Philosophy

Leadership Style
I would describe my leadership style as being one that is based on a shared vision and goals in which my role does not always require me to lead from the front, but to sometimes encourage from behind. I am comfortable delegating responsibility and prefer to look for innovative ways to inspire everyone I work with to reach our goals and realize our vision.

When starting a new position, I review the experiences and skills of those I will be working with to determine the most effective strategies for motivation. I will lead by example and I will encourage everyone to maintain the highest levels of honesty and integrity while developing our working relationI would describe my leadership style as being one that is based on a shared vision and goals in which my role does not always require me to lead from the front, but to sometimes encourage from behind. I am comfortable delegating responsibility and prefer to look for innovative ways to inspire everyone I work with to reach our goals and realize our vision.

When starting a new position, I review the experiences and skills of those I will be working with to determine the most effective strategies for motivation. I will lead by example and I will encourage everyone to maintain the highest levels of honesty and integrity while developing our working relationships.

Communication Style
I prefer a proactive approach; to educate rather than defend. I have always tried to remember that I am an educator first, and that my role is to effectively share knowledge and encourage learning.

Therefore, I advocate for multiple/coordinated lines of communication that include email, telephone, RSS, newsletters, Twitter, Facebook, SMS, etc. as required. I believe that varied and frequent lines of communication are critical to meeting the demands of a variety of stakeholders.

Teaching Philosophy
My philosophy of teaching centers around three fundamental principles: (1) help all students to develop critical thinking, analytical and problem solving skills related to teaching and integrating technology, (2) assess the needs of my students and motivate them to higher aspirations and expectations, and (3) provide a supportive and thought-provoking learning environment that offers students the best possible learning and personal growth opportunities. My desire is that students leave my class with a thorough and practical understanding of the role of technology in educational settings. In my courses I work to carefully integrate these principles and balance traditional teaching strategies with non-traditional strategies (online) to stimulate innovation and effective technology integration.

Good teaching should ultimately enable students to learn. Often, students do not come to the learning experience with the level of interest necessary for immediate success. I try to help students discover and develop their interests. In my field of educational/instructional technology, it is critical to model as well as inform. In every instance, the content I am teaching and the technology I am modeling are uniquely related. Students learn about technology integration while experiencing technology as I am integrating it (modeling) for them.

Currency
In my courses, unlike courses in which technology plays a smaller role by enhancing communication and information distribution (web sites), technologies and technology integration strategies are modeled for students and the theoretical basis for their existence is explained. This has been accomplished by dedicating a significant amount of time to continually refining my technology skills and adapting to industry-based change. Often this means learning new software, adapting to new computer-based technologies and extensive study of computer operating systems, all in an effort to provide the best learning experience for my students. This significant time commitment I make to learning and mastering these elements has provided me with the knowledge and skill necessary to ensure an uninterrupted (software, hardware or network problems in the classroom) learning environment for my students. Further, the ever-changing nature of technology requires that I review the instructional content of every course before each offering to ensure that all students have access to current knowledge and practice. As this is in line with one of my research themes, I am able to use what I have learned from my research (GRF Study-TL400/301 pre-course survey data collection) to direct my instructional practice. Between every semester, each course is revised to reflect changes in hardware, software, policy or practice. While this is an extremely time consuming process, I do not consider it an option, but rather a responsibility. This commitment to my field brings: (1) changes in technology; (2) changes in educational policy regarding the use of technology in educational settings; (3) current issues and trends in educational technology; and (4) current research in the field of educational technology to my courses and students. The collection of syllabi/course outlines helps to illustrate the extent of my course review and change process.

One of the responsibilities assigned to my position was to develop and implement graduate level educational technology courses. I have subsequently developed two new courses, both of which have been created to: (1) provide a broader exposure to technology in education; (2) strengthen the current technology emphasis at the graduate level; (3) establish a foundation on which new degree programs and course offerings could be built; and (4) to challenge students to think, create, innovate, and explore technology in education. The courses, Educational Media Development and Technology Leadership have added significantly to the Educational Communications and Technology degree emphasis and continue to offer all students within the school of education opportunities to expand their thinking about the role of technology in education.

The Technology Leadership course that was introduced in the spring semester of 2002 was designed to meet the needs of individuals seeking careers as technology specialists, coordinators, or administrative positions (Information Technologist, Chief Information Officer, etc.). This course has stimulated doctoral and masters students to become involved in projects throughout the SoE, and has stimulated interest in research and publication by many. Currently, three former students have joined together with me to evaluate the role of technology instruction in preservice and inservice educational settings (one of my research themes). This course has been offered as a TL798 Special Topics course for the past three years. This course will be submitted to the curriculum committee this year in the hope that it will become a permanent course offering. In an effort to recruit more potential graduate students, I have worked closely with the KUED Campus staff to provide the first educational technology course at the KUED Campus: Educational Media Development. To date, this course has been well received and continues to expose non-traditional, and potential graduate students to our graduate programs, and to our educational communications and technology emphasis in particular.

TheDigitalClassroom (TDC)
Over the years I have continued development on my learning management system (seehttp://thedigitalclassroom.com). TDC domain and website were established by me in 1995 to offer students a model for designing and distributing course support materials, manage student data, and distribute course-related information, media and documents. Technology-based course support systems are more than just collections of online syllabi and links to related sites. In the case of TDC, the website serves as a real-time resource, a database and research tool, a communications system, and a help system for all students. At TDC, students can access to their course grade and instructor comments on assignments online. They can participate in asynchronous and synchronous (online) discussions, turn in assignments and projects electronically, edit and update work submitted online, develop a personalized portfolio of their work, participate in online surveys, and take quizzes which offer immediate feedback. As the instructor I can provide each student with individualized work, suggestions and advice on the appropriateness of their technology integration. Independent observers (i.e., teacher education faculty) can view and comment on student work as well. Students can receive technical assistance and help with assignments online, download lecture outlines and instructional videos, download readings and assignment templates in a variety of formats (i.e., PDF, Word, etc.), and receive timely news and information related to educational technology (i.e., Web Log ‘BLOG’). TDC is not currently supported by any grant, therefore, the responsibility for maintaining, updating and troubleshooting the system falls upon me and generally requires a major time commitment each semester.

I have recently designed TDC to be a powerful research tool as well. Within TDC, I am able to view records of all students who have ever taken any of my courses, view and statistically analyze student/class/course results of surveys administered at the beginning and end of each semester, view/enter grades, view/enter comments and suggestions and produce any number of reports and summaries from the data in the database. These features, and those yet to come, are enabling data collection for my four year longitudinal GRF Study as well as driving course design decisions and contributing to future research into the role of technology instruction in preservice and inservice educational settings.

I am able to view the contents of TDC directly using a web browser from anywhere in the world (allowing me to be in touch and to accommodate the needs of my students anywhere/anytime). This is very important to me since I consider everything I do in and out of class to be viewed as examples/models of the way in which technology can be used to enhance and augment instruction, improve access to learning and resources, and provide more opportunities for students to be engaged in the learning process. The result of this work can be seen in a selection of websites that reference or provide links to the digitalclassroom (see http://www.easternct.edu/depts/edu/bibliographies/computers.html,http://www.oread.ku.edu/Oread03/Jun13/webworks.html,http://homepages.wmich.edu/~jvanderm/fcs225/fcs225assignments.htm,http://edweb.sdsu.edu/tile/support/tiletech.html)

Some students have developed their own emulations of the digitalclassroom (models)

(see http://point-productions.com/point/toc.htm, or http://lisadinner.com).

Course Evaluation
Understanding how my students perceive my course, my teaching, and their experience is invaluable and necessary to maintain a quality educational experience. Each semester, students are asked to complete a survey (online at TDC) at the midpoint of their experience in the class. This survey provides valuable information about the course and my students. This is my primary source of information for determining strengths and weaknesses in my course as perceived by the students and is used in concert with the Curriculum and Instruction Survey administered at the end of the semester.

Approach To Instruction
The work assigned in my courses takes many forms, all of which are designed to strengthen or develop student intellect, technology-related skills and/or research skills. I require the highest standard of professionalism from all students, on all assignments. I challenge my students to embrace all sides of current theory and opinion as the benefit of these perspectives can be empowering. This is often done through extensive open discussions (face-to-face and online) in which I pose questions that are open-ended in order to encourage dialogue that will help students’ deepen their understandings of key issues, ideas and strategies

I have always administered an online survey designed to evaluate a student’s basic skill level of awareness of technology for my undergraduate courses. The results of this survey are used to determine the instructional modules that will be used in TL301 (formerly TL400), as well as used in the GRF Transitions study I am conducting. For instance, if students demonstrate a high level of understanding and experience using technology to develop electronic presentations, then the electronic presentations module can be dropped in favor of an more advance module that will stimulate the students’ understanding of the role of another technology as a tool for instruction).

Conclusion
Overall, I strive to maintain academic rigor for all graduate and undergraduate students in my courses. I make every attempt possible to provide substantial opportunities for students to succeed, regardless of the level of technology understanding or skill they have when they enter my courses. I accomplish this by being responsive to the needs of the students and by being prompt in responding to questions and concerns. I provide opportunities for individualized (one-to-one) learning and make myself available to students outside of class. I also maintain high expectations of my students when it comes to professionalism. My job is not just to impart information or knowledge, but to help students to discover their own personal relationship with technology, develop their own strategies for integrating technology, and to build their own “technology” belief system.

Research Agenda
My research interest within the broad field of educational/instructional technology has focused on the types of technologies preservice teachers adopt or accept as useful, and which technologies are eventually integrated into classrooms. To this extent I have organized my research agenda around two themes: (1) integration of technology into teacher education, with a focus on how technology integration affects students’ beliefs and strategies for integrating technology, and (2) the role of technology instruction in preservice and inservice educational settings. These themes are representative of a body of research that has emerged during the past five years as illustrated by the work of Albee, 2003; Hirumi, 2002; Ward, West & Isaak, 2002; Pope, Hare & Howardy, 2002; Vannatta & Beyerbach, 2000; Fuller, 2000.Research-to-Practice Model
My research interests provide an opportunity to examine the many aspects of instructional technology use and integration that directly relates to my teaching. Often the research I am conducting or evaluating is transferable to my courses and therefore timely and useful for my students as well. This connection assures my students that they are receiving current research-based instruction. My early work in the area of technology integration, specifically as it applies to preservice and inservice teachers, sought to make connections between curriculum and available technologies. In Expanding the Writing Process to the Web, I revealed connections between existing curriculum (writing process) and the potential for enhancement through the application of technology. Further work has continued this theme, (On the Right Track: Technology for Organizing and Presenting Digital Information, Technology Integration Solutions: Preservice Student Interns As Mentors and Technology Innovation through Collaboration in a Teacher Education Program), and has provided valuable data that offers insight into the decisions individuals make when selecting technologies to be introduced into the curriculum. I have used this data to drive my own decisions as to the types of technologies to introduce at the preservice level. I continue to collect data on a four year longitudinal study in which I track preservice students from their initial technology course experience through their first year of teaching to determine the effect technology instruction (TL400/301) has had on their selection of technologies to use in their classroom.

My ongoing research in the area of preservice and inservice technology instruction which informs my work in the Technology Leadership course and was initiated by my dissertation (Increasing Access to Teacher Preparation: The Effectiveness of Traditional Instructional Methods in an Online Learning Environment), has demonstrated how the blending of methodology with new technology could effectively enhance all (special and regular education) learning environments. The next evolution of this research was to consider the value of pure “cross-curricular” approaches to supporting technology integration in higher education. In Technology 101: Integration Beyond a Technology Foundations Course, I show how methods courses and initial technology course offerings can combine to create a rich environment for students to apply curriculum instruction and technology together to create enhanced learning environments.

As a result of my involvement with a Preparing Tomorrow’s Teachers to use Technology (PT3) grant entitled Learning Generations, I was able to examine the concept of preservice and inservice technology instruction from the point of view of the faculty member. Considering the importance of the role played by any faculty member in the education process, it was hypothesized that faculty might represent a ‘weak link’ in the entire technology integration process (Cornell, 1999). In Implementing a Technology Enrichment Program for Faculty and Students in a Teacher Education Program, I have proposed a program entitled TEC-e in which student technology expertise is leveraged to provide reverse mentoring and technology instruction for faculty. This program was successfully piloted within the SoE and is currently helping me to define the role of instructional technology for educational settings. I am currently in a final revision of an article to be submitted in the next month on this program. I continue to use TDC to collect relevant data for my research. Recently I began to look closely at the work (http://thedigitalclassroom.com/showcase/) that has been created by students in my undergraduate courses (TL400/301/302). Using TDC to track changes and updates (currency) of student created portfolios, websites, and instructional resources, I am able to gain a glimpse into the value placed on these projects by the student. This is one area related to the understanding of the types of technologies preservice teachers adopt or accept as useful that could contribute to a deeper understanding of how students value their own instruction-related products, or how they develop a relationship with technology.

Collaboration
The true nature of technology is collaborative. One aspect of my research that I consider extremely important is the collaborative environment that technology inspires. Since I place a high value on my interactions and collaborations with colleagues from other disciplines, and since technology has the potential to permeate all genres, disciplines, learning environments, and methods of teaching, I feel that my research can only benefit from taking into consideration the relationships created by, and through, the integration of technology. To date, I have benefited greatly from collaboration on projects, grants, conferences, and publications with colleagues in the departments of Teaching and Leadership and Special Education. In particular, I would like to note that the early adoption of technology by my colleagues in Special Education has made empirical research a “real” possibility. As more disciplines adopt technology, I expect that even more opportunities for collaboration will be possible.

Conclusion
The classrooms of today are examples of reform and innovation at work. My research (preservice teachers as mentors) has led to the establishment of programs within our local school system as well as the SoE. These programs are based on a model I have worked on in which students mentor faculty in the process of technology integration. In turn, the evaluation of these programs continues to affect change in the undergraduate and graduate courses I teach. My research into the effectiveness of traditional methodology has been most beneficial in developing an effective framework and model for providing technology instruction and professional development to experienced teachers. Ties to research grants such as Learning Generations, READTECH, Special Connections and my work with the North East Kansas Educational Service Center continue to provide me with exceptional opportunities to examine and apply technology integration research in a variety of educational settings. My interest is continually stimulated by the opportunities I have to explore effective technology integration, curricular change, and particularly, teacher education from my professional perspective: instructional/educational technology.

References

Albee, J. J. (2003). A Study of Preservice Elementary Teachers’ Technology Skill Preparedness and Examples of How It Can Be Increased. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 11(1), 53-72.

Cornell, R. (1999). Paradigms for the new millennium: How professors will certainly change! Educational Media International, 36, 89-96.

Hirumi, A. (2002). Student-Centered, Technology-Rich Learning Environments (SCenTRLE): Operationalizing Constructivist Approaches to Teaching and Learning. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 10(4), 497-538.

Ward, J. R., West, L. S., & Isaak, T. (2002). Mentoring: A Strategy for Change in Teacher Technology Education. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 10(4), 553-570.

Pope, M., Hare, D. & Howardy, E. (2002). Technology Integration: Closing the Gap Between What Preservice Teachers are Taught To Do and What They Can do. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 10(2), 191-204.

Vannatta, R. A. & Beyerbach, B. (2000). Facilitating a Constructivist Vision of Technology Integration among Education Faculty and Preservice Teachers. Journal of Research on Computing in Education, 33(2), 132-148.

Fuller, H. (2000). First Teach Their Teachers: Technology Support and Computer Use in Academic Subjects. Journal of Research on Computing in Education, 32(4), 511-537.

Advising

I consider advising one of my most important responsibilities. The opportunity it offers me to provide guidance to students is invaluable. I have had many exciting advising experiences over the past five years, including the two years I served as the advisor to SESO. I feel rewarded when I get to know a student more personally than is possible in a classroom setting. I have learned much from my advisees. All of the relationships and knowledge I have gained from them has only served to strengthen my commitment to being a good teacher and a good advisor.

To this extent, I have developed an advising database within TDC. This database provides the tools I need to keep track of student programs, course educational plans, scheduling, notes from advising sessions and projects/dissertations. Currently, this system is helping me to manage ten doctoral students, twenty masters students and ten undergraduate students. Coupled with my personal belief that one must be willing to seek a reliable source for solving problems and answering difficult questions, this system helps me to be a better source of information for my advisees.

While most junior faculty do not have privileges for chairing doctoral committees, I was asked to take on this responsibility and accepted this challenge three years ago. While it has added considerably to my workload, I have enjoyed this level of interaction with students very much. I am excited about my doctoral students currently in the program and look forward to seeing them through to the completion of their degrees.

Regular advising activities include:

  • Working closely with students to plan their programs of study (graduate) or select the appropriate course sequence (undergraduate).
  • Working closely with undergraduate students to help them succeed in their student teaching experiences.
  • Providing guidance for graduate students as they plan, develop and complete their projects and dissertations.
  • Composing and evaluating written comprehensive examination questions.
  • Participating in Oral comprehensive examinations.
  • Participating in Doctoral Dissertation and Proposal defenses.
  • Working closely with graduate students as they develop proposals to submit to academic conferences.
  • Working closely with graduate students as they develop and write papers for presentation.
  • Helping graduate students prepare manuscripts for submission to academic journals.
  • Help advisees discover their true interests in the field of educational technology and/or teaching and to accomplish their goals.