Journal 1: Do Your Teachers Need a Personal Trainer?
Citation: Owens, Aileen M (June/July 2009). Do your teachers need a personal trainer? Learning & Leading with Technology, Retrieved 07-13-09, from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Publications/LL/Current_Issue/L_L_June_July.htm


Summary: This article brings to the forefront and highlights the issues of how best to, and the most efficient and effective methods in which technology can be incorporated by educators, in a manner that best serves students and teacher within the environment of the classroom. This article then discusses how, the more “traditional” technology training educators were receiving from tech professionals were too time consuming and “labor intensive” for both the educators as well as the trained technologists. As a result, an innovative solution to the problem was considered and put into action. The “Internship Program for Instructional Technology” wherein, university students who were knowledgeable and skilled in technological applications and processes, were “matched” with teachers in need of technological assistance. According to the article, the program is for the most part a success and mutually beneficial for all parties involved.

Q & A
How significant has the component of technology become in the classroom setting?

As the article suggests and implies, the incorporation of technology with education methods and strategies is the professional goal of most educators. Therefore, by utilizing the “student trainer” method teachers become more self-assured and more able to apply “the appropriate pedagogy and instructional strategies, and provide opportunities and support…” for themselves and those they teach.

Could it be possible that in the near future, this valuable tool will become more widely available?

According to the article, the student technology internship seems to be a relatively new program that overall, has been proven successful. And similar to aspects of the technological field, this program will continuously evolve and develop for the better. One can only hope that this program will be able to in the future, branch out from its initial starting point and become a tool and educational resource that is more widely available and accessible. Because, as the statistics in the article suggest the outcome of this program is positive and will continue to have far reaching benefits in a wide variety of areas. Including but not limited to the area of education.