Volume 6, Number 2/3 1998
Contents
I Think This Will Keep Them Busy: Computers in a Teacher’s Thought andPractice
Oddmund R. Myhre 93Abstracts
I Think This Will Keep Them Busy: Computers in a Teacher’s Thought andPractice
Oddmund R. Myhre
University of Washington Miller Hall 412 Seattle, WA 98195-2900, USA myhre@u.washington.eduThis article explores some of the challenges that teachers face when they attempt toinclude computers in the teaching of subject matter. Two areas are investigated:teachers’ adoption of educational reforms and teachers’ perceptions of computersin classroom instruction. Information is presented from a case study of a mathematicsteacher’s classroom practice. Implications for the preparation of teachers in the useof computers are noted.
A Trend Analysis of Computer Literacy Skills of Preservice Teachers During SixAcademic Years
Caryl J. Sheffield
Department of Elementary/Early Childhood Education California University of Pennsylvania California, PA 15419-1394, USA Sheffield@cup.eduThe purpose of the study was to analyze the trends in computer literacy skills ofuniversity students during a 6-year period. The six cohort groups consisted of 622preservice teachers who were surveyed at the beginning of a required introductoryinstructional technology course during the fall semester of academic years 1991-92 through1996-97. Subjects were asked to rate their experience in the computer literacy skills ofword processing, database, spreadsheet, hardware, operating system software, and use ofthe mouse. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine the existence of asignificant linear trend. It was found that preservice teachers have little computerliteracy experience. Students report less than basic familiarity with each of the criticalcomputer literacy topics studied. During the 6-year period from 1991-92 through 1996-97, asignificant linear pattern of increasing means was found in word processing, spreadsheet,hardware, operating system software, and the mouse (p < 0.05). The analysis of trenddata helps provides an important perspective on how increasing access to computers in highschool translates into computer literacy in university students and aids in curriculumdevelopment.
Toward Qualitative Assessment of a Computer-Based Simulation in PreserviceField Experience: A Survey Pilot Study
Jack V. Powell and Linda M. Lord
Department of Elementary Education The University of Georgia Athens, GA 30602-7122, USA jpowell@coe.uga.eduThe purpose of this study was to investigate the computer knowledge and attitudes ofundergraduate early childhood majors enrolled in a teaching methods course which has nothistorically emphasized the potential of computerized simulation in classroom instruction.We compared the treatment group with the control group on three measures that comprise acomputer survey instrument. The measures are (a) importance of computers, (b) knowledge ofcomputers, and (c) attitude toward computers. The treatment group was exposed to thesimulation as an integrated unit within a teaching methods course while the control groupwas not. Control and treatment groups differed significantly across all three areas of thecomputer survey instrument. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) revealed a statisticallysignificant difference (p<.001) between the mean posttest and pretest scores of theimportance, knowledge, and attitude. Results are discussed in terms of the need to broadenstudents’ exposure to computers as preservice teachers if they are expected to usetechnology in their classrooms.
A Model for Infusing Technology Into Teacher Training Programs
Janice M. Stuhlmann
Department of Curriculum and Instruction College of Education, 223 Peabody Hall Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA janice@asterix.ednet.lsu.eduIn the fall of 1994, educators in the College of Education at Louisiana StateUniversity, Baton Rouge, developed and implemented an initiative to infuse technology intoteacher education through a three-course sequence. This initiative focused on providingpreservice teachers with models and practice for integrating technology into theirteaching practices by working on technology-based projects with elementary schoolchildren.
During a three-semester span, data were collected in the form of interviews,observations, journal entries, and surveys to assess what impact, if any, this technologyinitiative was having on preservice teachers. Ten case studies were developed: 5 involvingparticipants in the technology initiative and 5 involving students who had completed thesame coursework but without the technology components. Data indicated this technologyinfusion project had a direct impact on changing perceptions of preservice teachers. Whencompared to counterparts who were not involved in the initiative, the participantsespoused a more student-centered approach to instruction, expressed more confidence intheir abilities to function as teachers, felt more comfortable working with elementarychildren, and were more certain of their abilities to formulate and implement ideas forintegrating technology into curricula. These findings substantiate the importance ofincorporating technological components into teacher training programs.
Thomas A. Drazdowski, Nicholas A. Holodick, and F. Thomas Scappaticci
Education Department King’s College Wilkes-Barre, PA 18711, USA tadrazdo@rs01.kings.eduMany major reports on efforts to reform teacher education programs have cited howcolleges of education are doing little to prepare future teachers to successfully usetechnology in their classroom. Written from three unique perspectives, this paperdescribes how one college program is proceeding through the change process in order tointegrate technology throughout its teacher education curriculum. The authors discuss thecollege’s 3-year infusion plan and provide suggestions and recommendations for othersseeking change.
Bernard Robin and Robert Miller
College of Education University of Houston Houston, TX 77204-5872, USA brobin@uh.eduIn 1993, the University of Houston, Texas, began developing a consortium of four areauniversities, eight professional development and technology schools, and regionaleducation service agencies. The primary goal of the consortium was to prepare teachers forurban, multicultural classrooms. Funded by a grant from the Texas Education Agency, themultiyear project known as The Houston Consortium of Urban Professional Development andTechnology Schools seeks to attenuate several persistent problems in teacher education bytraining teachers who are both sensitive to the needs of an urban, low socio-economicstatus, and culturally diverse population, and who are capable of integrating technologyinto their instruction.
Now in its fourth year, the Houston Consortium project is continuing its development ofa telecommunications infrastructure for its members. The Consortium is made up of facultymembers, teachers, staff, and students representing four colleges of education, 16 publicschools, and regional education service agencies from the Houston area. The goal of theConsortium is to develop and promote an innovative teacher education program that includessite-based instruction, multicultural awareness, and a rich infusion of educationaltechnologies for teaching interns and inservice teachers.
Susan E. Anderson
School of Education Texas Christian University, Box 297900 Fort Worth, TX 76129, USA sander@tenet.eduThis article reports a case study of students’ reactions to a multicultural unitthat incorporated computer software, videodiscs, videotape, and print media in anundergraduate educational psychology course. The purposes of the unit were to increasestudents’ sensitivity to people from cultures different than their own, to provide anexample of applying learning theories in teaching, and to model the integration oftechnology into instruction. The class consisted of 32 Caucasian females attending arelatively small, private university. At the end of the semester students believed thatethnic diversity in their future classrooms was more important than they did at thebeginning of the semester. Many students believed the multicultural unit increased theirunderstanding of cultural differences and recognized the need to learn how to dealeffectively with cultural diversity in their classrooms. For the most part, they respondedpositively to the variety of media used in the unit.
Karen S. Ivers
Department of Elementary and Bilingual Education California State University, Fullerton 800 N. State College Boulevard, EC-376 Fullerton, CA 92634-9480, USA Kivers@fullerton.eduAnn E. Barron
University of South Florida 4202 E. Fowler EDU208B Tampa, FL 33620, USA BarronA@mail.firn.eduThis study investigated the effects of placing preservice teachers in paired learningconditions versus working independently on a computer-based tutorial/simulation designedto teach users about an electronic mail system. The researchers compared groups onachievement, time on instructions, near-transfer performance, and perception ofinstruction. Findings support previous research on the positive effects of paired learningusing computer-based instruction designed for individual learners.
James Laffey and Dale Musser
Center for Technology Innovations in Education College of Education, 212 Townsend Hall University of Missouri-Columbia Columbia, MO 65211, USA ciLaffey@showme.missouri.eduEducation for the professions is moving to new curriculum to foster deeperunderstanding, improved ability to apply knowledge, and reflective practice. Softwaretools are needed to support new forms of organization, improved collaboration, andincreased ability to reflect on experiences. In this paper we describe the design anddevelopment of Internet-based software for keeping reflective journals that supportslearning from field experience by students in a teacher preparation program. Starting witha conceptual solution, the software design process of coadaptation included writingscenarios, process representation, and field testing. The software and learning systemenables students to (a) capture and share accounts of experiences, (b) link to resources,and (c) engage in various modes of conversation and discussion about experiences.
Alex Rath, William A. Rieck, and Donna Wadsworth
Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Box 42051 University of Southwestern Louisiana Lafayette, LA 70504, USA rattle@usl.eduIt is increasingly common that teachers and educators are designing and developingmultimedia instructional materials for distribution on CD-ROM. This is a process which canbe called educational software design and development. Electronic curriculum developmentis becoming more important as CDs take a larger role in instruction. For purposes of thisstudy, electronic curriculum development (ECD) can be generally characterized as theprocess of making educational materials using computers and other multimedia source files.In an effort to understand how educators approach the design and development of CDs,observations, formal interviews, and a survey were used to study the staff of aneducational technology center which has been producing educational software for about 5years. Most of the subjects had previous K-12 teaching experience, higher educationteaching experience, or were students in a teacher education program. The results of thisstudy showed that educators generally approach ECD in terms of either programmingprocesses or curricular concepts. This study highlights the differences betweentraditional curriculum development and multimedia CD development.