Free Webinar to Address Preservice Preparation for Online Teaching
The Midwest Regional Educational Laboratory at American Institutes for Research will host a free webinar Wednesday, November 20, 1:30-3:00 p.m. CST, to address the question of how we prepare preservice teachers to work in online and blended settings.
“Making Connections: Teaching Preservice Teachers to Teach Online” will feature Kathryn Kennedy, director of research at the International Association for K-12 Online Learning, and Leanna Archambault, assistant professor at Arizona State University, who coauthored the 2012 study Offering Preservice Teachers Field Experiences in K-12 Online Learning: A National Survey of Teacher Education Programs. Kennedy and Archambault will discuss the current landscape in the field. Bryan Zugelder, executive director for undergraduate affairs and partnerships at the University of Central Florida’s College of Education and Human Performance, will share practical examples, and Mary Herring, associate dean of education at the University of Iowa and chair of AACTE’s Committee on Innovation and Technology, will discuss lessons for future work.
As online learning grows, educators will need to be prepared to teach in virtual environments. However, preservice teachers don’t usually have opportunities for student teaching in online and blended environments. Virtual education programs often recruit teachers prepared for traditional classrooms and then must provide training on how to teach effectively in virtual environments.
This webinar arose in part from the work of the Midwest Regional Education Laboratory’s Virtual Education Research Alliance (VERA). States in the Midwest are using and expanding virtual education to supplement, enhance, and in some cases replace traditional PK-12 public schools. VERA seeks (1) to develop the capacity for Wisconsin and Iowa to collect and use data in order to implement effective high school virtual learning programs that result in improved student outcomes and (2) to develop and carry out a research agenda that focuses on specific questions about student achievement and virtual learning conditions.
To join PK-12 and higher education stakeholders from across the country in this informed discussion about preparing teachers for working in virtual environments, register for “Making Connections: Training Preservice Teachers to Teach Online” no later than November 18, 2013.
To learn more about this webinar, visit the REL Midwest web site. For questions or additional information, please contact Bri Martin at (312) 283-2302 or by e-mail at bmartin@air.org.
Tags: AACTE partner organizations, community engagement, events, technology
