Developing a Teacher Training Technology Workshop Series

During the summer of 2010, a graduate school of education (GSE) at a leading research university launched a 14-month teacher residency program (TRP) aimed at producing high quality teachers for urban schools that need them the most. Guided by a framework of inclusive education (Hamre & Oyler, 2004), residents were scheduled to complete various components of teachers education, including a technology component designed to familiarize residents in the use of new media web technologies to purposefully enhance teaching and learning. The educational technologist (ET) charged with the development of the workshops for this program decided to focus on helping residents think about meaningful methods to teach for understanding with technology. The framework supplies a flexible set of guidelines that help developing teachers see how technology may provide “significant educational leverage” (Wiske et al., 2005). Although this approach has been successful for building a framework for the workshops, a series of challenges have developed that must be addressed before proceeding to the training of the next cohort. These challenges include providing time for residents to practice new skills taught during the workshop sessions, solving the varied access to up-to-date technologies in under-resourced urban school classroom placements, identifying and harnessing technology platforms that are ubiquitous, inexpensive, and accessible to stakeholders inside and outside the university system, and maintaining workshop sessions that are relevant to the theory taught in various tracks of the TRP. This case study outlines the instructional design process the ET used to approach the development of the workshops for the technology component of the TRP.

Like Someone You Know

The director of a university tutoring center collaborates with an Instructional Design and Technology professor and his students to develop an interactive multimedia format that presents at-risk college students with stories of people like them dealing with academic, financial, and personal issues. The scenario-based simulations (SBS) prompt students in a study skills course to openly, but safely, discuss the often sub-optimal decisions made by characters in the scenarios. This case takes readers inside the process of developing the SBS format from scratch. Transcribed interview comments from both the client (the tutoring center director) and the designer (the IDT professor) reveal an iterative and negotiated process rather than a systematic ADDIE process. The case highlights: 1) adapting corporate-style “soft skills” computer-based training (CBT) to higher education, 2) the role of CBT in a blended course, 3) rapid development of multimedia products, and 4) use testing of products with authentic learners.

Use of Apple iPads in K-6 Math and Science Classrooms

In this chapter, the authors review how iPads were used in a middle grade math classroom of a technology magnet school. The school has received two mobile iPad carts in addition to the three they have. Ms. Martin, a science teacher at this middle school, has received one of the mobile iPad carts due to her interest in technology integration. Ms. Martin is considered to be an early adopter of technology at her school, and she has been using iPads for more than a year in her sixth grade classroom. Ms. Bennett, who recently received 25 iPads, paid a visit to Ms. Martin’s classroom to learn how to integrate iPads in her science classroom. This case study describes Ms. Bennett’s visit to Ms. Martin’s classroom on the day when the students were studying how to solve inequalities by using addition and subtraction. Ms. Bennett’s goal for the visit was to identify the different ways Ms. Martin was using iPads with her students, and monitor the comfort level of her students with the iPads. She documents what she learns from the visit, and discusses it with Ms. Martin; she also meets with Mr. Pallapu, the technology facilitator at school. Ms. Martin shares some tips and techniques that she can use in her classroom, and also some benefits and challenges of using the iPad. Mr. Pallapu provides her with a list of recommended apps and instructional strategies for using iPads in the classroom.

Innovation in Patient Care and Medical Resident Education

Medical resident education changed dramatically on July 1, 2011 with the institution of new duty-hour work restrictions. The move to shift scheduling changed the notion of nighttime work from a time of service to one of education. The National Pediatric Nighttime Education Steering Group responded to this paradigm shift by creating a national, peer-reviewed, Web- and case-based curriculum for nighttime learning in pediatrics. Field-test results from implementation in 89 programs revealed statistically significant improvements in knowledge and confidence, but a need for improvement in usability interface, instructional design, and dissemination. Finding support to improve upon the design of the curriculum and provide a robust platform for dissemination and use by residency programs presents a significant challenge, especially in light of severe threats to graduate medical education funding at the national level.

Preparing Beginning Teachers to Use Instructional Technology Effectively

In this case study, two education professors examine how an instructional technology course founded historically in an industrial model of teaching evolved to reflect and model the pedagogy needed in a 21st century classroom. Critical in this evolution is the development of course content and structure that allowed their students (all future teachers) to identify problems and collaboratively create solutions. With this new focus, the role of the students changed from being passive actors in an instructor-designed space and evolved into one where students were actively engaged in creating their understanding through their participation.

Web-Based Simulations for the Training of Mathematics Teachers

A crucial step in learning to fly an airplane is to use a simulator, where the risks are minimized or even eliminated, and similar problems and hazards can be replayed and reflected upon time after time. A key aspect of this case study is to exploit such techniques by adopting the latest technological developments in simulating teaching practice to give pre-service teachers more “teaching” experience than would otherwise be practical or possible in typical student teaching placements. The case study explores the affordances offered by digital simulations for contextualizing pre-service teachers’ learning of mathematics content and its pedagogy. Using the simulated classroom SimSchool as a virtual field experience, the authors seek to bridge the classic gap between teacher preparation and practice by creating reality-based learning contexts that strengthen pre-service teachers’ appreciation of how to implement standard-based mathematics instruction in complex classrooms.

Vision and Strategy for Developing a Successful Online Degree Program on a Shoestring Budget

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) are rich in history, culture, resources, and opportunities. This case study explains the thought processes of administrators and faculty at one HBCU as they respond to an institutional initiative to increase student enrollments during an economic downturn. Although online learning opportunities offer potential for increasing student enrollments and university income, this approach generates a series of complex questions within the College of Education where resources are limited. Questions relate to the need for, and potential impact of, online learning; related pressures and paradigms in higher education; technology and management concerns; and faculty perspectives and preparation. This chapter considers how to overcome barriers to revive and implement an online degree program with these issues in mind.

Using an Observation Cycle for Helping Teachers Integrate Technology

The purpose of this chapter is to present a simulated case study for class discussion about supporting teachers with technology integration. The study frames the authors’ definition of educational technology by focusing on research-based technology training and follow-up observation cycles for facilitating teachers’ application of technology into instruction. Readers should consider the importance of utilizing professional development to support teachers via technology training geared toward integration of specific digital tools and instructional strategies. The instructional design of the study includes a focus on adult learning assumptions (Knowles et al., 1998) and elements found in the professional development literature: (a) content focus, (b) active learning, (c) coherence, (d) duration, and (e) collective participation (Desimone, 2009). Additionally, the use of observation cycles (Danielson, 2007) in this case study emphasizes collaborative planning and feedback opportunities for helping teachers integrate technology, as well as promotes further analysis of the case.

They Can’t Fix What They Can’t Hear

The Grammar Case touches on aspects of instructional design that go beyond scope and sequence of content, including: 1) communicating with a client, 2) representing a learning problem from the perspectives of different learning theories and human performance improvement, 3) working with institutional stake holders, and 4) considering non-instructional as well as instructional interventions. The instructional designers in the case must address a sensitive learning problem with limited financial resources and an institutional culture that may be resistant to change. The case depends, more than anything, on problem finding. A key instructional technology issue in the case is how the designers can ethically and feasibly use video recorded in public school classrooms to assess student teachers’ grammar mistakes and also as stimulus material for instruction.

It’s Not All Fun and Games

This chapter explores the design and development process for the iLOOK game, a grant-funded educational game about information literacy at a large public university. This case is presented through the eyes of Leslie Anderson, a young librarian who is passionate about the subject matter but lacks the technical skills and managerial experience to implement her vision. It describes the challenges and successes of coordinating the project across departments with varying cultures. The key players include: a library content team, a computer science programming lab group, a humanities undergraduate research group, and an expert on educational games. Enthusiastic about the potential of games to enhance undergraduate students’ ability to access, evaluate, and use information, the partners began working on the grant with campus-wide support. However, they quickly ran into issues.