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In order to be a rich and beneficial exercise for both students and teachers, field experiences need to be tailored to match the technological abilities of student teachers with the technological abilities and needs of teachers. This cohort will work to effectively place student teachers in classrooms that will most benefit from those students' technological interests and capabilities. Mike Neal, faculty leader for the cohort, said, "Teacher's didn't have to just be high-tech, they had to be open-minded to high-tech."
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"The only way you can gain the trust and access to students is through the permission of the teacher," said Mike Neal, faculty leader of the Placing Student Teachers in Technology-Rich Schools cohort. "The students are their babies. If you walk into class and you don't look like you're going to enhance the teaching experience, you'll probably just sit and watch."
Making sure that students don't just "sit and watch" is only part of what Mike and other cohort members accomplished. In fact, the Placing Student Teachers in Technology-Rich Schools cohort did just that-placed students in technology-rich schools-and more. While classrooms today are infused with a variety of new technological supplements, the field experience of student teachers in the past was not focused on this technology. To solve this inconsistency, the cohort emphasized accurately matching teachers' knowledge and interests with the knowledge and interests of student teachers-thus creating a more enriching field experience for both groups. The main question the cohort addressed was "Does this model help us match up specific-need future teachers with specific-need schools?"
Placing student teachers in appropriate classrooms began with identifying school districts that were interested in working with the cohort. Next, teachers filled out questionnaires, which were used to match them up with student teachers who had compatible abilities and interests. Teachers didn't necessarily have to be proficient with using technology. One of the most beneficial aspects of the program was that teachers could be matched up with students who could teach them how to use a type of technology they were unfamiliar with but wanted to use in their classrooms. "[The cohort] also helped us identify more selectively what teachers could do what out in the field, so that they weren't just names. Today we have such a broad base of abilities and skills of not only teachers in the field but also students going out," Mike said. "Teacher's didn't have to just be high-tech, they had to be open-minded to high-tech."
The extra time and planning the matching process entailed was worth the results. The varied and productive field experiences student teachers gained will help them adjust to real-world classrooms. "The more in-depth that communication is and clear, then the more you wind up meeting your goals of that experience," Mike said. "I think it's good proof that even though it takes time to collaborate and time to communicate, that's really the secret of experiences that meet the goals."
The cohort made it clear that technology has become an integral component in the classroom. "I think we all know that technology is here, that technology that is useful does not replace good teaching," Mike said. "Technology is just an aid to the age-old, proven techniques of connecting with kids. I think one of the things we'll learn and see in the future is that when technology supports what we've always known about instruction, then it'll be good technology."
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