Abstract
Engaging in reflective practice is certainly not a new concept in the field of teacher education. Over the course of their pre-service training, teacher candidates characteristically experience changes in their teaching philosophy, and by extension, their pedagogic identities. Typically, these changes occur at the initial, midpoint, and final stages of the candidacy resulting from iterative reflective practices demonstrated through coursework and field experiences. Traditional models of teaching and learning situate these reflections through exchanges of experiences during discussions in face-to-face classroom or field-based settings. However, as existing and emerging technologies continue to impact teaching and learning in the 21st century, teacher preparation programs must respond in kind by adapting courses and aligning curricula to be responsive in the short term and nimble enough in the long term to change as institutions of higher education are only at the precipice of understanding the deeper impact of technology on teaching and learning.
TopBackground
Throughout human history, there have been milestone events that have significantly changed the methods by which people communicate, receive, and share information across manner, space, and time. Inventions, such as the printing press, radio, and television, are noted technologies that transformed how humankind connects culturally, emotionally, linguistically, and socially. These moments of anthropologic shifts are noted in the significant changes by which people communicate, especially in the spoken and written word. One need not venture to far back in recent history to get a sense of how certain tools have fundamentally changed human communication. The hand-written letter was replaced by the telegraph, and the telegraph was soon overshadowed by the telephone. While the telephone is still the primary means by which people communicate in the 21st Century, it has certainly undergone a substantial evolution since its 1876 debut. In the digital era with the advent and increased use of cellular technologies, land lines have given way to mobile phones; it could even be suggested that the telegraph has experienced a rebirth in the form of text messaging. There are certainly more “real-time” elements to modern communication including such apps as FaceTime, Skype, and WhatsApp.
Key Terms in this Chapter
TPACK: Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge. It is a theory that was developed to explain the set of knowledge that teachers need to teach their students a subject, teach effectively, and use technology.
Historically Black College and University: Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU), institutions of higher education in the United States founded prior to 1964 for African American students. The term was created by the Higher Education Act of 1965, which expanded federal funding for colleges and universities.
Teacher Preparation Program: A teacher preparation program is designed to prepare both undergraduate and graduate students to become licensed teachers. Programs can offer students specialized coursework in the grade level and subjects they are interested in teaching.
Blackboard: A learning management system which includes course management, content authoring, collaborative discussions, virtual classrooms, as well as testing and grading.
Digital Agency: The online persona assumed by the end-user when interacting within the virtual plane.
Johari Window: A technique that helps people better understand their relationship with themselves and others. It was created by psychologists Joseph Luft (1916–2014) and Harrington Ingham (1916–1995) in 1955 and is used primarily in self-help groups and corporate settings as a heuristic exercise.
Pedagogic Agency: How an educator defines her/his instructional identity in terms of subject and setting.
Dialogic Online Voice: Developing the authentic voice in online discussion platforms.
Cybermorphosis: The transitional experience of an end-user occurring when moving from face-to-face to virtual interactions.
Pre-Service Teachers: The pre-service teacher is defined as the student enrolled in a teacher preparation program who must successfully complete degree requirements including course work and field experience before being awarded a teaching license.
Learning Management System: A learning management system (LMS) is a software application or Web-based technology used to plan, implement, and assess a specific learning process. Typically, a learning management system provides an instructor with a way to create and deliver content, monitor student participation, and assess student performance.
Asynchronous Online Discussions: Asynchronous discussion refers to an online discussion that participants can access and participate at different times and at their convenience.
Discussion Board: A website or section of a website that is used for public discussion of a specific topic and on which users can submit or read messages.