Journal #5 “Five on Five: A Dialogue on Profession Development” by Matt Villano

This article discussed the technology in today’s classrooms and the support that schools are providing the teachers. The technology is so advanced now that teachers need more support and the schools are recognizing that they need to provide the support to teachers. Some school districts are already providing this support and providing instructions and training for the advanced technology applications to enhance technology in the classroom. One of the contributors of the article stated that, “Ongoing professional development doesn't mean we just teach more of the same or we do the same workshop over and over again. It's about listening to teachers as they work out the issues with technology. It's time spent giving feedback, collaborating, and building new skills on a solid foundation of what works.” This is critical because the use of technology takes practice and working out issues until the teachers are comfortable using the technology and using it as a tool when teaching. If they are not comfortable using the technology they won’t use it in the classroom. I think it is great that school districts are recognizing how important technology is and providing the support for teachers to utilize it.

Question #1 - Do you think continuing education and technology support is important as a future educator?

I believe that continuing education and technology support is critical. The continual networking, collaboration and support is especially important when using applications and tools on the computer that I am not extremely comfortable using. I think it is important to think about our students when thinking about this topic because they are the ones that will benefit from teachers being continually educated and supported.

Question #2 - What support would you like to have when you are teaching?

It would be great to have a technology help line or a support person who can be accessible when you have a problem or a question when using technology in the classroom. This would be beneficial so that you don’t get frustrated. Frustration will cause teachers to avoid using the technology.