Introducing Online Training in an Early Childhood Professional Development System: Lessons Learned in One State

Abstract

Online educational opportunities provide improved access to high quality professional development for the early education and care workforce. Online and technology mediated learning can create sustainable education and development opportunities for states when face-to-face training is financially prohibitive. This study examined one state’s efforts to design and deliver a set of online professional development courses. Through survey research methods, the study examined the experiences of both the trainers and the early educators in these online and technology-mediated professional development courses. In this study, findings indicated that early educators used technology for personal use, but they may be less familiar with learning technologies. Our findings indicate that some early educators do have the technology skills and comfort with technology needed to use the online modules for professional development and to benefit from this format, but most early educators still preferred using both technology and feedback from an instructor or supervisor when engaging in professional development. More research is needed on how to make technology literacy and technology access available to all early childhood educators.