Source: Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, Volume 18, Issue 2, April 2010, pp. 287-317.
During the past three years, the authors have been designing and implementing a technology enhanced urban ecology program using geographic information systems (GIS) coupled with technology.
The authors began to infuse their National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded ITEST work into their pre-service teacher preparation program.
In this article, the authors report on the successes and challenges of integrating their ITEST projects into one particular pre-service teacher education course designed for students from a range of disciplines and backgrounds.
The authors found that as students’ understanding of the content improved, so did their understanding of technology’s role in “doing science,” and their belief that they can use technology in their own teaching.
The authors also found that the technology, although useful for helping students ask rather robust research questions, appeared to impede a more sophisticated understanding of the complete scientific process.