Professional development through the use of technology

The purpose of this study was to introduce the Gloucester County Special Services School District educators to the concept of using technology for the purpose of professional development. A descriptive research method was used in the study that included a Technology Survey of the Compensatory Education Teachers. Surveys were distributed prior to and following the inservice component of the study. The technology survey instrument utilized was developed by the Intern and pretested by administrators and educators in the district. The frequency of responses were recorded and calculated into percentages for purposes of data analysis. After experiencing exposure to the Internet through a Technology Inservice program, an overall improvement in attitude and comfort level regarding technology and accessing the Internet was reported by respondents. Individuals self-rating themselves within the ranges of very comfortable to somewhat comfortable increased substantially and the percentage of individuals rating themselves as uncomfortable prior to the inservice decreased. Following the inservice, 86% of the individuals surveyed reported utilizing the Internet as a resource for lesson planning and locating educational materials. This figure is significant in that it represents an increase of 64% as reported by respondents. The study supports establishing a relationship between professional development and technology and identifies the important role inservicing plays in this process

Is access synonymous with use?: evaluation of access and use of technology in Salem County high schools

The high schools of Salem County were studied for their use of technology in general and the Internet specifically. Literature regarding the effective use of technology in education nationwide was researched. It was found that even though Salem County has access to much technology, it is underutilized, due primarily to lack of thorough professional development. Particular attention was given to Internet technology because of grants received by the county for the express purpose of establishing a local node for use by the schools in the county. A preliminary review of the literature indicated that the scope of the study needed to include technology in general, because the Internet is but one form of technology that education has embraced. The reviewed literature addressed the broad spectrum of technology: its potentials, its expected uses, its actual uses. A survey, patterned after one studied in the literature reading, was distributed to all the high school educators, administrators, and school board members in Salem County. The information gathered from this local survey was used to focus recommendations to an area that will be most useful in the county, quality professional development. The findings of the national survey that measured telecommunications use in K-12 districts, the design of the local survey, and the results and implications of this survey have been discussed in detail; graphs comparing the local survey results to the national survey are also included. Based on this survey analysis, implications and suggestions are included that can help ensure that expensive technology that is regularly being brought into the high schools of Salem County will be effectively and routinely used to better education

Using Virtual Reality and Web Conferencing Technologies: Exploring Alternatives for Microteaching in a Rural Region

Preservice teachers’ views of two types of technologies which provided realistic environments in which to practice microteaching are described: (1) TLE TeachLivE™ Lab, a virtual reality environment that employs avatars as students in a virtual classroom, and (2) web conferencing technology to synchronously teach students in remotely located classrooms. Preservice teachers opined that each technology offers a relatively realistic environment that allows them to interact with virtual and real students. Microteaching through these technologies increases their self-confidence and provided a safe, non-threatening environment for them to reflect on their practice. We concluded these emerging technologies can provide viable alternatives to bringing classroom realism for preservice teachers to practice their teaching skills

Learning Productive Mathematical Talk Moves Through Mix-Reality Simulation: The Case of Pre-service Elementary Teachers in a Hispanic Serving Institution

Teacher preparation programs require pre-service teachers to engage in field experiences that include participation in classrooms (Freeman, 2010). Mix-Reality Simulation (MRS) is a technological tool that can be implemented to provide pre-service teachers opportunities to develop pedagogical techniques such as providing feedback, conducting discussions, integrating technology with instruction while at the same time exploring different environments (Hixon & So, 2009). This paper presents preliminary results of a first-stage research in the implementation of a MRSs’ into an elementary teacher education program at a large Hispanic-Serving Institution. The purpose of the study was to determine whether differences existed between the groups in eliciting student’s mathematical understanding through the use of productive mathematical talk-moves (Chapin, O’Connor, & Anderson, 2009). Preliminary analysis show that the pre-service teachers exposed to MRS felt more confident in conducting formative assessment of students through questioning and clinical interviews, than their peers not exposed to the Intervention

Perceptions and Opinions of the Usability of Simulations in a Mathematics Methods Course for Elementary Pre-Service Teachers

The acceptance, implementation, and adoption of emerging technologies in teacher preparation programs has significantly evolved, and it is now seen as a tool that enhances teacher’s teaching skills particularly during the first years of the program. The use of new technologies like Mixed-Reality Simulations (MRSs) in the preparation of future teachers, provides them the opportunity of developing teaching skills in a safe environment. In this article, the researchers studied the perceptions and opinions of Elementary Pre-Service Mathematics Teachers (EPSMT) that were exposed to the use MRSs in a mathematics methods course. The research questions were: (1) What are the EPSMTs s’ perceptions toward the use of MRSs as part of their teacher preparation program? and (2) what are the opinions of the EPSMTs in regard to the benefits and usefulness of MRS to leverage their teaching skill in productive mathematical talk moves? Results of the study shows that EPSMTs perceive the use of MRSs as beneficial tool that effectively simulate classroom environments and students’ behaviors. The above is relevant since it facilitates the integration and adoption of state-of-the-art technologies like MRSs. Keywords: Pre-service Teachers, Mixed-Reality Simulations, Perceptions, Opinions. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/11-12-02 Publication date: April 30th 2020  

Broadening Our View About Technology Integration: Three Literacy Educators\u27 Perspectives

What can we realistically expect teacher educators to do with technology, given the contexts in which they find themselves, the skills that they bring to their contexts, and the changes that they would need to make? We attempt to answer this question through three self-studies as we integrated technology into methods courses and student teaching supervision. Data sources included reflective journals, lesson plans, observations, and interviews. Pre-established categories and constant comparative method were used to analyze the data. Three common themes emerged (the issue of technology integration; the interdependence of skills, responsibilities, and context; and the mediation of context) that lead us to conclude that the notion of technology integration varies in different contexts

Creating Sustainable Learning Environments in the Era of the Posthuman: Towards Borderless Curriculum

This editorial is a culmination of various research on the area of posthuman theorization as applied to the field of education. It also focused on the need for borderless curriculum to circumvent global challenges such as genocide, terrorism among other things. It details the rationale of adopting a post human and borderless curriculum to respond to the ambivalence brought by the corona virus. The special issue gives alternatives which emerged during the pandemic and arms educators and learners with new models of learning that will ensure education system is not disrupted on the even another pandemic emerges. The argument of the special issue is that within the auspices of posthuman and borderless curriculum something else, and new is possible through working and thinking together

FUTURE EDUCATORS’ LEARNING TRENDS AT THE UNIVERSITY: HOW IMPORTANT AND SIGNIFICANT THE LEARNER’S EXPERIENCE IS?

The structure and content of studies at a higher education institution, educating specialists in the field of education studies, are more oriented to subject-centred rather than pedagogical preparation; insufficient attention is paid to students’ practical training, where through self-reflection and reflection students’ sensations turn into experience. The problematicity lies in the fact that often students’ practical experience is limited only to technical skills applied in concrete situations; the basis is mechanical learning, when the focus is on theoretical knowledge gained at the university, which is not integrated with the students’ experience outlived earlier or during practice. On the other hand, theoretical knowledge is often not related to the practical activity. The results of the quantitative research disclose future educators’ teaching and learning trends at the university by analyzing, assessing and linking learners’ outlived experience with a specific learning context.