Teachers Perception in a Technology Integration Workshop: Implications for Professional Development in the Digital Age

Abstract

School districts are embracing innovative technology applications by increasing the accessibility of Web 2.0 applications from district networks. Workshops on these applications have become the favorite type of professional development workshop among in-service teachers. While there are studies using self-report instruments to examine in-service teachers' perceptions and attitudes about integration practices involving Web 2.0 tools and professional development, few studies report details of in-service teachers' lived experiences of these professional development sessions. A gap in understanding the meaning in-service teachers place on Web 2.0 professional development workshops exists. Five themes were established to understand participants' Web 2.0 workshop experiences. The findings from the study suggest that breaking professional development for teachers into two segments, that is, an online segment where the basics are delivered online and a face-to-face segment dedicated to modeling Web 2.0 tool integration m with hands-on collaboration are considered most effective by teachers.