Technology in Teaching: Preparing Preservice Students for the Digital-Age

Dr. Dorothy Valcarcel Craig
Dr. Jay Sanders
Department of Educational Leadership
Middle Tennessee State University

Abstract
Current Trends and Initiatives in Technology Training
Preparing Future Teachers
Getting Ready for the Technology-Driven K-12 Classroom
Looking Forward
References
Additional Resources
Contacts

ABSTRACT

Current state and national technology initiatives are enabling classroom teachers to integrate all forms of technology into common instructional practices. As we move into the next millennium, future teachers must be prepared to meet the needs of technologically literate students who have been part of the digital age since birth. Teacher educators, by infusing NCATE guidelines for technology and by providing technology-rich experiences can assist the process and enable the preservice students of today to acquire the skills needed to compete in the professional world of tomorrow's classrooms.

Current Trends and Initiatives in Technology Training

In a few short months, society will be thrust into a new millennium. As the year 2000 approaches, adult's visions of childhood dreams that include futuristic worlds, science-oriented machines, and technological advances that one could only imagine are brought to mind. However, for most students currently enrolled in public schools, the future looks much different. The K-12 student body of today—never living without a microwave oven or remote control—doesn't really know what it's like to be in a world without technology, computers, or the Internet for that matter. The technological tools available in many of today's schools are fostering a level of technological literacy and assisting to create a new type of student body that will advance even further in the next few years.

Within the state of Tennessee as well as across the country, the availability of government funding is contributing to the state of technology, particularly Internet access, within public schools. With the implementation of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, the Federal Communications Commission is helping schools connect to the Internet through an integrated effort between federal and state governments, state and local education agencies, public utility regulators, and businesses. An amendment to the act, the Snowe-Rockefeller-Kerry Amendment (1997), prompted the FCC to allocate more than $2 billion per year per state to cover internal connection costs needed to wire classrooms. In addition, the funds will provide the opportunity for schools to take advantage of special discounts and Educational Rates (E-rates) that will help with monthly telecommunications costs. The E-rate comes into play when a school purchases specific telecommunications products and services. These special discounts known as "universal service discounts" vary and range from 20 percent to 90 percent with rural and economically disadvantaged schools purposely receiving larger discounts. E-rate eligible services fall into three categories: a) telecommunications services, including the wide range of services you can buy or lease from a telephone company, b) Internet access, meaning the services that enable you to log on to the Internet, and c) internal connections, meaning the wiring and equipment inside the school building that brings the Internet into classrooms (Revenaugh, 1999). Allocations for funds began over a year ago with a 75-day "funding window" where schools submitted technology plans and applications for funds (Tyre, 1998). Funding decisions—made by the Schools and Library Corporation (SLC), a non-profit corporation under the direction of the FCC—have enabled over ninety school districts and/or individual schools in Tennessee to internally connect to the Internet. As the fourth "wave" of funding commitments—totaling over $6.3 million—are distributed, the Tennessee State Department of Education announced in a January 12, 1999 news release that additional funds are expected to follow later this year. According to Commissioner Jane Walters, "the universal service discounts will help bridge the digital gap between our wealthiest and poorest schools and bring the wonders of technology to those who otherwise could not afford it" (Ed-Mail, pg. 1, 1999).

These technological advances—which are required by a technology-oriented student body—are creating a challenge for educators from the K through preservice level. Just as public school officials and curriculum specialists are designing technology curriculum guidelines, the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE, 1999) has established technology standards for teacher education programs. The accreditation standards—with expectations for knowledge and use of technology—include:

  1. Standard I.C.1 - Content Studies for Initial Teacher Preparation – completion of a sequence of courses and/or experiences to develop an understanding of the structure, skills, core concepts, ideas, values, facts, methods of inquiry, and uses of technology for subjects preservice students plan to teach.

  2. Standard I.D.2 - Professional and Pedagogical Studies – expectations that professional studies for all teacher candidates include knowledge and experiences with educational technology, including the use of computer and related technologies in instruction, assessment, and professional productivity.

  3. Standard III.A - Professional Education Faculty Qualifications – teacher education faculty must be knowledgeable about current practice related to the use of computers and technology and be able to integrate them in their teaching and scholarship.

  4. Standard IV.B - Resources for Teaching and Scholarship – expectations that higher education faculty and candidates have training in and access to education-related electronic information, video resources, computer hardware, software, and related technologies.

  5. Standard IV.C - Resources for Operating the Unit – expectations that equipment and budgetary resources are sufficient to fulfill the mission of the school of education and to offer quality programs.

In addition to these standards, NCATE recognizes three additional sets of technology standards (ISTE, 1998; ACET, 1999; ITEA/CTTE, 1999) which are currently being implemented in higher education with preservice students and in public education with teacher-technology training. However, with all of the current initiatives and money being poured into technology training and preservice preparation, an astonishing gap remains between: a) the frequency of successful and effective implementation of technology within the public school classroom, b) the degree of technology skills and knowledge that the preservice student is armed with upon graduation, and c) the level of technological literacy that the average public school student has achieved by the end of the 8th grade.

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Preparing Future Teachers

According to Paul Gilster, author of Digital Literacy (1997), "digital literacy" is the ability to understand information and—more important—to evaluate and integrate information in multiple formats that the computer can deliver (in Pool, 1997, p. 6). Although technology courses are required in teacher education programs at most universities, the depth of these courses may range from coverage of extreme, low-level beginning computer skills to complete integration of technology within lesson planning, unit writing, and curriculum design. Granted, "beginner skills" are needed, however those skills alone will not equip the future teacher with the digital-savvy expertise needed to meet the needs of the upcoming student body. NCATE (1999) suggests that preservice students progress from being "consumers to producers" of technology-based applications. This process would involve incorporating instructional technology applications into learning environments within the classroom setting in order to provide greater opportunity and support for student development of their own technology-based projects—thus encouraging already technologically literate students to expand their expertise. One way to accomplish this is to integrate content-specific technology-integration goals into preservice technology courses. McKillop (1999) suggests targeting the following student objectives into "technology in teaching" courses:

  1. develop fundamental technical skills to facilitate learning in technologically enhanced classrooms,
  2. research and apply pedagogically rich project-based strategies to employ technology in classrooms and in curricula,
  3. develop meaningful and authentic problem-solving activities in content-relevant areas.

Charp (1998) points out that with the onrush of new technologies and the flood of multimedia products, the preparation of future teachers requires a restructuring of content, rethinking existing methodologies, and an examination of existing assessment tools. The entire process requires technical, financial, and professional support—all of which puts a strain on already stretched teacher education programs which are trying to keep up with technology initiatives and the influx of hardware and software currently being infused into local schools. However, by utilizing the Internet and providing extensive training in Internet use in the preservice technology course—teacher educators are laying the technology foundation which future teachers must possess in order to compete in the professional job market. By providing opportunities for Internet-based projects, teacher educators can assist students as they move through the following phases of Internet use (Craig, 1997):

A grassroots initiative designed by several public televisions stations supports this process and suggests that teacher educators encourage preservice students to plan K-12 lessons based on content and utilization of the Internet. Doyle (1999) outlines several steps for university students to follow in order to complete the task. First, students choose an "Internet-likely" topic. The topic selected should allow for more than text retrieval—that is it has to incorporate several web sites and require K-12 students to access graphics, read charts, and interpret diagrams. Second, the course must be structured in a way that will provide time for the university student—within the technology class—to explore the topic on the web, evaluate sites, and select a variety of appropriate sites for the lesson. Third, meaningful content-rich activities must be designed in order for the K-12 student to view the Internet as a source for valid information and not just a glorified Nintendo. Last, preservice students should consider publishing the lesson on the Internet—via a personal home page, school home page, or a teacher educator home page—so that it is easily accessible in the K-12 classroom or computer lab. This process provides an opportunity for professional feedback from peers or teachers already in the field.

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Getting Ready for the Technology-Driven K-12 Classroom

Although the typical university student ranges in age from 18 – 25, there are a growing number of "non-traditional" students enrolling in preservice classes. For many of these adults, any type of digital activity is a source of high anxiety (Tapscott, 1999). However, in order to meet the challenge of teaching in a technology-oriented world, all students need to realize that the new technologies have created a culture for learning—one in which the learner as well as the teacher can enjoy enhanced interactivity and connections with others (Papert, 1996). The Internet has become the ultimate learning environment for most of today's public school students. Tapscott (1999) offers the following eight shifts of interactive learning that are taking place in K-12 classrooms:

  1. From linear to hypermedia learning—traditional approaches are no longer effective with today's digital-savvy students.
  2. From instruction to construction and discovery—new technologies have enabled teachers to move from traditional pedagogy to collaborative partnerships and learning cultures.
  3. From teacher-centered to learner-centered—the new media focuses more on the learning experience and less on the transmitter of knowledge.
  4. From absorbing material to learning how to navigate and how to learn—learning is now synthesizing, not only analyzing.
  5. From "just going to school" to lifelong learning—students are reinventing knowledge instead of "just learning."
  6. From one-size-fits-all to customized learning—the digital media enables students to engage in individualized learning experiences.
  7. From learning as "torture" to learning as "fun"—learning is now actually entertaining.
  8. From the teacher as transmitter to teacher as facilitator—learning is a social activity.

must also view technology as a catalyst for change not only within the classroom setting, but also throughout all walks of life. According to Dwyer (1998), technology—unlike past innovations—is changing not only the classroom, but is the catalyst that is providing new and unique changes in the way all professionals carry on their work and communicate with one another. Lemke (1998) adds that technology in the classrooms also causes teachers to reflect on their practices and question whether current methodologies are creating the type of learning environment, which is demanded by the students of today. This is perhaps the most difficult and challenging process for many educators—after all, children are native to the digital age and a good number of teachers remain immigrants.

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Looking Forward

With the demands being placed on future teachers, teacher educators need to step up and take a proactive role in preparing the university students of today so that they are eager, excited, and prepared for "generation.com." The multi-step process first requires the university professor becoming knowledgeable and literate in the area of technology, Internet utilization, and curriculum integration. Second, the well-equipped professor must then develop technology-infused instructional experiences, which model sound classroom practices. Finally, technology must be incorporated into all preservice classes—not only the "technology" classes. All too often the preservice technology professor ready to dive into Internet-assisted instruction, curriculum integration, and technology-infused activities, is met on the first day of class by a group of university students who can't readily operate within a simple word-processing environment—let alone navigate the Internet and set up classroom web pages. A set of hierarchical courses must be in place whereby university students—arriving with a deficit of skills—can move at their own pace to the point where they become technologically literate. By incorporating relevant, curriculum-connected and technology-infused experiences within preservice classes and by providing ample opportunities for observation and field experiences in technology-enhanced practitioner classrooms, teachers educators can assist the university students of today move from being immigrants of the digital-age to productive, technologically literate leaders of tomorrow.

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References

Charp, S. (1998). Preparing the 21st century teacher. THE Journal Technological Horizons in Education, 26, 6 – 8.

Craig, D.V. (1997). Digital communities: universities, schools, and students. Paper presented at the Sixth International Conference of Telecommunications and Multimedia in Education – ISTE Tel*Ed 97. The National University of Mexico Autonomous, Mexico City.

Doyle, A. (1999). A practitioner's guide to snaring the net. Educational Leadership, 56, 12 – 15.

Dwyer, D. (1998). In Salpeter, J. Taking stock: What's the research saying? Technology and Learning, 18, 24 – 30.
E-rate discounts total $6.3 million for Tennessee schools, libraries. (January 13, 1999). Tennessee State Department of Education Ed-Mail News Release. [Online] Available: http://www.state.tn.us/education/edmal50a.htm

Lemke, C. (1998). In Salpeter, J. Taking stock: What's the research saying? Technology and Learning, 18, 24 – 30.

McKillop, A.M. (1997). In Case illustrations of technology use in teacher education. [Online] Available: http://www.ncate.org/projects/tech/cil0html

NCATE's current standards for technology and teacher education. (1999). [Online] Available: http://www.ncate.org/projects/tech/currtech.html

National educational technology standards for students. (1998). Eugene: International Society for Technology in Education.

Papert, S. (1996). The connected family: Bridging the digital generation gap. Marietta: Longstreet Press.

Pool, C.R. (1997). A new digital literacy: A conversation with Paul Gilster. Educational Leadership, 55, 6 – 11.

Rockefeller, J. (1997). The Snow-Rockefeller-Exon-Kerrey Amendment to the Telecommunications Act of 1996. In Policy Briefs, AEL., Appalachia Educational Laboratory, 1997, pg. 2 – 3.

Revenaugh, M. (1999). All about e-rate. Educational Leadership, 56, 36-38.

Tapscott, D. (1999). Education the net generation. Educational Leadership, 56, 6 – 11.

Tyre, T. (1998). Breaking news on the E-rate. [Online] Available: http://www.thejournal.com/erate/aboutbreak.asp

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Additional Resources

Case illustrations of technology use in teacher education. [Online] Available: http://www.ncate.org/projects/tech/cil4.html

21st century schools report card: Working together to take our students into the 21st century. [Online] Available: http://www.state.tn.us/education/rptcrd98/rcov980.htm

The end of the 105th congress: A summary of legislative action. ISTE Update, 11, 1 – 3.

The president's educational technology initiative. [Online] Available: http://www.whitehouse.gov/WH/EOP/edtech/html/edtech_f.html

Contacts:

Dr. Dorothy Valcarcel Craig, dvcraig@mtsu.edu
Dr. Jay Sanders, jsanders@mtsu.edu
Department of Educational Leadership
Middle Tennessee State University

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