Chapter 8: Facilitating use of Technology in Urban Classrooms: Principles for Effective Professional Development

The purpose of this chapter is to provide recommendations for effective professional development that can facilitate teacher learning with regard to technology. Specific guidelines are prescribed for the design of successful professional development, programs on the use of technology. These guiding principles are based on research conducted to assess the effectiveness of a particular professional development program specifically designed for teachers in urban elementary schools. Each of the guidelines provided relates more closely to one of the following three categories: (a) the design elements of professional development (with specific emphasis on content and pedagogy), (b) the organizational context in which teachers work, and (c) the individual teacher characteristics. All three categories are inexorably linked and could influence the outcome of professional development efforts. Therefore, they should be considered as a whole in any effort to help teachers make effective use of technology in the classroom. While the principles and guidelines discussed in this chapter can be generalized to a broad range of schools, the investigation is particularly applicable to urban school environments.