Literacy skills honed from reading books and writing papers has long been recognized as invaluable to building and sustaining intellect. Educators are charged with strengthening literacy programs, and they typically rely on conventional practices and increased time focusing on text-based media to do so, yet their efforts have not significantly…

Researchers in technology and teacher education have been charged with designing inquiry methods that speak broadly about the impact of technology in the preparation of teachers, beyond what is possible through the use of localized case studies and small-scale investigations alone. The Distributed Collaborative Research Model (DCRM) is proposed as…

This study focused on "digital natives" as preservice teachers to examine their beliefs, attitudes, and technology experiences and expertise, identify the strengths and weaknesses in their technology knowledge and skills, and explore what technology preparation was needed to prepare them to integrate technology in their future classrooms. Results…

Three sections of the same distance education class completed a series of Web-based concept map assessments using one of two methods. Open-ended maps applied in section 1 led students to conduct more relational thinking overall, but variance in map items was very high introducing more subjectivity in scoring. Pre-selected term mapping applied in…

Knowledge management (KM) and data-driven decision making (DDDM) are terms that are used with more frequency in teacher education. Although accreditation expectations and the increased focus on accountability have pushed these ideas to the forefront, the tools that support them are still not robust. Electronic portfolio assessment has been one…

This study examined the teacher work samples of 197 student teachers to determine their level of technology integration during student teaching. Findings indicated that most student teachers planned to use some kind of technology, although only 40% planned to include computers and less than 20% planned for the use of computers by students. The…

The InternNet Project examined applications of Internet resources for preservice teacher development. University supervisors, teacher candidates, and cooperating teachers used e-mail for communication during student teaching and internships. Analysis of participants' messages revealed the complexities of e-mail use, with interns adapting their…

The InternNet Project examined applications of Internet resources to preservice development. Secondary interns were trained to use e-mail for communicating with faculty and maintaining an ongoing dialog. Analysis of e-mail traffic and content of clinical interactions with e-mail found that the social environments of electronic communication…

George Mason University provides online courses for educators. One course encourages teachers to master the Internet as a tool and resource for classroom instruction. This paper describes course configuration and development based on feedback from teachers in Department of Defense Dependents Schools in Germany. Pilot course results indicate that…

The authors reflect on the evolving role of technology in the field of social studies and compare the tumultuous adolescence of technology integration with future trends in teaching and learning. The discourse contrasts the past developments with ongoing innovation and efforts to promote the diffusion of emerging applications in the social…

This article primarily focuses on how one social studies teacher education faculty member incorporated technology into a series of social studies education courses. The integration involved both a technology-related project for students to complete and the modeling of technology use to facilitate learning. The article describes the project and the…

This descriptive study addressed the role of virtual learning environments in fostering reflective thought among preservice teachers through dialogic interaction. Preservice teachers tend to view teaching as a formulaic application of theory and strategies. When challenged with making decisions in novel settings, they are often unable to apply…

This paper reports on the Digital Historical Inquiry Project, an initiative for developing activities and programs that enable preservice and inservice social studies teachers to learn the methods of digital historical inquiry and implement those methods in their teaching experiences. At one of the project sites, San Diego State University social…

Current evidence indicates that the blended course delivery method can reduce costs, improve student academic performance, and improve instructor success in meeting course learning objectives when compared to face-to-face instruction. The present examination of best practices employed the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP) (2000) quality…

In March 2002, members of the National Technology Leadership Initiative (NTLI) met in Charlottesville, Virginia to discuss the potential effects of ubiquitous computing on the field of education. Ubiquitous computing, or "on-demand availability of task-necessary computing power," involves providing every student with a handheld computer--a…