We are in a momentous and world change period of humankind.

Chronologically, this is the third Great Change - after the phonetic alphabet, the invention of cheap binding and italic typeface, comes technology - in the form of computing and networking, with ICT skills as just a part of the cycle of growth.

I think it is essential, absolutely essential that teachers pass a tech-training course.

Most teachers these days are pretty tech-savvy.

Creating an academic standard for technology will enable schools to accurately assess a job applicant's capability, as well as giving the applicant a concrete measure of achievement.

Too many people sell themselves short during job interviews and on the other end of the scale, too many people are less than honest about their qualifications.

Mandatory tech training is a win-win for teachers, Principals & Students alike.

We cannot teach students more than we know. If we are unable to use technological tools, we can neither teach their use to our students, nor can we ourselves take advantage of the pluses that the tools offer, both in and out of the classroom. Some teachers, unfortunately, don't want to learn new technologies--even the online attendance system that is now required in my district. We as educators should do everything we can to make sure that our students are as prepared as possible to navigate the world once they leave school, and this includes the use of all available tools.
--LAUSD high school math teacher

While I agree that all teachers need to have some knowledge about technology and how it is used in education, I do not necessarily agree with the attitude that they should take a "course." Every teacher uses technology in some way, perhaps to keep records, research, or in many instances lessons. The teacher that uses technology in every phase of his/her position probably doesn't need another "training" and the teacher that uses it minimally probably should take the training. However, it may be a simple matter of the course work not lending itself to technology or the district/school can't afford the technology. It is irresponsible of us to make the assumption that all teachers need to take a course to be proficient.

I believe that we are professionals and we should be able to demonstrate our knowledge of technology via a test or survey. I hear time and again how frustrated our teachers are when they are "required" to take yet another course to prove competency with no financial help from the state or government and no way to prove that we are proficient in using x,y or z, without the training. Before you push to require courses-- look at the real world applications, how it will be or could be implemented can make a huge difference.

I currently teach a graduate level technology class that is attended by K - 12 teachers in our curriculum and instruction masters program. The emphasis is on meaningful integration of technology into the curriculum. This approach is quite different than one that measures teachers use of "stuff". In this course we are using commonly found software (Microsoft Office) and using parts of it to create curricular enhancements. For example, I have students who used Excel to create self checking question and answer quizzes or capture and then analyze survey data their students collect as part of a larger unit.

The final project has students contract what they would like to learn and to determine how they will show me what they learned. I have students planning to develop web quests. Others are creating pod/vodcasts. Some are learning to use Black Board to facilitate cross school discussion of literature.

There has been plenty written on what appropriate professional development (PD) should look like. Unfortunately school leaders do not seem to understand what is needed in PD to develop technology skills and then utilize these effectively and meaningfully in the teaching and learning environment. This usually takes more time than the institution of school has patience for.

Teachers when provided with the time and the support can be creative and innovative in how they use technology.

There's a problem when our students are more tech savvy than their teachers. We need to jump into the 21st Century with both eyes open!

While I believe all teachers should have competency in using technology with students, required training should be carefully designed to be meaningful and aligned with the teacher's needs. This is best achieved by embedding training as part of the school day. If that is not possible, then it should be differentiated so that teachers are only required to learn technologies that are available to them and appropriate for the population they are teaching. It is counterproductive to force teachers to take training they either don't need or cannot apply right away due to lack of proper equipment.

It is imperative that all educators, irregardless of area of expertise, must be trained in technology. Educators must learn to be multi-faceted and, thus, exhibit intellectual willingness and ability to not only learn technology, which is integrated in all areas of thematic learning, but to implement said technology for the purpose of enhancing our innate human ability to be creative.

The advancement of technology in education must be a bottom-up, grass roots effort. Teachers will view required trainings as just another district/state/federal hassle, and they will not transfer their training to their daily practices.

Ed Tech geeks need to evangelize to their peers by sharing useful, timely tools.

Teachers are doing a disservice to themselves and the students if they are not well-versed in the technological tools and applications available today. All the research show that we are becoming a collaborative world and that is not possible without technology. However, the training can’t be stand-alone courses without a continuum of training that includes applications of the tools into the curriculum. Therefore, you are learning how to solve the problem with the best tools available. With this training comes a hefty dose of ethics and responsibility training which will address moral issues for digital citizenship in this ever-changing world.