What did they try?

The goal of the Education Department at Hood College was to prepare Secondary initial teacher certification candidates to meet the Maryland Teacher Technology Standards (MTTS). They used several different strategies to achieve this goal:

• Strategy #1 - They established a Secondary Technology Advisory Taskforce (STAT), which consisted of Education and Arts and Sciences faculty, as well as representatives from Professional Development Schools. Part of their task was to look at how technology was being used in course work as students moved through all their courses.
• Strategy #2 - They conducted a Secondary Teacher Certification Program Needs Assessment related to several sets of standards, including MTTS. The results of the needs assessment showed that the areas of mathematics and science used quite a bit of technology in activities related to some of MTTS, although foreign languages showed frequent usage also. Areas of need are related to Standards IV and VII.
• Strategy #3 - They developed and administered an Individual Teacher Candidate Technology Profile, using "SurveyMonkey," a web-based software program. The profile will be administered three times during the students program of study: during the first pre-requisite course, mid-point transition in the program, and program completion. The survey touched on every standard two or three different times.

What worked and why?

The Secondary Technology Advisory Taskforce (STAT) worked well to bring all faculty on board with the initiative. The program technology needs assessment gave rich and robust data with which to work. It also provided for an important exchange of information among faculty members. The individual candidate profile will also provide helpful data, particularly entering students' technology skills to help plan technology instruction. The monthly PT3 consortium meetings were also invaluable, serving as a professional development opportunity, as well as a time to network and to hear the discussions and summaries of the work being done in various programs of the other consortium members.

What didn't work and why?

Time was the biggest issue for this implementation. Orientation of the faculty took time, as well as establishing the Advisory Committee, completing and analyzing data from the needs assessment, and making Secondary Program changes.

The competing demands of faculty roles and responsibilities, including Middle States Accreditation and NCATE work, also became a greater challenge during the three-year project.

What will they do next?

• Similar work, such as the survey, will be done with the Early Childhood Education and Dual Certification programs, as well as the graduate programs.
• The work of the Secondary Technology Advisory Taskforce (STAT) will continue, especially related to professional development opportunities, such as the PT3 Dissemination Grant.
• The Individual Teacher Candidate Profile will continue to be administered during program benchmarks, and data analysis will continue.
• More work with e-portfolios will be done using Chalk and Wire, which will allow more artifacts using technology, especially the incorporation of more audio and video.