Abstract

During the period 2001-2003, the U.S. Department of Education PT3 Project CATALISE created a comprehensive Technology Planning System to assist Schools, Colleges, and Departments of Teacher Education design and implement an effective approach to the use of technology in Teacher Education curricula. What is now needed is an efficient means to model this system to other Teacher Education institutions. This Report describes how a commercial web-based e-folio software platform has been adapted to model and to disseminate an interactive online Teacher Education Technology Planning System..

Creating a Web-Based Technology Planning System in Teacher Education Introduction

Introduction

During the period 2001-2003, the University of Arkansas at Monticello participated in a U.S. Department of Education $2.1 million dollar Preparing Teachers to Use Tomorrow’s Technology (PT3) grant consortium designed to enhance the level of Technology Planning in U.S. Schools, Colleges, and Departments of Education (SCDEs). The name used to identify this effort was Project CATALISE (Consortium for the Application of Technology in Teaching And Learning in Schools of Education) and was comprised of four universities (Western Illinois University, California State University at Los Angeles, Eastern Michigan University, University of Arkansas at Monticello), three professional organizations (North Central Regional Educational Laboratory, National Center for Accreditation of Teacher Education, Teacher Education Consortium Colleges and Universities), and one corporation (Apple Computer, Inc.).

The purpose of this Report is to describe briefly the work of the CATALISE Project, with specific focus on the design and development of its Technology Planning System (TPS), including adaptation of this CATALISE TPS to an interactive, web-based format.

Approach

One of the first activities of the CATALISE Project was the analysis and further development of the CEO Forum STaR Chart, a Teacher Education planning tool developed by a group of large U.S. corporations in the early 1990s. The original STaR Chart consisted of five major headings (Leadership, Infrastructure, Faculty Development, Teacher Candidates, and K-12 Partnerships) and provided a series of questions for institutions to assess their own progress in each of these five program areas. The PT3 CATALISE Project, through a series of national pilot tests, revised this self-assessment questionnaire, and is now converting it into an interactive, online institutional survey instrument. (See http://www.catalise.org  to view the self-assessment tool.)

In the course of this developmental effort, it was learned early on that only minimal attention has been directed to Technology Planning by SCDEs. That is, while Technology Planning has long been an important activity of K-12 institutions—in fact, a K-12 activity often required by State mandate—in higher education, this usually is not the case.  Accordingly, it was necessary for us to create an original template or model to facilitate this kind of planning. To do this, Western Illinois University—the CATALISE Project lead University—adapted a local K-12 School District’s Technology Planning template to conform with the main categories of the online self-assessment instrument. This template forces the SCDE to become quite specific in defining program objectives in each of the five areas of concern, and to assign specific responsibilities and times-of-completion for each programmatic objective. Also, at this time, the CATALISE Project Technology Planning System is paper-based only and relies heavily on face-to-face meetings and one-on-one communication in its implementation.

E-Folios and Management Information in Teacher Education

Design and development of Authentic Assessment Portfolios increasingly is becoming a common activity in U.S. Teacher Education institutions. Moreover, as more broadband Internet capabilities become available, the use of electronic portfolios—including web-based folios, or e-folios—are emerging with more frequency. In fact, web-based e-folios are now being used by many Teacher Education programs as much as an Information Management tool than as purely an assessment device. That is, with national attention now focused on the issue of Teacher Quality and Standards-Based Assessment of Teacher Education, it is clear that Teacher Education institutions must create much more effective and efficient empirical and quantitative record-keeping systems. The use of e-folios therefore is becoming an important management approach in defining and measuring the amount of compliance with National and State Teacher Education achievement standards. For example, at the University of Arkansas at Monticello, I now require students in all of my graduate courses to obtain an individual license for such an e-folio software platform (http://www.taskstream.com) and assess student academic achievements in terms of such a standards-based approach. Utilization of such software also greatly enhances both student-to-student and student-instructor communication and collaboration (via instant messaging, threaded discussion, e-mail, etc.) and provides a number of other advantgages in our overall Teacher Education curriculum.

Integrating Online E-Folio Management Information and Technology Planning

Technology Planning in Teacher Education, if it is to be successful, must encompass a broad, campus-wide approach. That is, Teacher Education Candidates actually spend only a limited amount of their total university experience under the tutelage of SCDE faculty. For example, at the University of Arkansas at Monticello, Teacher Education students spend most of their entire first two years in General Education courses, and the entire fourth year in a K-12 Internship facility. Accordingly, our Teacher Education Technology Planning Committee must include representation from across the campus as well as to our K-12 Partnership community. Yet, as noted above, our Technology Planning System is entirely paper-based, and relies heavily upon face-to-face communication, neither of which is especially efficient in terms of our specific collaboration needs. Thus, the question arises: Can the E-Folio online platform be adapted to facilitate the Technology Planning process?

Inter-Institutional Collaboration in Technology Planning

To this point, we have referred to Technology Planning in Teacher Education only in terms of a single campus activity. However, there is much to be gained by increased inter-institutional communication and collaboration, particularly among SCDEs within a certain geographic region, or even on a State-wide basis. For example, within the State of Arkansas we have nineteen Teacher Education programs, many of which are in close geographic proximity to one another. In fact, one of the most important goals of the CATALISE Project has been to enhance the level of such inter-institutional collaboration within the different regional areas and, as a result, for the past two years the University of Arkansas at Monticello has sponsored State-wide Teacher Education Technology Conferences, drawing attendance from nearly all of the Teacher Education programs in the State as well as representatives from K-12 School Districts, State Education agencies, and professional organizations.

The PT3 CATALISE Project ends November 30, 2003. Therefore, during these final months, the University of Arkansas at Monticello is developing a model template that will utilize an online E-Folio software platform to integrate the PT3 CATALISE Project Technology Planning System. When this is accomplished, other SCDEs within the State of Arkansas (or other States, for that matter) can view an example of a highly efficient and effective Teacher Education Technology Planning System via the online CATALISE Project Clearinghouse. In addition, this web-based approach will greatly facilitate increased communication and collaboration among Teacher Education institutions interested in adopting a more rational approach to the entire area of Technology Planning.

Conclusion

With increased national focus upon the need for “a highly-qualified teacher in every classroom,” Teacher Education programs must adopt new methods of assessing student achievement and performance levels. Moreover, close attention must be directed to complying with applicable National, State, and Professional Organization Teacher Education standards, with accompanying quantifiable certification that institutions are meeting these standard-based requirements. Adoption and use of web-based E-Folios, coupled with applicable Management Information software, appear to be a feasible approach in meeting this increased level of accountability.

At the same time, the need for more technology integration in K-12 curricula is recognized as an important national goal. To meet this need, Teacher Education programs must ensure that every Teacher Education Candidate has the requisite knowledge and skill to effectively utilize classroom technology.

Accordingly, the PT3 CATALISE Project is developing an interactive, web-based Teacher Education Technology Planning System designed to assist Teacher Education institutions to achieve each of these important program goals.