Journal 1: Do Teachers Need Personal Trainers?

Citation: Owens, Aileen M (June/July 2009). Do your teachers need a personal trainer? Learning & Leading with Technology, Retrieved 07-13-09, from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Publications/LL/Current_Issue/L_L_June_July.htm

This article discussed the Student Internship Program for Instructional Technology that took place at Duquesne University. It explained in how the student interns worked with local schools to help teachers incorporate technology in the classroom in a way that is beneficial to both students and teachers. The article went on to provide specific examples of areas where classes were struggling with technology and explained what the intern did to help close that gap.

Are internship programs like this common? I think programs like this are a great way to solve a common problem in schools. Not only do the teachers benefit by having a "personal trainer" for new technology, but the interns benefit by having things to add to their portfolio and by gaining classroom experience. I wonder if other universities across the country have similar programs available and what their success rates are.

Will the school system I end up teaching in have this kind of support available? While I feel moderately comfortable with my level of tech-savvy skills right now, I know the technology world is always changing and it will be difficult to keep up in the future. I haven't heard much about school systems having technology-specific training and support for teachers, which makes me think that maybe it's not too common. Hopefully that's incorrect, or if it is right, hopefully that changes in the near future.