I was intrigued by reading a post from Wesley Fryer where he refers to a post written by Scott Weidig about staff development and teacher technology use. I know that I was once a "procedural" learner as described below, but I think I have begun to feel more comfortable with the trial and error (navigational) method as I mess around with Web 2.0 and begin to see the possibilities to support our work. So, I think it is possible to make the transition referred to below.

The difference in learning styles between many young people and many older people is summarized well in what I have heard others term a “navigational” versus a “procedural” approach to technology use. Young folks tend to take a more navigational approach, in which they experiment via trial and error to discover how something works. Many older folks, including lots of teachers, tend to be more fearful about technology use and take a more procedural approach. With procedural learners, they want to have everything spelled out in advance on a detailed handout they can follow. One of the greatest challenges in professional development for teachers, I think, is helping people who are naturally more “procedural” in their learning approach with technology to become more navigational. I don’t have any silver bullets on how to do this, but I agree with you and David Jakes that personally using the technology is key ... I think too many leaders want teachers to skip developmental steps in their own technology use, and taking that approach is as developmentally inappropriate as giving a kindergartner an encyclopedia to read instead of a picture book.

In the Weidig post he makes other points including placing blame on teachers as one source responsible for getting in the way of educational reform. I don't believe we can do this in our system because we have not yet done what is needed to support teacher use of technology. Even with our lap top roll out, we have not created an image of the potential that the document camera, projector, and lap top bring to the classroom. We need to intentionally assist them through learn, observe, practice, and feedback opportunities to see and feel this potential. If we do this, perhaps they will be better positioned to experience success in a trial and error learning environment. Until then, I think we should avoid judgment and blame.

He goes on to identify some questions that all of us, especially those with responsibility for staff development, need to consider.

Where do we go from here?
How do we create (or re-find) that childhood love of investigation for all educators?
How do we break down the fear barrier?
How do we become comfortable moving away from [canned] curriculum?
How do we meet the needs of 21st Century learners?
What is it really going to take to make technology integral to learning?

How we answer these questions will impact our success at embedding technology into the learning experience for students and adults.