“With the Apple notebook requirement, we’ve made a vital commitment … that we’re preparing our students to become great teachers.”
Roy Weaver, Dean,
Ball State University Teachers College
Ball State University Teachers College: Teacher Training Goes Mobile
Muncie, IN — To make a successful transition from the “sage on the stage” to the “guide by the side,” teachers need to be mobile. They must be able to work with their students wherever and whenever desired — in a classroom, hallway, or out in the quad. Teacher education majors require the same flexibility, as their work must continue in the field by day and in residence halls at night. That’s why Ball State University Teachers College now mandates that all future educators purchase wireless notebook computers, and become proficient with educational technology. The hardware requirement: MacBook notebook computers.
Ball State’s teacher education program is nationally recognized for its emphasis on the integration of computing and information technologies into its curriculum. With the belief that teaching professionals require technology expertise, as well as unlimited access to advanced media, removing students’ dependence on static computer labs was a high priority for the school.
“We’d actually been exploring a laptop program for the past 10 years,” notes Roy Weaver, dean of Teachers College. “We were fortunate to have a vice president of technology who saw the value of such an initiative, along with a wireless campus, and viewed this as being a prototype for the university.
“It then became an issue of which vendor to select,” Weaver continues. “Initially, the folks in our computer services department were not strong advocates for Apple. But we wanted rich multimedia capabilities (for which the Mac is known) for our students, and Apple has a strong commitment to education, so those were very strong selling points. Then we put a couple of Macs into everyone’s hands and let them put the machines through their paces. Soon afterwards, our administration became convinced that the Mac was the way to go.”
Technology Anywhere
Having the Apple notebooks allows students to control their own computing destiny, says Matthew Stuve, assistant professor of educational technology at Teachers College. Students can transport all of their coursework, from documents to large video files, wherever the material is needed. And when students are in charge of their personal computing infrastructure, Stuve adds, they grow in technology competence and begin to focus on the learning rather than on the technology itself.
”Computers are as important to teachers as stethoscopes are to doctors,” observes Stuve. “We don’t want teachers to have to leave their ‘stethoscopes’ in a computer lab. The laptops have become their stethoscopes; the indispensable tools that are always with them.”
Digital Media Excites and Engages Students
Digital media is revolutionizing the way in which teachers represent learning, and how they design their teaching. Mastery of digital media skills can make lesson plans more effective and memorable, say Weaver and Stuve. Therefore, Ball State is training its teacher education majors to fully exploit digital technologies. Fortunately, MacBook notebooks offer precisely the tools that future teachers need: digital video (via iMovie and FireWire), digital imaging (via iPhoto) and advanced web publishing (via Mac OS X and WebDAV servers) on the Ball State campus.
Ball State emphasizes how critical it is for new teachers to master these technologies. Says Stuve, “Let’s face it: Their kids are excited by digital media. And anything that can motivate kids and make them successful at something will trigger other successes. When children have early and frequent access to digital media, we have seen gains in motivation that come with the pride of showcasing new skills or forms of learning.”
“That’s what Apple’s good at: identifying transformative technologies — in this case digital media — and making them easy for educators to explore on their terms,” Stuve adds. “By using media-savvy laptops, teachers can explore new domains and forms of representing learning for their students.”
*Internet access requires a wireless-enabled computer, a base station or other access point, and Internet access (fees may apply). Some ISPs are not currently compatible with AirPort. Range may vary with site conditions.
