Implementing the NETS*T: Stories From the First-Round Winners of the ISTE NETS Distinguished Achievement Awards

In 2002, six U.S. teacher education programs were recognized by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) with its first round of ISTE National Educational Technology Standards Distinguished Achievement Awards. These awards recognize institutions exhibiting exemplary models of integration into their teacher education programs of the National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers (NETS*T; see http://cnets.iste.org/netsawards/).

The editors of CITE Journal wanted to know more about these award-winning programs—How do they prepare preservice teachers to use technology? How do preservice teachers use these innovations in their course work and student teaching? What theoretical frameworks or guiding principles contributed to the success of these teacher education programs?

We invited each of the six award-winning programs to submit an article that not only described their programs but also took advantage of the online medium to both show and tell, using photographs, web links, electronic slideshows, and videos.

We are happy to be able to feature articles by all six winners in this issue of CITE Journal. They are as follows:

  • Wake Forest University, Teacher Preparation Programs.
  • The Ohio State University at Mansfield, Elementary Education Program.
  • Arizona State University West, College of Education, Early Childhood Program.
  • Hope College, Teacher Education Program.
  • University of Virginia, Curry School of Education, Secondary Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, and English Education Programs.
  • University of Texas at Austin, UTeach Program.

Each of these programs is unique. Some began introducing technology into teacher preparation in the 1980s, while others have begun to incorporate technology only within the past decade. The ISTE NETS*T standards were the impetus for bringing technology into the some of these programs, while others began incorporating technology first and found that their practice reflected the spirit of the standards. Some programs incorporate technology broadly across the entire teacher ed program, while others have focused their innovative technology uses in specialized areas.

Every program, however, has an interesting story to tell, full of enthusiasm, ideas, and vision for the future of technology and teaching. We encourage you to read about each of these programs, go to their websites, and view their student work samples. You may find that some aspects from these exemplary programs can be adapted to your program, or at least that they serve as an inspiration to further explore ways to integrate technology into teacher preparation.

CITE Journal intends to establish this section as an ongoing repository of stories about ISTE NETS award winners, and subsequent award-winning programs will also be invited to submit. Be sure to check back in a few months to read about the second round winners.

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