Embrace Technology
Instructional technology is becoming more important to teach students as they prepare for the evolving world outside of school. Many teachers already have integrated various tools in their classroom such as having students gather information through on-line resources. However, there is much to instructional technology beyond this basic use. Instructional technology means to employ the use of a variety of teaching tools to improve student learning. Instructional technology can describe other things such as: CD players, PDAs, GPS devices, calculators, iPads, cameras, and more. Computers are becoming useful in every aspect of learning from math tutoring to presentation software. Students and teachers can use databases, spreadsheets, presentation, and word processing programs to help them be effective in creating professional-looking reports. These tools are ever evolving as we approach new technologies, so staying up to date on the most current ones is important. All teachers across every discipline and age can benefit from this kind of training. However, K-12 teachers will probably gain the most advantages. Teachers can take webinars, on-line training videos, and in person training sessions. These courses take about 60-90 minutes to complete.
Lesson Strategies and Teaching Methods
The summer months are a good time to brush up on lesson strategies or to try a few new teaching methods. It gives a teacher time to delve into something new and become comfortable with it before the school year begins again. All teachers from K-12 can benefit greatly from this. Learn new themes for the new school year and new topics such as fun and statistics lessons, health resources, baseball math and many more. There are many online courses and resources that teach effective strategies. The time of the courses vary greatly depending on the needs of the teacher and what he would like to learn could vary on the time commitment.
Leadership Training
Teachers who want to learn how to become more effective leaders will benefit greatly from training in leadership. Training gives explanations of best practices to help them become better leaders within every aspect of their lives. Teachers are natural classroom leaders, however many teachers have never taken a rigorous leadership development course. Both classroom and e-learning modules are available in order to receive instruction. It is not a lecture format mainly, but is a highly interactive experience in learning the principles. The course takes about 15 hours of time to complete.Trainings can be used for re-certification and professional development credits for teachers. They can also be customized and built for an individual school in both formats. Many different types of teachers can benefit such as special education, K-12, coaches, librarians and extracurricular activities supervisors. Teachers who take leadership training will be able to build and maintain discipline in the classroom, create more productive relationships with parents, be a mentor to other teachers, and improve time management and communication skills, to list just a sample.
When thinking about a master’s program in teaching or teaching certification programs it is important to weigh all the possibilities. Finding a specialized degree may provide higher job satisfaction or provide the readiness for advancement within a current career.
This is a guest post provided by U.S News University Directory, a leading resource for online teaching degrees; including, instructional technology masters degrees and accredited educational leadership programs from top colleges and universities.