Reconceptualizing Educational Technology Integration in a Middle Level Teacher Preparation Program

Our middle level education (MLE) faculty recently engaged in a self-study guided by this research question: How is our university preparing our MLE teacher candidates to integrate technology in teaching and learning? There were two overarching goals: 1) identify where we can introduce, practice, reinforce, and master technology skills and concepts. 2) reconceptualize our technology integration course. Our process included collaborating with stakeholders, surveying teacher candidates, examining theoretical underpinnings, exploring research-based best practices, and analyzing our programs. Data was collected through multi-year technology surveys and semi-structured focus group interviews. We grouped survey data into three broad technology categories: instructional delivery, student collaboration, and student-facing learning (Inan & Lowther, 2010). The data revealed that technologies for teacher-facing instruction were most frequently used, with fewer technologies used for collaborating or student-facing learning. Three themes emerged from interviews: Course Design, Instructor Presence, and Student Engagement. We discovered that while technology tools themselves are important, what is more important is why, when, and how we use them. Teacher candidates need to learn ways to leverage everchanging technology tools to differentiate instruction for all learners. As a result of this study, we increased the technology integration course from two to three hours and organized it around the technology categories. We also implemented program-wide, cross-curricular integration projects.