Dive Brief:

• At the upcoming CUE 2016 National Conference in Palm Springs, CA, a panel of ed tech experts will discuss training strategies and professional development for teachers in order to better execute ed-tech initiatives in the K-12 classroom.
• The concept underlying the panel is a statement made in the 1990s by Seymour Papert, who said, "Nothing could be more absurd than an experiment in which computers are placed in a classroom where nothing else is changed.”
• The panel will include: Tim Landeck, Technology Director for Pajaro Valley Unified School District; Tom Murray, Director of State and District Digital Learning Policy and Advocacy for the Alliance for Excellent Education; Leslie Wagonseller, Director of Information, Technology and Education Services for the Lompoc Unified School District; John Morgan, Interim Director of Educational Technology, Capistrano Unified School District; Jeremy Davis, Interim Executive Director of Technology and Information Services for the Capistrano Unified School District; and Kris Boneman, Director of Educational Technology at Bonita Unified School District.

Dive Insight:

It's no secret that one of the keys to a successful ed-tech device, platform or software rollout is teacher buy-in and general preparedness. Recently, many free and low-cost online options have become available, such as the nonprofit MOOC provider edX's collaboration with President Barack Obama's ConnectED initiative, which resulted in free "verified" certificates for certain online courses. Teachers in Title I programs or high-need districts could earn credits for the PD courses on subjects like ed tech, blended learning and leadership for between one and five years.

Still, the U.S. lags overall in terms of global professional development, which highlights the need for more panels and PD options like micro-credentialing. Today, Singapore, British Columbia, Shanghai and Hong Kong all outperform the United States.