GO TO THE HEAD OF THE CLASS: CUMPUTERS WILL BROADEN SCOPE OF TEACHING IN NEXT CENTURY

They may delete your computer games instead of sending you to a corner, but otherwise, teachers of the future will remain pretty much the same.

Classrooms of the 21st century will see more physical and strategic changes than overall concept changes. Teachers will still be in charge of classrooms, but there will be more of an emphasis on distance and performance-based learning than on conventional teaching sites and styles. Classrooms will show more diversity because computers will allow a larger population to interact, and more information and resources will enable teachers to provide a better quality of instruction.

"We're moving aggressively towards trying to develop distance learning instructional classes that will be available in the future," Phil Parette, a professor in elementary, early and special education at Southeast Missouri State University. "We already have sites in our Malden center and at Three Rivers Community College and within one year, we hope to have a full list of classes to offer students."

John Miller, director of teacher certification for the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, said tougher courses, tougher standards and a more performance-based system will produce teachers who are innovative in their approach to instruction.

"As a profession, we will be a lot tougher because the demands are going to be tougher," he said. "Teachers will have to come up with more effective ways of delivering curriculums that increase achievement in students even as they develop computer literacy for them."

Parette said computer technology will also broaden the scope of teaching and make the knowledge of both old and new instruction techniques mandatory. The Internet will force teachers to decide what is relevant to a particular lesson; otherwise students will be overwhelmed by the ever-increasing volume of information.

"With the emerging technology that is currently available to teachers, there are many more tools available with which we can deliver instruction than in the past," said Parette. "Teachers of the future will have to develop skills to use computers so they can access information, and they'll have to have a knowledge base about desk teaching so they can discern the relevant information and evaluate the quality of the materials made available to them."

Strategic plans for the university and public schools are emphasizing the need to allocate resources for on-going training for teachers. These resources will keep teachers knowledgeable about current technology and help schools to develop programs to serve the needs of all students. Missouri has recognized the need for teachers to be aware of new technology, and money is set aside each year for teacher training.

"We have 1 percent of the training money set aside by Senate Bill 380," Miller said. "The legislature allocated money for in-service training, and we try to keep teachers abreast of technology through continual in-service and on-going training. Teachers are now required to be computer-literate to meet state standards, and they will in turn pass that on to their students."

Miller said Missouri teachers have done a good job of learning and using new technology in recent years, and with more resources, will only improve their use of technology in the classroom.

"Teachers are basically an innovative group of people," he said. "They learn to work with a limited amount of resources. When they do get resources, they just go crazy and get even more innovative. I'm really proud of what they've accomplished."