Teresa S. Foulger

Moral Spaces in MySpace: Preservice Teachers' Perspectives about Ethical Issues in Social Networking.

Abstract My Space and Facebook are innovative digital communication tools that surpass traditional means of social interaction. However, in some instances in which educators have used these tools, public reactions to them have resulted in sanctions. With the notion that traditional ideas of privacy and teacher conduct are not yet defined in online worlds, the researchers developed a case-based reasoning intervention to support more informed decisions by preservice teachers. The case-based coursework led students to perceive a need for more definitive guidelines about their participation in social networking spaces. The findings have professional development implications for educators and educational institutions that wish to harness the positive potential of social networking tools without risking professional status.

Professional Development 2.0: Transforming Teacher Education Pedagogy with 21st Century Tools.

Abstract This paper discusses the outcomes of a professional development project offered to faculty of Arizona State University’s College of Teacher Education and Leadership. The goal of this project was to assist instructors with progressing technologies and to help them transform their pedagogy to leverage the affordances provided through the integration of Web 2.0 tools. Through the redesign of an instructional unit to incorporate social networking, instructors experienced positive outcomes. Findings suggest that the benefits of integrating social networking tools used in a meaningful way while carefully considering how they fit within specific content areas and teaching methodologies included increased feedback for students and a more student-centered approach to teaching. These are important considerations for teacher education programs of the 21st century.

Examining the Development of a Hybrid Degree Program: Using Student and Instructor Data to Inform Decision-Making.

Abstract This paper investigates the questions and considerations that should be discussed by administrators, faculty, and support staff when designing, developing and offering a hybrid (part online, part face-to-face) degree program. Using two Web questionnaires, data were gathered from nine instructors and approximately 450 students to evaluate student and instructor perceptions and opinions of hybrid instruction and activities. In comparison to prior research, the results of this study offer larger and more significant policy and programmatic implications for degrees based on the hybrid format, including instructional technology training and support for students and instructors, creation of common class procedures and expectations, and development of consistent schedules that maximize benefit and flexibility for students and instructors.

Innovators in Teacher Education: Diffusing Mobile Technologies in Teacher Preparation Curriculum.

Abstract The purpose of this study is to establish a snapshot of the extent to which teacher educators are preparing teacher candidates to use mobile learning technologies in PK–12 class-rooms, with the goal of drawing more teacher credentialing institutions into the conversations surrounding this initiative. We used a questionnaire consisting of open-ended items to identify teacher preparation institutions that are functioning as innovators in this area and to determine their adoption method. Our results indicate the innovators are using a variety of methods as they explore the possibilities, but, as a whole, we have not yet reached the tipping point necessary for this innovation to take hold. As we are in the early stages of what could become a movement, we anticipate that this article will stimulate some forward momentum and cross-institution sharing.

Infusing Educational Technology in Teaching Methods Courses: Successes and Dilemmas

Abstract In this action research study, we describe the implementation of a program to infuse technology in general methods courses as a requirement of a teacher preparation program. Results from teacher candidate focus groups revealed successes and dilemmas of infusing technology into the courses. Candidates ably described prospective use of elements of the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) model (Mishra & Koehler, 2006), but were less confident of their ability to develop and implement content‐based lessons in which P–12 students employed technology to meet content and technology standards. Recommendations include continuing to fine‐tune the new courses, providing more resources for professional development (PD), and encouraging instructors to participate in more PD leading to greater modeling of hands‐on learning with a focus on content and pedagogical uses of technology.

Graduates Respond to an Innovative Educational Doctorate Program

Dispute about professional doctoral programs in education has increased, with much hinging on the design of educational doctorate (EdD) programs. In this study, the first cohort of graduates responded to a new, innovative EdD program designed to develop them as leaders, scholars, and practitioners. Twenty graduates completed an exit survey, and a content analysis of their dissertations was performed. Both were done to improve the program. Graduates valued curricular and instructional features, engaged in actions to improve their local settings, endorsed a sense of community that developed, and reported changes in their professional identities. Their dissertation work validated these ideas.

Special Article Personal Wearable Technologies in Education: Value or Villain?.

Abstract Wearable personal learning technologies can gather data from the person wearing the device or from the surrounding environment and enable that data to be transferred to another device or shared via the cloud. Wearable technologies can serve as a valuable asset in the classroom enhancing differentiation of instruction and student engagement. They also can assist students with a variety of physical limitations. Data collection from these wearable personalized learning technologies enables the building of student profiles—leading to a “quantified” self for assessment and instruction. However, the proliferation of wearable devices may also increase concerns about privacy and security of data, dependence on outside vendors for storage and analysis of big data, and access by students of all socioeconomic levels. Addressing these issues in the teacher education curricula suggests added emphasis on affordances for instruction, digital citizenship, and a code of ethics related to data use. Classroom application represents one area for research by and about innovative educators.

Mobile Learning in Teacher Education: Insight From Four Programs That Embraced Change

Abstract Access to and use of mobile technologies are growing exponentially. The authors of this study identified four schools of education in the United States that self-identified as having a fully implemented curriculum for teachers on mobile technology use in PK–12 classrooms. In-depth interviews were conducted with a representative from each institution in order to determine the factors that influenced their ability to change their educational technology curriculum to include teaching about mobile devices. The interviews revealed that an institutional commitment to innovation, a belief in the importance of being on the cutting edge, and expectations from local school districts were important motivators for change. Leadership and vision, institutional and administrative support, and the expectation that all faculty members participate in the implementation of the curriculum were important internal characteristics for success. Finally, increasing faculty knowledge about mobile technologies, funding, and finding the correct developmental and instructional approaches were identified as challenges by these institutions. The findings herein are shared with the intention of triggering conversations about adopting mobile technologies in teacher education curriculum and stimulating further research in this area.

Prompting teachers’ reflection of their professional knowledge. A proof-of-concept study of the Graphic Assessment of TPACK Instrument

Abstract Many educational technology proponents support the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) model as a way to conceptualize teaching with technology, but recent TPACK research shows a need for empirical studies regarding the development of this knowledge. This proof-of-concept study applies mixed-methods to investigate the meta-cognitive awareness produced by teachers who participate in the Graphic Assessment of TPACK Instrument (GATI). This process involves creating graphical representations (circles of differing sizes and the degree of their overlap) that represent what teachers understand to be their current and aspired TPACK. This study documented teachers’ explanations during a think-aloud procedure as they created their GATI figures. The in-depth data from two German teachers who participated in the process captured the details of their experience and demonstrated the potential of the GATI to support teachers in reflecting about their professional knowledge and in determining their own professional development activities. These findings will be informative to future pilot studies involving the larger design of the GATI process, to better understand the role of teachers’ meta-conceptual awareness, and to better ascertain how the GATI might be used to support professional development on a larger scale.

President’s Message: From iste to ISTE

FOR thirty-two years the International Council for Exceptional Children has assumed leadership in the United States and Canada for the education of exceptional children. The effectiveness of this leadership has been felt most during the latter half of the life of the organization. Although international in name and in spirit, areas of the world beyond the borders of the North American continent have received relatively little attention by the Council. Our influence in other countries of the world has largely been a matter of individual memberships. These, of course, have been maintained in a relatively large number in the Union of South Africa, Germany, England, France, and other countries. During the past two years many chapters and individuals in the United States and Canada have sponsored gift memberships for professional people abroad. While these efforts are exceedingly worth while, and they should not be neglected, the sum total of the international effort of the Council has been quite limited in comparison to the magnitude of tlw actual program.