A Technology-Infused Approach to Secondary/Middle Pre-Service Methods Courses

1. A Technology-Infused Approach to Secondary/Middle Pre-Service Methods Courses Presenter: Tim Hendrix Meredith College, Raleigh, NC AMTE, Friday, January 28, 2005

2. Tennis Balls?? • Here’s the question: • If we could remove all of the removable furniture and furnishings of this room, and completely fill the room with tennis balls, how many tennis balls would it take to completely fill the room compacted? • What does this question have to do with “technology-infusion”, if at all?

3. Technology Infusion • Some natural questions: • What? • Where? • When? • Why? • How? • Usually asked in this natural order, we often don’t get to the “why” or “how”, so let’s start there!

4. WHY Technology Infusion? • National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers (ISTE, 2000): • Teachers demonstrate a sound understanding of technology operations and concepts. • Teachers plan and design effective learning environments and experiences supported by technology. • Teachers implement curricula that include methods and strategies for applying technology to maximize student learning.

5. WHY Technology Infusion? (cont) • National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers (ISTE, 2000): • Teachers apply technology to facilitate a variety of effective assessment and evaluation strategies. • Teachers use technology to enhance their productivity and professional practice. • Teachers understand the social, ethical, legal, and human issues surrounding the use of technology in PK-12 and apply that understanding in practice.

6. Other Why documents: • Educating Teachers of Science, Mathematics, and Technology: New Practices for the New Millennium (NRC,2001) • The Mathematical Education of Teachers (CBMS, 2001)

7. CBMS, Chapter 6 • Recommendations for Technology in Teacher Education: • “Technology has revolutionized many jobs and substantially increased the mathematical skills needed across the workforce. • “In contrast, its impact on instructional practice has been more modest and varies from classroom to classroom. • “During the careers of the prospective teachers now in college classes, new technologies now unimaginable are likely to enter classrooms.

8. CBMS, Chapter 6 • Recommendations for Technology in Teacher Education: • “Hence prospective teachers’ most important need with regard to technology in college mathematics classes is in building a framework that will aid them in teaching with technology throughout their careers.” (p. 47) • That same need is prescient in methods courses as well. • Advanced computational skills, emergent tools of the discipline, and potentially transformed mathematics content.

9. My Basis for Technology Infusion: • Strong foundation of mathematics education research on teacher preparation and content knowledge (Cooney, Ball, Shulman, Wilson, etc.) • If we desire that teachers teach in new ways, then they must learn substantive mathematics in new ways. • The same principle applies with technology, emphasizing added value.

10. How? • Isolated technology modules? • Go to the lab periodically? • The perils of the “add-on” model… • Technology infusion as a regular part of the culture, the toolset, and the means of exploring mathematics and the teaching and learning of mathematics.

11. What? • Course online website as a community center • Website and instructional technologies are used regularly as they are needed naturally in class • Electronic HTML notebook • All assignments submitted electronically • Hard copies are the exception, rather than the rule. • Metalessons--a form of reflective journal

12. HTML environment can help… • Create natural means of collaboration • Build a community of learning • Promote the sharing of resources and ideas • Encourage dialogue about mathematics and about the teaching & learning of mathematics • Establish a standard of work product

13. Where? When? • From the late 1990’s to the early 2000’s, at the University of Illinois. The model for these courses continues today with elementary, middle and secondary methods courses. • From Fall 2002, at Meredith College, in Raleigh, NC--a private, liberal arts (comprehensive) college for women

14. Let’s look at some examples: • Hopefully, the activities all promote processes of mathematical thinking: • Mutliple representations of concepts • Connections w/in mathematics and across disciplines • Communication of ideas • Reasoning, verification, and proof of proposed theories • Problem-Solving within mathematical situations

15. Examples: • All of the course websites can be found at: • http://www.mste.uiuc.edu/courses/ • Variety of technologies utilized over the course of semesters, including: • Java applets, Geometer’s Sketchpad, Fathom, graphing calculators, Vernier data collection probes, HTML as a curriculum-writing device, WebQuests, Excel spreadsheets

16. Representative Activities & Investigations: • Metalessons--reflective daily entries • PSSM Standards Project • Concept Attainment Activities • Data investigations: • Moon data project using Fathom • Election 2000 using Fathom • Virus/Predation using Fathom with NetLogo • Geometric investigations: • Conics and understanding of locus definitions; JSP • Rhombii and equivalent definitions • Simulations: • Java applets at MSTE and at Shodor Foundation