Using a problem based, multimedia enhanced approach in learning about teaching

Abstract

Many teachers graduate from teacher education institutions with minimal understanding about how to use technology in their classrooms. This is due mainly to the limited exposure they receive to innovative uses for technology in their preservice programs. There is a need for more information on what new ways of teaching using computers by education faculty might look like. Faculty sharing of stories about their own innovative attempts to integrate technology can be powerful catalysts for others. This article describes the use of a WebCT based virtual field trip to a school used as part of a social studies curriculum and instruction course, designed to help preservice teachers to "rethink" traditional instruction.