University of Wisconsin at Whitewater: Optimizing Technologies for Educators

The College of Education (COE) in the University of Wisconsin
at Whitewater has provided a rich environment for pre-service
and inPservice teachers to develop necessary technology skills.
The COE houses two computer labs and a regional software
resource preview center- the Wisconsin Instructional
Technology Resource Center (WITRC). With these resources,
students can explore a great variety of equipment and programs
in depth and breadth. The learning experience is further
enriched by Microcomputer Applications in the Classroom
courses. These courses respond to teachers' basic needs of
using computers to teach and to increase their job efficiency
in three aspects:

(1) Learning basic computer literacy skills;
(2) Learning to develop their own instructional materials; and 
(3) Learning telecommunications skills. 

The scope of the basic computer literacy course includes a wide
array of technology issues in terms of what's available, what
to do, and how to do it. Many enrolled students start with
little or no knowledge about computers. They begin learning
with small projects using basic application programs such as
word processing, spreadsheet, database, and graphics. After
they feel more comfortable with the technology, they learn to
increase productivity by customizing technology. They also
learn where and how to find educational technology resources
and how to use them effectively.  A valuable experience for
these pre-service and in-service teachers is to explore a
selection of application and courseware programs. They get a
chance to evaluate programs of various kinds (such as tutorial,
drill and practice, and simulation).  Based on their computer
experience and classroom teaching experience, they develop a
lesson plan for teaching content areas using technology. Most
teachers have great ideas on what to include

Courseware development requires more time and effort to learn
than regular computer applications. However, many teachers are
amazed by the capability of the interactive hypermedia which
computers can provide and become very eager to develop their
own instructional applications with their own materials. They
especially enjoy putting together their own drawing, pictures,
sound, and movie clips into the computer. They can also
incorporate their own speech to make their personalized lesson
exciting with both visual and audio attributes.  

Finally, telecommunications is a new trend in education. Most
teachers find Internet access appealing because of its power
and great variety. In the beginning of the Microcomputer
Application class, each student acquires a free Internet
account.  Students learn to use various Internet tools such as
e-mail, gopher, ftp, and telnet.  The class holds a weekly
information sharing activity via e-mail among the instructor
and students.  Students are encouraged to explore various areas
on the Internet, to join on-line discussion groups, and to
share with each other the information they learned. Also, an
Internet Simulator program, developed by Dr. Siemann and Dr.
Gartmann, was made available to students so that novice users
can learn to cruise the Internet at their own pace.

There are also other computer courses offered in the COE.  For
example, the Telecommunications for Educators course
specifically covers strategies of using telecommunications for
teachers and administrators; the Technologies for Writing
Instruction course teaches the writing teachers how to
incorporate computers into their writing curriculum. In such an
environment, teachers learn to use technologies and to infuse
technology into the curriculum. They become aware of what's
available in educational technology and feel able to customize
whatever resources they have in their schools. They share their
teaching and computer experience with each other and become
less isolated than ever. 

For more information, contact:

Alex C. Pan, Assistant Professor
Department of Curriculum & Instruction
University of Wisconsin at Whitewater
800 W. Main Street
Whitewater, WI 53190
Phone: 414-472-1831
E-mail: pana@uwwvax.uww.edu

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