Rethinking professional learning programs to produce technology proficient educators for 21 century schools

This paper reports on findings from two action research projects in Australian schools focussing on the provision of professional learning to support the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in teaching and learning. For the purposes of comparative analysis, as well as school circumstances, different models of professional learning were used in the two schools. Both models supported teachers in their confidence and use of ICT and the findings illustrate that where teachers are given more time to experiment with ICT, there is a greater likelihood of the learning activity being richer and more authentic for students. The projects clearly highlight what research has been saying for some time; there needs to be a shift in how schools approach continuing professional development (CPD) for teachers. It is clear the industrial model of teacher training is no longer relevant in the information age. Some rethinking in approach needs to occur at individual school leadership and system level, if school organisations are to seriously address how teachers become technology proficient educators. This paper discusses two models of how this might be achieved.