Is Teacher Professional Development an Effective Way to Mitigate Generational Digital Gap? Result from a 3-year Statewide Teacher Professional Development

Abstract

This study analyzed 3-year longitudinal data (2012-2014) collected from a statewide distance professional development to examine if there was a generational digital gap between digital native and digital immigrant teachers. The study found that the digital native teachers had significantly more positive attitude and belief towards technology use in class, and they were significantly more likely to use technology for class preparation than the digital immigrant teachers before the professional development. After the professional development, the previous generational gaps were mitigated, and all the teachers improved their technology integration abilities and their technology communication and collaboration skills.