Linda Beal Technology Integration Specialist Certifications Offered IC³, Microsoft Office Specialist   Employer Kentucky Department of Education Location Kentucky

In her own words: "Passing these exams makes me feel like I can better support the teachers in my region."

Certiport IC³ and Microsoft Office Specialist Certification Enhance Teacher Professional Development
Trained and certified technology integration specialists ensure teachers throughout Kentucky have relevant computing skills

July 2008
To help teachers develop and use 21st century technology skills in their classrooms, Kentucky technology integration specialists (TISs) are available to provide on-site training and assistance to improve the learning and teaching environment. In fact, the Kentucky Department of Education has found collaboration between teachers and TISs more effectively helps teachers include technology in their teaching than any other form of professional development.

When TISs in all eight regions of the state's public education system decided to upgrade their skills, they brought in Sandy DuBose, a Certiport® Certified Professional Instructor (CPI) who is specially qualified to provide superior digital literacy, desktop productivity and creative media training and certification.

"Certification demonstrates skills and shows what you have accomplished," said TIS Karen Patterson. "It shows a level of competency in those skills to yourself, faculty and staff, community and supervisors."

The TIS group was excited with the opportunity to advance their own skills and earn certifications to prove their expertise. Group members said that although they are responsible for training others, their own professional development is often limited. Achieving Certiport Internet and Computing Core Certification (IC³®) and Microsoft® Office Specialist certifications has been a great opportunity.

PROCESS
After discussing the goals of the upcoming TIS training, DuBose provided the group with Certiport assessments to measure their current skills. Based on this initial evaluation, she developed a customized plan to meet the needs of the training participants. DuBose met with the TIS group several times using conference calls and Web meetings to prepare them for their certification workshops and answer their questions. Finally, at the workshops, DuBose provided instructor-led training focused on the more-difficult and less-used skills with which the TISs needed the most help. When they were ready, the group took certification exams to verify their skills.

DuBose said in-person training of more-difficult program concepts best meets the objectives of certification exams. "In general, people only use 20 percent of the functionality of software programs," she explained. "They must be taught these other skills face-to-face to clear up any concepts that are not understood before they take their exams."

At the TIS group's first certification workshop, which focused on the Microsoft Office system of business productivity programs, 13 people earned a total of 52 Office Specialist certifications, the official worldwide certifications for Microsoft Office programs. In addition, four participants earned Microsoft Word Expert certification and are working toward the Microsoft Master Instructor credential.

"Passing these exams makes me feel like I can better support the teachers in my region," said TIS Linda Beal.

After the initial certification workshop, DuBose gave the TIS group a one-day seminar focused on training and certifying other teachers in their regions. "I actually give them a goal to become CPIs themselves," DuBose said. "With this qualification, they can use the tools available to stay current with their skills; relay the latest program information and techniques to others; share best practices and have access to press releases, training tools and other support materials."

Five months later, the TIS group enhanced their essential computing skills and learned more ways to better serve their colleagues by participating in a second workshop, which focused on IC³, the world’s only globally recognized standards-based certification for fundamental computing and Internet skills. Twenty-four individuals enrolled in the workshop, which included training and certification for all three IC³ exam components—Computing Fundamentals, Key Applications and Living Online—and the Certiport Internet & Computing Benchmark™ and Internet & Computing Mentor™ tools; all participants earned the IC³ credential.

Most of the TISs shared the cost of participation in the certification workshops with their school districts.

RESULT
The TISs who participated in certification workshops now have a unique brand of confidence that comes from being trained and certified users of computers and Microsoft Office.

"Everyone uses Microsoft Office without training," Patterson said. "But for the first time, I've been trained to use these programs. My experience with them is no longer 'self-learned.' I am definitely more confident when I use them now."

In addition, the TISs are now better prepared to train the teachers in their local school districts, extending the value of professional development throughout their regions. Patterson said teachers who have been trained and certified are providing "embedded professional development" by offering Microsoft Office and IC³ content to other teachers in their districts.

In addition, members of the TIS group said teachers who improve their computing knowledge have another important advantage: they stay ahead of their students, a challenging endeavor considering how technology-savvy today's youth can be.

Patterson said certification lends validity to a teacher's qualifications in the eyes of his or her students. "We may never stay completely ahead of students in technology as a whole, but certification absolutely enables us to be confident in teaching and provide guidance to our students."

DuBose anticipates the TISs will benefit a lot from the certifications they earned as part of the workshops. "Many people have skill sets but lack credentials to prove themselves," she said. "In my experience, the more people know, the more productive and respected they will be in their positions. Most people want to stay on the cutting edge of their professions. Certifications help them convey their excitement and expertise to others in their organizations."

ABOUT CERTIPORT
Certiport prepares individuals with current and relevant digital skills and credentials for the competitive global workforce. These solutions are delivered by more than 12,000 Certiport Centers worldwide and include Certiport Internet and Computing Core Certification (IC³®), the official Microsoft® Office certification programs and the Adobe® Certified Associate certification program. For more information, visit www.certiport.com.