Increasing Teachers' Confidence in Using Computers for Education.

Abstract

The anxiety or confidence that teachers display towards and other new technologies is a subject which should be of prime importance to teacher educators and educational technologists. Many teachers feel ill-prepared and resist the integration of and other technologies into their instruction. Since 1976 there has been a growing body of literature on the subject of teachers' attitudes towards computers, pointing out that teacher educators and teacher preparation programs could play a vital role in helping teachers become less anxious and more confident computer users. Many states now require an educational technology component in .reservice teacher training, most often taking the form of a basic applications or computers in course. Eleven strategies that have been utilized successfully in teacher education courses at three universities are outlined. According to course evaluations and interviews with preservice teachers, these strategies have been successful in reducing computer anxiety and increasing confidence in using computer technologies for education. Recommendations for teacher educators who are interested in helping preservice and inservice teachers become more acquainted and comfortable with new instructional technologies are provided. (Contains 13 references.) (LL) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** Increasing Teachers' Confidence in Using Computers for Education U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and improvement EOUCATIONA,_ CENTER ( RESOURCES ERIC) INFORMATION 0 This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it 0 Minor changes have been made to Improve reproduction Quality Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy Paper presented at the annual conference of the Arizona Educational Research Organization Tucson, Arizona November, 1993 Anthony A. Pina Arizona State University Tempe, Arizona