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| THE PRACTICUM |
| Background
Information |
| According to
information presented on the
Mass. Department of Education website, "The
Office of Instructional Technology supports schools in using technology to
increase student achievement and technological literacy." Many educators, already certified
(licensed) to teach in a certain area such as math, having discovered the
great usefulness of computers as a tool that enhances student learning and
supports educator productivity and presentation, seek additional
certification in the field of instructional technology. See
www.doe.mass.edu for additional
information about this field and its impact on K-12 instruction |
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| The
Practicum |
| The DOE website
stresses that "educators, including teachers, support personnel, and
administrators are generally required to hold a license issued by the
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in order to be
eligible to teach in the Massachusetts Public Schools." If you are a teacher, matriculated in the
SSC Technology in Education Program and working in Massachusetts, you
probably already hold one of the various kinds of licenses (preliminary,
temporary, initial, or professional) since entrance into the program is
contingent upon it. Says the DOE,
"One of the requirements for obtaining a Teaching Specialist License in
Instructional Technology is the completion of an approved
educator preparation program."
Most commonly graduate students accomplish
this through the completion of a program from a specified College or
University--a program that includes several weeks of participation in an
on-the-job experience known as a practicum. |
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| For Salem State
College Technology in Education majors that have matriculated into the
certification track, the practicum is a 3-credit course, usually the final
course of the program, called
EDS 969 P The
Office of Licensure (led by Ms Theresa Smith and located within the graduate
office in Sullivan Bldg.) oversees placement of students in schools and
reviews students' applications to participate in a practicum. Students will work closely with two
advisors: a college supervisor from SSC and a cooperating practitioner from
the actual school setting where the practicum is carried out. |
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| Generally the
practicum consists of 200 hours of observation, hands-on work, instruction of
students, teacher training, and preparation of a multimedia portfolio that
documents the practicum activities.
For students who are already teaching in a school setting—or possibly
already functioning as a de facto technology specialist—scheduling the hours
can be relatively easy.
For students
who are not currently working in a school or cannot easily take time off from
work or parenting, scheduling the practicum hours becomes a challenge and may
require some extensive planning and possibly some creative arrangement of
time. |
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| The practicum for
the Technology in Education program includes--at a minimum--the following
activities and requirements: |
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1--at least two
observations by the college supervisor and cooperating practitioner in which
the supervisor evaluates the lesson using MA DOE and ISTE standards
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2--preparation of
written pre-observation material that includes lesson goals, class management
strategies, evidence of collaboration with staff at host school, ample
evidence of the use of technology in both the presentation and the substance
of the lesson,
and application of
adaptive or assisted technology models where possible
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3--meetings as
follows: initial meeting, two
follow-up meetings (one for each observation), a final meeting to review and
sign PPAPPE forms
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4--a practicum
multimedia portfolio (not to be confused with the M. Ed. program portfolio)
which highlights the candidates use of technology in the classroom, including
video footage relevant to the candidate's practicum experience
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5--weekly reports
emailed to the college supervisor (subsequently forwarded to the college
licensure office)
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| The
Technology in
Education practicum (EDU969P) is available only to those students who have
matriculated into the "licensure track" of the program. It is neither required nor available for
students who are "M. Ed. only candidates." Furthermore, the practicum is available only to students
who have applied for permission to take it.
Applications are available in the Graduate School's Licensure Office
and must be filed according to directions and deadlines set forth by that
office.
Finally, the practicum is open
only to students who have completed the paperwork that documents the
Pre-Practicum Experience. |
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|
THE
PRE-PRACTICUM: CLICK HERE |
| TECHNOLOGY IN
EDUCATION HOME PAGE |
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