Technology together: supporting whole-schools to become capable learning communities
Abstract
While many teachers are integrating information and communication technology (ICT) in their teaching practice, there are still a significant number of teachers who are hesitant, reluctant or resistant to using technology, either personally and/or in their teaching. Many teachers remain daunted by the rapid rate of technological change, and the inability to feel as though they ‘know enough’. While most approaches to teacher professional development concentrate on skill development of individual teachers, this paper describes an approach that focuses instead on the values, attitudes, beliefs, confidence and learning strategies of teachers, and on building a culture within a school that supports ICT capability, not just competency. Technology Together is currently being developed collaboratively by Southern Cross University and the Catholic Education Office, Lismore, funded by the Australian Research Council (ARC). This paper presents initial findings, which indicate that the approach can have significant outcomes for schools, not only in relation to ICT learning and integration, but in building a whole-school learning community which fosters collaborative and supportive partnerships between school leaders, teachers and students.