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Temple University Center for Research
in Human Development and Education |
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Whether one agrees completely with Erhart's assertion
concerning the definition of a technology coordinator, it is
important to clarify such matters as the following:
 How
should these professionals be identified-by state
certification or by other formal or informal designation by
the state or school districts? Should distinctions be made
between facilitators who work directly with teachers versus
those who primarily formulate and oversee policies?
What
functions, roles, and responsibilities should be expected of
IT specialists?
What
kinds of professional preparation do they need, and what
competencies should they demonstrate to be appointed for
these positions?
What opportunities and training exist for people who want to
become IT specialists?
Should classroom teachers consider such programs as options
for continuing their professional education?
Ongoing work at Temple University's Instructional and
Learning Technology Program is being conducted in
collaboration with MAR*TEC to address the first two matters,
which will be the subject of an upcoming EDTECH Review.
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Regional Opportunities for IT Specialist Preparation
Various Internet search systems and resources were used to
identify institutions of higher education within the MAR*TEC
region that are preparing IT specialists. A
list of relevant programs is
available online at the MAR*TEC website.
Opportunities for IT specialist training are available at 43
universities and colleges within the MAR*TEC region as
follows: Delaware (2), District of Columbia (3), Maryland
(4), New Jersey (8), and Pennsylvania (26).
Instructional technology preparation takes various forms.
Some programs explicitly identify "instructional
technology," "instructional design," as the focus of their
programs (e.g., Lehigh University, M.S. in Educational
Technology). Others appear to have IT specialist preparation
as an option for more traditional majors. For example,
curriculum and instruction majors as well as educational
administration majors may be able to emphasize IT
preparation or take IT courses (e.g., University of
Delaware, Ed.D. in Educational Leadership with
Specialization in Educational Technology). Programs vary in
the extent to which they reflect an earlier heritage from
educational media (e.g., Kean University, M. A. in
Educational Media Specialization), educational psychology
(e.g., Temple University, Educational Psychology M.Ed. with
Instructional and Learning Technology specialization),
computers in education, or (e.g., DeSales University, M.Ed.
Computers in Education for Elementary Teachers, K-8). Other
programs give the impression that they may be extensions of
computer science programs (e.g., Philadelphia University,
Post-Masters Certificate in Programming/Authoring), having
less concern with curricular and instructional matters and
more emphasis on hardware and software matters.
Given the problems encountered in organizing information
about IT programs, it is likely that potential students as
well as experienced teachers and administrators may have
difficulty in obtaining information or even realizing that
these courses and programs even exist. Due to this lack of
information a possible outcome will be that administrators
will not have sufficient information as to how IT
specialists can help classroom teachers to integrate
technology resources effectively into their curriculum and
instruction.
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