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The purpose of the cohort was to infuse some new learning opportunities into existing classes. One of the things I was concerned about was that the courses were generic and that K-12 students across all subject areas were in the same class. They need to have some opportunity to discuss the applications of technology within the context of what they're going to teach. This cohort helps students focus on how to integrate appropriate applications of technology into instruction, how to judge what a quality technology product might be and knowing about how teachers are using these technologies in the classroom.
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Today, even grade school classrooms are "wired." Second-graders have access to laptop computers with wireless Internet capability. Fifth-graders are surfing the web in Social Studies classes. Teachers are incorporating programs such as Excel into their lesson plans. So what does this all mean for students in KU's School of Education? It means they must be prepared to teach with technology. They must be wired, too!
For this reason, Jim Ellis, faculty leader of the Applications of Advanced Technology in Science Teaching cohort, is working to prepare students for the technology they may encounter and integrate into their classrooms when they become teachers themselves. "The idea that I had for the cohort was to infuse technology into my science education courses," Jim said. "An example of something unique to science teaching…is usage of probes to collect data and analyze data. We have quite a few sets of equipment for that purpose. I check them out and they go out and use them during their student teaching."
Traditionally, students in the School of Education take a general technology course, regardless of whether they will become English, Social Studies, or Science teachers. "One of the things I was concerned about was that the courses were generic and that K-12 students across all subject areas were in the same class," Jim said. "I feel that they need to have some opportunity to discuss the applications of technology within the context of what they're going to teach. Ideally, it would be great if all the science and math or all just science were together in one class so that they could work [together]."
In addition to tailoring technology teaching to students' specific areas of study, Jim has also increased integration of technology into his classroom in general. One example is a web site he requires all students to complete. Students use the site to post their portfolios, which in previous years students produced only in print form. He said, "It's a place for them to provide information that they have the knowledge and skills that are mentioned in the Kansas licensure standards and a place for them to provide that information ultimately that they could adapt for job interview purposes."
While Jim is working to increase learning opportunities in his classroom, he also hopes that students will learn about technology in other classes, even classes outside of the School of Education. "I'd like the students to already come to my course knowledgeable about issues about technology in science education. I wouldn't have to teach them how to use the tool, we could concentrate on now that you know how to use this how can you design lessons and implement them," Jim said. "The idea of infusing technology into instruction is something I've been working on for a long time."
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