The mission of the Georgia Educational Technology Training Centers (GA ETTC) is "to provide high quality, low cost, convenient access to educational technology training for educators serving, or preparing for service, in Georgia's Pre-K through Postsecondary (P-16) schools." As the ETTCs form the primary delivery system for comprehensive instructional and administrative technology training for P-16 educators in Georgia, PeachStar and the ETTCs have joined forces to offer Georgia educators an even more complete training package.
One of the primary functions of the ETTCs is to provide The Georgia Framework for INtegrating TECHnology (In Tech) training, designed to build skills and improve performance in five areas of instructional proficiency:
* QCC Content Standards
* Use of Modern Technologies
* New Designs for Teaching and Learning
* Improved Classroom Management
* Enhanced Pedagogical Practices
According to the State Data and Research Center, of which the ETTCs are a part, "The Georgia Framework for INtegrating TECHnology, a Professional Development Model, is grounded in the premise that technology training for educators and school support personnel will ultimately improve schools and the achievement of students."
Within this framework are three components: a classroom module, a technical support module, and an administrative model. By implementing this framework, schools anticipate a variety of benefits, including student-centered classroom instruction, technology-empowered teaching and learning, state-of-the-art technologies and services, and restructured schools designed to motivate students.
For classroom teachers, the framework is taught in three phases: INtegration, INfusion, and INnovation. The first phase, INtegration (InTech), which consists of 50 hours of training for educators with low technological proficiency, requires participants to be immersed in a technology-rich professional development environment in order to ensure they achieve a basic level of technological proficiency. During the INfusion state, designed for educators who are comfortable with technology integration, builds participants' existing content knowledge and technology skills through the practical application of technologies for accelerated teaching and learning. The INnovation phase, designed for educators who are already technology proficient, offers ideas for dynamic ways to enhance and empower student learning through technology.
As part of the new alliance between PeachStar and the ETTCs, the ETTCs will now offer an overview of PeachStar resources as part of their technology training. Trainings will cover both the satellite and Internet delivery of PeachStar resources as well as how those resources can be integrated into instruction.
