Engage With Technology Competencies for Teacher Educators
The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of AACTE.
The Teacher Educator Technology Competencies (TETCs) have been finalized, thanks to feedback from many of you, and we are excited to invite you to put them to use–and to tell us about them!
The Need for Technology Competencies for Teacher Educators
Last year, we reported to you on our progress developing the TETCs, which aim to address the “digital use gap” among teacher educators and their ability to prepare PK-12 teachers to teach with technology.
Identifying competencies for all teacher educators was a need articulated in the 2017 National Education Technology Plan (PDF), which states that candidates’ expertise “does not come through the completion of one educational technology course separate from other methods courses but through the inclusion of experiences with educational technology in all courses modeled by the faculty in teacher preparation programs” (p. 36).
In short, our vision is in support ofnew teachers being proficient in teaching with technology–and for all teacher educators to address this need, no matter what course they teach.
The Published Competencies
Following a collaborative research process and public comment period, we published an article last fall outlining the 12 competencies and related criteria in the Journal of Technology and Teacher Education (JTATE). The TETCs are also posted on the SITE website for easy access.
Call for Survey Responses, Journal Manuscripts
Now is your chance to put the competencies to use! We invite you to engage in two ways: by taking a survey and by submitting manuscripts to a special journal issue.
First, to encourage the formation of a community of practice surrounding the use of the TETCs as a professional development tool for teacher educators, we’ve created a brief survey about how individuals are applying the TETCs to their professional work. We will be using the survey data to connect practitioners and scholars with similar interests. Please take the survey here.
Second, we are pleased to be guest editors of a special issue of JTATE, “Preparing All Teacher Educators to Support Teacher Candidates’ Integration of Technology,” to be published in early 2020. We are interested in capturing how the TETCs or other similar initiatives are being used or developed by those in the field (e.g., teacher educators, professional developers, and educational leaders). We seek manuscripts that will build a strong foundational understanding of how all teacher educators are prepared to address the necessary skills and knowledge related to technology use and integration within teacher preparation programs. More specifically, this special issue is open to a range of manuscripts related to, but not limited to, those that:
- Provide a critical analysis of the TETCs and related criteria.
- Describe professional development practices associated with the development of teacher educators to meet the national need.
- Share instruments or diagnostic tools that assess the abilities of teacher educators to address technology integration into curriculum.
- Discuss the development of instruments or diagnostic tools to assess competencies of teacher educators (TETCs or other).
- Describe policy implications (e.g., promotion and tenure guidelines and standards of academe) aligned with the National Educational Technology Plan.
- Share innovative methods for addressing technology integration within colleges/schools of education.
- Discuss readiness of the field for the acceptance of the TETCs or other initiatives for teacher educators.
- Share practical cases of teacher educators’ experiences with faculty development and technology integration into the curriculum.
- Share transformative experiences about the adoption of the TETCs or other initiatives.
- Make recommendations for organizational change to support all teacher educators’ abilities to integrate technology into the curriculum.
Submissions are due March 15, 2019. For the complete details, download the call for manuscripts (PDF) here.
Please contact any of us with questions about the TETCs or the call for manuscripts for the JTATE special issue. We look forward to hearing from you!
Kevin Graziano is professor in the School of Education at Nevada State College and former chair of AACTE’s Committee on Innovation and Technology. Teresa Foulger is associate professor in the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University and former president of the International Society for Technology in Education Teacher Education Network. Denise Schmidt-Crawford is associate professor in the School of Education at Iowa State University and president of the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education (SITE). David Slykhuis is assistant dean and professor in the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Northern Colorado and past president of SITE.
Tags: AACTE partner organizations, program improvement, research, technology
