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Using technology in student teacher supervision

Through the RITE (Rural Integration of Technology Education) grant the Office of Clinical Experiences is embarking on a pilot project using handheld PDA (personal digital assistants) devices to supervise student teachers. This piece is one of many technology opportunities provided to SCSU faculty, staff, and students through the RITE grant over the past 3 years.

Ultimately, university supervisors will be able to use a PDA loaded with mVal software to evaluate their student teachers. The software package was developed by Media-X Incorporated, and is being used by hundreds of Minnesota administrators as one tool in the teacher evaluation process.

MVal software allows its users to input their own set of rubrics or use those already programmed. At SCSU the rubrics that are already being used on observation sheets and final evaluation forms will be modified to work with
the software. MVal will allow supervisors, using a stylus or keyboard, to input their comments and evaluation into the handheld, then beam them to a printer and have the form typed and ready for conferences and signatures.

Of course, “we’re still in the process of working out all the details and kinks,” said Teresa Washut Heck, Director
of the Office of Clinical Experiences, and initiator of the program. However, we have been working closely with Media-X and continue to train a group of supervisors to use the PDA’s. It is our hope that by the end of fall semester, we will have a much better idea of the capabilities of PDA’s in supervision.”

As Colleges and Universities look at the technology competencies of their graduates, the Office of Clinical Experiences wanted to keep pace with trends in the field. Currently, SCSU is on the cutting edge, and one of very few institutions exploring a handheld’s use in supervision. The university is very excited about the potential for increasing the ability to serve students and the public schools with whom it works.

Using PDA’s in supervision may improve the ability to maintain better and more accurate records of SCSU students. Information entered on a PDA can either be printed out immediately and/or hot-synced (downloaded) to the supervisor’s desk top computer. This information will ultimately be linked to one computer that will maintain the evaluation records of all student teachers.

“The main problem with introducing new technology is getting people comfortable with using it,” Heck said. “This is a pilot program. We have to take baby steps.”

At a time when superintendents and principals throughout Minnesota are using the PDA technology as a tool for education, it is important that College of Education students and faculty have a familiarity with the latest technology.

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