Opinion
Professional Development Letter to the Editor

Teachers’ Technological Literacy Must Be Priority at All Career Stages

February 09, 2016 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

To the Editor:

The U.S. Department of Education’s 2016 National Education Technology Plan deserves attention and praise. The plan’s scope expands beyond the classroom, calling for wider use of technology in the training, on-boarding, and professional development of teachers.

As the head of a technology company in the education space, I found this call to action especially relevant. Innovations in how technology is being used in the classroom are just as important as how technology is being deployed outside those four walls.

Of particular interest, the plan contains a robust discussion around increasing technology literacy for all teachers. In our interconnected world, schools strive to incorporate new technology whenever and however they can, and it is essential that human resource departments make sure teachers can keep pace.

There are a number of ways to address this need. Two stand out as particularly effective.

The first starts at the very beginning: Recruiting teachers who already have the training and experiences that underpin technological literacy. The second approach focuses on teachers already in the classroom, but who may not be as comfortable as the first group with introducing new technologies to students. Schools need to leverage performance management and coaching so these teachers can learn how to effectively incorporate the latest technological tools in their classrooms.

While it is useful to hire a teacher who is already up to speed on new resources, it is even more essential to provide opportunities for all teachers to learn and grow collectively. As the education and technology sectors continue to innovate, we must join together to use all resources at our disposal to bring the entire community forward.

From teachers and administrators to staff and counselors, we must leverage the full scope of what is possible today to ensure our young people can thrive tomorrow.

Kermit S. Randa

Chief Executive Officer

PeopleAdmin

Austin, Texas

Related Tags:

A version of this article appeared in the February 10, 2016 edition of Education Week as Teachers’ Technological Literacy Must Be Priority at All Career Stages

Events

Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and other jobs in K-12 education at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.
Ed-Tech Policy Webinar Artificial Intelligence in Practice: Building a Roadmap for AI Use in Schools
AI in education: game-changer or classroom chaos? Join our webinar & learn how to navigate this evolving tech responsibly.
Education Webinar Developing and Executing Impactful Research Campaigns to Fuel Your Ed Marketing Strategy 
Develop impactful research campaigns to fuel your marketing. Join the EdWeek Research Center for a webinar with actionable take-aways for companies who sell to K-12 districts.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Professional Development Coming Soon: PD Mega Event From ISTE/ASCD
Bringing the two events to the same venue is a huge step.
2 min read
Attendees walk around the expo hall, where technology companies showcase their products, at the 2022 International Society for Technology in Education conference in New Orleans on June 28.
Attendees walk around the expo hall where technology companies showcased their products at the International Society for Technology in Education conference in New Orleans on June 28, 2022.
Lauraine Langreo/Education Week
Professional Development From Our Research Center Teachers Desperately Need AI Training. How Many Are Getting It?
Teachers' lack of AI knowledge and support hinders their use of the technology.
2 min read
Illustration of AI and classroom tools.
Anna Frajtova/iStock/Getty
Professional Development Opinion Are Your Staff Meetings Unfocused and Disjointed? Try These 5 Strategies
Too often, staff meetings do not focus on learning, which is a lost opportunity. Here's how to make them more meaningful.
Michael Nelson & Peter DeWitt
6 min read
Screen Shot 2024 02 18 at 4.01.50 PM
Canva
Professional Development Spotlight Spotlight on The Importance of PD and Growth Opportunities for Teachers
This Spotlight will help you with the ins and outs of effective PD, the types of PD that teachers want, and more.