Professional Development
RCET has had a long history of professional development and advocacy service to the K-16 education community in northeast Ohio. Professional development to teachers in the AT&T cohorts has resulted in numerous action research projects as well as teacher professional grants that extend the success of the AT&T classroom to local schools. Central to all of these efforts is a situated approach that situates teacher learning about technology integration in the context of their everyday classroom practice.
Satellite Mentoring: Establishing New Centers of Learning for Technology Integration
Funded through grants from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation and the Ohio Learning Network, this project aims at supporting teacher professional development by creating a network of AT&T cohort teachers who mentor their building colleagues in using technology to enhance teaching and learning. Mentors and their colleagues are collaborating to design technology-rich units and lessons in conjunction with their district curriculum standards. Additionally, the teams are participating in action research investigations with RCET researchers to study the impact of the technology on student learning. The completed curriculum units and action research findings will be highlighted at RCET’s Showcase of Learning to be held in May 2007, a statewide spring conference, and will also be published in RCET’s online journal.
Situated Professional Development in the AT&T Classroom
This ongoing line of research investigates how learning to teach with technology in the immersive environment of the AT&T classroom affects not only teachers’ learning about technology integration but their concepts of teaching and learning in general. It also looks at teacher beliefs concerning how ubiquitous computing can change teaching, learning, and the culture of the classroom. Findings suggest that a situated professional development model enhances teachers’ deep understanding of teaching with technology. Results also suggest that in order to make full use of ubiquitous environments, teaching approaches need to transition from “delivering instruction” to “conducting learning”, teaching strategies need to more fully incorporate both greater individualization and greater collaborative learning, and that more attention should be given to ways of diminishing boundaries created by school buildings and school days.
Swan, K., Lin, L., & van ‘t Hooft, M. (under review). Teaching with digital technology. Book chapter submitted to C. Lassonde, R. Michael, and J. Rivera-Wilson (Eds.), Issues in teacher education..
Swan, K., Kratcoski, A., Mazzer, P., & Schenker, J. (2005). Bringing Mohamed to the mountain: Situated professional development in a ubiquitous computing classroom. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 32 (4), 353-366.
Swan, K., Kratcoski, A., Mazzer, P., & Schenker, J. (October, 2005). Situated professional development in a ubiquitous computing classroom. Orlando, FL: 2005 AECT Convention.
Swan, K., Mazzer, P., Kratcoski, A., Schenker, J., & Lin, Y-M. (June/July, 2005) Situated professional development in a ubiquitous computing classroom. Montreal: World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia & Telecommunications (ED-MEDIA 2005).
Mazzer, P., & Swan, K. (February, 2005) Situated professional development in a ubiquitous computing classroom. Columbus, OH: SchoolNet.
Cook, D.L. (2002). New technologies bring new literacies: Implications for teacher education and faculty professional development. International Reading Association, Edinburgh, Scotland.
Teaching Teachers to Incorporate Mobile Technologies
This ongoing line of research documents the importance of and challenges involved in professional development designed to teach teachers to use handheld technologies in teaching and learning. The goal of this project is to gather initial information about how to effectively integrate handheld technology in pre-service education and in-service training. Findings indicate that modeling of best practices with technology, active participation by pre-service and practicing teachers in “safe” environments, and positive experiences with technology are key factors with regards to teachers’ decisions to use mobile technologies in their own teaching.
van ‘t Hooft, M., Crowe, A., & Armstrong, T. (under review) Learning to teach with technology: A pre-service teacher’s journey into the world of handheld devices. Submitted to the Journal of Computing in Teacher Education.
Gado, I., Ferguson, R., & van ‘t Hooft, M. A. H. (2006). Inquiry-based instruction through handheld-based science activities: Pre-service teachers attitudes and self-efficacy. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education. 14 (3), 501-529.
Crowe, A., & van ‘t Hooft, M. A. H. (2006).Technology and the prospective teacher: Using handheld devices in social studies education. Current Issues in Technology and Teacher Education. [Online serial], 6(1). Available at: http://www.citejournal.org/vol6/iss1/socialstudies/article1.cfm
Gado, I., & van ‘t Hooft, M. A. H. (2005). Determinants of and dilemmas related to inquiry-based science activities using handheld computers and probeware in Benin, West Africa. Kaohsiung: Taiwan: Proceedings of the 5th IEEE International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies, 2005, 338-340.
Crowe, A., & van ‘t Hooft, M. A. H. (2004). Using TI handheld computers in social studies pre-service teacher education. Research report submitted to the TI-CUFA Strategic Initiative Board.
Arnold, M., Lyles, D., Leonard, T., & van ‘t Hooft, M. (Under review). Learning 24/7: Louisiana students go mobile. Panel proposal submitted to the 2007 annual National Educational Computing Conference.
Gado, I., van ‘t Hooft, M. A. H. (July, 2005). Determinants of and dilemmas related to inquiry-based science activities using handheld computers and probeware in Benin, West Africa. Paper presentation at the 5th IEEE International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies, Workshop on Technology for Education in Developing Countries, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
van ‘t Hooft, M. A. H., & Crowe, A. (April, 2005). Tinkering with technology: Pre-service social studies teachers learn to use handhelds. Paper presentation at the annual conference of the American Educational Research Association, Montreal, Canada.
Gado, I., Ferguson, R., & van ‘t Hooft, M. (January, 2005). Integrating handheld computer technology, transportation technology, and performance assessment into an inquiry-based science methods course for K-8 preservice teachers. Poster presentation at the 6th Annual Research Conference of the Research Center for Educational Technology. Kent State University, Kent, OH.
Crowe, A., van ‘t Hooft, M. (January, 2005). Using handheld computers in social studies pre-service teacher education. Poster presentation at the 6th Annual Research Conference of the Research Center for Educational Technology. Kent State University, Kent, OH.
Berson, M., van ‘t Hooft, M. A. H., Crowe, A., Wilson, E., Riley, K., & Williams, R. (November, 2004). Research with handheld technology: Social studies education and the TI-83. Symposium at the the 84th Annual Conference of the National Council for the Social Studies (CUFA) Conference, Baltimore, MD.
Gado, I., Ferguson, R., & van ‘t Hooft, M. (July, 2004). Developing inquiry-based instruction through handheld-based laboratories: Preservice teachers’ attitudes and self-efficacy. Paper presented at the Seminar on Best Practices and Innovations in the Teaching and Learning of Science and Mathematics at the Secondary School Level, Penang, Malaysia.
Crowe, A., & van ‘t Hooft, M. A. H (April, 2004). Learning to teach social studies with handheld technology. Panel presentation at the annual conference of the American Educational Research Association, San Diego, CA.
van ‘t Hooft, M. A. H., Crowe, A. (March, 2004). Using TI handhelds in social studies pre-service teacher education. Paper presented at the 16th Annual T3 Conference, New Orleans, LA.
van ‘t Hooft, M. A. H., & Juliana, M. (March, 2001). Technology integration and the changing curriculum: One teacher’s evolutionary process working within a technology-immersed classroom. Paper presented at the 12th Annual Conference of the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education, Orlando, FL.
CATIE Project (1998-2005)
The Capital Area Technology and Inquiry in Education (CATIE)Project was developed through the Center for Post-Secondary Education at RPI to enhance elementary teachers’ ability to integrate technology into mathematics and science teaching. The project placed technology mentors in area schools to work with teachers in developing technology-supported, inquiry-oriented lessons. Multi-year research documented significant gains in teachers’ confidence in their abilities to integrate technology, and identified factors affecting technology integration and changes in school cultures.
Swan, K., Holmes, A., Vargas, J. D., Jennings, S., Meier, E., & Rubenfeld, L (2002). Situated professional development and technology integration: the CATIE mentoring program. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 10, (2), 169-190.
Holmes, A. Polhemus, L., Jennings, S. Rubenfeld, L., & Swan, K. (April, 2004). Situated technology professional development for teachers: Building professional knowledge through collaborative school-university partnerships. San Diego, CA: Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association.
Meier, E., Jennings, S., Swan, K. & Rubenfeld, L. (April, 2003). Building practitioner knowledge through technology integration. Chicago, IL: Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association.