We describe six different approaches to providing technology instruction in
a school of education. None is mutually exclusive; a SCDE may employ one of multiple strategies to adequately prepare its future teachers to use
technology. But each approach represents the different options available
to a SCDE.
- Six Approaches to Technology Instruction
Stand-Alone Technology Course
A course(s) that is devoted entirely to the instruction of the use of
technology in education. Typical courses range from one to six credit
hours and are offered early in the teacher education program.
- Advantages
- Provides a good overview of the technology skills that need to be developed
- Provides an opportunity to practice technology skills
- Faculty in subsequent courses know what technology skills students have
- Drawbacks
- The effectiveness of the course is wholly dependent on the ability of the course instructor
- Potential difficulty in adding a required course if one does not already exist
- Sufficient resources necessary to support a successful technology course (access to computer labs and software)
- Provides an overview of different technologies, not necessarily the knowledge and experience to change teaching practice with technology
College/University Technology Requirement
An institution may adopt a set of technology skills that all students are
expected to demonstrate in order to graduate. If a course is taken to
fulfill this requirement, the course is often taken early in the academic
program and emphasizes basic technology literacy.
- Advantages
- SCDE is not requiring additional credit hours - technology is now a general education requirement
- Matches the technology to "mainstream" assignments
- Drawbacks
- The effectiveness of the course is wholly dependent on the ability of the course instructor
- Sufficient resources necessary to support a successful technology course (access to computer labs and software)
- Provides an overview of different technologies, not necessarily the knowledge and experience to change teaching practice with technology
- If the required course is controlled by the institution, the SCDE may have little input into structure of or instruction in the course
- A poorly developed course may influence future student attitude toward technology
Integrated Technology Component
An integrated component approach embeds technology instruction into specific teacher education courses. The technology instruction then informs and provides a basis for the use of these technologies later in the particular class.
- Advantages
- No need for additional credit hours when technology is embedded in other classes
- Provides an opportunity to practice technology skills
- Potential to use own existing technology course to fulfill the institutional requirement and generate general education FTE
- Drawbacks
- All courses with a technology component may need computer lab space at the same time
- Managing the quality of the technology instruction (instructional technology faculty who "visit" the course versus the instructor of record)
- Possible need to surrender some course content to make time for technology
- Utilizing technology in only select courses
- Risk of using the "stand-alone integrated technology component" (when the technology component is put into an existing course, but the technology portion is separate and distinct from the remainder of the course content and assignments)
Technology in the Field
The ultimate goal of having preservice teachers use technology is to enhance their ability to use technology to change teaching and learning when they are in the classroom. One way to accomplish this is to have some or all of the technology instruction take place in the field.
- Advantages
- Emphasis is on practical application and use of technology
- Modeled by practicing teachers
- Utilize the possibly better resources of the cooperating schools
- Drawbacks
- Technology resources may not be as good as possible
- Field teachers must be technology users in order to model the use of technology
- Example of Field-Based Technology Programs
Computer-Assisted Instruction and Distance Education as a Technology Component
CAI and distance learning experiences can provide students with exposure to
technology, model appropriate uses of technology for instructional purposes, and provide students with the opportunity to practice and refine their use of
technology. Although these tools may not be useful alone to ensure that
students know how to use technology, they can part of a successful technology
integration approach.
- Advantages
- Technology is automatically integrated into the instructional delivery
- Can model effective uses of CAI and distance education
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- Drawbacks
- Does not fully cover the issue of technology instruction, i.e. it is
just one piece of the puzzle
- Can't necessarily be used to teach "how to use" technology
skills
- Example of CAI and Distance Education
Technology Fully Integrated Throughout Teacher Education Program
This approach differs from the integrated technology component in that
instructional technology is embedded in all courses of teacher education majors, including general education, content area, methods, etc.
- Advantages
- Faculty model the effective use of technology for teaching and
learning in all academic areas
- Increased exposure to the use of technology
- Drawbacks
- Requires the cooperation and participation of all faculty in the
college/university and in the field experiences
- Requires a great deal of time and energy to do well
Comparing the Options| Options | Demand on SCDE Faculty | Demand on All Faculty | Demand on Cooperating Schools and Teachers | Demand on Computer Lab Space and Time | Overall Level of Course Transformation |
|---|
| Stand-Alone Technology Course | Low | None | None | High | None |
| College/University Technology Requirement | Low | None | None | High | None |
| Integrated Technology Component | High | None | None | High | Medium |
| Technology in the Field | Low | None | High | Low | Medium |
| CAI and Distance Learning as a Technology Component | Medium | None | None | Medium | Medium |
| Technology Fully Integrated Throughout Program | High | High | High | Low | High |
