Laptop Initiative for Future Educators Video Narration Script

Something exciting is going on in the College of Education at the University of Texas at Austin. Something new. Something different. Something that is transforming the way instructors teach and students learn. Something that will better prepare a new generation of teachers for the classrooms of the 21st century.

It’s the Laptop Initiative for Future Educators, or LIFE—a program that requires teacher education students to have a laptop computer for their professional development sequence.This groundbreaking initiative immerses preservice teachers in an environment of ubiquitous access to technology tools,Internet resources, and online communication systems in both their coursework and field experiences.

(Manuel Justiz, Dean of the College of Education at the University of Texas at Austin speaking:) "Hello, I'm Manuel Justiz, Dean of the College of Education at the University of Texas at Austin. The Laptop Initiative for Future Educators is a bold demonstration of the College’s commitment to prepare educators who can effectively teach with technology, so that they,in turn, can impart to their students the skills and knowledge necessary for success in the technology-rich world of the future. The initiative is one of the first requirements of its kind in a public university teacher education program. It continues a long tradition in the College for innovation in educational leadership and the constant improvement of teaching and learning."

The LIFE program grew out of a pilot program, in which groups of teacher education students were loaned laptop computers for the duration of their preparation program.

(Dr. Larry Abraham, chair of Curriculum & Education speaking:) "We saw from the pilot that continual access to computers produced significant gains in the integration of technology into instruction, so we decided to make it a requirement for all students in professional certification programs, beginning in fall 2002. Each certification program decided when the requirement would apply to its students. In most cases this is the professional development sequence, when students have two to four semesters left to complete certification requirements. We also worked with other colleges on campus, such as Liberal Arts and Fine Arts, to integrate the requirement into subject-specific preparation programs.

We decided that the best way to implement the requirement would be to have a single computer platform to simplify technical support, faculty training, and curriculum development. The Apple iBook was chosen on the basis of cost, ease of use, Apple’s extensive experience in the education market, and their commitment to ongoing support of the initiative."

The instructors teaching LIFE courses immediately set to work getting the training they needed and adapting their curriculum to include the laptops’ use throughout all phases of coursework. Many of the faculty have developed creative, engaging uses for the laptops and other complementary technologies in their classes.

(Dr. Julie Jackson describing the use of laptops in her class:) I've been involved in the laptop Initiative since Fall of 2002 and when I Initially heard that I was going to have to use laptops in my science methods class, I was more than apprehensive. I was concerned about how I was going to add another element of educational technology to a course that was already overburdened with content and activities and experiments. I looked long and hard at the requirements and decided to embrace it and try the best that I could to embed it into my course and I'm really grateful that I did that. The strength of having a laptop in my Science Methods class is multifaceted and we experience it every day in every class. The students bring their laptops to class. We open them, we're able to access information from the internet with the click of a key.

Students also use their laptops extensively to prepare course assignments. A standardized set of software on the laptops at purchase gives everyone the tools they need to complete a diverse array of assignments, including publishing digital books, creating Web sites, editing digital video, finding Internet resources, and learning to manage classroom data.

(Mandi Lamp, Teacher Education student describing an iMovie assignment in her class:) This semester my teacher asked my cohort to do an assignment on the election. With this assignment we were to come up with a theme and base our iMovie around this theme. So the first day we were given this assignment it was given to me as a huge packet and 'here you go—good luck with iMovie.' And I hated it, absolutely hated the idea of the assignment. I thought it was going to take way to much time in my busy schedule and I didn't see how it was going to be any use to me in my classroom and in my teaching profession.

But once I actually got the hang of iMovie it became one of the most influential experiences I've ever had at UT. It was completely wonderful and astounding—my parents are so proud of it. Everyone in my cohort had exceptional assignments. It was wonderful to see everyone's thoughts on the election and it just brought us all together. It was a very, very powerful experience and I was very glad to take part in it.

TeachNet, an online communication system for e-mail, conferencing, and chat, allows students to communicate with each other, anytime, anywhere.

(Another student, Carlyn Passes, at home, describing how easy and helpful it is to use the laptop to communicate with instructor and classmates with TeachNet:) I check TeachNet every single day. I use it to communicate with my teachers and my other cohort members. We post assignments on TeachNet so that we don't have to turn in any assignments on paper. And our cohort members—we talk to each other socially on TeachNet and we also have discussion boards on TeachNet for different subjects. So we have folders for each subject that we're taking and we also have folders within each subject so that we can post assignments or have a discussion in that folder. It's very user friendly. It's very helpful and I'm on it every day.

Along with managing TeachNet, the College’s Learning Technology Center provides a wide array of equipment and services to support the technical requirements of the laptop initiative.

(Former Laptop Coordinator Melissa Tothero speaking:) "We provide training to faculty and students on general laptop and software use. Faculty attend additional workshops to help them consistently integrate the technology throughout all course sequences. The Laptop Help Desk assists students with all kinds of hardware problems. They can send laptops directly to Apple for repair, and provide loaners while the computers are away. Students can get help with software use at the Application Support Center or by using Atomic Learning, a Web site that provides tutorials in a wide variety of applications. The LTC also maintains a wireless network in most College areas. and provides peripheral equipment, such as digital camcorders and projectors, for free checkout.”

The LIFE program doesn't end with College coursework and assignments, but also extends to students’ field experiences in local schools. Apprentice teachers use their laptops to practice the technology-infused teaching methods their instructors have modeled.

Isabelle Reyes has been working with apprentice teachers for fifteen years.

(Isabella Reyes, teacher, Sunset Valley Elementary, speaking:) The quality now is even better because they're able to find information they need to know immediately, at that moment. They don't need to go back home and get a dictionary or make sure they understand what they're doing. They actually can just get into the laptop and look for the information. With ten, fifteen minutes they're ready to go. Especially within the sciences and social studies where the vocabulary is very specialized, they're able to do that.

(Guadalupe Flores, apprentice teacher, Sunset Valley Elementary, speaking:) "The laptop is really useful, we can take it everywhere obviously. We get wireless internet at school which is really helpful and we get it here also on our campus. We try to incorporate technology into everyday use. We try to take photographs of the students and their work and use video to show them clips of, maybe, things they might not see every day. We use the Internet a lot, maybe take some guided tours of museums and stuff like that, that we might not be able to do otherwise. They think it's cool."

(Veronica Casas, apprentice teacher, Sunset Valley Elementary, speaking:) "We have had several assignments through our professors to start using technology. We have done books using MacConcepts. We have taken pictures of the students or objects around different places and we have been able to create a book and present it to the students and they like it a lot. We have also done iMovies—recently, how we teach, how the students react to our teaching and even us evaluating ourselves. Sometimes it's really hard to go back and see what we did wrong but now with the technology that we have we are able to do so and reflect on it."

(Dr. Paul Resta, Director, Learning Technology Center speaking:) "The use of technology in education allows for the development of a student-centered approach to learning. Exciting real-world problems can be explored in the classroom, and students can more easily enhance their learning through collaboration, reflection, and revision. In addition, teachers can expand their own opportunities for learning from other teachers, parents, and experts around the globe through electronic communities of practice."

As students receive their certification and begin teaching in the schools, the real impact of LIFE will be felt. Developing teachers who can use technology tools to improve and even transform the learning process is the ultimate goal of the LIFE Program.

(Melissa Rodriguez, teacher, Odom Elementary speaking:) "I was one of the first cohorts to have the Laptop Initiative implemented and it greatly helped me stay organized with all of the papers and all of the charts that were required, Especially for grading and to help students understand how important technology is—to get that importance instilled in us at first and to let us really explore with it, especially with iPhoto and iMovie, it's just very helpful to have been able to learn, proficiently, how to use those different programs. I know a lot of teachers have no clue how to use them and so, coming in, you're able to show everyone and you become this technology wizard almost. Everyone turns to you, 'how do I use the iPhoto, how do I use the iMovie?' and you're able to really show them and to use it in your classroom as well. It's a very good learning tool for students."

The LIFE program will continue to evolve. Faculty will expand and refine the use of technology in their curricula. Applications of new technologies, such as the use of iSight cameras for conferencing on the Web, will be explored for their benefit to teacher education. And students will become teachers who will improve education through the effective use of technology.

For now, and semesters to come, that’s LIFE in the College of Education, at the University of Texas at Austin.