1. A Qualitative Look at Preservice Teacher's Perceptions of the Future of Computers in Education.
- Author
-
Schnackenberg, Heidi L. and Savenye, Wilhelmina C.
- Abstract
A qualitative study was conducted to determine the perceptions of preservice teachers on how computers will be used in schools in the future. Undergraduate students (n=40) were given a 60-minute multimedia presentation on how computer and multimedia technologies are used in schools, followed by group discussions on the ways in which computers will be used in schools in 10 years, and an assigned one-page essay addressing the topic. The study revealed that preservice teachers have high expectations for using computers in their classrooms, some of which are unrealistic for the next 10 years. Many students felt that assignments and materials will be accessed via electronic mail or the Internet (n=37); software will be personalized, self-paced, and written by students (n=32); virtual reality, CD-ROMs, and holograms will be commonplace (n=31); and computers will be voice-activated and have touch-screens (n=30). Other students felt the teacher will still be the center of the classroom and computers will be used for grades and attendance records (n=25); every student will have a computer (n=23); computers will replace books and floppy disks will replace paper (n=18); computers will control fire drills, demonstrations, and career exploration (n=13); computer equipment will not be expensive and computer access will be limited (n=1). Student perceptions and further research are discussed. (Contains 10 references.) (SWC)
- Published
- 1997