Journal #9

"Technology Incentives: Motivating Teachers to Attend Professional Development Training" by Virginia Richard

Research is showing that engaging students with tools such as technology equals higher achievement. In effort to increase the use of technology in the classroom, technology incentives are being used to motivate teachers to actually learn how to use technology. The program is basically funded by grants and/or private organizations such as HP or Best Buy. Incentives such as PDA's educational software, flash drives, laptops, scan converters, or digital cameras are earned by educators when they pass levels of training in technology. Basically, a plan for success starts with the district by supporting schools in their goals to increase the use of technology in classrooms. Administrators must then promote technology use in classrooms to their teachers with additional support such as "peer coaching and mentoring" that shows reluctant teachers additional assistance after their training. Initially, all educators should be assessed on their skills with technology and offered training courses appropriately. The article's school model for technology incentives is Polk County Schools in Florida who have been very successful with technology incentive program and increasing technology use and student engagement in their curriculum.

To be honest, I had not known or heard about technology incentives for teachers before reading this article. I kept thinking that this was a very creative way to get teachers excited about using technology in their classrooms. Typically schools really don't have a lot of financial resources available for some of the devices and software that could benefit their student learning but the goal of technology incentives would definitely attract my interest if I knew I had the support and be given the tools to implement them into my classroom. As a whole I believe that this program is a win-win situation for schools, teachers and students. It really seems to be a positive way to entice teachers (even reluctant ones) to continually participate in training about current uses of technology in education.

1. I am curious about whether technology incentives are being used widely throughout California?

2. As our state's budget shrinks, could California public schools afford the support staff mentioned in this article to aide teachers in the use of the technology in their teaching?