Promoting Cognitive Skill among Engineering Undergraduates with Technological Software

This chapter reviews the infusion of technology tools such as the integration of computers into programs like simulation to promote higher cognitive skills among engineering undergraduates. With the constant change of technology and education, it is necessary to refine the current teaching and learning process to not only promote understanding but also to create room for engineering undergraduates to process the information with higher-order cognitive skills. The authors examine the evolution of engineering education against the backdrop of the problems faced in the learning environments and the technological trends in engineering curriculum. To this end, the authors propose strategies to promote higher-order cognitive skills among engineering undergraduates based on the evolution of technology in engineering as well as the challenges faced in the implementation of such tools in teaching and learning.

Mentoring Pre-Service Teachers at a Historically Black University

Mentoring relationships that can provide connections regionally and nationally are essential to prepare pre-service teachers (Crocito, Sullivan, & Carrabar, 2005). Moreover, a global perspective in mentoring pre-service teachers is needed in all teacher education programs to give pre-service teachers authentic application skills. The mentoring experiences provided in the chapter are based on experiences at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. These same mentoring experiences can occur at any type of university. These experiences are integral to enhance the understanding of preparing pre-service teachers in a global and ever changing society. The purpose of this chapter is as follows: 1) to provide a conceptual definition of mentoring; 2) to provide an example of a mentoring evaluation program; 3) to provide case examples of global and cultural mentoring experiences that impact pre-service teachers; 3) to provide examples of how educators can implement globalization activities in instructional materials; and 4) to provide an intellectual discussion of future strategies that impact practical and field experiences in teacher education programs.

Teaching Pre-Service Teachers to Repurpose and Innovate Using Online and Mobile Technology Applications

Integrating the use of Web-based and mobile technology applications into K-12 world languages contexts requires innovative teacher preparation models. This chapter evaluates a multi-step technology integration unit that develops in pre-service teachers the skills necessary to plan and carry out learner-centered communicative instruction. Importantly, this unit also incorporates five skills for disruptive innovators. Pre-service teachers blend pedagogy, technology tools, and content in project-based learning lesson design while practicing creative-thinking skills. As student teachers learn to repurpose mobile applications for the language-learning classroom, they empower articulate digital natives and foster 21st century learning. Given technology's constant growth, teaching integration of specific apps will have limited benefits. On the other hand, teaching how to innovate and repurpose will serve student teachers for their entire career. Results of this study show growth in lesson planning, creativity, and innovation skills.

Global Citizenship

This chapter explores the reality of the modern workplace: the demand for global citizens well-exceeds the supply, and while a manager in the 21st century must increasingly be a global citizen manager, this goal is seldom attained. The skills can be learned, but training has not been broadly implemented in schools or businesses, and typically considered the purview solely of study abroad programs or foreign assignments. The chapter presents some key tools on the technology roadmap for use in educating global citizens and training the 21st century manager.

Global Literacy Skills and Collaborative Strategies for Enhancing Professional Development for Teachers and Educators

Development trends in educational institutions in the 21st century reflect increased initiatives on internationalization and globalization. As the world becomes more interdependent and interconnected, globalization is also becoming a reality. This chapter addresses the theoretical and practical strategies that empower educators to meet the growth in institutional and professional development. The focus is to raise awareness of the need to re-conceptualize American educational institutions and professional development for K-20 educators so as to meet the demands of the 21st century international and global society. The proposed framework provides an effective approach and strategies for preparing teachers, faculty, and institutional leaders on developing a conceptual framework model that promotes international and global literacy and collaboration on professional development for K-20 teachers and educators.

Promoting Globalization

The purpose of this chapter is to provide experiences of six effective teachers who engaged in a 21st century global phenomenal experience during a course on the “Inquiry Curriculum.” All six teachers are currently teaching in the Illinois school system as content teachers, coaches, or mentor induction coaches. The participants describe their lived phenomenal experience with selected students in their classes and the guidance of a 21st Century Global Curriculum. The findings underscore the challenges many 21st century teachers face and how those challenges affect instructional decisions in P-20 settings. Results also stress the importance of the institutional decisions of student and teachers valuing the mission, vision, and goals stances in 21st century teaching and learning.

International Students and Their Technology Proficiency

The term “Global Village” has been used by both experts and novices to explain how the world we live in has gradually become a mere neighborhood. Meanwhile, one important factor that does not come into the global village discourse is that not all places or people can be accessed based on disparities in technology infrastructure and proficiency (Internet World Stats, 2012). Most importantly, not all college students in today's classrooms are technologically savvy (Fletcher, 2005). The purpose of this chapter is to identify the perceived relevance of computer technology among international students and their past technology experience levels in one of the Midwest universities in the United States. A sample of 90 international students reveals that they perceive technology as relevant to their learning. The study also reveals that different continents have different past technology experiences that might adversely affect international students' academic work.

Understanding Students' Instructional Delivery Preferences and Other Classroom Logistics

Students who enjoy the instructional techniques used by their instructors are more likely to graduate, but little has been done to identify student instructional preferences in higher education. Students in a mid-sized public university in the United States were surveyed to establish their preference for the various instructional delivery methods, classroom seating arrangements, levels of students' engagement, the use of guest-speakers and video shows, different test types, and continuous assessment methods. A comparison of the mean responses and correlation analyses showed that overall students preferred to be given access to class reading materials and chapter summaries ahead of the class session, a forward-facing seating arrangement with the instructor at the front, constant encouragement to ask questions, use of guest speakers and video shows, the multiple-choice type of tests, and take-home continuous assessment tests. Results for other classroom logistics are reported, their implications discussed, and recommendations provided. The future research direction is also suggested.

Enhancing Linguistic and Intercultural Competencies through the Use of Social Network Sites and Google Earth

The purpose of this chapter is to explore the role of global literacy in academic settings as the effect of increasingly digital technologies is being felt across areas of teaching and learning. Digital, global democracies require global literacy skills of individuals for twenty-first century citizenship and intercultural and linguistic competencies. This chapter covers four areas of this topic: (1) the enhancement of global literacy through linguistic and intercultural competencies; (2) the use of technology to enhance intercultural and linguistic competencies in language courses; (3) the use of technology in teacher training for administrators and policymakers; and (4) instructional approaches for using technology (i.e., social networking sites, Google Earth) in the classroom. The chapter also addresses how these technologies are anticipated to change in the future to further support global awareness. Using these social media and geographical tools, students will expand global awareness in education.

Developing Global Literacy Skills of K-12 Pre-Service Teachers of English Language Learners (ELLs) through Service-Learning

One of the challenges in teacher preparation programs is providing pre-service teachers with practice teaching ELLs. Our K-12 teachers are being asked to work with growing numbers of culturally and linguistically diverse students in their classrooms. Kramsch (2008) calls this the ability “to operate in a globalized space where . . . exchanges will be increasingly plurilingual and pluricultural” (p. 390). To help meet this need, a collaborative teacher training service-learning project on the global literacy development of K-12 pre-service teachers of ELLs was carried out to examine: 1) how a global literacy experience raises pre-service teachers' awareness of their pedagogy, 2) what this experience means for their belief system and the knowledge base they hold about teaching linguistically and culturally diverse students, and 3) to prepare future teachers of ELLs to teach in a global society by gaining experience working with multicultural and multilingual learners. This chapter explores the service-learning project.