If you want your teachers to have special training or certificates in technology or career education moving forward, it will take some searching—but hopefully the information below will help you get started.
Meeting State Requirements
Each state requires different certifications, so the first step would be to contact your own state’s education department. Even the career and technical education field doesn’t have one uniform rule according to Jarrod Nagurka, advocacy and public affairs manager at the Association for Career and Technical Education. “There is a problem in many CTE fields of teacher shortages,” Nagurka says. “Interestingly, some states are taking steps to try to streamline the process for teacher credentials since many CTE teachers come directly from industry. Unfortunately, there's no one single place where all of the certification requirements are housed.”
But more than 40 states use the Praxis exams administered by the Educational Testing Service, a team of education experts, researchers, and assessment developers. The Praxis series is used to determine if an aspiring teacher is eligible for licensing or certification.
Mastering Classroom Technology
Of course, many companies and businesses have their own training programs. For example, the MimioTraining™ Quick Learn series provides teachers with the skills to successfully integrate MimioClassroom™ products into their curriculum, and technology certifications can be simple to master. Instruction could include using the Internet in lessons, teacher-student communication and student-student collaboration, and evaluating and integrating software. Many programs require four graduate level courses, which can often be taken online. Many states have reciprocity agreements, so that a technology endorsement in Michigan, for example, is accepted in Wisconsin.
For those who want to meet the highest standards, the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards offers a certification. Candidates undergo a rigorous peer-reviewed process that includes assembling a portfolio and completing computer-delivered exercises.
Want to take your training even further? Here are some other sites to explore for professional development:
- The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD)
- Leading Edge Certification, for education technology and curriculum innovation.
- The National Education Association (NEA)
- Partnership for 21st Century Learning, emphasizing student-centered teaching around creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, and communication.
Do you recommend any other training resources? Share them with us in the comments section below! And be sure to check out the complete list of Boxlight training resources here.>>
