Integrating Instructional Technology into a Teacher Education Program: A Three Tiered Approach

This project description examines how a teacher education program integrated new instructional technology through the creation of a Technology Facilitator position in the department. The project proceeded through a three-tiered system of learning literacy to establish a knowledge base amongst faculty members, augmenting required courses to model the use of instructional technology, and finally the transformation of the credential program where the activity of learning can only be accomplished through leveraging technology. As a professional program housed in a liberal arts institution, this project combines aspects of the essential learning outcomes of the 21st century with the professional skills required of K-12 teachers. Also included are initial data results from student and faculty pre- and post-surveys, observations of students using new technologies in the field, and implications for similar institutions in the implementation of a three-tiered approach to technology integration through the guidance of a Technology Facilitator.