Students in Teacher Education Programs in the College of Education and Social Services have recently reached a turning point with respect to computer usage. State regulation requires that every student in every teacher education program produce a professional portfolio that demonstrates the depth of their knowing and the breadth of their doing with respect to knowledge and skills across six specific categories of professional expertise. During the Fall of 2006, teacher education programs began to utilize a web-based system of building professional portfolios. Faculty determined that students pursuing a professional teaching career should have their own laptop computer from the beginning of their professional preparation. Most classes now include technology requirements and each teacher education program requires the gradual acquisition and critical reflection upon the data and documents of a student’s professional education. This includes lesson plans, webquests, scanned examples of student work, and self-designed innovative assessments of teaching and learning. The system we recommend will enable students to work across platforms with a variety of innovative text and visual software creating for them an embedded and seamless education in technology literacy.
The computing needs of teaching professionals in the College of Education and Social services include more efficient academic learning mediums like word processing and presentation software, as well as more innovative software that enhances concept mapping and critical thinking, video production, web management, and digital photo processing and production, and data analysis.
Currently, the following programs will be recommending the acquisition of a laptop upon entering their program: Elementary Education, Middle Level Education, Secondary Education, Early Childhood Education, and Early Childhood Special Education.
Last modified October 06 2009 10:08 AM
