Faculty development to help preservice educators model the integration of technology in the classroom: Perspectives from an action research case study.

摘要

This action research case study focuses on faculty development and finding better ways to educate the faculty in modeling technology in their classroom and in their curriculum. Three School of Education faculty members and the Director of Instructional Technology Services at a small, Midwestern, liberal-arts university teamed together using participatory action research to study their practice with hopes of coming to an understanding of ways to remove some barriers to technology literacy and pedagogical issues. Three articles suitable for publication make up the body of the study. Article one is a review of literature in the field of faculty development, media centers, modeling technology, and action research. It describes what is currently happening at other schools pertaining to faculty development strategies. Article two tells the story of three faculty participants' views on modeling technology in the classroom and their cyclical evolution of technology modeling throughout the duration of the study. Simple, effective tools designed to provide technology literacy instruction are described. Article three describes a study of the personal practice of the instructional technology services director at a small, Midwestern, liberal-arts university. It provides insight into his evolution in teaching philosophy as he struggled with his concept of technology literacy instruction while searching for better methods of providing faculty development in that area. The cyclical nature of the participatory action research model he utilized assisted him in improving his practice and in developing an effective educational environment for his clients; the faculty. Barriers related to faculty use of technology in the classroom are explored and ways to help remove these barriers are suggested. Discussed in all three articles is the field of change theory and the concept of people's perspectives and how they deal with innovations and change.