The Role of Technology in Professional Development

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine K-12 teachers’ attitudes toward traditional face-to-face professional development and online professional development. The study also investigated teachers’ perceived level of support in face-to-face and online professional training. Furthermore, the study examined teachers’ attitudes toward utilizing technology as an instructional tool in their classes before and after they participated in online professional development. The researcher surveyed 1,000 K-12 teachers in nine public school districts in a rural southern state collecting both quantitative and qualitative data.

The results of this study indicated that although teachers received more support in face-to-face professional development than they did in online professional development, they integrated more technology into their instruction after they participated in online professional training. Furthermore, data indicated that the majority of teachers reported a willingness to participate in more online professional development programs. Data also suggested that teachers preferred the interactivity and convenience of online professional development programs. Finally, data indicated that ample teacher-involvement and teacher-support were needed for online professional development to be effective.