Integrating Technology to Foster Inquiry in an Elementary Science Methods Course: An Action Research Study of One Teacher Educator's Initiatives in a PT3 Project

摘要

Prospective teachers and teacher educators both confront practical and philosophical issues in attempting to integrate technology into their practice. This paper describes a case study of a science teacher educator, a novice in instructional technology, who integrated technology into an elementary science methods course, with the support of a PT3 implementation project. The science teacher educator, through action research, examined her own knowledge and practice while simultaneously helping her students, pre-service teachers, develop their own practice. Qualitative analysis of classroom observations, field notes, student feedback forms, and other documents revealed themes related to technology's role in inquiry, external and internal factors affecting the faculty member's development, and pre-service teachers' development of expertise and willingness to use technology themselves. Preservice teachers' growth and development related to technology integration parallels that of teacher educators.