chapter 10: The Impact of Technology on Science Preservice Preparation and in-Service Professional Development

The use and application of technology in K-12 teacher education has changed rapidly over the last few years. In 1997 the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) noted most teacher education programs treated technology as an add-on, rather than as a tool to be integrated across the curriculum. By 2000, NCATE had incorporated technology requirements into each of the six accreditation standards and, as a result, preservice teachers are now expected to know how to integrate technology into their classrooms and teacher education faculty are expected to model technology integration strategies in content and methods classes.

The national science standards also prescribe a curriculum in which technology is an essential component in both what is taught and how it is taught (Nies, 2001). For example, The Benchmarks for Scientific LiteracyAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science, 1993) state that 9th-12th grade students should be able to, “Use computer spreadsheet, graphing, and database programs to assist in quantitative analysis” (p. 291). The National Science Education Standards (National Research Council, 1996) specify that teachers are to “provide the opportunity for students to use contemporary technology as they develop their scientific understanding” (p. 45).