As children are growing up with more digital devices, technology education is increasingly important for future teachers, the associate dean of the Teachers College said.
“With the rapid changes in technology, it is important for instructors to be cognizant of what is available to children,” Associate Dean James Stroud said. Stroud is also a professor in the college.
Stroud said Teachers College provides training for one-to-one classroom settings, where each student in a classroom has their own digital device to work on.
“Instructors embed technology in their courses daily and there are specific courses on technology use in the classroom offered by various departments in the college,” Stroud said.
There are no required technology courses for elementary education students, but faculty still integrate technology into their courses, said Matthew Stuve, director of the Center of Technology and associate professor of educational technology. He said what students have problems with is fully utilizing the resources available.
“What they struggle with most is the deep application and the deep integration of technology with respect to their content that [professors] are teaching,” Stuve said.
There are no required technology courses because of the credit hour limitations education students have, Stuve said. Certain certificates, minors and degrees are available for students who are particularly interested in technology, however.
Even without a required course, students can still learn through training sessions available through Teachers College. One place students can go is the iCare Corner, Ball State’s educational technology support center.
Mike Parsley, director at iCare Corner, said learning how to use technology is vital as more Indiana schools switch to one-to-one classrooms. He said many associates of the Teachers College use the center for general training sessions.
“A lot of the professors and instructors bring students here for workshops,” Parsley said. “It’s critical that they just know how to go to a one-to-one environment and function, [and] teach normally."
One of the biggest problems education students face is working with tablet technology, Parsley said. Teachers are now expected to do new and creative things with computers and tablets in the classroom.
“We’re having so many schools, particularly surrounding Muncie, that are asking for iPad support,” Parsley said. “For the longest time we’ve just been using computers, particularly the Mac.”
Recent education graduates can attest to the need for technological training. Britanny Mazzola, who graduated in 2010 with a degree in journalism education, teaches ninth and tenth grade at East Noble High School in Kendallville, Ind. She said she teaches in a one-to-one environment.
“It’s really technology-forward,” Mazzola said. “Every single student from kindergarten to senior has a device.”
She says even though she gained a lot of technological experience through her connection to the journalism department, she still has to consult other sources to keep up with changes in technology.
“There’s all sorts of technology that we have that I don’t know about,” Mazzola said.
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