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Laptop
Initiative Research
Richards, J., Morris, B., and Schwartz, K.
(2004). Learning to use laptop computers
in cohort education classes:
Preservice teachers' concerns and accomplishments. The
Reading Professor, Fall 2004, 112-141.
Presented at the College Teaching and Learning
Conference, Orlando, FL (February, 2004). Winner of the conference's
Excellence in Research Award
Abstract
On the cutting edge of teaching technology, the
University of South Florida is the first university in the
state to receive laptop computers in a partnership with Macintosh.
Twenty-five preservice teachers in cohort education classes
learned to use the computers in their university classes, and
in their internship work in elementary schools. One of the
goals of this two-year project is to develop preservice teachers’ abilities
to use computers for all aspects of teaching, including building
on-line portfolios, writing lesson plans, creating slide shows,
and movies, and assessing and recording students’ progress.
Equally important, a second goal is to help preservice teachers
learn how to use computer technology to enhance their future
elementary students’ reading and writing abilities. In this
qualitative study, we investigated the preservice teachers’ concerns
and accomplishments as they learned to use the laptop computers
in the first semester of the project.
Contact: Janet Richards
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