Implementation Grant Goals and Objectives

The proposed project will further develop and implement an instructional model to provide preservice teachers at Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Utah more opportunities to integrate educational technology into all content areas during their teacher preparation program and first year of teaching. Through more integration of the role and uses of educational technology into formal methods courses and related field experience, preservice teachers will better employ teaching with technology as a long term teaching practice. This project will also serve as a model for collaboration between School of Education faculty and the faculty from our partnership schools.

This project is a joint venture of a consortium comprising Bryant Intermediate, Clayton Middle, and Lincoln Elementary Schools from Salt Lake City School District, Majestic Elementary School from Jordan School District and Westminster College. With current funds from a Capacity Building Grant, classroom teachers from one consortium school and faculty members who teach math and science methods formed a cohort to engage in collaborative curriculum development. Common hardware and software were purchased for both sites. New syllabi that incorporate the use of educational technology for the methods courses and school courses were designed and are being co-taught and revised through a formative evaluation process. The proposed Implementation Grant will extend the opportunities for the math/science cohort to do further curriculum revisions and allow all faculty members who teach language arts, creative arts, reading and social science methods to form similar cohorts with classroom teachers who teach these subjects in the three additional consortium schools.

The intended outcomes of this project include:

• Improved quality of instruction in the methods courses on campus and in field placements
• Increased collaboration between teacher educators on campus and classroom teachers who serve as preservice mentors
• Increased integration of curriculum standards for the State Distance Learning Teaching Endorsement within the content methods
• Increased effective uses of technology for teaching and learning by our graduates
• Improved academic success of K-12 students.

At the end of the three year project, all 250 preservice teachers at Westminster College and approximately 2000 K-12 students from various consortium schools will be impacted. As Westminster College continues the support of the technology center and induction support to our graduates, the impact is expanded greatly.