Creating a Learning Environment for Teachers / Karen Lee Jost.

This paper presents the theoretical framework for a new course for teacher education. It describes how computers have been used in education and identifies factors that contribute to the unrealized potential of technology use in schools. This new course is consistent with a constructivist view of learning, new educational goals, and a view of the role of technology as a tool that can support the attainment of educational goals and increased student learning. Throughout the twentieth century, each time a new form of media or technology appears on the market, predictions have been made concerning the vast changes that it will undoubtedly bring to classrooms and to the educational process. The arrival of personal computers was no exception. Researchers and futurists predicted great changes to come due to the presence of computers in our schools. The envisioned changes were not realized, however, through the mere existence of machines in classrooms or school buildings. In fact, change has been so slow that in many schools, computers have yet to move from administrative offices to classrooms. Computers are having an enormous and pervasive impact on our business world and on society. The scope of their effect has focused more attention on classroom teachers' use of technology and the perceived failure of education to fully utilize computers in the instructional process. (Contains 12 references.) (Author)

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