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- Dr. Frank Breit
College of Education Faculty Oral Histories
Dr. Frank Breit
LB: I was a member of the Instructional Technology Council for a number of years. Has that continued in the College?
FB: Yes, we’re less active than we use to be. The first couple of years it was important because there were not a lot of people that were interested in technology. I think the theme of the Instructional Technology faculty was that we would draw back and not have as many members of our program on the council. I think it’s better now because there’s a lot of other departments and other people in the college who are heavily involved with the use of technology. We really have moved forward with the whole Laptop Initiative which is going on and other initiatives. We’re probably in the forefront as far as university colleges of education in the use of technology. Part of that came out with the fact that we had a program and the faculty just got more interested in technology. The council is very proactive as far as new ideas and getting money for technology equipment.
LB: I heard several people mention the Laptop Initiative. Is that a funded program or grant that provides laptops for students in the College of Education?
FB: Yes, I’m not sure how it is funded. It’s not a big grant. It’s a grant only in the sense that Apple which is the company the College are using are giving us breaks in purchasing the computers, but the idea is that as a student goes through two years in the College of Education they’ll have a laptop computer with them and integrate that laptop in their teaching. When they go into the classroom as teachers the computer will be a tool that the student will use effectively. Also, the faculty teaching the course will integrate the computer into this teaching methods and techniques. The idea would be at the end of the two years in the College of Education they would get to keep this computer and take it with them to the school they would end up teaching in, so it’s very ambitious. Last year they started the first cohort doing this and this year they have two or three new cohorts involved and Dean Kennedy is heavily behind it. It’s very ambitious and it could well work and if it does it’s going to be really unique. There are a few schools that have done this. The University of Texas has done this and a couple of others, but not that many universities in the state of Florida. This is also consistent with the governor’s [Jeb Bush] concerns because my sense from what I hear is that one of the proposals he’s going to make is to make sure every teacher in the state has a laptop. So, that will go along with what we’re doing and could be another important factor in terms of our laptop initiative.
LB: I could see where this would fit in with the NCATE accreditation process. They would love to see all this data kept by the students as they progress through their program as an evidence of performance levels achieved.
FB: Right, the electronic portfolio idea you were talking about is one of the focuses of the Laptop Initiative, so the students create an electronic form of everything they do, projects and activities and up load it to their website, that’s their website and they, and anyone else they allow can access that website and see what kinds of activities they have been involved in and what skills the students have mastered. So it’s really exciting for the students. They are really heavily into it. It’s going to work out really well I think.
LB: It sounds exciting.
FB: It is.
LB: Frank, I want to thank you for sharing with us your experiences in the College of Education and for all you have contributed to the College and the University.
End of Interview