Book Review: Online Professional Development for Teachers: Emerging Models and Methods

Debra Sprague

Journal of Technology and Teacher Education Vol. 15, No. 1 (January 2007) pp. 145–149

Current models of professional development have not been successful in helping teachers change their practice. To address this issue, online teacher professional development (oTPD) programs have emerged. Online Professional Development for...

Topics: Internet, eLearning, Professional Development, Distance Education, Teachers, Educational Technology

Editorial: Online Education: Issues and Research Questions

Cleborne Maddux; Debra Sprague; Richard Ferdig; Peter Albion

Journal of Technology and Teacher Education Vol. 15, No. 2 (April 2007) pp. 157–166

This article suggests that online education is at the cusp of a period of dramatic change. That change will involve significant increases in the numbers of students and faculty who are involved in online education. Reasons for the change are...

Topics: Educational Technology, Change, Distance Education, Computers, Faculty, Internet, Information Communication Technologies, Classrooms, Research Methods

Editorial: Publishing Data Evidence to Support Educational Technology Claims

Richard E. Ferdig; Debra Sprague; Cleborne Maddux; Peter Albion

Journal of Technology and Teacher Education Vol. 15, No. 4 (October 2007) pp. 429–437

(Editorial)

Topics: Learning Outcomes, Research Methods, Educational Technology, Evaluation, Achievement

Editorial: Research Agenda for Online Teacher Professional Development

Debra Sprague

Journal of Technology and Teacher Education Vol. 14, No. 4 (October 2006) pp. 657–661

In September of 2005, the Graduate School of Education at Harvard University hosted a conference designed to explore online teacher professional development (oTPD). During the two day conference, the participants explored ten models of oTPD. The...

Topics: eLearning, Internet, Professional Development, Teachers, Distance Education

Let’s Play: The role and value of games and simulations in education!, Part 1

Michael Searson; Bill Halverson; Robert McLaughlin; Calin Cazan; Ann DeMarle; Joel Foreman; Peggy Benton; Melanie Zibit; David Gibson; Debra Sprague

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2005 (2005) pp. 2089–2091

A diverse group of educators will present an array of perspectives on the role and value of games and simulations as educational tools. Papers will include the "Characteristics and Functions of Games," "What Educators Can Learn from Game Developers?"...

Topics: Games, Graphics, Virtual Environments

Advancing the Field: Considering Acceptable Evidence in Educational Technology Research

Lynne Schrum; Ann Thompson; Debra Sprague; Cleborne Maddux; Anita McAnear; Lynn Bell; Glen Bull

Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education Vol. 5, No. 3 (2005) pp. 202–209

This editorial provides a follow-up report of the status of one facet of this effort, as promised in the initial call to action. The directions outlined are based on ongoing dialog among the task force of editors of the participating journals during ...

Topics: Library, Leadership, Teachers, Computers, Educational Technology

Online Gaming: Processes, Structures and Cultural Understandings

Mary Kayler; Debra Sprague; DeDe Chris

World Conference on Educational Media and Technology 2008 (Jun 30, 2008) pp. 1067–1074

This study explored how online gaming processes and structures shaped individual understandings of diverse worldviews. Three research questions guided our study: In what ways, if any, has online gaming the potential to strengthen cultural...

Topics: Culture

An Invitation to Join an Early Career Mentoring Network in Technology and Teacher Education

Glen Bull; Lynn Bell; Ann Thompson; Lynne Schrum; Debra Sprague; Cleborne Maddux; Kara Dawson; Gerald Knezek

Journal of Technology and Teacher Education Vol. 14, No. 4 (October 2006) pp. 817–828

The spring 2005 edition of the Journal of Research on Technology in Education (JRTE) issued a call for a proactive approach to a research agenda in educational technology. This position paper was collaboratively authored by the editors of six...

Topics: Educational Technology, Training, Teachers, Mentoring, Professional Development

Let’s Play: The role and value of games and simulations in education!, Part 2

Michael Searson; Bill Halverson; Robert McLaughlin; Calin Cazan; Ann DeMarle; Joel Foreman; Peggy Benton; Melanie Zibit; David Gibson; Debra Sprague

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2005 (2005) pp. 2092–2094

A diverse group of educators will present an array of perspectives on the role and value of games and simulations as educational tools. Papers will include the "Characteristics and Functions of Games," "What Educators Can Learn from Game Developers?"...

Topics: Virtual Environments, Graphics, Games

Editorial: Defining Education Research: Continuing the Conversation

Debra Sprague

Journal of Technology and Teacher Education Vol. 14, No. 3 (July 2006) pp. 431–438

A debate currently occurring in the research community centers around what qualifies as "high quality" education research. This discussion was prompted by the U. S. Department of Education's challenge to consider only "scientifically based research" ...

Topics: Preservice Teacher Education, Educational Technology, Teachers, Training, Research Methods

Meeting Changing Standards: Preparing the new NCATE/ISTE SPA report

Marianne Handler; Priscilla Norton; Borthwick Arlene; Teresa Franklin; Toni Stokes Jones; Debra Sprague

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2003 (2003) pp. 844–845

The new NCATE Institution and SPA (specialized professional association) standards require a new and different approach to familiar content. Even for those institutions that have previously submitted a review Folio, the approach to the new Program...

Topics: Standards

Timber Lane Tales: Problem-Centered Learning and Technology Integration

Priscilla Norton; Debra Sprague

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 1999 (1999) pp. 89–94

Technology integration was probably never part of faculty learning experiences and often not part of their own elementary teaching experiences. Except in occasional and haphazard ways, technology integration was not part of preservice candidates'...

Topics: Educational Technology, Preservice Teacher Education, Faculty, Integration

An Invitation to Join an Early Career Mentoring Network in Technology and Teacher Education

Glen Bull; Lynn Bell; Ann Thompson; Lynne Schrum; Debra Sprague; Cleborne Maddux; Kara Dawson; Gerald Knezek

Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education Vol. 6, No. 1 (March 2006) pp. 1–10

The spring 2005 edition of the Journal of Research on Technology in Education (JRTE) issued a call for a proactive approach to a research agenda in educational technology. This position paper was collaboratively authored by the editors of six...

Topics: Educational Technology, Teachers, Computers, Leadership, Schools

Assessing Mentoring Teacher's Technology Proficiency: What Do They Have to Say?

Debra Sprague; Stephen White

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2002 (2002) pp. 1476–1477

This paper focuses on one teacher preparation program's efforts to address a lack of congruence between modeling the effective use of technology in university coursework and appropriate use of technology during the teacher candidates' field...

Topics: Teachers, Mentoring

Technology and Teacher Education: Are We Talking to Ourselves?

Debra Sprague

Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education Vol. 3, No. 4 (2004) pp. 353–361

Colleges and schools of education today are facing a challenge caused by the differing philosophies and views of their teacher education faculty and the educational technology faculty. Some believe that technology should play a role in education and ...

Topics: Mathematics, Educational Technology, Preservice Teacher Education, Professional Development, Computer Sciences

Publishing in the Journal of Technology and Teacher Education (JTATE)

Debra Sprague; Peter Albion; Richard Ferdig; Cleborne Maddux; Jesse Leins

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2011 (Mar 07, 2011) pp. 1680–1684

Abstract: The editors of leading educational technology journals are collaborating on ways to support the efforts of the next generation of researchers, working within the framework of the National Technology Leadership Coalition (http://www...

Editorial: Research on the Effectiveness of Technology in Schools: The Roles of Pedagogy and Content

Lynne Schrum; Anne Thompson; Cleb Maddux; Debra Sprague; Glen Bull; Lynn Bell

Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education Vol. 7, No. 1 (March 2007) pp. 456–460

The field of educational technology is under external pressure to provide evidence of identifiable learning outcomes that can be attributed to technology. Leaders within the educational technology research community agree about the importance of...

Topics: Research Methods, Teaching Methods, Schools, Teachers, Educational Technology

EDCI 557: Integrating Technology in the Elementary Curriculum

Debra Sprague

Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education Vol. 3, No. 4 (2004) pp. 466–469

EDCI 557: Integrating Technology in the Elementary Curriculum is taught within the Elementary Education Program in the Graduate School of Education at George Mason University (GMU). The course is designed to enable students (or "interns") to...

Topics: Educational Technology, Elementary Education, Instructional Design, Professional Development, Curriculum

Editorial: Academic Communities and the Nature of Academic Discourse

Glen Bull; Debra Sprague; Lynn Bell

Journal of Technology and Teacher Education Vol. 9, No. 4 (2001)

In 1990 Jerry and Dee Anna Willis founded the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education (SITE) to provide an academic home for those working to integrate educational technology into teacher education. The Journal of Technology and...

Topics: Educational Technology, Teachers

High Tech Mentoring: Assessing the Effectiveness of a PT3 Project

Debra Sprague; Jane Cooper; Natalie Milman

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2002 (2002) pp. 1777–1778

This paper presents the first year findings of a mixed-method study of the High Touch Mentoring for High Tech Integration project at a suburban state-supported university. This three-year project was funded in part by the Preparing Tomorrow's...

Topics: Teachers, Educational Technology, Integration, Preservice Teacher Education, Mentoring

Modeling Technology Integration Through Webcasts: A PT3 Project

Debra Sprague; Jane Cooper

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2003 (2003) pp. 3849–3854

The question currently plaguing the Educational Technology Community is not whether or not technology should be included in teacher education programs, but what is the best way to provide preservice and inservice teachers with models of technology...

Topics: Educational Technology, Teachers, Community, Professional Development, Preservice Teacher Education

Studying Technology as a Cohort: Teachers’ Reflections on the Process

Debra Sprague; Priscilla Norton

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 1999 (1999) pp. 722–727

The journey toward professional growth, school reform, and an educational response to the challenge of technology integration is often a lonely one. One solution is to design professional development experiences for practicing teachers,...

Topics: Professional Development, Educational Technology

On-Line Collaborative Lesson Planning: An Experiment in Teacher Education

Priscilla Norton; Debra Sprague

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 1996 (1996) pp. 917–921

The responsibility for realizing the potentials of technology to improve educational practice is frequently placed on the classroom teacher. Yet, the integration of technology does not lie with the classroom teacher alone. Difficulties in...

Fear, Apprehension, Stereotypes, Oh, My! Exploring Teachers’ Reactions to Virtual Gaming

Debra R Sprague; Mary Kayler

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2011 (Mar 07, 2011) pp. 2248–2253

Abstract: Researchers have begun to explore the impact of game-based learning. Most of this research has focused on what children learn while engaged in virtual games. This study looks at what 61 teachers learned as they explored a Massively...

Examining the Effectiveness of a Professional Development for International Educators Model

Debra R Sprague; Anastasia Kitsantas; Beverly Shaklee; Maria Katradis; Jessica Turner; Amie Weinberg

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2011 (Mar 07, 2011) pp. 2730–2735

Abstract: This paper is a report on the findings to examine the effectiveness of a Professional Development for International Educators Model. Several questionnaires, including Survey of Preservice Teachers’ Knowledge of Teaching and Technology,...

Facilitating Effective Technology Research in the Core Content Areas

Lynne Schrum; Ann Thompson; Debra Sprague; Cleborne Maddux; M. d. Roblyer; Lynn Bell; Glen Bull

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2006 (Mar 19, 2006) pp. 4364–4365

The editors of several leading educational technology journals are collectively initiating a dialog to identify productive directions for research in the core content areas. An overview will be provided of the overall goals and objectives of this...

Topics: Educational Technology

Contributions and Concerns of SITE Participants: A Survey of Technology Using Teacher Educators (ASTUTE)

Elizabeth Riddle; Niki Davis; Polly Mumma; Debra Sprague; Lucretia Carter

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2002 (2002) pp. 475–477

It is important to know more about the potential contributions and needs of SITE participants in order to inform further developments of the society and the field. During the SITE 2001 conference 165 participants completed a survey and 38 personal...

Topics: Collaboration

Exploring the Effectiveness of Two Models of Technology Integration

Stephen White; Debra Sprague

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2002 (2002) pp. 2091–2095

This research study examined whether or not integrating technology throughout a sequence of teacher preparation courses was an effective model for ensuring that pre-service teachers graduate with the knowledge and skills needed to integrate...

Topics: Integration, Educational Technology, Teachers, Preservice Teacher Education

Transitions to Academia: Publishing in the Journal of Technology and Teacher Education (JTATE)

Debra Sprague; Peter Albion; Richard Ferdig; Cleborne Maddux

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2006 (Mar 19, 2006) p. 1060

The editors of leading educational technology journals are collaborating on ways to support the efforts of the next generation of researchers, working within National Technology Leadership Coalition (www.NTLCoalition.org). The goal is to proactively ...

Topics: Educational Technology, Leadership

Transitions to Academia: Publishing in the Journal of Technology and Teacher Education (JTATE)

Debra Sprague; Peter Albion; Rick Ferdig; Cleborne Maddux; Kathy Bohnstedt

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2010 (Mar 29, 2010) p. 1014

The editors of leading educational technology journals are collaborating on ways to support the efforts of the next generation of researchers, working within the National Technology Leadership Coalition (http://www.NTLCoalition.org). The goal is to...

Collaboration and Integration: Technology in a Pre-Service Elementary Education Foundations Course

C. Stephen White; Debra Sprague

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2001 (2001) pp. 1796–1799

Changes in State regulations and National Standards have resulted in Colleges of Education redesigning their teacher preparation programs. During this redesign, many programs are eliminating their "technology course" in favor of integrating...

Topics: Integration, Educational Technology, Standards, Faculty, Curriculum

Practicing Teachers’ Technology Integration: Projects that Mattered

Mary Kayler; Debra Sprague

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2012 (Mar 05, 2012) pp. 1373–1380

Using an intellectual developmental pedagogical framework (Magolda, 2004) and centering technological projects on a “real classroom need” became a powerful impetus for K-12 teachers enrolled in a graduate program of education to engage in meaningful ...

Examining the Long Term Effects of the Professional Development for International Educators Model

Debra R Sprague; Anastasia Kitsantas; Beverly Shaklee; Maria Katradis

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2012 (Mar 05, 2012) pp. 2399–2405

Abstract: This paper is a report on the findings to examine the long-term effects of the Professional Development for International Educators Model (PDIEM). The PDIEM encompasses an academic program, field experiences in diverse secondary schools,...

Analysis of Technology and Research in Published Education Articles

MIchael Kelley; Susan Jinks; Debra Sprague; Ann Thompson; Glen Bull

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2007 (Mar 26, 2007) pp. 826–827

Doctoral students and professors at four universities have initiated an on-going assessment of the research and publication on technology through a longitudinal survey of education journals. The purpose of this assessment is to characterize, using...

Transitions to Academia: Publishing in the Journal of Technology and Teacher Education (JTATE)

Debra R Sprague; Peter Albion; Rick Ferdig; Cleborne Maddux; Maria Katradis

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2012 (Mar 05, 2012) p. 1259

The editors of leading educational technology journals are collaborating on ways to support the efforts of the next generation of researchers, working within National Technology Leadership Coalition (www.NTLCoalition.org). The goal is to proactively ...

Web-Based Learning: Moving Beyond the Internet as a Research Tool

Debra Sprague; P. Shane Gallagher

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2000 (2000) pp. 2184–2189

As schools continue to make efforts to hook all classrooms to the Internet, teachers need to learn ways to integrate the Web into their teaching. WebQuests, virtual fieldtrips, intercultural exchange, and collaborative research projects are...

Topics: Teachers, Communication, Collaboration

High Touch Mentoring for High Tech Integration

Debra Sprague; C. Steve White

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2001 (2001) pp. 2104–2108

The Graduate School of Education (GSE) at George Mason University (GMU) is committed to developing new teachers who not only have the skills they need to develop and teach lessons with technology, but who also have the knowledge needed to...

Topics: Teachers, Educational Technology, Faculty

The Evolution of the Preservice Technology Course: Lessons Learned

Debra R Sprague; Seth Parson; Katy Swalwell

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2013 (Mar 25, 2013) pp. 1049–1053

The stand-alone technology course designed to enable preservice teachers to integrate technology into the curriculum has undergone many iterations throughout the years. This paper looks at one university’s process and the lessons learned throughout ...

Examining Doctoral Students’ Formal and Informal Technology Education

Debra R Sprague; Melissa Pierczynski; Theresa Wills

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2013 (Mar 25, 2013) pp. 1435–1440

Research has shown that the best way to have teachers learn to integrate technology into their classrooms is to have it modeled by faculty in their teacher preparation program. In order for this to happen, doctoral students need to learn how to...

Faculty Development in the Integration of Technology in Teacher Education Courses

Debra Sprague; Kimberly Kopfman; Sandi de Levante Dorsey

Journal of Computing in Teacher Education Vol. 14, No. 2 (1998) pp. 24–28

Describes implementation of a mentoring program to improve university faculty members' technology skills. Students in a graduate instructional technology course were paired with faculty according to students' computer skills and faculty members'...

Podcasts in Education: Let Their Voices Be Heard

Debra Sprague; Cynthia Pixley

Computers in the Schools Vol. 25, No. 3 (October 2008) pp. 226–234

One technology made possible through Web 2.0 is podcasting. Podcasts are audio, video, text, and other media files that can be played on the computer or downloaded to MP3 players. This article discusses how to create a podcast and ways to use this...

Taming the Electronic Frontier: A Distance Education Course for Department of Defense Dependents School Teachers

Amy V. Bordeaux; Debra Sprague; J Mark Pullen; Donna R. Sterling

Journal of Computing in Teacher Education Vol. 14, No. 3 (1998) pp. 12–16

George Mason University provides online courses for educators. One course encourages teachers to master the Internet as a tool and resource for classroom instruction. This paper describes course configuration and development based on feedback from...

Expanding PhD Students Knowledge-Base: Skyping with the Experts

Debra Sprague; Susan Groundwater; Thomas Opfer; Ronald Shultz; Tina St. Pierre

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2015 (Mar 02, 2015) pp. 1062–1068

This article discusses a PhD course on technology and teacher development in which six world-renewed scholars were invited to participate via Skype. This virtual participation provided the students the opportunity to apply the knowledge obtained in ...

Topics: Students, Graduate Education & Faculty Development

ITS Changing Teachers’ Paradigms

Debra Sprague

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 1995 (1995) pp. 352–356

Over the past ten years, technology has been predicted to be the savior of an educational system in need of reform (National Commission on Excellence in Education, 1983). And yet, despite the fact that 99% of all elementary and secondary schools in...

Physical STEM+C: Supporting the Integration of K-12 STEM+C Concepts in Non-Traditional Subject Areas

Debra Sprague; Risto Marttinen; Michael Eagle; Nancy Holincheck; Tareque Mehdi; Maurine Kwende; Amy Riggio

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2020 (Apr 07, 2020) pp. 112–114

The specific and immediate goal of the Physical STEM+C project is to develop a STEM+C teaching program, which is fully online and geared toward educators in non-traditional subject areas at the upper elementary and middle school level. The initial...

Topics: Computational Thinking, STEM Innovation

Action Steps for Systemically Advancing Technology Infusion in Teacher Preparation Programs

Kevin J. Graziano; Teresa S. Foulger; Arlene C. Borthwick; Jon M. Clausen; Julie A. Moore; Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach; Denise A. Schmidt-Crawford; David A. Slykhuis; Debra Sprague

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2020 (Apr 07, 2020) pp. 451–458

Every new PK-12 teacher should learn how to select and use the most appropriate technology tools so they can become proficient in teaching with technology upon entry into the field. The 2017 United States Department of Education National Educational ...

Topics: faculty development, Technology Leadership

Teachers Teaching Teachers: The Belen Goals 2000 Professional Development Project

Priscilla Norton; Debra Sprague

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 1998 (1998) pp. 223–226

In a 1995 comprehensive nationwide assessment, the U. S. Congress Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) indi cated that, in the process of acquiring hardware and software for students to use, teachers who are perhaps the most valuable part of the...

Digital Study Groups: Online Learning Environments in Middle School

Kevin Clark; Todd Jamison; Debra Sprague

Journal of Interactive Online Learning Vol. 3, No. 4

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of an online learning environment on student computer use, classroom/school activities, and parental involvement. An online learning environment was created with the goals of giving students access ...

Technology and Teacher Education: Are We Talking to Ourselves?

Debra Sprague

Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education - General

Different philosophies, beliefs, and competing views have caused a rift in teacher education between those who are integrating technology and those who are not. Such a situation has led some in the education technology field to ask the questions, ...

Multiple Perspectives on Strengthening the Ability of Teacher Education Programs to Prepare Teacher Candidates to Integrate Technology

Teresa, S. Foulger; Mamta Shah; Kevin J. Graziano; Denise A. Schmidt-Crawford; David A. Slykhuis; Rohit Mehta; Irina Lyublinskaya; Debra Sprague

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2018 (Mar 26, 2018) pp. 2041–2046

In the new National Education Technology Plan from U.S. Department of Education Office of Educational Technology, a claim is made that school districts cannot consistently count on teacher educators to help new teachers develop their ability to...

Topics: faculty development, Technology Leadership, Technological, Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK)