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In efforts to more efficiently assess and manage the student teaching experience (internship) of students, a pilot program was undertaken to implement the LiveText Field Experience Management (FEM) tool. This paper relates the efforts of stakeholders (mentor teachers, university supervisors, school district administrative personnel, teacher education faculty) to implement the FEM tool into the internship at The University of Alabama. Outlined in the paper are the efforts of the pilot team as they implemented the FEM tool over the course of 18 months. This article identifies the challenges the pilot team faced and how those challenges were addressed. The article concludes with suggestions offered by the pilot team for others who may consider adopting a similar system.

This paper describes 10 teachers' perceptions of technology integration and technology use in their classrooms, five years after their graduation from a teacher education program which encouraged technology use in teaching and learning. The researchers used Hooper and Rieber's (1999) five phases of technology use (familiarization, utilization, integration, reorientation, evolution) to categorize the teachers' efforts. The researchers found that the five teachers who were at Hooper and Rieber's reorientation or evolution phases were teachers who had continued professional development, had engaged students in using technology, and had support from their school community. Implications and recommendations for teacher educators are proposed. (Contains 2 tables.)

This study examines how social studies preservice teachers use pedagogical and technological applications and skills employed during their teacher education program, specifically the methods block. Data were collected from the methods course experience through student teaching and then through case study research with first-year teachers. Results indicate that technology skills and processes learned were transferred through time; however, expectations for teaching with technology and perceived challenges of doing so were complex. Participants in the study were more likely to emulate what "they were taught" than to apply individual creative technology integration plans. Common barriers to using technology in the classroom identified in the literature (Berson, 1996; Whitworth & Berson, 2003; Butler & Sellborn, 2002) were present; however, the researchers believe there is a need to enhance teacher education programs and teacher induction programs to include diverse technology integration experiences, and specifically, creative ideas to address barriers of using technology in the classroom and increasing the ability to think outside the box.

Digital technologies have changed the way students read and communicate. Subsequently, teachers must use technology to engage their students in learning. This article illustrates the value of using Web 2.0 tools (blogs, wikis, and digital media-sharing) in the social studies classroom. Additionally, a social studies teacher shares insights into how to incorporate types of Web 2.0 tools into the curriculum. (Contains 3 figures and 3 tables.)

This study examined perspectives and practices of two secondary social studies teachers who participated in multiple technology integration efforts during their pre-service teacher education program. The study presents similarities and differences of the teachers' technology use during three distinct phases of their development: methods instruction, student teaching, and post graduation/in-service teaching. The study found that while both teachers continued to use technologies that had been modeled during their teacher preparation, consistent professional development was essential in their development of new and innovative technology integration strategies. Both teachers consistently used technology as a classroom management tool, suggesting that teacher educators should explore potential teaching methods that can promote positive classroom management techniques. Other conclusions and implications for teacher educators are also presented.

The Master Technology Teacher (MTT) initiative at the University of Alabama is a collaborative technology partnership among university secondary education faculty, inservice teachers, and preservice teachers. MTT is designed to provide, to the partners, resources and long term development for enhancement of classroom technology integration and the development of technology skills. The authors present a discussion of the need for such a program, observations from the first five-year efforts, procedural details, and the challenges and successes experienced by the program partners as all participants brought technology to their students.

This study examines the views of student teachers, classroom teachers, and university-based personnel who participated in an alternative model of student teacher supervision and traditional triad model. A variety of data sources including surveys, interviews, and anecdotal evidence was used to determine the perceptions of the participants. Although there were concerns about the alternative model, the participants viewed it more positively than the traditional triad. Recommendations for teacher education programmes and the student teaching experience are made.

On May 22, 2002, Bobby Frank Cherry, the last suspect in the 1963 bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. The church bombing, which killed Denise McNair, 11, and three 14-year-olds, Addie Mae Collins, Carole Robertson, and Cynthia Wesley, on Sunday, September 15, had been left unresolved for nearly 40 years. Cherry's conviction brought some closure for the families of the victims, for Alabamians, and for many others who had been shocked by this dreadful crime. Just two years after his conviction, Cherry died of cancer in an Alabama prison. Author Christopher Paul Curtis explores the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in his book "The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963" (Delacorte Books for Young Readers, 1995). A teaching team of educators both from The University of Alabama and from Holt High School, a secondary professional development school, decided to implement a unit on the civil rights movement using literature as the medium. One goal in selecting literature was to find a book or books that would help students see their realities reflected in the text(s). The teaching team implemented one of their units in Melinda Lake's world affairs class (grades 9-12). Ms. Lake, with the team's collaboration, decided to incorporate "The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963" into her class to illustrate racism and discrimination. The preservice teachers and their professor worked with Ms. Lake, observed lessons, viewed historical documentaries on the civil rights movement with the class, and facilitated activities related to the book. To introduce the book, the class viewed the documentary "4 Little Girls," about the Birmingham church bombing. The class discussed what they had known about the church bombing prior to viewing the film. Students were asked to start a narrative focusing on the settings and characters in the book, making sure to use at least two words from the word bank and to underline these words. The teaching team felt that the unit on "The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963" had been a success in that they were able to involve students in the history of the civil rights movement on a more personal level. The students were able to relate to the characters and events in the novel and, by extension, people affected by racist violence such as in the bombing of the Birmingham church. (Contains 8 notes.)

WebQuests provide the opportunity to combine technology with educational concepts and to incorporate inquiry-based learning. WebQuests also have the ability to integrate on-line resources with student-centered, activity-based learning. Three courses in the College of Education at The University of Alabama and at West Virginia University incorporate WebQuests projects, both at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Students develop an online WebQuest and submit a paper copy and/or a URL to their instructor upon completion of the course. During an academic year, three professors in social studies graduate education received over 50 submissions of WebQuests projects from pre-service and in-service teachers enrolled in three courses. The grading rubric was developed by Bernie Dodge, the creator of WebQuests, but modified at The University of Alabama yielding a high rate of reliability (93.3%). This project assessed scores of WebQuests using this grading rubric in three separate classrooms. Comparisons between elementary and secondary level students, Filamentality users, and certified and non-certified teachers were analyzed for significance. The students had already received a grade for their projects through the academic class, but a separate grading system was developed to evaluate these projects and to provide insight into future research using WebQuests.

The intent of this study was to interpret the processes of journal keeping through written and electronic means to determine if the interns "saw" what their master teachers' saw in the myriad complexities of the social studies classroom. Three teachers identified as master teachers and interns placed under their tutelage examined interns their written observations about how they "saw" phenomenon in the social studies classroom. It was precisely this type of educative setting where these interns learned about enacting effective social studies teaching practice from a master teacher's guidance, one who modeled best practice and offered reflective mentorship. These three interns seemed to merely be able to catch a glimpse, or entertain a tacit notion of what their mentor teachers were able to "see" in the daily process of teaching and learning in the social studies. Most importantly, the optimal learning environment to nurture intern maturity and boost development is in a placement where the inservice teacher engages in consistent reflection about instruction and where language and theory are articulated as a support to decision making about social studies practice.

National and state technology standards for students, teachers, and administrators, teacher certification program standards, and revisions of many states' computer course of studies have encouraged teacher educators to seek innovative techniques to prepare teachers to effectively use and to seamlessly integrate technology into content classrooms. This study examined the perceptions of preservice teachers who were required to develop an electronic portfolio as part of a preservice teacher education program. Most participants concluded that the electronic portfolio assessment was a more authentic method of assessment for their work. However, the preservice teachers did not seem to reflect upon the portfolio or the process. Recommendations are made for teacher education programs employing electronic portfolios.

This article follows a secondary school social studies teacher in Alabama through five years of working to integrate technology and constructivism into his classroom. Results show successes in helping students gain new skills or enhance existing skills in technology, critical thinking, collaboration, presentation, and self-learning. (Author/LRW)

Presents a study that used an ethnographic design to examine three inservice teachers' reflections on their experiences as social studies teachers. Finds four themes in the teachers' accounts: (1) content versus methods; (2) dissonance; (3) time; and (4) reconsidered social studies practice. (CMK)

Describes an alternative student teacher supervision model involving clinical master teachers who assumed the roles of cooperating teacher and college supervisors, highlighting the experiences of four secondary teachers and changes they made in their supervision. Surveys, observations, and interviews indicated that participants perceived university supervisors as ineffective in many areas, though they viewed the university's role as supportive and positive. (SM)

Compares previous research findings that examine the consistency between a Title I teacher's beliefs about reading and her instructional practices at the third- and seventh-grade levels. Supports (1) the need for teacher improvement programs; (2) the need to coordinate Title I instruction with regular classroom instruction; and (3) the importance of the study of teacher beliefs. (SC)

Examines a social studies methods course where preservice teachers explored ways to use a variety of materials and sources to engage middle and high school students in higher order thinking about social studies content, especially with regard to historical thinking. Discusses students' responses. (MJP)

Describes the teaching styles and approaches of two different social studies teachers working in urban schools in Alabama. Aims at providing examples of wise teaching practice in social studies by examining what these teachers see as essential to becoming effective teachers in a challenging context. (CMK)