Journal of Technology and Teacher Education
Volume 3, Number 2/3 1995
Teaching Teachers to Change: The Place of Change Theory in the Technology Education of Teachers Brent Robinson 107
Teacher Networking Through Electronic Mail Deborah Tannehill, Rebecca Berkowitz, and Kathryn LaMaster 119
Technology, Graduate Education, and the Real World: Service Learning in a Research University John LeBaron and Michelle Scribner-MacLean 137
Computer-Based Science Education: A Learner Centered
Approach
Janice E. J. Woodrow 153
Interactive Multimedia Instruction to Develop Reflective Decision-Making Among Preservice Teachers Richard F. Kenny, James Covert, Mary Anne Schilz, Marie-Josée Vignola, and Bernard W. Andrews 169
Mathematica-Based Mathematics for Elementary
Teachers: The Role of Student Attitudes and Beliefs in an Experimental Course
Peter L. Glidden 189
Three-Minute Videos: Effective Solutions for Reducings Anxiety and Promoting Achievement John J. Sweeder and Maryanne R. Bednar 205
Fidelity and Moral Authority: Ethical Issues in
Videodisc Design for the Improvement of Teaching
Katy Campbell, Laurie E. Bowers, and Graham Fishburne 213
The Implications of Requiring Preservice Teachers to "Evaluate the Ways in Which the Use of Information Technology Changes the Nature of Teaching and Learning" Bridget Somekh 227
Technology and the Elementary Mathematics Methods Course:
An Effort to Build a Technology Enhanced Mathematical Community Michael L. Connell 251
Self-Study: Students Evaluate the Use of Video "Cases" in an
Educational Psychology Course with a Field Component C. Lynne Hannah 267
Abstracts
Teaching Teachers to Change: The Place of Change Theory in the Technology Education of Teachers
Brent Robinson
Department of Education
University of Cambridge
17 Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1QA, UK
"Goals, in the absence of a theory about how to achieve them, are mere wishful thinking" (Wise, 1977).
The whole process of education can be viewed as a process of change and teacher education is no exception. Intending teachers, in the process of their education, must take on broad new knowledge, skills, and attitudes if they are to perform effectively in classrooms. And the process of change is not limited to their personal development. Many practicing teachers, teacher educators and external agencies argue that teacher education should be a vehicle of systemic change is one means whereby change for the better in schools can be accomplished. This paper argues that a greater conceptual and procedural knowledge of change can only help the process of teacher education, particularly in relation to the technological education of new teachers.
Teacher Networking Through Electronic Mail
Deborah Tannehill1
School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation
The Ohio State University, 1760 Neil Avenue
Columbus, OH 43210-1221, USA
Rebecca Berkowitz2
2Westerville City School,
Columbus, OH 43210-1221, USA
Kathryn LaMaster1
The Franklin County Academy of Physical Educators (FCAPE) is a professional development school (PDS)
composed of faculty in the Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) program at The
Ohio State University and practicing physical education teachers from nine school
districts in Franklin County, Ohio. Concerns of these teachers revealed a desire for
increased interaction with colleagues. Electronic communication as a solution was pursued.
All interested PDS members were trained to use electronic mail and an FCAPE newsgroup. The
purpose of this study was to examine the impact of this technology on these teachers,
problems they encountered, and their perceptions of this type of communication. Teachers
were linked with a group of nine PETE doctoral students charged with establishing a
relationship with these teachers via e-mail, and developing and maintaining a newsgroup
article posted in the FCAPE newsgroup. Data were collected through an informational
questionnaire, teachers' journals, and doctoral student summary reports. Questionnaire
data were tabulated and analyzed by frequencies and percentages with yes/no/ranking
questions analyzed inductively resulting in a set of categories representing issues from
the participants' perspectives. Journals and summary reports used a naturalist framework
to guide data collection and analysis. Data analysis consisted of many readings of these
data searching for recurring patterns and themes. Participants in this study reported
implications of this technology for their programs and work with children and youth; more
success communicating via e-mail than the newsgroup with time, access, and lack of a
routine as the major inhibitors; and they perceived this technology as a major force in
decreasing their feelings of isolation and providing them with access to their colleagues
in physical education.
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Technology, Graduate Education, and the Real World: Service
Learning in a Research University
JOHN LeBARON
College of Education, University of Massachusetts Lowell
One University Avenue, Lowell, MA 01854, USA
MICHELLE SCRIBNER-MacLEAN
Program in Math and Science Education, College of Education
One University Avenue,University of Massachusetts Lowell
Lowell, MA 01854, USA
In partnership with the Lawrence, Massachusetts public schools, the University of Massachusetts Lowell College of Education developed a graduate education technology course based on a "service learning" model. The goal was to apply academic theory to the practical requirements of a resource-strapped school district by assigning advanced graduate students to address jointly identified education technology needs. In addition to on-site consulting, the student team produced a major report keyed to priorities determined by school personnel.
Evaluation results indicated agreement among all stakeholders that the project was a success. However, weaknesses were identified. School personnel felt that more on-site training and support was needed from the participating students. University personnel believed that its various independent partnerships with the Lawrence schools should be better coordinated. All felt that needs should be identified before the first class meeting, so that students could devote the entire semester to problem-solving.
All parties are eager to develop a more in-depth future partnership. Looking ahead, the project will respond to the lessons of Phase One. The College of Education will seek links with the University's Department of Computer Science, which has partnered with the Lawrence schools on staff and infrastructure development. From a stronger foundation, all parties will seek additional resources and a broader-based long term partnership.
Computer-Based Science Education: A Learner Centered Approach
Janice E. J. Woodrow
Department of Curriculum Studies
University of British Columbia,
2125 Main Mall, Vancouver, B. C., V6T 1Z4
In 1993, the University of British Columbia (UBC) approved a proposal for a new elective course in the Teacher Education program, Computer-Based Science EducationSCED 412, designed to introduce information technology to preservice Science teachers and to train them in its use. This paper describes the objectives and format of this course, indicates some of the outcomes that were achieved, and reports some student reactions to it. The paper also describes a student special project. For this project, two UBC astronomers provided a description and multimedia requirements of specific Astronomy 101/102 tutorials to the SCED 412 students. Students worked with the astronomers to develop computer-interfaced multimedia presentations based on this information. In doing so, the education students had an opportunity to learn how to integrate material from videodiscs, CD-ROMS, and computer-based simulations with textual and graphical material to produce multimedia modules that had an immediate teaching application.
Interactive Multimedia Instruction to Develop Reflective Decision-Making Among Preservice Teachers
Richard F. Kenny, James Covert, Mary Anne Schilz, Marie-Josée Vignola, and Bernard W. Andrews
University of Ottawa
145 Jean-Jacques Lussier, Ottawa, ON, K4P 1E8 Canada
In 1992, the Teacher Education Program at the University of Ottawa introduced a seminar course to foster the reflective practice of our Bachelor of Education students. It was
designed to assist student teachers to reflect meaningfully on their practice teaching
experiences and related topics and to help them translate theory into practice. This is
achieved by such activities as the analysis of theoretical (text-based) case studies,
readings about educational theory and practice, and the analysis of students' reports of
critical incidents from the schools. Interactive multimedia instruction on reflective
decision-making was developed for use in this seminar. The intent was to link reflective
theory and practice with school-based experience by presenting, in an interactive format,
video vignettes based on current educational situations. This paper provides a brief
review of the literature on teaching reflective practice and describes the conceptual
basis and instructional design of the multimedia program. It reports the results of a
small group formative evaluation of the program and concludes with several suggestions for
further research focused on the relationship between reflective practice and critical
thinking.
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Peter L. Glidden
College of Education
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1310 S. Sixth Street
Champaign, IL 61821, USA
All major reform documents in mathematics education have called for improving preservice elementary teachers' expertise in using computer technology as a tool for inquiry to promote investigating change, searching for patterns, and making and testing conjectures. Student attitudes and beliefs are two factors that affect their acquisition of this expertise. This paper reports a case study of preservice elementary teachers' attitudes and beliefs in a course that used Mathematica to teach concepts of the calculus through experimentation. The major finding of this study is that many preservice elementary teachers have little understanding that doing or learning mathematics includes investigating change, searching for patterns, and making and testing conjectures. Furthermore, even after completing a sequence of mathematical experiments, these stu
dents had difficulty seeing the intended patterns and consequently did not make the
correct generalizations. Nevertheless, these students were able to learn important
calculus concepts, and after the course, they showed significant and positive (p
< 0.05) changes in attitudes and beliefs, which were confirmed through interview data.
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Three-Minute Videos: Effective Solutions for Reducing Anxiety and Promoting Achievement
John J. Sweeder and Maryanne R. Bednar
Department of Education
La Salle University, Philadelphia, PA 19141, USA
This article describes how two independently produced instructional videos were used to help teacher educators, whotaught two very different coursesThe Teacher and Technological Advances and Developing and Adjusting Instruction for Moderately and Severely Handicapped Learnersbetter prepare students to tackle major course assignments more successfully. The in-house videos were specifically designed to increase student motivation and achievement as well as reduce anxiety and encourage self-efficacy. Although the videos produced differed in look and tone due to their idiosyncratic content, they did possess a variety of technical similarities. The videos were found to have served well as advance organizers and prompted students to pose pertinent questions dealing with central course goals. Moreover, the videos helped to create more positive classroom climates, while helping to build student confidence.
Fidelity and Moral Authority: Ethical Issues in Videodisc Design for the
Improvement of Teaching
Katy Campbell
Keewatin Community College
P.O. Box 3000, The Pas, Manitoba, Canada R9A 1M7
Laurie E. Bowers
Rocky Mountain House Elementary School
4927-48 Street, Rocky Mountain House, Alberta, Canada T0M 1T0
Graham Fishburne
Department of Elementary Education, 5th floor, Education South
University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2G5
At the University of Alberta the Committee for the Improvement of Teaching and Learning made funds available for campus-based research projects relating to the improvement of teaching and learning. One such endeavor, described here, resulted in a two-year project to design and produce a videodisc package highlighting role models of exemplary teaching at the University.
Some well-known advantages of videodisc technology, for example, random access, ironically posed ethical dilemmas for us as designers and teachers. The field of visual anthropology provided a starting place for our own questions about the design, production, and dissemination of public records of teaching, within the framework of an ethic of caring (Noddings, 1986).
Ethical issues related to visual anthropology include issues of anonymity and confidentiality, informed consent; and the rights of participants. We go beyond these questions to address the following problems:
l shared ownership of classroom sequences with exemplars,
l authenticity and continuity,
l integrity,
l public and professional risk related to tenure and promotion,
l conflicting accountabilities to funding agency and exemplars,
l ideological tensions (e.g. what is effective teaching?),
l the impact on taping of differing knowledge bases of produc- tion personnel, and
l transforming practice.
Bridget Somekh
Centre for Applied Research in Education
University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
The development of Information Technology (IT) in Education, the ways in which the use of IT changes the nature of teaching and learning, and the efforts of teacher education to address IT are subject for discussion. It is only by instituting an enquiry into the impact of IT on learning that teachers and preservice teachers can begin to develop educational uses for IT in their teaching.
Educators must be convinced of the educational value of technological innovation to incorporate it in their curriculum planning. The IT criteria produced by the UK government education agency, Department of Education and Science (DES), are grounded in a coherent pattern of educational values. These include a constructivist epistemology, a process model of curriculum, and an enquiry-based model of teacher professional development. How IT integration can work in practice is demonstrated through two project examples grounded in these values.
Technology and the Elementary Mathematics Methods Course: An Effort to Build a
Technology Enhanced Mathematical Community
Michael L. Connell
Center for Mathematics, Science, and Technology
Department of Curriculum and Instruction CUIN 5872
University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204-5872, USA
For meaningful change to take place in the mathematics instruction of our young people, teachers must be in charge of a significantly different instructional sequence, evaluation scheme, and curriculum. Change is needed and, fortunately technology can play a major role in bringing many of these changes about (Bouniaev, 1995; Connell, 1994). Merely stating and describing the need for these items as was done in the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics (1989), however, is not enough to ensure that the desired changes will take place. A major barrier to implementation is that elementary teachers are simply not in a position to implement such changes (Stoddart, Connell, Stofflett, & Peck, 1993). It is important to realize that this condition extends beyond empowerment issues and into their very beliefs about, and abilities in, mathematics and technology. These beliefs do not exist in isolation (Wentworth & Connell, April, 1993), but come to flavor the conceptions held by both teacher and student regarding what mathematics is and in the respective roles technology may play in the teaching and learning of mathematics.
This article begins by describing two mathematical cultures: That of the mathematician and mathematics educator, as expressed in the NCTM Standards; and that of the classroom teacher. Since one goal of mathematics education is to enable students to eventually enter into the mathematics culture, it is important to provide effective pre-service training to bridge this gap. One potential role for technology to serve in addressing this need will then be described using research drawn from a two quarter sequence of courses.
Self-Study: Students Evaluate the Use of
Video "Cases" in an Educational Psychology Course
with a Field Component
C. Lynne Hannah
Department of Curriculum and Foundations, College of EducationRT1440, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH 44115, USA
The author discusses a self-study analysis of the use of video technology in an Educational Psychology course which has a required field component. Using the responses to end-of-the-course evaluations, students from three separate quarters evaluated the usefulness of video technology in their course. The students responded positively, citing that the video tapes and videodiscs were helpful for: Increasing their understanding of course content, providing models of teaching and management, and providing variety.