Technology Center for Teacher Preparation

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Presently, in the State of Texas, less than fifty percent of mathematics instructors at the secondary level are board certified. This is one reason the Department of Mathematics at Texas Tech University regards teacher preparation as a critical part of its teaching mission. Over the past several years the department has developed a rigorous program to address the mathematics content needs of all preservice elementary and secondary teachers. One of the important objectives of this program is to familiarize prospective K-12 teachers with the technology that is relevant to mathematics instruction at their particular grade level. This project is enabling the department to establish a PC multi-media laboratory. With our current facilities students are not able to access any instructional materials on CD-ROM format or those that utilize a combination of audiovisual features. Furthermore, the Unix environment of our current laboratory does not allow students to develop the technological skills required in the teaching profession. The laboratory will provide a consistency in the technological training that will enhance the relevance of our teacher preparation program. With the new facility, the curriculum will be enhanced by the introduction of additional technology that is relevant to the educational experience in K-12. For example, Geometer's SketchPad, or Cabri Geometry will be incorporated into the teacher preparation curriculum. Beyond its impact on the existing program, the multi-media laboratory will significantly enhance the department's ability to develop cooperative programs with local public schools. Teachers from area schools will be invited to demonstrate technology that they use in their classrooms. In addition, there will be a series of workshops for inservice teachers. In these workshops teachers and students will view, evaluate, and compare various software appropriate to their instructional needs. This experience will not only benefit the participants, but will guide our department as modifications of the content and structure of our teacher preparation program are made.