New technology is helping to decrease local teacher shortage

More than 20 Hartnell College students, aspiring to be teachers, now have a new piece of technology to expand their knowledge in and out of the classroom.

“It’s gonna make it much easier for me,” said Hartnell student Cindy Cervantes. “My laptop is really old so it’s going to speed everything up. “We’re all going to be on the same page.”

They’ll use the tablet computers while enrolled in the Pathways to Teaching Cohort. It’s a collaborative program between Hartnell and CSUMB helping students earn their A.A., B.A. and eventually, a teaching credential.

“For those how don’t have laptops at home well now we do,” said Hartnell student Karina Matadamas. “It has a keyboard which makes it very helpful.”

Administrators said solving the teacher shortage is hard enough. They want to make sure they remove as many barriers as possible for students wanting careers in the classroom.

“And sometimes there are barriers in regards to technology,” said Dr. Jose Luis Alvarado, Hartnell Dean of Education. ‘What this does is it ensures that this is an even level playing field. That every student has the same access to the same tools, no questions asked.”

How to fill the many open teacher positions is a constant question, especially for rural and remote areas like South County Monterey.

“We collaborated with the Monterey County Office of Education, conducting just a quick survey in looking at what are the needs in the district,” said Alvarado. “We were so astonished to find that, for at least the districts that responded, there were well over 100 classrooms without teachers who were fully certified.”

Education officials said just recruiting more teachers is not the solution. Aspiring teachers need help and support, and that includes state of the art technology.

“I hope we all stick together and help each other out,” said Cervantes.

Both colleges said they are looking into providing other forms of support, such as child care stipends and scholarships.