Cutting edge and emerging technologies for supporting and training new teachers

The Teaching-Learning Interchange (TLI), a federal Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technologies project, will be in its second year of applying a number of emerging technologies to help new teachers in the classroom. An online support community for "pre-intern teachers" is developed. The term "pre-term teachers" is a designation in California for teachers who are not credentialed and have not passed subject matter competency yet are providing critically needed service to California students. The intent of the pre-intern program is to provide an alternative path to entering the teaching while working full-time in the classroom. The program originated because of a severe teacher shortage in California where it is predicted that 300,000 new teachers are needed each year for the coming ten years. TLI has partnered with regional/county offices to have access to pre-interns and corporate partners who are developing emerging technologies that are being piloted with select mentor and pre-intern teachers. The discussion is focused on how new technologies are being applied to the needs of pre-interns.