21st Century Pre-service Teacher Technology Training: What Do Five Years of Research Tell Us?
Abstract: Critical times make it imperative that we transition educational technology courses to better prepare pre-service teachers for 21st Century classrooms. A Midwestern university made major revisions in 10-12 sections of an educational technology course to concentrate primarily on pedagogy and curriculum and secondarily on the role of technology to promote these. Additionally, 21st Century skills such as critical thinking, information literacy, nonlinear thinking, and collaboration provided students with reasons to use technology in the classroom. Over the course of five years, course revisions have shown significant and positive changes in students’ attitude, computer ability, and self-confidence. This report provides summaries of each year’s investigation and explains how the more advanced course and its results support Mishra and Koehler’s TPCK framework and Rogers’ Adoption theory.