Educating literacy educators in online teacher preparation programs is an area in need of research. As online literacy teacher programs become more prevalent, it will become increasingly important to study the benefits and challenges of various online literacy clinic designs. This study investigated the perceived interactions between tutors and external coaches in online practicum courses to identify what kind of learning impact the presence of coaches might have on future literacy educators. Grounded theory analysis of tutor and coach interviews and tutor course reflections, supplemented with field observations, highlights three distinctive features of perceived benefits of coaching involved: (a) improved reflection and achievement; (b) better collaboration; and (c) being present in the joint activity. The findings also call for more collaboration between online literacy educator preparation and instructional technology coaches and programs.

Clarkson University is home to a 30-year-old, graduate-level teacher education program which includes a student teaching placement. The placement process is one of the most time consuming aspects of the work done in the teacher education program. In order to minimize time spent placing student teachers and increase the level of service provided to those who require additional assistance, the teacher education program designed a prototype optimization software system to match student teachers with mentors. This optimizer is based on programming principles used in popular software applications individuals might use to find a relationship match. Rather than matching individuals for dating purposes, this model matches individuals based on their student teaching attributes. The software considers student teacher preferences, experience, and academic performance. It also accounts for factors related to mentors such as teaching experience, mentoring experience, school setting, and location. In an initial demonstration, the prototype software was tested with a sample of five student teachers and compared to the actual placement decisions made by the program faculty. The initial results showed strong agreement with the decisions made by program faculty. The research team used the Participatory Action Research process to tackle an adaptive problem that required many sets of expertise and an iterative research cycle. This article includes the results of this project along with challenges experienced in its development and next steps.

Power, privilege, and prejudice are embedded within technologies. While technologies can be designed and used for democratization and empowerment, they can also be used to undermine the foundations of democracy in a variety of ways. Using a conceptual framework of technologically embedded injustice, the authors engaged in a theoretical analysis of just technology integration in the preparation and professional development of preservice and in-service teachers. They investigated why the field of educational technology has been historically slow to incorporate critical approaches, in general, and in teacher education, in particular. They argue that educational technology’s roots are deeply influenced by US policy prioritizing technology for purposes of defense and capitalism. They further suggest that big tech’s surveillance capitalism and privatization of education creates a troubling tendency to overlook systemic power imbalances. The analysis suggests that educational technologies are tools of the oppressor, made by the oppressor, with power baked into their designs. As a result, they propose a clearer definition of “just technology” and suggest four intersecting approaches to move toward justice: turn toward critical approaches (e.g., critical theories); revise standards to make systemic change; wrestle with the role of education and technology in a democracy; and interrogate educational technologies. Their definition is not definitive, and their recommended practices serve as springboards, not walls. This work has been lacking in teacher education and educational technology and may open discourse, lines of inquiry, and new interpretations of justice in educational technology.

Despite the benefits of open pedagogy, its use in K-12 schools remains limited. Through this study, the authors examined the lack of open pedagogy usage in schools and potential barriers through the lens of teacher candidates’ (n = 29) experiences with open pedagogy assignments. Within this qualitative study, the authors defined open pedagogy and utilized identity building and significance building tools to examine teacher candidates’ perceptions of two different open pedagogy assignments. Candidates in one section worked on these assignments in a small group, while candidates in another section worked individually. Notable differences were observed among the candidates’ responses that highlight the importance of opportunities for collaborative open pedagogy practices within teacher education programs. This analysis supports the field’s understanding of ways teacher candidates’ experiences might impact their use of open pedagogy assignments in the future, and, therefore, the advancement of open practices in schools. Implications highlight how open pedagogy in teacher preparation programs have the potential to increase equity-oriented practices in K-12 schools. From this analysis, recommendations are drawn for those who strive to increase equitable learning environments through open practices.