Mid-South Instructional Technology Conference
Teaching, Learning, & Technology
Transforming the Learning Environment
April 4-6, 2004
|
Dr. Edward C. Mann Dr. Diane Fisher Track 3 - Supporting the Transformative Environment |
Abstract
Prior to admission into Professional Education at The University of Southern Mississippi, students must demonstrate technology literacy by passing a technology literacy exam. This is the third in a series of presentations made at the Conference over the past four years. This presentation will focus on the first year of implementation as an admission requirement. The topics covered will be a brief discussion of the need for technology literacy for future teachers, a quick review of the development process and pilot study results, the implementation challenges faced, and the anticipated benefits.
Description
The use of technology in our schools has been growing rapidly throughout the
last two decades so that now it is an integral part of the teaching/learning
process. There have been numerous studies concerning the value and effect
that the integration of technology has had on student learning. It has been
shown that the use of technology as a learning tool could make a measurable
positive difference in student achievement, attitudes, and interaction with
teachers and other students (Bialo, 1995). However, most pre-service
teachers know very little about the effective use technology in education
(Wellis & Mehlinger, 1996). They acknowledge the value of technology in
education and are willing to integrate technology into their future teaching
but are limited in their preparation to do so (Byrum & Cashmanm 1993;
Marcinkiewicz, 1995; and Wang, 1997).
As part of the Professional Education Council's reform efforts and in
conjunction with the PT3 Implementation Grant, "Preparing Mississippi's
Future Teachers to Use Technology," an innovative teacher preparation
program improvement strategy was developed for the Professional Education
Program at The University of Southern Mississippi.
Four (4) objectives were identified. The first of the objectives addressed
the need for fundamental technology skills and competencies (basic
technology literacy) prior to admission into Professional Education. It
states "Implement a system for insuring basic technology literacy for
in-coming professional education students."
This objective is based on the assumption that consistent infusion of
technology in the professional education programs cannot be accomplished
unless entering students share a basic level of computer literacy on which
to build more sophisticated applications, and the addition of technology
literacy to entry requirements will insure the basic level of computer
literacy needed for instruction in these applications.
Through the work of the Entry Level Technology Standards Committee and the
Basic Technology Literacy Exam Review Committee, the Entry Level Technology
Standards for Professional Education: Basic Technology Literacy Exam (BTLE)
was developed, pilot tested, revised, and implemented. The BTLE consists of
five (5) modules:
* Word Processing
* Spreadsheet
* Telecommunications
* Presentation Software
* Database
Additionally, demographic data are gathered for each student.
This presentation is the third in a series of presentations presented at the
Conference over the past four years. The first presentation dealt with
establishing the need for and identifying the technology competencies for
pre-service teachers. The second presentation addressed the implementation
of and the findings from the pilot study of the BTLE. This year's
presentation will focus on the challenges faced in fully implementing the
BTLE as a requirement for admission into Professional Education.
Additionally, a brief discussion of the need for technology competencies for
future teachers, a review of the development process and pilot study
results, and the anticipated benefits will be presented.