veteran teachers rests on the premise that teacher content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge, or PCK (Shulman, 1986), directly and positively affects both the teachers practice and student learning. The National Council of Teachers of