Impact of technology coach on confidence and skill levels of teachers in a technologically-driven classroom

The purpose of this study is to determine if teachers use technology more effectively and with more confidence before or after the integration of a technology coach. The study of the effect of a technology coach as a professional development trainer who is on site and available on demand whenever necessary is worthy of consideration. Infrequent training, or training scattered throughout the school year is not effective according to the conversations many teachers have had with the researcher. The administration in this study believed that having a technology coach will help teachers and students focus on the process of learning and problem solving through the use of technology. The methodology used in this study is grounded in quantitative research utilizing a descriptive design. The population of this study is limited to the academic core teachers of one high school in a rural area of the state. The greatest limitation to this study is the small population of the educators studied. The most notable delimitation is the size of the population which was limited by the researcher and that the results may or may not be generalized to a larger secondary community. Johnson County High School is located in Mountain City, of the scenic Johnson County Tennessee. The current enrollment is 786 students ranging in grades 9-12. The school seems to have personnel that can effectively meet the needs of its students. The school has 45 certificated teachers and 3 administrators. There are 5 male and 16 female teachers in this study. Most teachers hold a master's degree or higher. The purpose of this study was to report the findings to determine if teachers use technology more effectively and with more confidence before or after the integration of a technology coach. The data suggests that a technology coach can improve the experience and confidence levels of teachers who are trying to integrate technology into the classroom curriculum.