The impact of modeling technology integration on pre-service teachers’ technology confidence

Abstract

THIS ARTICLE DESCRIBES the PT3 Implementation Grant at the University of Rhode Island’s School of Education and the impact it had on students’ confidence in using technology for teaching. The three-year project focused on working with faculty from the School of Education and the College of Arts and Sciences to integrate technology into their instruction and improve the supervision of pre-service teachers. The goal was to provide exemplary models of pedagogically sound technology use that were embedded in core teacher education courses, and not through a stand-alone “technology for teachers” course. A technology confidence survey was administered to students in the teacher education program at the end of each semester of the three-year project. Data from the survey were analyzed to look at change in attitudes over time as students progressed through the teacher education program. Results show a significant increase in students’ confidence in six areas of technology use in teaching, the majority of which were a focus of the project’s training and support of university instructors.