| This study describes the experiences of three members of teacher education faculty involved in a supportive program to assist them in moving to integrate technology into their methods classes. I used the case study approach. I developed an in-depth close-up study of faculty members as they wrestled with the integration of technology into their professional classes and into their professional lives as well.; Case study data were collected from numerous one-on-one meetings, participant observations in classrooms and workshop settings, interviews, and documents such as syllabi and e-mail. Data were examined using the framework developed by Fullan and Hargreaves (1992, 1996). The categories in this framework include: teacher's purpose, teacher as person, context of teaching, and culture of teaching.; The findings describe the way that the case study faculty participants used technology in their teaching as a tool for learning, a tool for teaching, a tool for resources, and as a tool for communication. Commitment, a factor in teacher as person was found to be a vital component in integrating technology in teaching regardless of the case study faculty participants' technology expertise. Time was found to be the most consistently mentioned barrier to integrating technology into teaching. Comfort and confidence also were significant in the faculty participants' use of technology.; Even though the results of this study are limited to one COE setting, a complex variety of factors influencing the integration of technology in teacher education are described, and the importance of support personnel such as the Tech Guides mentioned in this study is reinforced. Recommendations for other colleges of education accepting the challenge of integrating technology into teacher education programs are included. |
