LEARNING TO TEACH WITH TECHNOLOGY

Teaching with technology offers phenomenal advantages for teachers and students and creates demand for new forms of professional development and for innovative supporting technologies. The Technology Enhanced Learning in Science (TELS) center has studied how teachers use the rich information about student progress available in embedded assessments and explored how two models of professional development impact student outcomes. In the targeted approach teachers request the professional development support they need (most requested help with technology in the first year, help using visualizations in the second year, and help with inquiry teaching in the third year). In the mentored approach, an on-site mentor coordinates school-wide planning, teachers reflect on student learning data, and during the summer workshop they customize instruction. Analysis of results suggests that inquiry experience, collaboration with other teachers, and opportunity to customize can lead to changes in teacher practice that impact student learning. These studies also illustrate the importance of the school principal and suggest revisions to the tools available to teachers for classroom management and communications with students.