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Abstract
Public schools are implementing 1:1 computing programs in the hopes of
transforming education to provide students with the digital literacy competencies that
will enable them to be successful in our technology driven world. Continuous
professional learning is critical in helping teachers develop the knowledge and skills
for effective educational technology integration. Research has found however, that
formal professional development, commonly implemented as one-time workshops
with outside facilitators, are ineffective due to the multi-dimensional nature of
technology integration. Teacher continuous professional learning outside of the formal
context needs be considered. This survey study explored the self-directed informal
online and offline learning behaviors for technology integration of public high school
teachers in schools during the early stage of 1:1 (ES1:1) device implementation
programs. The findings from this study indicated that teachers are frequently engaged
in informal learning activities for technology integration. Teachers regularly engaged
in socio-constructivist activities through independent exploration, practice, and
routinely asked their colleagues for help or to collaborate. Although searching the
Internet to learn was the most commonly reported online activity, more sophisticated
uses of technology to learn were limited. Teacher learning goals were also found to
predict certain learner behaviors. The findings from this study inform both teachers
and professional developers of the possibilities of informal learning as a legitimate
form of professional lifelong learning.