If you are a licensed teacher you may be wondering if technology classes in continuing education will qualify you to meet the prerequisites to keep your license active. The answer to this question depends entirely on the specific continuing education requirements set by your state board of education.
The purpose of continuing education courses is to help professionals who need a special skill set and knowledge keep up in their industry so that they can advance as practices or policies in the field change. In some cases, the changes will be centered around technology because technology is so very important to the operations of nearly all educational institutions today. Here is information that you should know about continuing education requirements.
Find Out What Activities Are Approved by the State Board of Education
Whenever you need to take courses to maintain your license with a specific professional agency or a state licensing board, it is important to sit down and review what activities are approved by the governing body before you start enrolling in courses. Generally speaking, the certification board is the one in charge of creating the continuing education requirements and how often certified professionals must complete recertification paperwork. The board will also decide whether or not specific courses or activities will be approved to satisfy the continuing education credit or hour requirements.
What Courses Are Generally Approved?
Typically, the board will require the courses that are completed to be accredited by a specialized accreditation agency in the discipline. It is also common for the board to require the courses to be focused on subject matter that is related to the field of study so that the student learns something that can be applied in their career. For example, an teacher who is taking continuing education to renew their license must take an education-related course that is approved by the board for the credits to count. With the technological focus of today’s world, it is a good bet that some courses may be centered around technology and how to effectively use it in the classroom.
What to Do If You Are Unsure About If Courses Are Approved
Now that you understand how continuing education standards work, you may be wondering how you can verify if a class you are interested in taking is approved or not. It is important to check with the board before you even take the time to take the class specifically for continuing education. You can also submit a request for pre-approval through the board during open periods so that the activity you want to complete is approved without any confusion. If approved, keep this documentation so that you can maintain your records when it is time to submit your documents for recertification.
The policies and requirements for continuing education vary from state to state. Make sure that you closely review the requirements and that you attend a program that meets the standards of the state board of education with which you are renewing your license. As technology becomes more prominently used in all classrooms, more and more continuing education classes will focus on the new teaching techniques required to drive the greatest success from students of all ages. However, if continuing education courses are not feasible in your education situation, it is important to find alternate ways to gain the technological information necessary to support todays’ students.