Measuring student attitude and knowledge in technology-rich biology classrooms

The use of technology in schools is now ubiquitous, but the effectiveness on the learning environment has mixed results. This paper describes the development and validation of an instrument to measure students’ attitudes toward and knowledge of technology with the aim of investigating any differences based on gender after a course where the science department made use of technology as an integral part of teaching biology. In this study, conducted in one school in the state of New York, in the United States of America, the Students’ Attitudes Toward and Knowledge of Technology Questionnaire was administered to nearly 700 high school science students. A principal component and principal factor analysis resulted in new scales from the validation of the instrument that demonstrated high reliabilities. There were statistically significant gender differences in all the scales of the questionnaire in favor of males

Teacher education and professional development for technology integrated teaching

This entry describes the characteristics of professional development programs (PD) to enhance teacher educators’ (teachers of pre-service teachers) knowledge of technology-integrated teaching which subsequently facilitates their effective use of technology in the teaching in initial teacher education institutions. There are challenges with using technology in teaching, but relevant PD can help teacher educators to overcome these challenges for the effective use of technology in teaching. The description is drawn upon data from an intervention study involving designing and handling PD to assist mathematics teacher educators in integrating technology in their teaching and illustrating the characteristics of effective PD for teacher educators in tertiary settings. The entry is organized in five sections. It begins with a description of the importance of technology in higher education followed by an illustration of teacher education that highlights the challenges for technology-integrated teaching. The third section illustrates the characteristics of effective PD for technology integrated teaching in initial teacher educations. The fourth section suggested the characteristics of effective PD programs for teacher educators and implications for preparing pre-service teachers. The conclusion summarizes the findings presented in this entry. Some of the study papers referred to concerned PD programs for school teachers that were included because of their relevance to teacher educators at initial teacher education institutions. The following section highlights the importance of technology in higher education

Episode-centered guidelines for teacher belief change toward technology integration

Teachers' episodic memories influence their beliefs. The investigation of episodic memories can help identify the teacher beliefs that limit technology-integration. We propose the Episode-Centered Belief Change (ECBC) model that utilizes teachers' episodic memories for changing beliefs impeding effective technology integration. We also propose guidelines for using ECBC model in professional development to promote teacher belief change for effective technology integration. A preliminary study was conducted to apply the ECBC model in a teacher education course. The findings suggest that the ECBC model was effective in changing teacher beliefs regarding technology integration. Finally, the implications of the ECBC model and guidelines for research and practice are discussed