Quality Technology Support: What is it? Who Has it? and What Difference Does it Make?

Using the recommendations of the CEO Forum report on Professional Development, we operationalized “quality technology support” as consisting of: 1) access to one-on-one personal guidance and help; 2) frequent teacher participation in technology-oriented professional support among teacher peers; 3) professional development content focused on instruction and integration; and 4) access to resources. Using the 1998 TLC national survey of teachers, we empirically confirmed that the frequency, variety, and increased use of technology in the classroom are associated with the availability of quality technology support. These results suggest that if technology leaders hope teachers will integrate technology they should attend to the instructional aspects of technology support, such as professional development opportunities and learning environments, as well as its technical components.