June 2003 — Features
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Preparing Technology-Competent Teachers
A Strategy for Multicultural Schools
Editors' Note: The research reported in this paper was based on a project being funded by the U.S. Education Depart-ment through a PT 3 grant.
Nationally, a large number of graduates from colleges of education feel ill-prepared to integrate technology into their curriculum (Beckett et al. 2001; Congressional Office of Technology Assessment 1995). Although students graduating from the College of Education at Arizona State University West (ASUW) have taken a course on teaching with technology, they did not feel prepared to implement what they learned in their own classrooms (Wetzel et al. 1996; Chisholm, Carey and Hernandez 1998).
There are two major factors that influence the feelings of insecurity experienced by recent graduates. First, students do not see consistent or extensive modeling of the use of technology by faculty in preservice classes (Chisholm, Carey and Hernandez 1998). Second, ASUW has limited school sites for field placements where intern and preservice teachers can experience effective technology practices in K-8 classrooms.
Recent graduates are not alone in this phenomenon. According to Becker, Ravitz and Wong (1999) only about a third of in-service teachers assign work on computers regularly. Of those teachers who do assign computer work, few use analytic and project-oriented software on a regular basis. Instead, most rely on games or drill-and-practice software.
In an effort to change the way technology use is perceived by many K-8 classroom teachers, education faculty at ASUW have implemented a Practicum Plus Program that directly impacts field placements for preservice teachers. In the program, preservice teachers are paired with in-service mentor teachers for training in technology integration just prior to and during their practicum semester. All participants earn three hours of graduate credit when all requirements of the training are met. This critical intervention is a response to two beliefs:
- That there is a need for technologically prepared teachers for multicultural schools (Chisholm, Carey and Hernandez 1998) and that practicum students are often most influenced by the observed actions of their mentor teachers. (Darling- Hammond 1998).
- That the cohort teams of preservice teachers receive a richer, more coherent learning experience when they study and work with each other and mentor teachers (Darling-Hammond 1995).
The Study
The Practicum Plus Program was implemented during the 1999-2000 school year to address the beginning teachers' need to be prepared to integrate technology in their classrooms. This study addressed the question: Was the PT3 (Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology) Practicum Plus Professional Development Pro-gram successful? To evaluate the program, the researchers asked:
