Technology Integration in Preservice Teacher Education Programs: Research-based Recommendations

Introduction

In December 2015, the Every Child Succeeds Act was passed into law. The Act governs United States’ educational policy. It is a reauthorization of the 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The reauthorization marked an important policy-driven approach to education reform in the United States. Echoed throughout the ESEA is the need to address the digital literacy skills of K-12 students in curriculum development, instruction, and assessment. Digital literacy skills outline how teachers and students use technology to access and present information in print and digital environments. The inclusion of digital literacy skills in the Every Child Succeeds Act aligns emerging digital pedagogy with national policy, setting the stage for emphasis on teaching and learning that integrates technology into the framework of education in the United States.

The ESEA aligns with primary points seen in the International Society for Technology in Education standards (ISTE) and in threads throughout the Common Core State Standards Initiative. ISTE (2016) asserts that

ISTE Standards are refreshed every five to ten years. Student Standards were refreshed and released in 2016. Refreshed Teacher Standards will be released in 2017. Refreshed standards for administrators, coaches and computer science educators were released between 2009-2011. ISTE Standards require that educators

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  Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity;

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  Design and develop digital age learning experiences and assessments;

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  Model digital age work and learning;

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  Promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility;

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  Engage in professional growth and leadership (ISTE, 2016).

ISTE and ESEA pave a path for funding, maintaining that school systems must use some portion of their funding for activities that support effective technology integration (U.S. Department of Education, 2015). Examples of activities outlined in ESEA include

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  Using technology in classrooms for assessments;

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  Creating blended learning instructional models;

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  Purchasing digital instructional resources;

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  Providing access to online instruction, especially for students in rural, remote and underserved areas (U.S. Department of Education, 2015);