Jeff Bingaman: “Most of the teachers in today's public schools became educators before the era of personal computers really began and…”

“Most of the teachers in today's public schools became educators before the era of personal computers really began and was established. To address the skills of the next generation of teachers, 32 states require a course in education technology as part of the teacher preparation curriculum. 18 states have not yet incorporated such a requirement. New Mexico teachers must have just one education technology course before they are certified, and some universities such as New Mexico State University and Eastern are taking the lead in integrating technology into their education school programs. Yet, the majority of New Mexico's current teachers received their training before the start of the computer era in the mid-1980's and the new regulations do not address their training needs. Nationwide, although 98 percent of schools are equipped with computers to some degree, 90 percent of new teachers, even after a single course, do not feel prepared to use technology in the classroom. Clearly, more skill development needs to take place to increase the comfort teachers feel with technology. Most of the roughly $6 million in New Mexico state and federal funding for education technology has been used to purchase and install equipment rather than to train teachers to use new technology.”