The capacity of any professional development effort to achieve durable change in teacher practice is affected by a host of design factors and their precise alignment with multiple delivery strategies. However, how successful professional development (PD) programs achieve an effective mix of these factors and strategies is not well understood. The…

In the US and many other industrialized nations, far fewer females and minorities enter Information Technology (IT) fields than do males and majority populations. Research has revealed that unsupportive educational environments reinforced by obstructive societal norms and expectations have often contributed to the lack of interest and involvement…

This qualitative research investigated the perspectives and experiences of 17 social studies teachers following technology integration training. The research indicated that the teachers held a variety of views of technology integration. These views influenced their use of technology in the classroom. Four major categories of technology-related…

The purpose of this study was to investigate initial evidence regarding the reliability and validity of scores from a digital professional portfolio (DPP) designed to assess the instructional competencies of preservice teachers. Data were collected from 30 preservice teachers during their intern teaching experience. Data were analyzed using a…

Although researchers and educators agree that small group collaboration is an essential part of teacher education, not much attention had been paid to examining the dynamics, characteristics, and processes of online group collaboration involving teachers in a peer-led context. Yet, understanding how online teacher learning groups evolve and what…

With increased computer technology use in schools, preservice teachers must be prepared to deal with ethical issues involved in a range of computer uses, such as students plagiarizing from the Internet or accessing adults-only web sites. We investigated preservice teachers' judgments regarding several scenarios of student uses of the computer and…

This study investigated how preservice teachers' beliefs about the nature of knowledge influence how they learn from, and interact with, a case-based hypermedia system designed to highlight exemplary elementary literacy instruction. Specifically, we examined if teacher preparation students' epistemological beliefs influenced what cases they…

It is essential that preservice teachers have successful experiences with infused technology during teacher preparation. This article describes a project in which collegial interaction among practicing teachers and preservice teachers at four participating institutions of higher education was enhanced by technological innovation. The Recursive,…

"Computer Images for Lesson Support" (CILS) is a module for primary teacher education that aims at educating prospective teachers in designing multimedia-learning environments, with the aid of the Logo program MicroWorlds, and using it with children. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected among 44 student teachers during their designing…

This research investigated the use of electronic journaling to promote collaboration between special education and general education preservice teachers. During the field experience component of their methods courses, the participants responded to weekly prompts, shared experiences with each other, and frequently offered advice about events their…

Reflection is a commonly accepted practice and considered advantageous in teacher education programs. Teachers are encouraged to think critically about their beliefs and teaching styles with the intended goal of fostering greater professional and personal development. Nonetheless, researchers have noted the challenges inherent in encouraging…

The National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS*S) were developed to provide guidelines for effective and meaningful technology use with K-12 students. In the present study we used the NETS*S as a framework to analyze ways that teachers integrated instructional technology use and provided opportunities for their students to…

This study was undertaken to better understand the nature of preservice teachers' reflective thinking during case discussions about classroom management in two online formats: synchronous versus asynchronous. Findings indicated that when participants engaged in synchronous online case discussions they had higher levels of critical reflection than…

This article explores four roles of teachers in classrooms using computers, from the perspective of communities of practice (Wenger, 1998). It reports on an indepth study undertaken in 12 schools, and shows that teachers appropriated technology in a range of ways to help them create classroom communities that build knowledge. Some also acted as…

The Delphi method was used to generate practices regarding the use of technology in high schools. In addition to generating the practices, teacher leaders, administrators, researchers, and policymakers were asked to rate and come to consensus regarding their importance. Consensus was achieved on 32 of the 34 practices and six themes emerged around…