In order for teachers to teach in the classroom once they complete their degrees, they must be licensed or certified to teach by the State Department of Education. Not only does this licensure include requirements that are necessary to teach in a specific discipline such as English, history, or math, but it also includes technology requirements. To remain licensed to continue to teach in public schools, teachers must devote themselves to lifelong learning, and obtaining continued professional education hours each year is required. Teachers can obtain continued training in one of two ways: they can return to college and take credit courses or they can attend workshops. This continued education usually focuses on improving technology skills as well as skills related to a particular curriculum.
I feel that lifelong learning is essential for teachers at all levels, K-12 and postsecondary, and this continued education should focus on both technology skills and skills related to specific disciplines as well. I feel that an equal balance should exist between the two. If continued education focuses only on technology skills, a teacher can quickly fall short in teaching the core curriculum for a particular discipline. For example, as a postsecondary instructor I am required to obtain 15 hours of professional development/continued education per year in order to meet my contract requirements. It is extremely important for a portion of these hours to focus on technology skills. I feel that in order to effectively teach 21st century tech-savvy students, I must incorporate up-to-date technology in my classroom, and changes in technology take place rapidly. Take, for instance, the rapid changes that take place in digital technology devices such as cellular phones, computers, GPS devices, etc. A person may buy a top-of-the-line computer to find in a short amount of time that this computer might become dated because of new technology that has hit the market. New technology to help teachers digitize their classroom continually enters the market, and I feel that it is important for me to stay abreast of this new technology.
However, as important as it is to focus on technology skills, I feel it is equally as important to stay current with the changes that are taking place in my field. I teach Business and Office Technology, and it is imperative for me to be able to keep my students informed of changes that take place in the field so that they are prepared to enter the workforce with up-to-date skills. For instance, the formatting of the state abbreviation in an inside address of a standard business letter has changed through the years. Early formatting for state abbreviations was “Ms.” However, if someone were sending a business letter today, the state abbreviation for Mississippi would be “MS” with two capital letters and no period following the abbreviation. If this change had taken place after I graduated from college, I would have to rely on professional development hours to learn of these changes. Therefore, I feel that it is extremely important to stay current with changes in my curriculum requirements as well.
In conclusion, I feel that lifelong learning is essential for educators. Although I feel that this lifelong learning should focus on maintaining a technology competency, I also think that equal attention be given to skills specific to the discipline one teaches.