|
Editor's Remarks
 And Who Will Be Listening? (PDF, 2.5 MB, PDF Instructions)
Ann Thompson
Starting with this issue, JCTE is embarking on a new adventure in our work to disseminate research to the teacher education community. At the request of about 50 SIGTE members gathered at NECC 2006, we will be podcasting one article from each issue, as well as the editor’s column.
President's Message
Making a Difference (PDF, 544 KB, PDF Instructions)
Arlene Borthwick
On the first night of class this September, I asked my group of technology in education graduate students to brainstorm a list of issues that they were experiencing related to integrating technology in their K–12 settings. They came up with more than 20 items, including local and state budget; training; technical support; hardware/software access and compatibility; awareness of and accountability for technology standards; perceptions of importance of technology use by students, teachers, and administrators; an already “full” curriculum; lack of teacher knowledge of how technology can help students learn basic skills and higher order thinking skills; and the generation gap (kids know more than teachers).
|
|
Voices in Videoconferencing: Technology Integration in Teacher Education Courses (PDF, 687 KB, PDF Instructions)
Katherine A. O’Connor, Terry S. Atkinson, Melissa N. Matusevich, H. Carol Greene, Carol Pope, and Amy J. Good
This manuscript describes the efforts of several instructors who incorporated videoconferencing in their teacher education courses at two large universities in the southeastern United States. Professors preparing teachers to teach elementary and middle school examined their interactive videoconference experiences linking preservice teachers with students in real classroom settings. Three projects are described. The first project involved “teleobservation” whereby professors co-taught with K–6 classroom teachers while preservice teachers observed. The second project focused on a middle-grades English Language Arts professor whose preservice teachers observed middle school students in real time. In the third project, a university professor served as a live audience for an elementary Reader’s Theatre performance. The lessons learned through the evaluation of these three projects are discussed.
Exemplary Technology-using Teachers: Perceptions of Factors Influencing Success (PDF, 562 KB, PDF Instructions)
Peggy A. Ertmer, Anne Ottenbreit-Leftwich, and Cindy S. York
Exemplary technology-using teachers achieve meaningful technology use in learner-centered, constructive environments despite the presence of both internal and external barriers. In this study, we discuss factors that enabled teachers to overcome these barriers, as identified by 25 winners of statewide technology teacher awards. In addition, we explored teachers’ perceptions of the relative value of both intrinsic and extrinsic factors that were perceived to play key roles in their success.
Using Distance Technology to Sustain Teacher Education for Student Teachers in Isolated Areas: The Technology Supported Induction Network (PDF, 636KB, PDF Instructions)
Sara Winstead Fry and Carol Bryant
This qualitative study evaluated the Technology Supported Induction Network’s (TSIN) effect on 15 elementary education student teachers in isolated rural schools. The student teachers were 50-300 miles away from their university; thus, it was difficult for faculty to provide support and supervision. The TSIN provided student teachers with professional development opportunities and virtual connections to their peers and university through distance technology, including an online discussion board and compressed video. Findings indicate that the TSIN supported reflective practice, curricular and emotional support, and connections to peers, but not connections to the university. TSIN participants also developed their technology skills and confidence. The strengths and limitations of using distance technology to support student teachers are discussed along with recommendations for improving the TSIN design.
Integrating Technology during Student Teaching: An Examination of Teacher Work Samples (PDF, 595 KB, 73 seconds, PDF Instructions)
John E. Henning, Victoria L. Robinson, Mary Corwin Herring, and Terri McDonald
This study examined the teacher work samples of 197 student teachers to determine their level of technology integration during student teaching. Findings indicated that most student teachers planned to use some kind of technology, although only 40% planned to include computers and less than 20% planned for the use of computers by students. The barriers to technology integration were most often related to instruction (e.g., the technology did not serve the learning goals and the technology was not
developmentally appropriate) rather than a lack of available resources and time. These findings may be explained in part by the unique character of the teacher work sample (TWS) data, which prompts student teachers to report on their technology use during a single unit of instruction.
|
