Teacher Education Programs and Online Learning Tools: Innovations in Teacher Preparation

Hartshorne (educational technology, U. of Central Florida) et al. bring together educators and education and educational technology scholars from the US, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, New Zealand, and Israel for 24 chapters on the use of web-based tools for training teachers. They present information about current practices and research in online teacher education programs, as well as opportunities, methods, and issues involved in implementing them; evidence of student and pre-service teacher learning and assessment in the context of these programs; and current research related to online practices in programs and technology tools to support learning outcomes. They discuss the evolution of pedagogical beliefs and practice for online instruction; the development of a remote online observation process of pre-service teachers; a comparison of online and face-to-face programs; initiatives to formalize online teaching; collaborative learning; an experimental course in online pedagogy; the use of Web 2.0 tools in cooperative learning; literacy education in online learning; instructional models; online teaching and learning practices for English language arts, math, action research, and teacher leadership courses; and innovative practices like instructional simulation games and remote field experiences.